TExES 268 School Operations & Policies 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student's IEP team recommends a change in placement to a self-contained special education classroom. Who has final authority to change the student's placement?
- The campus principal
- The parent or guardian, whose consent is required (Correct answer)
- The ARD committee by majority vote
- The special education director
Correct answer: The parent or guardian, whose consent is required
Under IDEA, parental consent is required for initial placement and significant changes in placement; the ARD committee makes recommendations but parents must provide consent.
Question 2: A campus is audited and found to have improperly spent Title I funds on items that are not allowable under the grant. Which consequence is MOST likely?
- Loss of the principal's teaching certificate
- The district must repay the disallowed expenditures and may face additional monitoring (Correct answer)
- The campus loses its Title I designation permanently
- Individual teachers responsible for purchases are personally fined
Correct answer: The district must repay the disallowed expenditures and may face additional monitoring
Federal grant audits typically result in repayment of disallowed costs and increased oversight, with consequences at the district level.
Question 3: Which of the following is a principal's PRIMARY responsibility related to the Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS)?
- Personally entering all student data into the PEIMS system
- Ensuring that campus data submitted to the district is accurate and timely (Correct answer)
- Approving all PEIMS submissions at the state level
- Training the TEA data team on campus-specific coding
Correct answer: Ensuring that campus data submitted to the district is accurate and timely
Principals are accountable for the accuracy and timeliness of campus data that feeds into PEIMS, which the district then submits to TEA.
Question 4: A teacher reports that a student disclosed abuse at home. The teacher asks the principal what to do. What is the CORRECT guidance?
- The principal should contact the parents first to gather more information
- The teacher, as the professional who received the disclosure, is the required reporter and must contact DFPS immediately (Correct answer)
- The principal should contact DFPS on behalf of the teacher
- The school counselor must investigate before a report is made
Correct answer: The teacher, as the professional who received the disclosure, is the required reporter and must contact DFPS immediately
In Texas, every professional who has knowledge or reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect is individually required to report to DFPS; the obligation is not transferable to the principal.
Question 5: A principal is developing the campus-level budget. Which approach BEST aligns spending decisions with school improvement goals?
- Replicate the previous year's budget with a cost-of-living adjustment
- Allocate resources based on campus data, prioritizing needs identified in the campus improvement plan (Correct answer)
- Distribute funds equally across all departments regardless of need
- Allow each department head to determine their own budget without oversight
Correct answer: Allocate resources based on campus data, prioritizing needs identified in the campus improvement plan
Effective principals use data and the campus improvement plan to drive resource allocation so that spending directly supports identified instructional priorities.
Question 6: Under Texas Education Code, a student who brings a firearm to school must be expelled for a minimum of how long?
- 30 days
- 60 days
- One calendar year, with a possible modification by the superintendent (Correct answer)
- The remainder of the school year
Correct answer: One calendar year, with a possible modification by the superintendent
TEC §37.007 mandates expulsion for one calendar year for bringing a firearm to school, with the superintendent authorized to modify the term on a case-by-case basis.
Question 7: A principal wants to use campus funds to reward staff with gift cards for perfect attendance. Why is this problematic?
- It creates morale issues among staff who are absent
- Public school funds cannot be used for personal gifts or benefits to employees under state law (Correct answer)
- It violates collective bargaining agreements
- It must be approved by TEA before implementation
Correct answer: Public school funds cannot be used for personal gifts or benefits to employees under state law
Texas law prohibits the expenditure of public school funds for personal gifts or gratuities to employees, as these are not a legitimate public purpose.
TExES 268 School Operations & Policies 4
A student's IEP team recommends a change in placement to a self-contained special education classroom.
Who has final authority to change the student's placement?