TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities EC–12 (160) — All Questions

A preschool teacher wants children to learn the difference between heavy and light. Which activity fits their development best?

• a.Tracing the words heavy and light on a worksheet
• b.Listening to the teacher explain what weight means
• c.Watching a cartoon about a scale at the market
• d.Sorting objects by how heavy each one feels✓

Young children rely on "motor and sensory input and direct experience," so handling objects teaches the concept directly. The cartoon is tempting because it is visual, but it is secondhand experience. A Piagetian paper adds that such manipulation "is essential" for real comprehension.PPR framework, Competency 004

A kindergartner insists that a flattened ball of clay has more clay than a round ball of the same amount. What does this suggest?

• a.The child has a learning disability in math
• b.The child is refusing to cooperate with the activity
• c.The child is thinking at a formal operational level
• d.The child has not yet fully developed conservation✓

Conservation, the idea that an amount stays the same when its shape changes, develops in the concrete operational stage, around ages 7 to 11. Formal operational thinking is tempting as a label, but it refers to abstract reasoning in adolescence.ERIC EJ1274368 (Piaget review)

An eleventh-grade teacher wants students to reason about hypotheses in a science unit. What should the teacher keep in mind?

• a.Some students will still need concrete examples first✓
• b.Every student this age reasons abstractly without support
• c.Abstract reasoning develops only after age twenty-one
• d.Hypotheses are too abstract for high school students

Research on Piaget found that "not all adolescents approach the formal operational stage," so concrete anchors still help some students. Assuming every student reasons abstractly is tempting, but it overstates the theory.ERIC EJ1274368 (Piaget review)

A fourth grader tells the teacher, "I'm the worst reader in the class." According to Erikson, which stage is the student working through?

• a.Trust versus mistrust
• b.Identity versus role confusion
• c.Autonomy versus shame and doubt
• d.Industry versus inferiority✓

Erikson's "Industry vs. Inferiority" stage covers the elementary years, when children judge their own competence. Identity versus role confusion is tempting because the student is thinking about self-image, but that stage belongs to adolescence.ERIC ED116776 (Erikson and Piaget)

Two kindergartners play side by side with toy trucks, each absorbed in their own game and not interacting. What stage of play is this?

• a.Parallel play✓
• b.Onlooker behavior
• c.Cooperative play
• d.Associative play

Parallel play is play in which children "play along side others but do not interact." Associative play is tempting, but it involves brief interaction between children.ERIC ED458045 (pretend play)

A seventh-grade student who was outgoing has become withdrawn after joining a new friend group. Which factor is most likely at work?

• a.The growing influence of peer acceptance✓
• b.The end of the concrete operational stage
• c.Too little homework to keep the student busy
• d.A normal loss of all interest in learning

In early adolescence "the function and importance of the peer group change dramatically," which can change behavior quickly. The stage explanation is tempting, but it does not account for a social change like this.ERIC ED471912 (peer groups)

A kindergarten teacher sees that one child cannot use scissors or button a coat, unlike most classmates, and the problem continues for months. What should she do?

• a.Assume the child will outgrow it without any action
• b.Tell the parents the child is behind and should repeat kindergarten
• c.Document it and raise the concern through the referral process✓
• d.Keep the child from art activities until skills improve

Teachers recognize "signs of developmental delays or impairments," and children suspected of a disability must be "identified, located, and evaluated." Assuming the child will outgrow it is tempting because children vary, but a lasting pattern calls for the referral process.34 CFR 300.111

A teacher learns that a ninth grader sleeps about five hours a night because of a late job. Why does this matter for learning?

• a.Sleep matters only for physical growth, not for learning
• b.Teenagers need less sleep than younger children, so it does not
• c.Too little sleep harms attention and development✓
• d.He will adapt

Teens 13 to 18 "should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day," and development in one domain affects others. The idea that teens need little sleep is tempting, but it contradicts the recommendation.NHLBI, How Much Sleep Is Enough?

A middle school class discusses a rule. A student says, "It's right because you'd get in trouble otherwise." Which level of moral reasoning does this show?

• a.Post-conventional
• b.Conventional
• c.Pre-conventional✓
• d.Formal operational

Kohlberg's first stage, "Obedience and Punishment Orientation," judges right and wrong by consequences. Conventional reasoning is tempting, but it centers on approval and social order rather than avoiding punishment.ERIC ED421667 (Kohlberg)

A second-grade teacher plans a unit on insects. Which activity best reflects integrated, active learning for this age?

• a.Watching a slideshow on insects and taking notes
• b.Reading a chapter about insects and answering questions silently
• c.Observing live insects, counting legs, drawing them✓
• d.Memorizing a list of insect names for a quiz

The framework calls for "integrated and active learning and play experiences that promote the development of the whole child." Reading a chapter is tempting because it teaches facts, but it is passive for young learners. In play and active work, children expand their knowledge of the physical world.PPR framework, Competency 001

A teacher wants students of different readiness levels to work on the same science concept. Which strategy fits?

• a.The same task with no changes for any student
• b.Extra worksheets for students who finish early
• c.A separate, easier topic for the struggling students
• d.A tiered task with different levels of support✓

Tiered activities let "all learners work with the same important understandings and skills" with different support. An easier topic is tempting because it seems kind, but it changes what those students learn.ERIC ED443572 (differentiation)

An emergent bilingual student at the advanced level participates in discussions with little support. What does the student most likely need now?

• a.Removal from grade-level content until testing
• b.Instruction only in the student's first language
• c.Little support while building academic language✓
• d.Highly scaffolded instruction with simple phrases

The ELPS describe advanced-level students as engaging "with little to no linguistic support." Highly scaffolded instruction is tempting, but it fits beginning-level students, not advanced ones.19 TAC 120.20 (ELPS)

A teacher reads that a new student's home language survey shows Vietnamese is spoken at home. Which committee reviews the student's language proficiency?

• a.The placement review committee
• b.The campus-level planning committee
• c.The language proficiency assessment committee✓
• d.The admission, review, and dismissal committee

Texas requires a language proficiency assessment committee to review information on emergent bilingual students, including "the home language survey." The ARD committee is tempting, but it handles special education decisions.Texas Education Code 29.063

Which strategy best supports an emergent bilingual student at the beginning level during a history lecture?

• a.A seat in the back where the student feels less pressure
• b.Permission to skip the lecture and read alone
• c.A copy of the teacher's full lecture script
• d.A graphic organizer with pictures of key events✓

IES recommends "short videos, visuals, and graphic organizers" to anchor content for English learners, and beginning students need high scaffolding. The full lecture script is tempting because it gives all the content, but it is dense text a beginner cannot yet use.IES Practice Guide: English Learners (2014)

A student's IEP lists shortened assignments for math as a modification. What does this mean for the general education teacher?

• a.The teacher follows the IEP's modification✓
• b.The teacher must ask the principal before each use
• c.It is optional
• d.The teacher may ignore it during state testing weeks

The IEP states "the program modifications or supports for school personnel," and the teacher implements what it says. Treating it as optional is tempting because it seems flexible, but the IEP, not the teacher alone, sets the modification.34 CFR 300.320

Which student is most likely covered by Section 504 rather than an IEP?

• a.A student with diabetes who needs snacks and breaks✓
• b.A student with autism who needs a special education class
• c.A student who needs specially designed reading instruction
• d.A student who needs speech therapy as special education

Section 504 covers a student with an impairment that "substantially limits one or more major life activities" who needs supports rather than special education. The reading instruction option is tempting, but specially designed instruction is special education under an IEP.34 CFR 104.3

How does Texas define a gifted and talented student?

• a.One who earns straight A grades for two years
• b.One who reads two grade levels above placement
• c.One who is nominated by a parent and a teacher
• d.One who can perform at a remarkably high level✓

Texas Education Code §29.121 defines a gifted student as one "who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others." Straight A grades is tempting as evidence, but grades alone are not the definition.Texas Education Code 29.121

A teacher writes the objective: "Students will know the parts of a plant." How could it be improved?

• a.Use an observable verb, such as label✓
• b.Lengthen it
• c.Remove the objective and focus on activities instead
• d.Add more plant parts so the objective is harder

Objectives should have "clarity" and the "ability to be assessed"; "know" is not observable, while labeling a diagram is. Adding more parts is tempting because it raises rigor, but the problem is the verb, not the amount. Assessment guidance says objectives "divide the goals into observable behaviors."PPR framework, Competency 003

A teacher is choosing between two textbooks. Which feature matters most?

• a.A large number of extra worksheets
• b.The lowest price among available options
• c.Bright photographs on every page
• d.Clear objectives and logical sequence✓

High-quality instructional materials include "a logical scope and sequence, clear learning objectives, grade or course level content." Bright photographs are tempting because they engage students, but appearance does not ensure quality.19 TAC 235.21

A class's quiz scores are 80, 85, 85, 90 and 100. What is the mode?

• a.90
• b.20
• c.85✓
• d.88

The mode is "the value of the random sample that occurs with the greatest frequency," and 85 appears twice. Eighty-eight is tempting because it is the mean, and 20 is the range.NIST e-Handbook 1.3.5.1

What does a criterion-referenced test measure?

• a.A student's learning style preference
• b.How a student ranks against a national group
• c.A student's percentile among classmates
• d.Mastery of a defined skill✓

A criterion-referenced test "assesses whether or not the individual possesses the skill." Ranking against a national group is tempting, but that describes a norm-referenced test.ERIC ED324327

Which four subjects make up the Texas foundation curriculum?

• a.English, science, fine arts and technology applications
• b.English language arts, mathematics, science and social studies✓
• c.Mathematics, science, health and career education
• d.Reading, writing, mathematics and physical education

Texas's foundation curriculum is "English language arts; mathematics; science; and social studies." The option with fine arts is tempting, but fine arts and technology applications are in the enrichment curriculum.19 TAC 74.1

When is the best time to decide how a unit will be assessed?

• a.Before planning the unit's activities✓
• b.After students finish the unit
• c.Only if students struggle during the unit
• d.The night before the unit test

Lessons should "connect learning objectives with explicit instruction, student engagement, academic language, deliberate practice, and assessment," which is easiest when the assessment is set first. After the unit is tempting, but by then the activities may not have prepared students for it.19 TAC 235.21

Beginning in which school year does Texas House Bill 8 begin replacing STAAR?

• a.2030–31
• b.2027–28✓
• c.2026–27
• d.2025–26

TEA says HB 8 "introduces significant changes to the Texas Assessment Program beginning in the 2027–28 school year," including replacing STAAR. The 2026–27 year is tempting because the bill passed in 2025, but STAAR continues until the change begins.TEA, House Bill 8: Student Assessment

A teacher links fraction bars that students handle to the written fractions they stand for. Which evidence-based recommendation is she applying?

• a.Space learning over several months
• b.Reduce practice to save instructional time
• c.Match lessons to each student's learning style
• d.Connect concrete and abstract representations✓

IES recommends that teachers "Connect and integrate abstract representations of a concept with concrete representations of the same concept." Spacing is tempting because it is also an IES recommendation, but it concerns the timing of review, not linking representations.IES Practice Guide: Organizing Instruction (2007)

In the 1999–2001 revision of Bloom's taxonomy, which category replaced "knowledge" as the first category?

• a.Analyze
• b.Evaluate
• c.Remember✓
• d.Apply

The revision's authors wrote that "we have replaced 'knowledge' with 'remember' as the first category on the cognitive process dimension." Evaluate is tempting because the revision changed several labels, but it sits near the top, not first.ERIC ED435630 (Bloom's taxonomy)

Before a new unit on volcanoes, a teacher asks students a few questions about eruptions they will learn to answer. Which IES recommendation does this follow?

• a.Combining graphics with verbal descriptions
• b.Asking deep questions at the end of the unit
• c.Using pre-questions to introduce a new topic✓
• d.Using delayed judgments to decide what to study

IES recommends to "Use pre-questions to introduce a new topic." Deep questions are tempting because they are also recommended, but the practice described happens before instruction, not after.IES Practice Guide: Organizing Instruction (2007)

Which statement best describes Vygotsky's zone of proximal development?

• a.The level of work a student can complete without any help
• b.The age at which children begin to think abstractly
• c.The gap between what a learner can do alone and with guidance✓
• d.The part of the room where students work most quietly

Vygotsky defined it as "the distance between the actual developmental level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance." Work completed without help is tempting, but that is the actual level, not the zone.ERIC ED384575 (Vygotsky)

Which example shows intrinsic motivation?

• a.A student reads so she will not lose recess
• b.A student reads because she loves the stories✓
• c.A student reads to earn points toward a prize
• d.A student reads to earn a pizza coupon

An intrinsically motivated student acts "for its own sake, for the enjoyment it provides, the learning it permits." Reading to avoid losing recess is tempting because no prize is involved, but avoiding a punishment is extrinsic motivation.ERIC ED370200 (student motivation)

A student succeeds on a hard task. To which cause should the teacher link the success to best support future motivation?

• a.An easy task this time
• b.The student's natural talent
• c.Effort and strategy✓
• d.Luck

Effort is "internal, unstable, and controllable, which is quite favorable for motivation." Natural talent is tempting praise, but it is a fixed trait the student cannot control.ERIC ED479353 (effort feedback)

A teacher solves a problem aloud, explaining each decision she makes. What is she modeling?

• a.Rote memorization
• b.Metacognitive thinking✓
• c.Extrinsic motivation
• d.Norm-referenced testing

Research on metacognition says "teachers should think aloud so that students can follow demonstrated thinking processes." Rote memorization is tempting because the teacher shows steps, but the purpose is to show the thinking behind them.ERIC ED327218 (metacognition)

Which set of skills does the PPR framework say teachers teach, model and monitor?

• a.Only skills tested on state assessments
• b.Only the content in the state standards
• c.Only skills students choose to learn
• d.Skills like note-taking and summarizing✓

The framework says a teacher "Teaches, models and monitors age-appropriate study skills (e.g., using graphic organizers, outlining, note-taking, summarizing, test-taking)." State-tested skills is tempting because tests matter, but study skills are part of the teacher's role regardless.PPR framework, Competency 004

Which organizer best helps students show cause and effect in a history lesson?

• a.A spelling word list
• b.A cause-and-effect chain diagram✓
• c.A random list of dates
• d.A blank sheet of lined paper

Graphic organizers are "visual representations of how ideas are related to each other," and a cause-and-effect chain shows those relationships directly. A list of dates is tempting because history involves dates, but it shows sequence without causes.ERIC ED461907 (graphic organizers)

Which idea do SBEC's 2025 Classroom Teacher Pedagogy Standards list among myths teachers should avoid?

• a.Retrieval practice
• b.Spaced practice
• c.Learning styles✓
• d.Worked examples

The standards name "myths such as learning styles, personality traits, and hemispheric dominance" and list retrieval practice, spacing and worked examples as research-based strategies. Retrieval practice is tempting as an unfamiliar term, but it is a recommended strategy.19 TAC 235.21

According to research on student motivation, what strongly shapes whether students expect to learn?

• a.Their teachers' expectations✓
• b.The number of textbooks assigned
• c.The color of the classroom walls
• d.Class size

"To a very large degree, students expect to learn if their teachers expect them to learn." Class size is tempting as a structural factor, but the research points to teacher expectations.ERIC ED370200 (student motivation)

During the first week, a teacher spends time teaching how to enter the room, get materials and turn in work. Why is this valuable?

• a.It fills time until the real curriculum begins
• b.Routines matter only for younger students
• c.Taught routines save time and prevent problems✓
• d.It lets the teacher avoid planning lessons that week

The framework asks teachers to establish "age-appropriate routines and procedures to promote an organized and productive learning environment." Treating it as filler is tempting, but routines protect instructional time all year. The 2025 standards likewise call for "consistent routines for effective classroom management."PPR framework, Competency 006

A teacher wants a warm climate in her middle school class. Which practice best supports it?

• a.Using sarcasm to keep students alert
• b.Greeting students and noting efforts✓
• c.Correcting mistakes in front of the class
• d.Posting grades publicly to motivate effort

Teachers create "a safe, nurturing and affirming classroom environment" that respects students' dignity. Posting grades is tempting as motivation, but public comparison embarrasses students. Research also finds students participate more when the classroom is "a caring, supportive place."PPR framework, Competency 005

Which arrangement best supports a whole-class discussion?

• a.Desks in a circle or U-shape✓
• b.Desks pushed against the walls
• c.Desks in pairs facing the door
• d.Desks in rows facing the board

The framework asks teachers to understand "the benefits and limitations of various arrangements of furniture" for different contexts; a circle lets students face each other. Rows are tempting because they aid visibility, but students cannot see each other while discussing. For discussion, students need to face one another; cooperative-learning research stresses "face-to-face academic conversations."PPR framework, Competency 005

A student uses a phone during class in violation of the district's personal communication device policy. What should the teacher do?

• a.Post the student's name on the board as a warning
• b.Allow it because the policy is new
• c.Keep the phone for the rest of the school year
• d.Follow the policy's disciplinary steps✓

Texas law requires each district's policy to "establish disciplinary measures to be imposed for violation of the prohibition." Allowing it because the policy is new is tempting, but the law took effect June 20, 2025 and districts must enforce it.Texas Education Code 37.082

A student often disrupts class when asked to write. What should the teacher do first?

• a.Assign more writing as a consequence
• b.Note what happens before and after it✓
• c.Ignore the behavior until it stops
• d.Move the student to the hallway during writing

The IES guide recommends identifying "the specifics of the problem behavior and the conditions that prompt and reinforce it." Moving the student to the hallway is tempting, but if the disruptions help the student avoid writing, removal rewards them.IES Practice Guide: Behavior (2008)