TeachME Professional Development

1. An estimated ___________ of students fail to learn because of psychosocial problems that interfere with their ability to fully attend to and engage in instructional activities.

2. Approaches aimed at reducing the negative effects of disruptive or distracting behaviors can enhance the chances that effective teaching and learning will occur, both for the students exhibiting problem behaviors and for their classmates.

3. Which of the following is NOT one of the recommendations for teachers to reduce the occurrence of inappropriate behavior in the classroom?

4. Research indicates that while poor academic performance can reflect deficits in specific social or behavioral skills, some students' failure to meet behavioral expectations likely reflects deficits in specific academic skills.

5. Student behavior is shaped by and exhibited and interpreted in a social context that involves multiple actors, multiple settings, and multiple __________:

6. The ways in which recommendations involving rewards for positive behavior are carried out may vary considerably depending on the age and developmental stage of the students.

7. When asked about teachers' ability to manage the range of behaviors common among today's students, only about one-half of principals reported feeling that their teachers are well prepared to maintain order in the classroom.

8. When describing a problem behavior in the classroom, it is imperative to describe its effect on:

9. Which of the following is an accurate statement about identifying problem behaviors in the classroom?

10. Intervention strategies that are not linked to the specific context of a problem behavior are associated with increases in the occurrence of the problem behavior.

11. When a student repeatedly displays off-task behavior, it is important that teachers describe the problem in general terms that are easy to communicate to the student, such as, 'You're behavior is frequently disruptive.'

12. Misbehavior that is brief and does not seriously interfere with learning, such as short instances of daydreaming, talking during transitions, or momentary inattention should be addressed without interrupting instruction through eye contact or physical proximity.

13. Key information to note when observing problem behavior includes time of day, location, subject being taught, task difficulty, presence of certain peers or other adults, and:

14. Triggers in the environment that may prompt a student's misbehavior, such as the size of a group or the presence of certain individuals, are considered setting variables.

15. Persistent problem behavior usually derives from the student's attempt either to get something, such as attention or access to a preferred activity, or to escape something, such as demands, reprimands, or difficult tasks.

16. Multiple problem behaviors, such as disruption, inattention, and noncompliance, often originate from similar student needs, so it is recommended that the teacher identify one priority behavior problem on which to focus initial efforts.

17. As a general rule, teachers should stick with an intervention for about _____________ to adequately assess its effect on problem behavior.

18. Teachers can reduce the occurrence of inappropriate behavior by individually adapting instruction to promote high rates of _______________and on-task behavior.

19. Expectations about appropriate school and classroom behavior should be conveyed daily through explicit teaching strategies, modeling positive behavior, and building positive relationships among students and adults.

20. Guidelines for teaching students with behavioral difficulties recommend that teachers elicit ____ responses per minute from students during the presentation of new material, with a target of ____ accuracy in the students' answers.

21. Teachers may use ____________ instructional strategies to reach all students at their particular academic and behavioral performance levels by varying their materials, processes, and assessment strategies.

22. It is recommended that teachers first concentrate on making just one strategic change in one setting and assessing the benefit and success of the strategy before moving on to other potentially beneficial changes.

23. Each of the following is a likely benefit of teaching students to use socially and behaviorally appropriate skills to replace problem behaviors in the classroom EXCEPT:

24. An efficient way to assess a student's ability to perform academic or social skills adequately is to employ a peer-monitoring strategy.

25. The amount of praise that students receive for appropriate behavior should substantially exceed the amount that they are reprimanded, with a ratio of about three positive statements for every one corrective statement recommended.

26. Teachers who successfully prevent disengagement and de-escalate confrontations provide ______________ instruction in a calm voice that redirects student focus without excessive use of other verbalizations.

27. When teachers use positive reinforcement strategies and extrinsic rewards, they lay the foundation for students to try hard and reach new goals, and as students develop maturity, fewer external motivators will likely be needed.

28. Research suggests that schools with strong, trusting peer relationships among the staff are more likely to have teachers who are willing to learn and engage in new practices, which can produce gains in student outcomes.

29. Collaborative learning teams are small, interdisciplinary groups comprised of grade-level general education teachers and specialists that work together to enhance teachers' effectiveness in addressing behavioral challenges.

30. The knowledge and expertise of behavioral consultants such as school psychologists, counselors, and resource teachers will best determine the feasibility of implementing a behavioral intervention in the classroom.

31. Building a strong, trusting relationship with the parent of a student who is disrupting the learning process can be challenging because:

32. Teachers may inform parents about their child's behavior problems in a respectful and collaborative way by:

33. The goal of collaborative learning teams should be joint problem-solving and consideration of options that result in concrete, measurable behavior goals and intervention strategies.

34. A systemic approach to preventing problem behaviors and increasing positive social interactions with school staff and among students requires a shared responsibility on the part of all school personnel.

35. The initial role of a school improvement team is to develop an action plan that incorporates existing schoolwide discipline policies and procedures with advisory committee recommendations for improvements.

36. Which of the following is NOT one of the recommended ways to identify school hot spots where behavioral problems are likely to arise?

37. No matter how effective a schoolwide intervention strategy ultimately is, it might take several months or more before the behavioral intervention generates significant changes in problem behaviors schoolwide.

38. Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies and Second Step are evidence-based interventions that provide classroom-based curricula consisting of specific lessons aimed at increasing prosocial behaviors in students.

39. General principles of data collection require that valuable information be produced and evaluated in an efficient, timely, and __________ manner.

40. The critical first step to improving the behavioral climate of an entire school is to generate acceptance and active participation from all school personnel, with a suggested commitment secured from at least 90 percent of the staff.