Question 1

IEP

Accepted Answer

Individualized Education Program, a legal document outlining the special education and related services specifically designed to meet the unique educational needs of a student with a disability.

Question 2

Constructivism

Accepted Answer

A learning theory that argues learners construct their own understanding and knowledge of the world, through experiencing things and reflecting on those experiences.

Question 3

Bloom's Taxonomy

Accepted Answer

A hierarchical classification of the different levels of thinking, and understanding. Levels include: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Question 4

Differentiated Instruction

Accepted Answer

A teaching philosophy based on the premise that teachers should adapt instruction to student differences.

Question 5

Standardized Tests

Accepted Answer

Exams that are administered and scored in a consistent manner to ensure legal defensibility of the results.

Question 6

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Accepted Answer

A theory in psychology that organizes human needs into five levels: physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Question 7

Inquiry-based Learning

Accepted Answer

An educational strategy in which students follow methods and practices similar to those of professional scientists in order to construct knowledge.

Question 8

Authentic Assessment

Accepted Answer

An evaluation process that involves multiple forms of assessment such as performance-based assessment, portfolios, and self-assessment.

Question 9

Response to Intervention (RTI)

Accepted Answer

A multi-tiered approach to the early identification and support of students with learning and behavior needs.

Question 10

Section 504

Accepted Answer

A part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that prohibits discrimination based upon disability.

Question 11

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development

Accepted Answer

The difference between what learners can do without help, and what they can do with help.

Question 12

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Accepted Answer

A framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn.

Question 13

Formative Assessment

Accepted Answer

A range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process to modify teaching and learning activities.

Question 14

Summative Assessment

Accepted Answer

Used to evaluate student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period.

Question 15

Cooperative Learning

Accepted Answer

A successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding.

Question 16

Metacognition

Accepted Answer

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Question 17

Schema

Accepted Answer

A mental construct of preconceived ideas, a framework representing some aspect of the world, or a system of organizing and perceiving new information.

Question 18

Multimodal Learning

Accepted Answer

An approach that recognizes that individuals learn in many ways and accommodates the varied learning styles.

Question 19

Decoding

Accepted Answer

The process of translating print into speech by rapidly matching a letter or combination of letters (graphemes) to their sounds (phonemes), and recognizing the patterns that make syllables and words.

Question 20

Phonological Awareness

Accepted Answer

A broad skill that includes identifying and manipulating units of oral language.

Question 21

Behaviorism

Accepted Answer

A theory of learning based on the idea that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning.

Question 22

Extrinsic Motivation

Accepted Answer

Motivation to engage in an activity as a means to an end. Individuals do the activity to get some sort of reward, not for the enjoyment or satisfaction of the activity.

Question 23

Intrinsic Motivation

Accepted Answer

The act of doing something without any obvious external rewards. You do it because it's enjoyable and interesting, rather than because of an outside incentive or pressure.

Question 24

Positive Reinforcement

Accepted Answer

Involves the addition of a reinforcing stimulus following a behavior that makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future.

Question 25

Self-efficacy

Accepted Answer

Belief in one's ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task.

Question 26

English Language Learner (ELL)

Accepted Answer

A term used to describe students who are learning English in addition to their native language.

Question 27

Scaffolding

Accepted Answer

A process through which a teacher adds supports for students in order to enhance learning and aid in the mastery of tasks.

Question 28

Learning Disability

Accepted Answer

A neurological disorder that affects the brain's ability to receive, process, store, and respond to information.

Question 29

No Child Left Behind (NCLB)

Accepted Answer

A U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; included Title I provisions applying to disadvantaged students.

Question 30

Gifted and Talented

Accepted Answer

Term used to describe students who have the potential to perform at an exceptionally high level in one or more specific areas.

Question 31

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Accepted Answer

A principle of the IDEA requiring that students with disabilities be educated with non-disabled peers to the greatest extent appropriate.

Question 32

Inclusion

Accepted Answer

Educational strategy that involves including students with disabilities in regular education classrooms.

Question 33

Individualized Transition Plan (ITP)

Accepted Answer

A plan that outlines transition goals for a student and the steps the student and the school will take to achieve these goals.

Question 34

Multicultural Education

Accepted Answer

A progressive approach for transforming education that holistically critiques and addresses current shortcomings, failings, and discriminatory practices in education.

Question 35

Sensory Integration

Accepted Answer

A neurological process that organizes sensation from one's own body and from the environment, thus making it possible to use the body effectively within the environment.

Question 36

Project-based Learning

Accepted Answer

A teaching method in which students gain knowledge and skills by working for an extended period of time to investigate and respond to a complex question, problem, or challenge.

Question 37

Divergent Thinking

Accepted Answer

A thought process or method used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions.

Question 38

Convergent Thinking

Accepted Answer

A type of critical thinking skills. It involves solving problems through an analytical and methodical approach.

Question 39

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)

Accepted Answer

A plan that's based on the results of a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and, at a minimum, includes a description of the problem behavior, global and specific hypotheses as to why the problem behavior occurs and intervention strategies.

Question 40

Executive Functioning

Accepted Answer

Mental skills that include working memory, flexible thinking, and self-control.

Question 41

Charter Schools

Accepted Answer

Public schools that are independent of school districts through contracts or charters.

Question 42

School Vouchers

Accepted Answer

Certificates of government funding for a student at a school chosen by the student or the student's parents.

Question 43

Professional Learning Communities (PLC)

Accepted Answer

A group of educators that meets regularly, shares expertise, and works collaboratively to improve teaching skills and the academic performance of students.

Question 44

Content Knowledge

Accepted Answer

A teacher's understanding of the subject matter they are teaching.

Question 45

Pedagogical Content Knowledge

Accepted Answer

The blending or amalgamation of pedagogy and content knowledge, as seen uniquely in teachers.

Question 46

Backward Design

Accepted Answer

A method of designing an educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of assessment.

Question 47

Flipped Classroom

Accepted Answer

A pedagogical model where the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed.

Question 48

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Accepted Answer

A pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students' cultural references in all aspects of learning.

Question 49

Title I

Accepted Answer

A provision of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act passed in 1965 that provides federal funding to schools with a high percentage of students from low-income families.

Question 50

Evidence-based Practice

Accepted Answer

Instructional methods or teaching strategies that are grounded in empirical evidence.

Question 51

Parent-Teacher Association (PTA)

Accepted Answer

A formal organization composed of parents, teachers, and staff that is intended to facilitate parental participation in a school.

Question 52

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)

Accepted Answer

A proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional, and academic success.

Question 53

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

Accepted Answer

An educational right of children with disabilities in the United States that is guaranteed by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Question 54

Norm-Referenced Tests

Accepted Answer

Assessments designed to compare and rank test takers in relation to one another.

Question 55

Criterion-Referenced Tests

Accepted Answer

Assessments designed to measure student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards.

Question 56

Performance-Based Assessment

Accepted Answer

A form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer from a ready-made list.

Question 57

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Accepted Answer

A Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Delaware Praxis Content Knowledge Assessment