Question 1

Sunshine State Standards

Accepted Answer

A set of benchmarks and guidelines established by the Florida Department of Education for student achievement in grades K-12.

Question 2

McKay Scholarship

Accepted Answer

A program that provides scholarships to students with disabilities to attend an eligible public or private school of their choice in Florida.

Question 3

Florida Code of Ethics for Educators

Accepted Answer

The professional conduct guidelines for Florida educators that outlines responsibilities, practices, and behavior.

Question 4

Florida's School Grading System

Accepted Answer

A system used by Florida's Department of Education to measure the performance of public schools.

Question 5

ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages)

Accepted Answer

The term used in Florida's schools to describe English language learning programs for non-native speakers.

Question 6

IDEA Act

Accepted Answer

A federal law that ensures students with a disability are provided with Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

Question 7

MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Supports)

Accepted Answer

A framework to provide instructional and intervention support to students at varying levels of need.

Question 8

RTI (Response to Intervention)

Accepted Answer

A process used by educators to help students who are struggling with a skill or lesson.

Question 9

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 10

Constructivist Theory

Accepted Answer

The belief that learners construct knowledge for themselves—each learner individually (and socially) constructs meaning—as he or she learns.

Question 11

Florida Consent Decree

Accepted Answer

A legal agreement that mandates ESOL training for all teachers in Florida who have ELL students in their classes.

Question 12

Bloom's Taxonomy

Accepted Answer

A classification system used to define and distinguish different levels of human cognition.

Question 13

Culturally Responsive Teaching

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

Growth Mindset

Accepted Answer

The belief that abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.

Question 15

Differentiated Instruction

Accepted Answer

Teaching strategy where instruction is tailored to meet individual needs.

Question 16

Florida Educational Leadership Exam (FELE)

Accepted Answer

An exam required for certification as a school administrator in Florida.

Question 17

Cognitive Development Theory

Accepted Answer

A theory by Jean Piaget that outlines how a child constructs a mental model of the world.

Question 18

Classroom Management

Accepted Answer

A term teachers use to describe the process of ensuring that classroom lessons run smoothly despite disruptive behavior by students.

Question 19

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Accepted Answer

A motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs.

Question 20

Florida Statewide Assessment Program

Accepted Answer

A program to measure student achievement in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and End-of-Course (EOC) subjects.

Question 21

Gardner's Multiple Intelligences

Accepted Answer

Theory that proposes that people have different kinds of "intelligences".

Question 22

IEP (Individualized Education Program)

Accepted Answer

A document developed for each public school child who needs special education.

Question 23

Marzano's High-Yield Strategies

Accepted Answer

Instructional strategies that have been proven to increase student achievement.

Question 24

Professional Learning Communities (PLCs)

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 25

Formative Assessment

Accepted Answer

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

Question 26

Summative Assessment

Accepted Answer

Assessment of learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark.

Question 27

No Child Left Behind Act

Accepted Answer

A U.S. Act of Congress that reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Question 28

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Accepted Answer

A theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development.

Question 29

Erikson's Stages of Psychosocial Development

Accepted Answer

A theory that describes eight developmental stages, each presenting a conflict that must be overcome.

Question 30

School Improvement Plan (SIP)

Accepted Answer

A plan to improve academic performance in schools that have not met performance standards on the Florida Statewide Assessment Program.

Question 31

Learning Styles

Accepted Answer

Different ways that a person can learn or most effectively be taught, often categorized into auditory, visual, and kinesthetic.

Question 32

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act

Accepted Answer

Federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities in programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance.

Question 33

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)

Accepted Answer

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

Question 34

Student Achievement

Accepted Answer

A term used to describe the extent to which a student has achieved their learning goals.

Question 35

Grade Level Expectations

Accepted Answer

The academic knowledge and skills students are expected to possess at the end of an academic grade level.

Question 36

Prior Knowledge

Accepted Answer

What the student already knows from academic, personal and cultural experience.

Question 37

Motivation Theories

Accepted Answer

Theories on why people behave as they do, often categorized as intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external).

Question 38

Technology Integration

Accepted Answer

The use of technology resources in daily classroom practices, and in the management of a school.

Question 39

Direct Instruction

Accepted Answer

A teaching model that involves a teacher explicitly teaching a concept and then students practicing it.

Question 40

Cooperative Learning

Accepted Answer

An instructional method in which students work together in small groups on a structured activity.

Question 41

Flipped Classroom

Accepted Answer

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

Question 42

Scaffolding

Accepted Answer

Support given during the learning process which is tailored to the needs of the student with the intention of helping the student achieve his/her learning goals.

Question 43

Inclusion in Education

Accepted Answer

Including special education students in general education classrooms.

Question 44

Diverse Learners

Accepted Answer

Students from different backgrounds and with different abilities, learning styles, and needs.

Question 45

Authentic Assessment

Accepted Answer

A form of assessment in which students are asked to perform real-world tasks that demonstrate meaningful application of essential knowledge and skills.

Question 46

Common Core State Standards

Accepted Answer

A set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA).

Question 47

Classroom Climate

Accepted Answer

The overall atmosphere, or 'feel', of the classroom as experienced by the participants.

Question 48

Professional Development

Accepted Answer

A continuum of learning and support activities designed to prepare individuals for work with and on behalf of young children and their families.

Question 49

ESE (Exceptional Student Education)

Accepted Answer

The name in Florida for educational programs that serve children with disabilities.

Question 50

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

Accepted Answer

U.S. law passed in December 2015 that governs the United States K–12 public education policy.

Question 51

Project-based Learning

Accepted Answer

A dynamic classroom approach in which students actively explore real-world problems and challenges and acquire a deeper knowledge.

Question 52

Gifted Students

Accepted Answer

Children who give evidence of high-performance capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic, or leadership capacity.

Question 53

Standards-based Grading

Accepted Answer

An innovation in education that focuses on learning and helps increase achievement.

Question 54

Self-efficacy in Learning

Accepted Answer

Belief in one's ability to succeed in achieving an outcome or reaching a goal.

Question 55

Whole Language Approach

Accepted Answer

An approach to teaching reading and writing that emphasizes learning whole words and phrases by encountering them in meaningful contexts.

Question 56

Career and Technical Education (CTE)

Accepted Answer

Preparing students for high-wage, high-demand careers.

Question 57

Critical Thinking

Accepted Answer

The ability to analyze information objectively and make a reasoned judgment.

Question 58

Metacognition

Accepted Answer

Awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Florida Professional Education Test: Essential Concepts and Terms