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edTPA practice questions

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Question 1Planning

Which description best fits the central focus of a learning segment?

  1. The set of materials and handouts needed for each lesson
  2. The overarching understanding that the lessons build toward Correct answer.
  3. A detailed list of every activity students will complete during the segment
  4. The daily schedule the class follows each period

Explanation

The central focus is the overarching concept or essential understanding that the whole learning segment is designed to develop; activities are only the means to that end. A segment is coherent when its objectives, tasks, and assessments all serve that focus.

Question 2Planning

When planning a learning segment, a teacher should align the objectives primarily with which source?

  1. Activities the teacher most enjoys teaching
  2. Adopted state or national content standards Correct answer.
  3. The sequence of chapters in the assigned textbook
  4. The school's daily bell and lunch schedule

Explanation

Objectives are anchored to adopted state or national content standards so that instruction targets grade-level expectations. Textbooks and personal preference may shape activities, but they are not the authority for alignment.

Question 3Planning

Which objective is written so that student learning can be measured?

  1. Students will cite three pieces of evidence that support a claim Correct answer.
  2. Students will appreciate the value of strong supporting details
  3. Students will be exposed to several examples of good arguments
  4. Students will understand why evidence matters in an argument

Explanation

A measurable objective names an observable student performance, here citing evidence, that can be assessed with a task or rubric. Verbs such as understand or appreciate describe internal states that cannot be directly observed.

Question 4Planning

In edTPA, academic language refers to which of the following?

  1. The formal speech the teacher models during instruction
  2. The language students need to learn and demonstrate content Correct answer.
  3. Only the technical vocabulary terms of a discipline
  4. The casual talk students use with peers at lunch

Explanation

Academic language covers the vocabulary, language functions, syntax, and discourse students need in order to engage with content and show what they know. It is broader than vocabulary alone and is not the same as the teacher's instructional speech.

Question 5Planning

Which of these is an example of a formative assessment?

  1. A district benchmark administered at the end of the year
  2. A cumulative final exam covering the whole course
  3. A standardized achievement test given in spring
  4. An exit ticket the teacher reviews before the next lesson Correct answer.

Explanation

Formative assessment happens during instruction and is used to reveal current understanding so the teacher can adjust the next steps. Benchmarks, final exams, and standardized tests occur after teaching and serve summative purposes.

Question 6Planning

edTPA expects candidates to describe students' prior academic learning along with which other kind of assets?

  1. Their personal, cultural, and community assets Correct answer.
  2. Their parents' occupations and income levels
  3. Their scores on standardized intelligence tests
  4. Their preferred classroom seating arrangements

Explanation

Planning requires knowledge of both prior academic learning and the personal, cultural, and community assets students bring, because both indicate how new content can be connected and scaffolded. Demographic details or test labels alone do not describe what students contribute to their own learning.

Question 7Planning

How should the lessons within a learning segment generally be sequenced?

  1. From the easiest activities to the hardest, ignoring the focus
  2. In the order topics appear in the textbook index
  3. In a logical progression that builds toward the central focus Correct answer.
  4. With the same routine repeated daily for predictability

Explanation

A learning segment is sequenced so each lesson builds on the previous one and moves students toward the central focus with increasing sophistication. Textbook order or a preference for easy tasks does not govern that progression.

Question 8Planning

Which is an appropriate planned support for an English learner during a content lesson?

  1. Providing sentence frames and a glossary with home-language notes Correct answer.
  2. Lowering the grade-level standard for that one student
  3. Excusing the student from the written portion of the assigned task
  4. Assigning the same task with no modifications at all

Explanation

Planned supports give English learners access to the same grade-level content and task, for example through sentence frames and home-language glossaries. Removing the task or lowering the standard changes what is taught instead of supporting access to it.

Question 9Planning

A language function is best described as which of the following?

  1. The verb naming what students do with language, such as explain Correct answer.
  2. The number of new vocabulary words introduced in the lesson
  3. The grammar rules the teacher reviews before a lesson
  4. The reading level of the text assigned to the class

Explanation

A language function is the purpose for which students use language in a lesson, such as explaining, arguing, describing, or comparing. It is named with a verb phrase and is distinct from vocabulary, grammar, and text difficulty.

Question 10Planning

Which pair correctly describes syntax and discourse as language demands?

  1. Syntax is whole-class discussion; discourse is sentence-level grammar
  2. Syntax is the meaning of key terms; discourse is how those terms are pronounced
  3. Syntax is the length of an assignment; discourse is the number of sources required
  4. Syntax is sentence-level structure; discourse is how ideas are organized across a text Correct answer.

Explanation

Syntax refers to the sentence-level structures students need, such as cause-effect sentences, while discourse refers to how ideas are organized and connected across a whole text or discussion. Keeping the two separate lets a candidate plan supports at the right level.

Question 11Planning

Why does the planning commentary ask candidates to anticipate student misconceptions?

  1. To show that students have never encountered the content before
  2. To justify lowering expectations for struggling students
  3. To plan responses to likely errors before they disrupt learning Correct answer.
  4. To document behavior problems for the school office

Explanation

Anticipating misconceptions lets a teacher build in questions, examples, or counterexamples that address predictable errors during the lesson. It is a content-planning move rather than a record of behavior or a reason to lower expectations.

Question 12Planning

A candidate cites Vygotsky's zone of proximal development when justifying planned supports. Which justification is consistent with that theory?

  1. Supports should be removed only after the summative assessment
  2. Supports should be identical for every student in the classroom
  3. Supports should target tasks a student can do only with guidance Correct answer.
  4. Supports should reduce the cognitive demand of the standard

Explanation

In Vygotsky's framework, learning is supported when a task lies just beyond what a student can do alone but is achievable with guidance. Planned supports therefore target that gap and are faded as competence grows.

Question 13Planning

A teacher wants students to use the terms photosynthesis, chloroplast, and glucose while explaining a process. Which language demand is the teacher addressing?

  1. Vocabulary Correct answer.
  2. Syntax
  3. Discourse structure
  4. Language function

Explanation

Terms such as photosynthesis and chloroplast are the specific words students must use to explain the process, which is a vocabulary demand. Discourse and syntax concern organization and sentence structure, and the language function is the purpose of explaining.

Question 14Planning

Which assessment best serves as the summative measure for a learning segment on argumentative writing?

  1. A one-question warm-up at the start of class
  2. A finished argumentative essay scored with a rubric Correct answer.
  3. An informal teacher observation during group work
  4. A quick thumbs-up check during a mini-lesson

Explanation

A summative assessment is given at the end of a segment to judge whether students met the objective, and a rubric-scored essay does that directly. Thumbs-up checks, warm-ups, and informal observations are formative and occur while learning is still in progress.

Question 15Planning

Two students read two grade levels below the class text. Which plan adjustment best supports them without changing the standard?

  1. Providing scaffolded text with a graphic organizer Correct answer.
  2. Excusing them from the reading and the related writing task
  3. Assigning them to listen without participating in discussion
  4. Giving them a lower grade-level text with a simpler objective

Explanation

Differentiation changes the supports or the pathway while keeping the grade-level standard and objective intact, which scaffolded text and a graphic organizer accomplish. Exempting students or simplifying the objective removes the intended learning rather than supporting access to it.

Question 16Planning

A learning segment in edTPA is defined as which of the following?

  1. An entire school year of instruction
  2. A set of three to five lessons that build toward a central focus Correct answer.
  3. A single 45-minute lesson focused on one skill
  4. Any single lesson taught during the candidate's field placement

Explanation

A learning segment is a short set of three to five lessons that cohere around a central focus and build toward it. It is more than one lesson but far less than a course or a full year.

Question 17Planning

Which teacher response is most likely to move learning forward during a lesson?

  1. Telling the student to try again without any guidance
  2. Moving on to another student to keep the pace up
  3. Asking a follow-up question that requires justification Correct answer.
  4. Praising the answer as correct without further comment

Explanation

Feedback that prompts students to explain or justify their reasoning keeps cognitive demand high and gives the teacher evidence about understanding. Nonspecific praise or an unguided retry provides no information the student can use to improve.

Question 18Planning

An objective asks students to compare two historical accounts, but the assessment asks them to list dates from memory. What is the primary planning problem?

  1. The objective is too easy for the grade level
  2. The lesson lacks enough group work
  3. The assessment does not measure the stated objective Correct answer.
  4. The assessment has too few items to score reliably

Explanation

Objectives, tasks, and assessments must be aligned so that the assessment actually elicits the thinking the objective names. Comparing accounts is an analytical task, so a recall-level list of dates cannot measure it.

Question 19Planning

Which planned support most directly addresses the discourse demand of a small-group academic discussion?

  1. A shortened version of the assigned reading
  2. A copy of the teacher's lecture notes
  3. Sentence starters for agreeing and building on ideas Correct answer.
  4. A word wall that lists the key vocabulary terms for the unit

Explanation

Discourse demands concern how students organize and connect ideas in discussion or writing, so starters for agreeing and building on ideas address that demand directly. A word wall targets vocabulary and a shortened reading targets access to text.

Question 20Planning

A candidate's plan lists many activities but never states what students will know or be able to do at the end. Which planning element is weakest?

  1. The central focus and measurable objectives Correct answer.
  2. The choice of materials and resources
  3. The length of the learning segment
  4. The classroom management routine

Explanation

A plan is coherent when it states the central focus and measurable objectives from which tasks and assessments follow. Without them, activities have no stated learning target, which is the most consequential gap.

Question 21Planning

Which use of student assets best strengthens a planned lesson on persuasive speaking?

  1. Assigning all students the same speech topic to ensure fairness
  2. Testing students on vocabulary before the lesson begins
  3. Avoiding any reference to students' home cultures during class
  4. Inviting students to analyze debate styles from their own communities Correct answer.

Explanation

Drawing on students' cultural and community knowledge as intellectual resources makes academic tasks more meaningful and gives students a familiar base for new learning. Uniform topics or avoiding home cultures ignores the assets planning is meant to incorporate.

Question 22Planning

A lesson asks students to explain how the water cycle redistributes heat in a written paragraph. Which set of language demands is most complete?

  1. Syntax only, because the task requires students to write a full paragraph with clear sentences
  2. Discourse only, because paragraphs organize ideas across the text
  3. A language function, vocabulary, cause-effect syntax, and paragraph discourse Correct answer.
  4. Vocabulary only, since the key terms are scientific content words

Explanation

A complete analysis names the language function (explain), the content-specific vocabulary, the sentence structures students need for cause and effect, and the discourse structure of a coherent explanatory paragraph. Naming only one dimension understates what the task requires of students.

Question 23Planning

A teacher plans a unit assessment but no checks along the way. What is the main consequence for planning?

  1. The teacher cannot adjust instruction before the summative measure Correct answer.
  2. Students will automatically score lower on the rubric
  3. The central focus becomes impossible to state
  4. The unit will necessarily take longer to teach

Explanation

Formative checks during a unit supply the evidence a teacher needs to adjust instruction before the summative assessment. Without them, gaps in understanding surface only after the unit has ended and reteaching opportunities have passed.

Question 24Planning

In the planning commentary, a candidate claims the lesson is rigorous but offers no evidence. What would strengthen the justification most?

  1. A citation of the textbook publisher's grade-level label
  2. Examples of tasks demanding analysis and of fading supports Correct answer.
  3. A longer description of the activities in the lesson
  4. A statement that all students will be engaged by the topic

Explanation

Justifying rigor requires evidence that tasks demand higher-order thinking and that supports are progressively withdrawn as students take on more responsibility. Descriptions of activities, publisher labels, or engagement claims do not demonstrate cognitive demand.

Question 25Planning

A candidate discovers that students already use the target strategy informally outside school. What is the best planning response?

  1. Build on it and move to a more complex application Correct answer.
  2. Re-teach the same introductory lesson exactly as written
  3. Skip the strategy entirely because students already know it
  4. Test the strategy before teaching anything about it

Explanation

When students bring relevant prior knowledge, planning should connect to it and raise the cognitive demand rather than repeat or omit the content. Building on existing knowledge keeps the segment appropriately challenging and coherent.

Question 26Planning

In an edTPA learning segment, the central focus is best described as which of the following?

  1. The core understanding students should develop across the segment Correct answer.
  2. The schedule of assessments administered at the end of the segment
  3. The list of activities the teacher will complete during each lesson
  4. The classroom rules used to manage student behavior during lessons

Explanation

The central focus is the core content understanding that unifies a learning segment and is tied to standards, objectives, and assessments. Activities, management rules, and assessment schedules are supporting details rather than the central focus.

Question 27Planning

Which source should primarily guide the content and skills targeted in a learning segment?

  1. The teacher's preferred classroom activities
  2. State or local content standards for the grade Correct answer.
  3. The order of chapters in the assigned textbook
  4. The previous year's end-of-course test scores

Explanation

Content standards define the knowledge and skills students are expected to learn at a grade level and anchor the segment's objectives and assessments. Textbooks and activities are resources that should be selected to serve those standards.

Question 28Planning

Which objective is written in a form that can be directly assessed?

  1. Students will list three Civil War causes with evidence. Correct answer.
  2. Students will understand the major causes of the Civil War.
  3. Students will appreciate the importance of clean water.
  4. Students will be exposed to persuasive writing techniques.

Explanation

An assessable objective uses an observable action and a clear product or performance. Listing causes with evidence can be directly observed and evaluated.

Question 29Planning

At the start of a new unit, which planning step best uses evidence of students' prior academic learning?

  1. Begin with the summative assessment to save instructional time.
  2. Assume all students have the same background because they are in the same grade.
  3. Review work samples or a brief pre-assessment to identify starting points. Correct answer.
  4. Select activities based only on the teacher's personal interests.

Explanation

Prior academic learning should be identified through evidence such as work samples, records, or a pre-assessment, then used to plan appropriate starting points and supports. Assuming uniformity or relying on teacher preference ignores actual student knowledge.

Question 30Planning

A formative check planned for the middle of a lesson is most useful for helping the teacher do which of the following?

  1. Adjust instruction before the summative assessment occurs Correct answer.
  2. Document student behavior for the office
  3. Assign final grades for the learning segment
  4. Replace the need for a summative assessment

Explanation

Formative checks generate evidence during instruction so the teacher can adjust explanations, grouping, or supports before the summative assessment. They are not intended to serve as final grading events or behavior records.

Question 31Planning

When planning a 50-minute lesson, which approach best protects time for guided practice?

  1. Plan only independent work so no transitions are needed
  2. Assign approximate time ranges to each lesson segment Correct answer.
  3. Reserve all remaining time for cleanup and dismissal
  4. List activities without estimated times and move quickly

Explanation

Approximate time ranges help the teacher allocate enough minutes for guided practice and avoid letting opening or direct instruction consume the whole period. A plan without time estimates is more likely to overrun.

Question 32Planning

A planned lesson closure is most valuable when it does which of the following?

  1. Introduces new material for the next day's lesson
  2. Has students summarize or apply the day's objective Correct answer.
  3. Gives early finishers an unrelated free-choice activity
  4. Allows the teacher to complete administrative tasks

Explanation

Closure should consolidate the day's learning and give the teacher evidence related to the objective. Summarizing or applying the objective helps students organize and retain what was taught.

Question 33Planning

Before finalizing a lesson plan, the teacher should confirm that planned materials do which of the following?

  1. Can be completed by the teacher in under five minutes
  2. Include at least one commercial worksheet
  3. Are available and appropriate for all students Correct answer.
  4. Are stored in the same cabinet as last year's supplies

Explanation

Planned materials must be obtainable and suitable for the students who will use them, including any needed adaptations. Storage location, commercial origin, or teacher completion speed does not establish instructional appropriateness.

Question 34Planning

A gifted student already explains the target concept accurately before the lesson. Which planned adjustment best maintains rigor?

  1. Ask the student to help other students instead of learning new content
  2. Excuse the student from all tasks for the unit
  3. Provide an extension task applying the concept to a new context Correct answer.
  4. Assign the same practice worksheet with fewer items

Explanation

An extension task keeps the grade-level expectation while adding depth or transfer to a new context, which maintains cognitive demand. Reducing tasks or substituting peer tutoring can leave the advanced student without new learning.

Question 35Planning

For a planned small-group discussion in which students must build on one another's ideas, which grouping decision best supports the language demand?

  1. Group students randomly and provide no discussion roles
  2. Allow students to choose groups and skip the discussion
  3. Use varied language strengths and assign clear discussion roles Correct answer.
  4. Group only students who rarely speak so they are forced to talk

Explanation

Varied language strengths provide models and peers who can sustain interaction, while clear roles structure the discourse students must practice. Random groups without roles or groups lacking models provide less support for building on ideas.

Question 36Planning

Which planning move best helps students understand how their work will be judged on a performance task?

  1. Replace the rubric with a single overall letter grade
  2. Keep the scoring rubric confidential until grades are posted
  3. Share the rubric early to discuss quality criteria Correct answer.
  4. Read the rubric aloud once without discussing it

Explanation

Sharing criteria in advance and discussing them helps students recognize quality and aim their work toward the expected performance. Withholding or merely reading the rubric does not build that understanding.

Question 37Planning

A teacher is considering adding a digital tool to a lesson. Which criterion best justifies including it?

  1. It is popular with students outside school
  2. It directly supports the lesson objective and assessment Correct answer.
  3. It is the newest tool available to the school
  4. It reduces the amount of teacher planning required

Explanation

Technology should be selected because it helps students reach the objective or provides better evidence for the assessment. Novelty, popularity, or reduced planning time are not sufficient instructional reasons.

Question 38Planning

Before a planned science investigation using glassware and a heat source, which planning step is most essential?

  1. Identify safety procedures, equipment, and supervision needed Correct answer.
  2. Arrange desks so students can move quickly without aisles
  3. Plan to complete the investigation without any protective equipment
  4. Assume students remember safety rules from earlier grades

Explanation

Investigations with hazards require an explicit safety plan covering procedures, protective equipment, and supervision. Relying on memory or omitting protective equipment creates avoidable risk.

Question 39Planning

Which planned approach best reflects Universal Design for Learning?

  1. Require every student to use the same tool at the same time
  2. Use one format for all materials to keep expectations consistent
  3. Offer multiple ways to access content and show learning Correct answer.
  4. Wait until students fail before offering any support

Explanation

Universal Design for Learning calls for multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement planned from the start. A single format or one required tool limits options rather than designing for variability.

Question 40Planning

A teacher finishes the direct instruction portion of a lesson much faster than planned. Which planning decision best prepares for this?

  1. Let students leave early without completing the objective
  2. Have a prepared extension or discussion prompt ready Correct answer.
  3. Eliminate the guided practice portion to stay on schedule
  4. Fill the remaining time with unrelated silent reading

Explanation

A prepared extension or discussion prompt allows the teacher to use unexpected time productively while still advancing the objective. Eliminating practice or ending early undermines the planned learning.

Question 41Planning

How do essential questions most directly support the planning of a learning segment?

  1. They replace the need for content standards
  2. They list the materials needed for each lesson
  3. They specify the exact number of minutes per activity
  4. They frame the inquiry that lessons address Correct answer.

Explanation

Essential questions frame the enduring inquiry that lessons and assessments should address, helping the segment stay coherent. They do not specify materials, timing, or replace standards.

Question 42Planning

A language objective differs from a content objective in which main way?

  1. It identifies the classroom management procedures for the lesson
  2. It specifies the grade level of the students in the class
  3. It lists the materials students will need during the lesson
  4. It describes language used to access or show learning Correct answer.

Explanation

A language objective focuses on the vocabulary, language function, syntax, or discourse students need to engage with and demonstrate content learning. A content objective focuses on subject-matter knowledge and skills.

Question 43Planning

Which lesson structure best reflects a gradual-release approach when students must write an evidence-based paragraph?

  1. Discuss the paragraph but never ask students to write one
  2. Model, practice together, then have students write independently Correct answer.
  3. Have students copy a completed paragraph from the board
  4. Assign the paragraph immediately and grade it without instruction

Explanation

Gradual release moves from teacher modeling to guided practice and then to independent performance of the same kind of task. Copying or only discussing does not build independent writing capacity.

Question 44Planning

A student has an IEP that specifies extended time on assessments. What should the lesson plan do with this information?

  1. Apply the accommodation only after the student fails
  2. Replace the assessment with a less demanding task
  3. Ignore it unless the student requests help publicly
  4. Build the documented accommodation into the planned assessment Correct answer.

Explanation

Documented accommodations are legal requirements and should be planned into assessments in advance. Ignoring them or waiting for failure denies access, while replacing the task with a less demanding one changes expectations.

Question 45Planning

Which planning choice best allows students with different strengths to demonstrate the same learning objective?

  1. Offer varied formats scored with common criteria Correct answer.
  2. Use only one timed multiple-choice test for all students
  3. Grade only participation during whole-class discussion
  4. Assign the same oral presentation to every student

Explanation

Offering varied response formats while scoring with the same criteria allows students to show the same learning through different strengths. A single format may confound the objective with unrelated performance demands.

Question 46Planning

A teacher wants a summative assessment to measure both content understanding and academic language use in a science explanation. Which assessment plan is strongest?

  1. A spelling test on key science terms only
  2. An analytic rubric separating science accuracy and language clarity Correct answer.
  3. An oral quiz with no recording or notes
  4. A single holistic score that combines science and language without descriptors

Explanation

An analytic rubric with separate criteria gives distinct evidence for content accuracy and language clarity, matching the two intended outcomes. A holistic score without descriptors would make it difficult to interpret which outcome was met.

Question 47Planning

Which planning evidence most strongly shows that a teacher used students' personal or community assets in a lesson?

  1. The plan states that all students will complete the same worksheet
  2. A task connects a community practice to the content objective Correct answer.
  3. The plan lists the teacher's own hobbies as examples
  4. The plan mentions that students come from diverse families

Explanation

Using assets requires an instructional move that draws on students' experiences to advance the content objective. Merely noting diversity or using the teacher's interests does not demonstrate use of student assets.

Question 48Planning

A learning segment's central focus is 'how organisms depend on one another,' but the three lessons cover cell organelles, lab safety, and the periodic table. What is the main planning problem?

  1. The segment includes too many safety procedures
  2. The central focus is too easy for the grade level
  3. The lessons are too short for any assessment
  4. The lessons do not cohere with the central focus Correct answer.

Explanation

The lessons must build toward the stated central focus so that students develop the intended understanding across the segment. These topics are unrelated to interdependence among organisms, so the segment lacks coherence.

Question 49Planning

A teacher gives a pre-assessment, finds that many students cannot interpret graphs, but writes no plan to address the gap. What is the strongest revision?

  1. Add a planned mini-lesson on graph interpretation Correct answer.
  2. Remove the graphing component from the upcoming unit
  3. Tell students to review graphing on their own without support
  4. Record the pre-assessment scores and proceed exactly as planned

Explanation

Pre-assessment data should inform planned supports so students can access the upcoming content. Adding a focused mini-lesson addresses the identified gap while maintaining the unit's expectations.

Question 50Planning

A planned support gives students a completed list of answers to copy during an inquiry task. Why is this support problematic?

  1. It requires students to use too many language functions
  2. It makes the task too difficult for advanced students
  3. It provides too many opportunities for student discussion
  4. It removes thinking the objective is meant to develop Correct answer.

Explanation

Supports should help students engage in the intended cognitive work rather than replace it. Copying answers eliminates the inquiry, analysis, or reasoning the objective was designed to develop.