Professional Development
What to know
This domain treats teachers as continuous learners. Know the features of effective professional development: job-embedded, sustained over time, collaborative, focused on student learning, and supported by coaching or feedback. Understand professional learning communities (shared inquiry into data and practice), mentoring and induction, and reflective practice (e.g., video review, lesson study). Be familiar with data teams that examine student work to adjust instruction. Recognize the role of self-assessment against professional standards and the value of collaboration over isolated effort. Know that one-shot workshops without follow-up are weak by design.
Traps
Items often offer a single workshop as an answer; the better choice is sustained, collaborative, classroom-embedded learning with follow-up. Another trap confuses evaluation (judging performance) with development (improving practice)-PD is formative. Watch for answers that isolate teachers or rely only on self-report without evidence of student learning.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A department wants to improve writing instruction. Weak plan: one assembly. Strong plan: shared scoring of student work, monthly lesson study, peer observation with feedback, and review of student writing samples across the year. Rule of thumb: PD is strongest when it is continuous, collaborative, and tied to evidence of student learning.
Ethics, School Law, and Professional Conduct
What to know
Expect questions on legal and ethical obligations. Know FERPA (confidentiality of education records; parents have access; don't share grades or IEP details casually), IDEA (free appropriate public education, IEP, least restrictive environment, procedural safeguards, due process), Section 504 (accommodations for students with disabilities who don't need special education), and Title IX (sex discrimination). Understand child abuse reporting (teachers are mandated reporters; report to designated authorities, not investigate). Know duty to supervise, in loco parentis, academic freedom limits, and copyright/fair use for classroom materials. Recognize mandated reporting, confidentiality, and appropriate relationships as ethical duties, and know that educator codes of ethics prohibit certain conduct and require reporting misconduct.
Traps
Items often test who to tell. For suspected abuse, report to the designated agency-not to the parent or the principal as a substitute for reporting. For records, don't disclose to other parents or staff without need to know. Watch for IDEA vs. 504 swaps: IDEA requires specially designed instruction and an IEP; 504 provides accommodations under a plan. Also watch for answers that have the teacher investigate rather than report.
Worked example / rule of thumb
A student discloses abuse. The teacher does not promise secrecy, does not investigate, and reports promptly to the designated authority per policy. Rule of thumb: when in doubt about safety or records, protect the student and follow the reporting chain-document, don't disclose.