194 TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) EC-6 Exam

The Texas Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam EC-6 is a basic certification test required of Texas teachers. It measures the professional and pedagogical competencies of beginning teachers in the Texas schools. Successful passage is required for a teacher wishing to obtain Texas teacher certification. The Texas Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam EC-6 focuses on general subject area knowledge and particularly the teaching skills required of the beginning teacher in the state of Texas. The Texas Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Exam EC-6 measures competencies in four important domains:

Domains I, III, and IV account for 85% of content, and Domain II has important but lesser weighting at 15%.

Domain I targets Designing Instruction and Assessment to Promote Student Learning.

Domain II focuses on skills in Creating a Positive, Productive Classroom Environment.

Domain III tests the teacher's ability to Implement Effective Responsive Instruction and Assessment.

Domain IV concentrates on Fulfilling Professional Roles and Responsibilities.

The Texas Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Exam EC-6 consists of 90 questions, of which 80 are scorable. As with all TExES assessment, tests are scored in a range of 100 to 300, with a minimum 240 points required to pass.

Domain III is of particular interest to the beginning teacher desiring to take the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities Exam EC-6 because it focuses on the use of technology in the implementation of Texas educational standards. Success in Domain III requires that the teacher be familiar and current with technology and information related to computer use in education, including data input strategies, reports, forms, software, and operation of hardware.

Apart from the technology standards, Domains I, II, and IV assess the teacher's ability to function effectively in the classroom. These domains require knowledge of the standards, legal aspects, and ethics in the practice of education. Also required is knowledge of the manner in which knowledge is acquired, learning styles, instructional techniques, cognitive development, stages of physical and emotional development, and a thorough knowledge of a variety of standard academic subject areas. It is also important to recognize barriers to social integration and negative influences upon behavior such as substance abuse and negative peer pressures.

Knowledge of classroom management is required of beginning teachers and is a major factor in creating a positive and productive classroom environment. A positive classroom environment is one in which the teacher projects enthusiasm for learning, has respect for diversity, and ensures that students are safe from disruption and secure within the learning environment.

194 TExES Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) EC-6 Exam Practice Questions

1. A teacher who notices unusual marks or bruising on a student's arms and legs is met with an emotional outburst when inquiring about the bruises. The teacher should...

a) Call the parents and inquire if there is some reasonable explanation for the bruises, such as falling, playing football, or engaging in martial arts activity.
b) Send the student to the guidance office so that the guidance counselor can decide whether further action is warranted.
c) Notify the guidance office and Texas Child Protective Services to review the circumstances.
d) Call the student aside to a private place to obtain further information for the written report.

2. The teacher's instructions are constantly interrupted by an excitable student who frequently turns to talk to other students, bangs his belongings around, leaves his seat without permission, and shouts out incorrect answers without being addressed. The proper action for the teacher to take is...

a) Send the student to the guidance office.
b) Request assistance with that student by a teacher aide.
c) Document the student's behavior and notify guidance.
d) Discuss the student's behavior with other members of the teaching team to see if they are having similar problems.

3. Before showing a short animated film about a fabled and legendary folk hero, the teacher should...

a) Ask other teachers in the department whether they had ever used the film in the classroom.
b) Preview the film to determine whether it is appropriate for the age group and reflects positive values.
c) Ask the school librarian whether it has any inappropriate references or remarks.
d) Find reviews of the film on the Internet to see what other teachers and professionals think about it.

4. A fifth grade teacher knows he has a large number of tactile learners in his class and wants to teach his students about the human portrait. That teacher would most likely...

a) Arrange a field trip to an art museum for the class.
b) Pass out coloring books for the class to color in.
c) Have his students sculpt faces with clay.
d) Show a film to the class about how the Mona Lisa was painted.

5. A fundamental educational text describes various levels of learning which range from simple memorization at the lowest level to a combination of creativity, analysis, and evaluation at the highest level of learning. That theory of learning is called...

a) Bloom's Taxonomy
b) Hobarth's Rule of Education Styles
c) The Cognitive Recognition Steps of Learning Styles.
d) Ohm's Law

6. It is permissible for teachers in the state of Texas to take electronic equipment from the school for home use if...

a) It is contributing to the academic enrichment of the teacher.
b) There is enough of that particular equipment item to provision classes during regular school hours.
c) The teacher gets the approval of the department head.
d) The equipment is used to accomplish school business.

7. Upon receiving reports of poor school behavior on the part of his child, an angry parent has scheduled a conference with the teacher to discuss matters. During the conference, the teacher should...

a) Begin discussions by mentioning that perhaps the behavioral reports are not as serious as originally thought.
b) Begin discussion by focusing on the main points developed from documentation of the child's behavior in school.
c) Begin by asking the parent what he doesn't understand about the behavior reports he's received regarding his child.
d) Begin by asking the parent why he thinks the child doesn't deserve the critical behavioral reports.

8. A teacher will soon be administering the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) and wants students to perform well. The teacher would be guilty of an ethics violation if he/she...

a) Administers several practice tests in the weeks preceding the TAKS.
b) Walks around the test center giving non-verbal cues to students entering only correct answers but not incorrect ones.
c) Focuses on content areas remembered from previous TAKS administered at the school.
d) Tells students, in the days before the test, that the TAKS is not as important as their day to day school performance.

9. A social studies teacher wants her sixth grade students to use the Internet to do historical research on New York City. Of the choices below, the best preparation for this project would be to...

a) Initiate a classroom discussion of various search engines which may be used.
b) Obtain class participation in compiling a top ten list of things they'd like to see or do in New York City.
c) Use a light board or blackboard to show how file extensions may be used to identify and evaluate information sources.
d) Explain the difference between LANs and WANs.

10. Mr. Brown wants to create a positive environment to encourage independent silent reading. He sets up an impromptu library in a convenient location where he'll keep exciting reading material. He should...

a) Organize the reading material according to levels of difficulty.
b) Organize the reading material by the Dewey Decimal System.
c) Organize the material according to topic.
d) Organize the material according to the results of an informal poll of his students.

Answers to Sample Questions: Pedagogy and Professional Responsibilities (PPR) Exam EC-6

Last Updated: 02/21/2013

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