Mr. Okafor, a seventh-grade science teacher, has gathered several engaging labs and videos for an upcoming ecosystems unit and now needs to turn them into a coherent plan. According to backward design, what should he do first?

Define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of the unit

Arrange the labs and videos into a day-by-day calendar that fits the weeks available

Write the end-of-unit test so that it covers each of the labs and videos he has collected

Survey students about which labs and videos they would find the most interesting to do

Ms. Brandt has a new fifth-grade class and is about to start a unit on division with two-digit divisors, which depends on multiplication facts, estimation, and multi-digit subtraction. What should she do first to decide where instruction should begin?

Give a brief diagnostic on the prerequisite skills and use the results to set the starting point

Teach the first lesson in the textbook chapter and adjust the pace after the first chapter quiz

Ask students to rate their confidence with division and begin with what most of them request

Review last spring's state test proficiency levels and start from the average level of the class

Mr. Castillo's first-year Spanish class is reviewing the pronunciation of twenty vocabulary words, each with one short correct response. Which technique will give the greatest number of students practice on every word in the time available?

Having the whole class say each word together on his signal

Calling on a different volunteer to pronounce each word in turn

Having partners discuss how each word ought to be pronounced

Drawing name sticks so that one random student says each word

Observation records show that a second grader in Ms. Kimura class blurts out 15 to 20 times a day and that nearly every blurt is followed by a comment or correction from her. Which plan best addresses the reason for the behavior?

Call on him promptly for a raised hand, and respond to blurts as little as possible

Send him to a seat just outside the door after the third blurt in any one lesson

Take away one minute of his recess for every blurt recorded during the day

Move his desk right beside hers so that each blurt can be corrected the moment it occurs

Ms. Tanaka sixth graders scored well on a quiz of percent-discount problems that closely matched the worked examples from class. Before she concludes that the students have mastered finding a percent of a quantity, what should she do NEXT?

Give unfamiliar problems, such as tips and sales tax, that use the same percent skill

Assign twenty more discount problems in the same format to build additional fluency

Give the same quiz again in one week to confirm that the high scores hold steady

Record the quiz grades and begin the next chapter while the skill is still fresh

Ms. Greenberg, a first-year sixth-grade mathematics teacher, has the state standards and a textbook, and before school starts she wants to make sure every standard is taught before the spring assessment. What is the best first step in her planning?

Map the standards into a sequence of units across the year with time allotted to each

Follow the textbook in order at the pace students need and see how far the class can get

Write detailed daily lesson plans for the first unit and continue chapter by chapter

Begin with the standards tested most heavily and fit in the others as time allows

The spelling program Ms. Yamamoto uses with her second graders introduces irregular plurals such as mice and children in the same lesson as the regular rule of adding -s or -es. Her students are confusing the two. Which sequence of instruction is most logical?

Teach the regular rule until it is secure, then introduce irregular plurals as exceptions

Teach the irregular plurals first, since they are the forms that students find hardest

Follow the program's order exactly so that lessons stay aligned with its weekly tests

Keep both in one lesson so that students see the complete picture of plurals from the start

Ms. Petrakis asks her fifth graders, "What is a theme of this story?" Darius answers, "Being brave means doing the right thing even when you're scared," which the story supports. Which response best promotes the kind of discussion this question allows?

"That fits the story. What other themes could we support with evidence?"

"That's the one I was looking for. Now let's turn to the next question."

"Thumbs up if you agree with Darius, thumbs down if you disagree."

"Good. The teacher's guide words it as 'courage,' so write that one down."

Dr. Ramanathan and a ninth grader with a long pattern of insulting remarks have agreed on a plan in which each remark costs him two minutes after class. Following a good week, the student mutters an insult at a classmate during group work. How should she respond?

Go to him at once and state the two-minute consequence quietly in a neutral tone

Hold the consequence until Friday's check-in so that group work is not disturbed

Let this remark pass in light of the good week and commend his progress after class

Remind him in front of his group that the plan exists because of remarks like this

Mr. Adeyemi explained equivalent fractions using the multiplication rule, and most of his fourth graders failed the check for understanding. He explained the rule again more slowly the next day, and the results were the same. Which adjustment is MOST likely to help?

Reteach with fraction strips and number lines so students can see why the rule works

Assign a longer homework set on the rule so students get more repetition at home

Proceed to adding fractions and return to equivalence during the end-of-year review

Explain the multiplication rule a third time and have students copy it into notebooks

ABCTE Professional Teaching Knowledge

Free ABCTE Professional Teaching Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the ABCTE Professional Teaching Knowledge, with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.

Sections covered on the exam: Instructional Design, Effective Instructional Delivery, Assessment, Human Development and Learning, Classroom Management and Organization, Professional Learning and Leadership.

Question 1 · Instructional Design
Mr. Okafor, a seventh-grade science teacher, has gathered several engaging labs and videos for an upcoming ecosystems unit and now needs to turn them into a coherent plan. According to backward design, what should he do first?
- A.Define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of the unit
- B.Arrange the labs and videos into a day-by-day calendar that fits the weeks available
- C.Write the end-of-unit test so that it covers each of the labs and videos he has collected
- D.Survey students about which labs and videos they would find the most interesting to do
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Define what students should understand and be able to do by the end of the unit
Backward design begins with the desired results, then determines what evidence will show students reached them, and only then plans learning activities. Building a calendar or a test around the collected labs and videos lets the activities drive the unit instead of the goals. Student interest is useful input, but it does not define what must be learned.
Question 2 · Effective Instructional Delivery
Ms. Brandt has a new fifth-grade class and is about to start a unit on division with two-digit divisors, which depends on multiplication facts, estimation, and multi-digit subtraction. What should she do first to decide where instruction should begin?
- A.Give a brief diagnostic on the prerequisite skills and use the results to set the starting point
- B.Teach the first lesson in the textbook chapter and adjust the pace after the first chapter quiz
- C.Ask students to rate their confidence with division and begin with what most of them request
- D.Review last spring's state test proficiency levels and start from the average level of the class
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Give a brief diagnostic on the prerequisite skills and use the results to set the starting point
Instruction should start where students' prior knowledge and prerequisite skills actually are, and a short diagnostic of those specific skills is the most direct evidence. Starting with the textbook and waiting for a quiz risks weeks of teaching over students' heads. State test levels are too broad and too old to pinpoint these skills, and confidence ratings measure feelings rather than performance.
Question 3 · Effective Instructional Delivery
Mr. Castillo's first-year Spanish class is reviewing the pronunciation of twenty vocabulary words, each with one short correct response. Which technique will give the greatest number of students practice on every word in the time available?
- A.Calling on a different volunteer to pronounce each word in turn
- B.Having partners discuss how each word ought to be pronounced
- C.Having the whole class say each word together on his signal
- D.Drawing name sticks so that one random student says each word
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Having the whole class say each word together on his signal
When a question has a short, specific answer, a choral response on a clear signal lets every student respond to every item while the teacher listens for errors. Calling on volunteers or randomly drawn names gives each word to only one student, so most of the class practices very little. Partner discussion suits open questions with several defensible answers, not quick pronunciation practice.
Question 4 · Classroom Management and Organization
Observation records show that a second grader in Ms. Kimura class blurts out 15 to 20 times a day and that nearly every blurt is followed by a comment or correction from her. Which plan best addresses the reason for the behavior?
- A.Send him to a seat just outside the door after the third blurt in any one lesson
- B.Take away one minute of his recess for every blurt recorded during the day
- C.Call on him promptly for a raised hand, and respond to blurts as little as possible
- D.Move his desk right beside hers so that each blurt can be corrected the moment it occurs
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Call on him promptly for a raised hand, and respond to blurts as little as possible
The records suggest that blurting is maintained by teacher attention, so the plan should let him earn that attention through an acceptable behavior while blurting stops paying off. Seating him beside her for instant correction supplies even more attention for blurting, and removal or lost recess punishes the behavior without meeting the need behind it.
Question 5 · Assessment
Ms. Tanaka sixth graders scored well on a quiz of percent-discount problems that closely matched the worked examples from class. Before she concludes that the students have mastered finding a percent of a quantity, what should she do NEXT?
- A.Give unfamiliar problems, such as tips and sales tax, that use the same percent skill
- B.Assign twenty more discount problems in the same format to build additional fluency
- C.Give the same quiz again in one week to confirm that the high scores hold steady
- D.Record the quiz grades and begin the next chapter while the skill is still fresh
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Give unfamiliar problems, such as tips and sales tax, that use the same percent skill
Mastery includes the ability to generalize a skill to new examples and tasks, so the teacher should check performance on problems that look different from the practiced ones but require the same percent reasoning. Repeating the same quiz or assigning more same-format problems shows only that students can reproduce a familiar routine, and moving on assumes transfer that has not been verified.
Question 6 · Instructional Design
Ms. Greenberg, a first-year sixth-grade mathematics teacher, has the state standards and a textbook, and before school starts she wants to make sure every standard is taught before the spring assessment. What is the best first step in her planning?
- A.Follow the textbook in order at the pace students need and see how far the class can get
- B.Write detailed daily lesson plans for the first unit and continue chapter by chapter
- C.Begin with the standards tested most heavily and fit in the others as time allows
- D.Map the standards into a sequence of units across the year with time allotted to each
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Map the standards into a sequence of units across the year with time allotted to each
Long-range planning starts with a scope and sequence that orders the content logically and budgets time so that every goal is reached; unit and daily plans are then derived from it. Planning lesson by lesson or following the textbook's pace gives no assurance of coverage. Ordering content by test weight ignores prerequisite relationships among the standards.
Question 7 · Effective Instructional Delivery
The spelling program Ms. Yamamoto uses with her second graders introduces irregular plurals such as mice and children in the same lesson as the regular rule of adding -s or -es. Her students are confusing the two. Which sequence of instruction is most logical?
- A.Teach the irregular plurals first, since they are the forms that students find hardest
- B.Follow the program's order exactly so that lessons stay aligned with its weekly tests
- C.Keep both in one lesson so that students see the complete picture of plurals from the start
- D.Teach the regular rule until it is secure, then introduce irregular plurals as exceptions
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Teach the regular rule until it is secure, then introduce irregular plurals as exceptions
A logical sequence presents the general rule and its regular cases before the exceptions, and it separates items that are likely to be confused until the first is firmly learned. Starting with the exceptions gives students nothing to treat them as exceptions to. Teaching both together is what produced the confusion, and alignment with a program's tests does not justify an order that students cannot learn from.
Question 8 · Effective Instructional Delivery
Ms. Petrakis asks her fifth graders, "What is a theme of this story?" Darius answers, "Being brave means doing the right thing even when you're scared," which the story supports. Which response best promotes the kind of discussion this question allows?
- A."That's the one I was looking for. Now let's turn to the next question."
- B."Thumbs up if you agree with Darius, thumbs down if you disagree."
- C."That fits the story. What other themes could we support with evidence?"
- D."Good. The teacher's guide words it as 'courage,' so write that one down."
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. "That fits the story. What other themes could we support with evidence?"
A question about theme has several defensible answers, so the teacher should accept a supported response and invite others, letting students compare how well the text supports each. Treating the first good answer or the teacher's guide wording as the answer signals that only one response counts, and an agree-or-disagree vote frames a question with many answers as simply right or wrong.
Question 9 · Classroom Management and Organization
Dr. Ramanathan and a ninth grader with a long pattern of insulting remarks have agreed on a plan in which each remark costs him two minutes after class. Following a good week, the student mutters an insult at a classmate during group work. How should she respond?
- A.Go to him at once and state the two-minute consequence quietly in a neutral tone
- B.Hold the consequence until Friday's check-in so that group work is not disturbed
- C.Let this remark pass in light of the good week and commend his progress after class
- D.Remind him in front of his group that the plan exists because of remarks like this
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Go to him at once and state the two-minute consequence quietly in a neutral tone
Corrective plans for chronic misbehavior work only when the consequence is delivered calmly, consistently, immediately and respectfully. Overlooking the remark makes the plan unpredictable, postponing it for days weakens the link between behavior and consequence, and a public reminder embarrasses the student and invites a power struggle.
Question 10 · Assessment
Mr. Adeyemi explained equivalent fractions using the multiplication rule, and most of his fourth graders failed the check for understanding. He explained the rule again more slowly the next day, and the results were the same. Which adjustment is MOST likely to help?
- A.Reteach with fraction strips and number lines so students can see why the rule works
- B.Assign a longer homework set on the rule so students get more repetition at home
- C.Proceed to adding fractions and return to equivalence during the end-of-year review
- D.Explain the multiplication rule a third time and have students copy it into notebooks
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Reteach with fraction strips and number lines so students can see why the rule works
When assessment shows that an approach has not worked, the teacher should change the corrective remedy and the materials, not repeat the same explanation. Concrete and visual models give students another route to the concept behind the rule. A third explanation or more homework on the rule offers more of what already failed, and moving on leaves a prerequisite for fraction addition unlearned.

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