NES Principal Subtest II (812) Practice Tests

Competencies 0005–0008 make up about 100% of the test. They ask you to understand how to create and sustain a school and learning environment conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. (ISLLC Standard 2); understand how to provide instructional leadership focused on effective teaching and learning and the use of best instructional practices that promote academic success for every student. (ISLLC Standard 2); understand how to provide professional development opportunities and experiences that promote staff growth and improve learning for every student. (ISLLC Standard 2), and more.

• Competency 0005: Understand how to create and sustain a school and learning environment conducive to student learning and staff professional growth. (ISLLC Standard 2). Skills tested: demonstrating knowledge of how to nurture and sustain a schoolwide culture of achievement in which all stakeholders share a commitment to high expectations for all students, closing achievement gaps, and pursuing academic and behavioral excellence; demonstrating knowledge of how to establish rigorous academic goals and priorities, ensure that teachers set high academic and behavior expectations for every student, and ensure that students are consistently engaged in learning; applying knowledge of how to create a personalized, motivating, safe, supportive, and equitable learning environment that is responsive to and respectful of student diversity and that supports achievement for every student; identifying procedures for evaluating aspects of the learning environment and for using results to guide continuous improvement; demonstrating knowledge of how to develop, implement, and evaluate effective and equitable behavior management approaches, student codes of conduct, and practices and procedures for preventing bullying and other forms of conflict; demonstrating knowledge of how to guide staff to build productive relationships with parents/guardians and engage them in their children's learning; applying knowledge of how to establish a strong professional culture that encourages continuous teacher learning and collaboration; teacher leadership; and shared commitment to the school's vision, mission, values, and goals.
• Competency 0006: Understand how to provide instructional leadership focused on effective teaching and learning and the use of best instructional practices that promote academic success for every student. (ISLLC Standard 2). Skills tested: applying knowledge of how to plan, organize, drive, supervise, monitor, and support a rigorous, standards-based, and coherent instructional program based on research-supported best practices for curriculum, instruction, and assessment; demonstrating knowledge of factors to consider in developing an instructional program (e.g., academic standards, student characteristics and needs) and procedures for supervising and allocating resources to sustain the instructional program; applying knowledge of instructional methods and practices, including data-driven differentiation and intervention, to meet student needs, close achievement gaps, and promote success for every student; analyzing the implications of student diversity for teaching and learning, and identifying research-supported practices for promoting achievement for students with diverse characteristics and needs (e.g., English Language Learners; students with exceptionalities; students with diverse cultural, language, and socioeconomic backgrounds); demonstrating knowledge of effective and appropriate classroom-based assessment practices (e.g., formative and summative assessments, multiple measures, aligned to learning targets, authentic); applying knowledge of how to facilitate effective collaborative efforts to analyze assessment results and formulate plans for improved learning and achievement; applying knowledge of how to use relevant quantitative and qualitative data to identify instructional strengths and needs, define gaps between current outcomes and goals, formulate new action steps, and design school programs to improve learning for every student; demonstrating knowledge of educational accountability, the importance and implications of accountability for the school, the role of assessment in accountability, and procedures for establishing and monitoring school accountability systems; demonstrating knowledge of how to use technology and information systems to enrich curriculum and instruction, support student learning, and monitor instructional effectiveness; analyzing the impact of structural factors (e.g., staffing patterns, schedules, student grouping practices) on student achievement and ways to adjust these factors to achieve goals for learning.
• Competency 0007: Understand how to provide professional development opportunities and experiences that promote staff growth and improve learning for every student. (ISLLC Standard 2). Skills tested: demonstrating knowledge of how to develop and facilitate job-embedded, standards-based professional development that improves learning for all students, including allocating adequate time and other resources to support staff learning and collaboration; applying knowledge of how to create a professional learning community in which teamwork, reflection, conversation, sharing, openness, and problem solving about student learning and achievement are aligned to instructional goals and priorities; demonstrating knowledge of skills and strategies for guiding teachers' use of achievement data to evaluate student performance, analyze differences between individuals and groups of students, and inform planning for improved teaching and learning; applying knowledge of how to conduct classroom observations and use observation results and student data to evaluate the quality of teaching and provide teachers with effective feedback aimed at improving student learning and maximizing the effective use of instructional time; applying knowledge of how to provide professional support and development focused on authentic problems and student outcomes, integrate opportunities for continuous learning and professional growth into the school environment, and engage staff in ongoing self-assessment; demonstrating knowledge of various supervisory models (e.g., clinical, coaching) and techniques (e.g., conferencing, mentoring) and their use in improving teaching and learning; demonstrating knowledge of how to work with staff to create professional growth plans that address individual needs and promote teaching excellence; identifying strategies for encouraging teacher leadership, initiative, innovation, self- reflection, and action research; applying knowledge of resources and activities, including reflection and feedback from others, to promote one's own ongoing professional development and learning.
• Competency 0008: Understand organizational and human resource management that supports school improvement and helps ensure success for every student. (ISLLC Standard 3). Skills tested: applying knowledge of skills and strategies for managing the organization and its resources to ensure equity and continuous improvement; applying knowledge of how to monitor and evaluate school management systems and ensure that teacher and organizational time is focused on supporting effective instruction and student learning; demonstrating knowledge of how to collect and use relevant data to make decisions about organizational needs and priorities and how to strategically address organizational barriers to achieving school goals; applying knowledge of management skills and practices (e.g., group process, consensus building, conflict resolution, team building, distributed leadership) and their use in solving problems, making decisions, and achieving success for every student; applying knowledge of change processes and how to initiate, manage, and evaluate change in the school environment; demonstrating knowledge of how to use technological tools and systems to support effective management of the organization (e.g., managing information, facilitating communication and collaboration); demonstrating knowledge of effective, equitable, and legal procedures for recruiting, hiring, assigning, retaining, evaluating, disciplining, and dismissing staff to support school goals and maximize achievement for all students; applying knowledge of how to develop, implement, and evaluate effective induction and mentoring plans for new teachers; analyzing issues related to equity, diversity, and fairness in human resource management; applying knowledge of staff evaluation procedures and the use of staff evaluation systems that differentiate the performance of staff functioning at different levels; demonstrating knowledge of how to obtain, allocate, align, and efficiently utilize human resources and develop the capacity for distributed leadership; demonstrating knowledge of policies, procedures, and contractual obligations related to human resource administration, including relevant state and federal laws and regulations (e.g., ADA, FERPA, FMLA).