Comprehensive Examination in Elementary Education Part I Imagine that you are confronted with an ethical dilemma in your classroom that involves students, their families, and your professional learning community.

Academic Experts

13 Nov 2026 • 4 min read

Comprehensive Examination in Elementary Education

Part I

Imagine that you are confronted with an ethical dilemma in your classroom that involves students, their families, and your professional learning community. Explain what processes you would undergo to deal with the dilemma:

o Provide a brief description of the dilemma.

o Provide a clear delineation of the steps you are choosing to undergo, and a rationale for each step you choose.

o Explain how your decisions potentially impact your students and their development.

o Include the sources of current research and professionals that you will search and consult to deal with the dilemma.

o Explain how your decisions potentially impact the student’s families and the learning community in which this dilemma occurred.

Part II.

You were asked by your principal to chair a committee who is charged with the responsibility of instituting an environmental awareness fair for their school and local community. You are to develop an action plan that would demonstrate your competence to include the following stakeholders in the process: students and their families, school colleagues, and agencies in the larger community. Make sure that you action plan subscribes to the following requirements:

o Clearly specifies each step of the collaborative processes you undergo

o Includes who the participants are in the action plan

o Includes multiple strategies to involve families that include a variety of family beliefs, traditions, values, and practices

o Explain how you will establish and maintain positive, collaborative interactions with families to constantly generate the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of their children.

o Explain how each child will participate in the action plan including children with disabilities, developmental delays, or special abilities.

o Explain how specialists will participate in the action plan to support students learning goals and health.

(a) scoring guide for assessment

Element

ACEI Standard

Not Met

Met

Exceeded

Criterion 1:
Candidates understand practices and behaviors that are characteristic of developing career teachers.

ACEI Standard 5.1: Professional Growth, Reflection and Evaluation

The candidate does not demonstrate an awareness of the teaching professional codes of ethical conduct and interdependencies among the various professions in elementary education.

The candidate demonstrates an awareness of the teaching professional codes of ethical conduct.

The candidate demonstrates an understanding of basic interrelationships and interdependencies among the various professions and activities that constitute the disciplines, content, and processes of elementary education.

The candidate demonstrates an understanding of the teaching professional codes of ethical conduct.

The candidate demonstrates an in-depth understanding of interrelationships and interdependencies among the various professions and activities that constitute the disciplines, content, and processes of elementary education.

Criterion 2:
Candidates use child development knowledge on working with pedagogical problems.

ACEI Standard 5.1: Professional Growth, Reflection and Evaluation

The candidate cannot work independently on a variety of disciplinary and pedagogical problems.

The candidate does not demonstrate a commitment to the professional codes of ethical conduct.

The candidate is able to work on pedagogical problems and responsibilities using knowledge in child development.

The candidate demonstrates an awareness to the professional codes of ethical conduct.

The candidate can work on pedagogical problems and responsibilities using knowledge in child development.

The candidate demonstrates a commitment to the professional codes of ethical conduct.

Criterion 3:
Candidates reflect on their practice in light of research on teaching, professional ethics, and resources available for professional learning.

ACEI Standard 5.1: Professional Growth, Reflection and Evaluation

The candidate has not mastered the ability of reflecting on practice in light of research on teaching and resources available for professional learning.

The candidate knows and uses major areas of research on teaching and resources available for professional learning.

The candidate reflects on practice and consults with other professionals to grow professionally.

The candidate seeks out new sources of current research on teaching and resources of professional learning to continually update the level of professional practice.

Criterion 4:
Candidates evaluate the effects of their professional decisions and actions on students, parents, and other professionals in the learning community.

ACEI Standard 5.1: Professional Growth, Reflection and Evaluation

The candidate does not evaluate the effects of professional practice.

The candidate evaluates the effects of professional decisions and actions on students, parents, and other professionals.

The candidate assesses and evaluates the effects of professional decisions and actions on students, parents, and other professionals.

Criterion 1:
Candidates know the variety of family beliefs, traditions, values and practices across cultures and within society.

ACEI Standard 5.2: Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, Community Agencies

The candidate does not know the variety of family beliefs, traditions, values, and practices across cultures and within society.

The candidate does not recognize the importance of involving families as partners in supporting the school both inside and outside the classroom.

The candidate knows the variety of family beliefs, traditions, values, and practices across cultures and within society.

The candidate recognizes the importance of involving families as partners in supporting the school both inside and outside the classroom.

The candidate establishes and maintains positive, collaborative relationships with families.

The candidate knows multiple strategies to involve families that include a variety of family beliefs, traditions, values, and practices.

Criterion 2:
Candidates know how to work with families in order to encourage intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of their students.

ACEI Standard 5.2: Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, Community Agencies

The candidate does not know how to work with families in order to encourage intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of students.

The candidate knows how to work with families in order to encourage intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of students.

The candidate knows how to involve families in planning for individual children, including children with disabilities, developmental delays, or special abilities.

The candidate knows how to establish and maintain positive, collaborative interactions with families to constantly generate the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of students.

The candidate knows how to involve families in planning for individual children, including children with disabilities, developmental delays, or special abilities.

Criterion 3:
Candidates collaborate with colleagues and agencies in the larger community to support their students’ learning goals and health.
ACEI Standard 5.2: Collaboration with Families, Colleagues, Community Agencies

The candidate is unaware that collegial activities contribute to a productive learning environment.

The candidate is not able to identify the appropriate specialists within the schools to support students’ learning goals and health.

The candidate recognizes that collegial activities contribute to a productive learning environment.

The candidate can identify the appropriate specialists within the schools to support students’ learning goals and health.

The candidate participates in collegial activities to sustain a productive learning environment.

The candidate develops collaborative relationships with specialists to support students’ learning goals and health.

The candidate values and respects the contribution and uniqueness of all members of the school community.

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