Artifact 2

Thomas DeGrand
Sally Drummond
EA 754- HR Management
September 25, 2015
Interview Questions

Scotch Elementary School is one of five elementary schools in the West Bloomfield
School District. It is a 3rd-5th grade school of about 500 students. Due to recent movement
throughout the district, a 5th grade opening has presented itself for the upcoming school year.
The 5th grade team has worked together closely for many years now. They define what true
collaboration is, and they are seeking a teacher that is an energetic, hard-working, team player
that is ready to join their team with new and innovative ideas to help make it more successful
than it already is.

*Topic: Educational practices

1. Question: Give us some specific examples of how you differentiate instruction.

Rationale: Interested in seeing a deep understanding of differentiated instruction that doesnt
include worksheets from the next level of subject matter. Speaks to learning styles.
Deeper question: How does differentiation support students in building knowledge?

2. Question: What would I see happening if I walked into your classroom during a lesson?
Rationale: To assess what the applicant feels is good instruction, as well as what an effective
learning environment would look like.
Deeper question: What are strategies youve used in the past to keep all students engaged
during a lesson?

3. Question: How would you describe an ideal culture within a 5th grade classroom?

Rationale: Classroom culture is a pivotal part to successful teaching and learning. It is critical
that the applicant understands what an effective culture looks like and how to develop it.
Deeper question: How do you go about building the classroom culture that you just described?

*Topic: Student Growth and Instructional Practice Reflection

4. Question: What type of data do you think is important to keep?

Rationale: See if response includes self-reflection on tier I classroom instruction
Deeper Question: How would you design a SMART goal around data?

*Topic: Ethics and Relationships

5. Question: How would you deal with a parent that called you very upset, because you didnt
round their son Tommys 89.75 up to an A- from a B+. They say things such as, Other teachers
do this; you just dont like my son; this will keep him out of MSU.
Rationale: How the candidate would handle a difficult parent situation.
Deeper Question: Tell me about a difficult situation that you had with a parent that you would
like to do over.

6. Question: How have you involved parents in the educational process?

Rationale: Parental involvement is a crucial element of a students educational success. We
would like to assess what type of involvement the applicant has done in the past, as well as to
understand how important they feel parental engagement is in the education world.

Deeper Question: Have you ever had to deal with a non-supportive parent that refused to take
part in their childs education? If yes, how did you attempt to engage them more? If no, how
would you have tried to engage them more?

*Topic: Best Practices/Intervention

7. Question: What would MTSS (multi-tiered systems of support) look like in your classroom?
Rationale: To assess the candidates knowledge of MTSS classroom practices.
Deeper Question: Give an example of a tier II math intervention.

*Topic: Ethics and Character

8. Question: Three words that best describe your professional challenges.

Rationale: Gain an insight into what the candidate perceives as areas of professional growth.
Deeper Question: Reflecting over the past few years, what personal characteristics have you
worked on changing that will enhance your teaching and relationships?

*Topic: Collaboration/Teaming

9. Question: What do you feel are the important elements of a successful team?
Rationale: To understand if the applicant knows the qualities of a successful team; to get a feel
for their philosophy and background on teaming.
Deeper Question: In your past experiences, what have you done to support the members of a
team, professional or recreational, of which youve been a part?

*Topic: Philosophy

10. Question: Why did you choose the profession of teaching?

Rationale: To find out if they have a true passion for teaching and working with elementary-age
kids. The response will likely include what the applicant feels their strengths are, which will be
part of why they went into teaching. Lastly, this philosophical question will tell us if they are a
good fit for our school and that particular position.
Deeper question: Why did you choose Scotch?