A district pilots a new attendance plan in two schools, then compares the attendance data with the outcomes it expected. Which phase of the plan-do-check-act cycle is this?Wikipedia, "PDCA". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
A district's mission statement is twelve years old. Since then a factory has closed, enrollment has fallen and many more students are learning English. What does PSEL Standard 1 call for?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 1(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), A. Mission, Vision, and Core Values.
A leadership team asks why chronic absence rose, then asks "why?" again of each answer. What is the primary goal of this five whys technique?Wikipedia, "Five whys". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
Show all 50 questions (47 more)
Strategic leadership, continued
A new superintendent is asked to write a district vision alone over the summer. Which approach matches Standard 1 of the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL)?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 1(b). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), A. Mission, Vision, and Core Values.
A strategic planning committee drafts four goals. Which one is specific, measurable and time-bound, as the SMART criteria ask?Wikipedia, "SMART criteria". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
A superintendent reads the state accountability report by subgroup. Which subgroups of students does the Every Student Succeeds Act define for its accountability system?20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(2), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
Before it sets priorities, a district compares current conditions with desired conditions to find the gaps. What is this systematic process called?Wikipedia, "Needs assessment". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
The board has approved a new schedule for every middle school. Under PSEL Standard 10, what should the superintendent do before the change begins?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 10(c). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
In a SWOT analysis for the strategic plan, a team notes that the county's falling birth rate will cut enrollment. Where does this factor belong?Wikipedia, "SWOT analysis". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
Principals report that nine district initiatives, each run by a different office, make conflicting demands on their schools. Which response fits PSEL Standard 10?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 10(h). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, a state's category of schools for comprehensive support and improvement must include at least which share of its Title I schools?20 U.S.C. 6311(c)(4)(D), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), I. Strategic Leadership (16%), B. District and School Improvement.
Instructional leadership 8
A board member wants every teacher ranked on one benchmark test, which some classes took with only 12 students. What does PSEL Standard 4 say about using assessment data?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 4(g). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
A curriculum director wants every course built from the outset to give learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge. Which Universal Design for Learning principle is this?Wikipedia, "Universal Design for Learning". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), A. Curriculum and Instruction.
A district is choosing a benchmark test. Which question asks about the validity of the test?Wikipedia, "Validity (statistics)". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
A measure that tends to produce similar measurements under consistent conditions is said to have high what?Wikipedia, "Reliability (statistics)". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
Screening shows a group of students below grade level. In a response to intervention model they receive evidence-based interventions and some small-group instruction. Which tier is this?Wikipedia, "Response to intervention". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), A. Curriculum and Instruction.
Teachers give short exit tickets during a unit and change the next day's lesson to fit the answers. What kind of assessment is this?Wikipedia, "Formative assessment". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, in which grades must a state give its mathematics and its reading or language arts assessments?20 U.S.C. 6311(b)(2)(B)(v), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
What is a summative assessment designed to do?Wikipedia, "Summative assessment". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), II. Instructional Leadership (12%), B. Assessment and Accountability.
Climate and culture leadership 9
A district enrolls many students who do not speak English and gives them no English language instruction. Which Supreme Court decision found that such a failure violated the Civil Rights Act of 1964?Wikipedia, "Lau v. Nichols". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), A. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.
A district proposes a yearly tuition fee for students who cannot show lawful immigration status. Which Supreme Court decision struck down such a fee?Wikipedia, "Plyler v. Doe". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), A. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.
A family living in a shelter comes to enroll a child but has no immunization records and no proof of residency. What does the McKinney-Vento Act require of the school selected?42 U.S.C. 11432(g)(3)(C) (McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), C. Community of Care and Support for Students.
A principal suspends a student on the spot and sends him home with no chance to respond. Which Supreme Court case held that a public school must conduct a hearing before suspending a student?Wikipedia, "Goss v. Lopez". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), C. Community of Care and Support for Students.
A student with an IEP faces a disciplinary change of placement for breaking the conduct code. Who reviews the relevant information to decide whether the conduct was a manifestation of the disability?34 CFR 300.530(e) (IDEA regulations), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), C. Community of Care and Support for Students.
A superintendent wants a professional culture in which teachers study student work together and give one another feedback. Which element of PSEL Standard 7 describes this?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 7(g). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), B. Climate and Culture for Staff.
Course data show that students from low-income families are rarely placed in advanced classes, and one principal says they "would not cope". What does PSEL Standard 3 ask of the leader?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 3(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), A. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.
Staffing data show that nearly all first-year teachers are placed in the district's highest-poverty schools. Which PSEL Standard 3 expectation does this pattern test most directly?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 3(c). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), A. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.
Title IX bars exclusion from, and discrimination under, any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. On which basis?20 U.S.C. 1681(a) (Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), III. Climate and Culture Leadership (14%), A. Equity and Cultural Responsiveness.
Ethical and policy leadership 7
A district that receives E-Rate support is about to adopt an internet safety policy. What must it do first under the Children's Internet Protection Act?Federal Communications Commission, consumer guide "Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA)". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
A public employee has a property interest in the job. Under Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill, what is the employee entitled to before being terminated?Wikipedia, "Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
A superintendent's brother-in-law owns a company that is bidding on the district's roofing contract. What is this situation called?Wikipedia, "Conflict of interest". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), A. Ethical Practice.
A teacher is dismissed for a letter to the local newspaper criticizing how the board handled proposals to raise school revenue. What did the Supreme Court hold in Pickering v. Board of Education?Wikipedia, "Pickering v. Board of Education". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
Board members plan to settle next year's attendance zones over a private dinner. Which kind of state law governs the public's access to meetings of public boards?Wikipedia, "Freedom of information in the United States". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
In the usual structure of an American school district, to whom do all of the school principals report?Wikipedia, "Superintendent (education)". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), when do the rights given to parents pass to the student?20 U.S.C. 1232g(d) (FERPA), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), IV. Ethical and Policy Leadership (10%), B. Policy, Advocacy, and Governance.
Organizational leadership 10
A contract dispute with the teachers' association goes to a neutral third party, who makes a binding decision. Which method of dispute resolution is this?Wikipedia, "Arbitration". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
A district applies for discounts on internet access through the schools and libraries program of the Universal Service Fund. By what name is the program commonly known?Wikipedia, "E-Rate". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
A district crisis plan follows the Incident Command System. Which positions form the Command Staff that reports directly to the Incident Commander?Federal Emergency Management Agency, "ICS Organizational Structure and Elements" (ICS 300 resource, March 2018). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
A district plans to pay for a new high school with a general obligation bond. What secures a bond of this kind?Wikipedia, "General obligation bond". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
A district plans to use Title I, Part A funds to pay reading teachers whom it would otherwise pay from local money. Which rule does the plan break?20 U.S.C. 6321(b)(1), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
An eligible employee asks for leave for the birth of a child. To how much leave during any 12-month period does the Family and Medical Leave Act entitle the employee?29 U.S.C. 2612(a)(1) (Family and Medical Leave Act), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), A. Professional Capacity.
Five of a district's nine principals will retire within three years. Which action does PSEL Standard 6 call for?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 6(b). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), A. Professional Capacity.
In one district a teacher's evaluation is a single checklist handed over in June with no conversation. What does PSEL Standard 6 expect in its place?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 6(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), A. Professional Capacity.
Principals say the central office calls them out of their buildings for meetings several mornings a week. Which expectation of PSEL Standard 9 applies?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 9(e). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
Which budgeting method requires that all expenses be justified and approved in each new budget period, starting from no funding allocation?Wikipedia, "Zero-based budgeting". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), V. Organizational Leadership (15%), B. Operations and Management.
Community leadership 5
A district mails families a monthly newsletter but gives them no way to answer. What does PSEL Standard 8 ask for?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 8(c). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), VI. Community Leadership (8%), A. Community Engagement.
A grants officer sorts federal grants by type. Which type provides funds as dictated by a law, while project grants fund particular projects?Wikipedia, "Federal grants in the United States". Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), VI. Community Leadership (8%), B. Maximizing Community Resources.
A superintendent sets up dual-credit courses with a community college and internships with local employers. Which element of PSEL Standard 8 does this carry out?National Policy Board for Educational Administration, Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015, Standard 8(j). Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), VI. Community Leadership (8%), B. Maximizing Community Resources.
Each school served under Title I, Part A develops a school-parent compact jointly with parents. What does the compact outline?20 U.S.C. 6318(d), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), VI. Community Leadership (8%), A. Community Engagement.
One percent of a district's Title I, Part A allocation comes to more than $5,000. How much of the allocation must the district reserve for parent and family engagement?20 U.S.C. 6318(a)(3)(A), as published by the Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Outline: ETS Study Companion, School Superintendent Assessment (6991), VI. Community Leadership (8%), A. Community Engagement.
How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the content topics of the ETS Study Companion for the School Superintendent Assessment (6991) of the School Leadership Series (https://www.ets.org/pdfs/praxis/6991.pdf, read 2026-10-13; test page https://praxis.ets.org/test/6991.html): Strategic Leadership 16%, Instructional Leadership 12%, Climate and Culture Leadership 14%, Ethical and Policy Leadership 10%, Organizational Leadership 15%, Community Leadership 8%, and a constructed-response case study 25% that this bank does not imitate. The bank holds 11, 8, 9, 7, 10 and 5 questions. Every fact was read on 2026-10-14 on the public page the question names: the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders 2015 (npbea.org), the United States Code and Code of Federal Regulations as published by the Legal Information Institute of Cornell Law School (law.cornell.edu), the Federal Communications Commission guide to the Children's Internet Protection Act (fcc.gov), a FEMA Incident Command System resource (training.fema.gov) and Wikipedia articles on the court decisions and the planning, assessment and finance terms. Licence: Own work. Short quotations from the public documents named under each question.
How it works
This free Praxis School Superintendent Assessment practice test has 50 questions of our own on the six selected-response categories of test 6991, in the proportions of the ETS outline. It is unofficial and not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by ETS.
Read the full guide
What test 6991 covers
By the ETS Study Companion read October 13, 2026, the School Superintendent Assessment (SSA, 6991) belongs to the School Leadership Series. Strategic Leadership 16%, Instructional 12%, Climate and Culture 14%, Ethical and Policy 10%, Organizational 15%, Community 8%, case study 25%. This bank holds 11, 8, 9, 7, 10 and 5.
A Praxis 6991 study guide, question by question
Each explanation names the standard, statute or court decision behind the answer, so a missed question shows what to read next. The standards are the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders (PSEL) 2015, which ETS names with the NELP standards as the base of the test.
What the bank leaves out
The three constructed-response questions are a case study, a quarter of the test. Multiple-choice practice cannot stand in for it.
The PSEL 2015 standards are free to read at npbea.org.
State law on boards, contracts and open meetings differs, so the law questions here rest on federal statutes and Supreme Court decisions.
Questions and answers
Is this School Superintendent Assessment practice test the real exam?
No. All 50 questions were written for this site from the ETS content topics for test 6991. None repeats or rewords a real test question or an ETS sample question, and a result here does not forecast a real score.
Is there a free Praxis 6991 study guide?
ETS publishes a Study Companion for test 6991 with the content topics and sample questions, free to download. The 50 questions here are further practice on the same topics.
How many questions are on the School Superintendent Assessment?
ETS lists 120 selected-response and 3 constructed-response questions in 3 hours. Strategic Leadership has about 26 questions, Organizational 24, Climate and Culture 22, Instructional 19, Ethical and Policy 16 and Community 13.
What is the passing score for the SSA 6991?
It depends on where you apply. The ETS companion says the states, institutions and associations that require the test set their own passing scores. This practice test gives a number right and no pass or fail.