Review the MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139) exam outline, content-area weights and the TeacherPreps school leadership study guide lessons for this exam.

Published by TeacherPreps · Updated November 7, 2026

MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139): Study Guide

Exam facts

Exam: MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139)
State / jurisdiction: Michigan
Credential area: School principal
Delivery: Computer-based test (CBT)
Questions: 80 multiple-choice questions; 1 constructed-response assignment
Testing time: 225 minutes (3 hours 45 minutes)
Appointment time: 240 minutes (4 hours)
Passing score: 220

MTTC Elementary and Secondary (PK–12) School Administrator (139) study guide lessons

The TeacherPreps study guide for this exam has 57 lessons organized by chapter, each written for the content areas above. The first lesson, Mission, vision, core values, and priorities, is free to read without a membership.

Read the free first lesson

What this exam covers

This outline summarizes the content areas in the publisher framework. Use it as a study checklist, and follow the source links below for the full framework.

1. Visionary Leadership and Continuous School Improvement (14%)

Topics to review

Mission, vision, goals, and values
A shared commitment to student success
Stakeholder participation and ownership
Evidence and goal selection
The principal’s leadership role
Alignment of plans and resources
Gathering a useful evidence base
Diagnosing strengths, needs, and gaps
Setting priorities and measurable goals
Collaborative planning and decisions
Designing the improvement plan
Selecting defensible improvement strategies
Managing change and supporting people
Barriers, competing demands, and uncertainty
Monitoring, evaluating, and revising
College, career, and civic readiness

2. Instructional Leadership, School Culture and Learning Environment, and Faculty Development (27%)

Topics to review

Coherent curriculum design
Alignment across classrooms and grade levels
Research and evidence for instructional decisions
Learning theories and child and adolescent development
Literacy and numeracy across grade levels
Differentiation, intervention, and student needs
Language, culture, and learner strengths
Disability supports and instructional access
Technology, digital literacy, and responsible participation
Academic and nonacademic program coordination
Instructional implementation and program improvement
Assessment purposes, strengths, and limits
Sound assessment design and selection
Disaggregation, gaps, and bias
Using evidence to adjust instruction
Evaluating programs and instructional outcomes
Assessment and educator development
Collaborative data use and assessment capacity
Feedback, reporting, and data tools
High expectations and shared commitments
Trust, respect, and collegial relationships
Safe reflection, voice, and innovation
Collaboration and collective responsibility
Staff care, health, and sustainable work
Assessing and improving school culture
Culture within its community context
Equity, access, and high expectations
Cultural and linguistic assets
Implicit and institutional bias
Responsive curriculum, instruction, and assessment
Equitable behavior management and conflict resolution
Inclusive leadership and public responsibility
A caring and personalized learning environment
Academic, developmental, and engagement needs
Coherent systems of student support
Behavior expectations and positive behavior support
Bullying, harassment, and conflict prevention
Access, accommodations, and specialized needs
Nonacademic opportunities and community services
Monitoring student support and school climate
Induction, mentoring, and retention
Alternative certification pathways and Alternative Placement teachers
Purposes and models of supervision
Instructional expectations and evaluation criteria
Gathering multiple forms of evidence
Interpreting evidence and identifying needs
Actionable feedback and coaching conversations
Individual growth and improvement plans
Named supervision models: clinical supervision, peer coaching, mentoring, and conferencing
Adult learning and differentiated professional development
Professional learning tied to student evidence
Job-embedded learning and resource support
Professional learning communities
Induction and mentoring
Individual professional growth
Formats for professional learning: seminars, book studies, workshops, and coaching
Innovation, reflection, and action research
Teacher leadership and distributed responsibility
Evaluating professional learning
The principal’s own professional growth
Professional health and ethical learning practices
Work-life balance and well-being for staff
Leadership pipelines, emerging-leader mentoring, and succession
Cultural responsiveness and digital literacy in professional learning
Social, economic, political, and cultural context
Emerging issues and broader influences

3. Organizational, Resource, and Operational Management and Legal Guidelines (21%)

Topics to review

Managing change and supporting people
Barriers, competing demands, and uncertainty
Strategic planning process as named steps
Organizational theory basics
School structures that affect instruction
Staffing needs and workforce planning
Recruitment and candidate selection
Strategic assignment and scheduling
Induction, mentoring, and retention
Fairness and diversity in personnel decisions
Evaluation and employment decisions
Personnel law, contracts, and records
Leadership capacity and management of staff
Mobilizing and sustaining resources
Organizational design and responsibilities
Time, schedules, and instructional protection
Facilities use and program coordination
Auxiliary and support services
Data and information systems
Technology and communication systems
Operational evaluation and improvement
Resources and organizational capacity
Community use of school facilities
Funding sources and restrictions
Needs-based and collaborative budgeting
Equitable allocation and resource alignment
Resource development
Records, reporting, and internal controls
Monitoring budgets and evaluating resource use
Ethical and lawful stewardship
Multiyear resource plans and annual budgets
Physical and emotional safety
Facilities, equipment, and inspections
Security procedures and prevention
Emergency and crisis management
Health, counseling, and welfare services
Governance roles and authority
Emerging issues and broader influences
Advocacy and influence
Working across organizational boundaries
Sources and application of education law
Rights, due process, and fair procedures
Privacy, confidentiality, and information security
Equal access and nondiscrimination
Disability education and educational plans
Language access and other student needs
Employment, leave, and contractual obligations
Reporting, supervision, and liability
Lawful operations, facilities, and finance
Investigations, misconduct, and complaints
Monitoring compliance and communicating requirements
Sexual harassment and Title IX
Cyberbullying, social media, and digital conduct law

4. Stakeholder and Community Relationships, Professional Norms, and Ethics (18%)

Topics to review

The principal’s own professional growth
Team building, trust, and shared responsibility among staff
Welcoming and accessible participation
Families’ knowledge and educational roles
Trusting relationships with families
Supporting learning at home and school
Family voice in decisions and improvement
Audience, purpose, and communication choices
Two-way communication and listening
Consensus, negotiation, and shared commitment
Conflict and competing interests
Community context and responsiveness
Public information and media relations
Reporting progress and celebrating contributions
Transparency, confidentiality, and advocacy
Community assets and needs
Building and sustaining partnerships
Health, social, and family services
Mutual benefit and shared resources
Mobilizing and sustaining resources
Representative participation and engagement
Fair access and appropriate agreements
School and community traditions, cultural history, and events
Advocacy and influence
Professional values and moral responsibility
A defensible ethical decision process
Equity and access in ethical decisions
Transparency and reason giving
Democracy, community, and social justice
Reflection and ethical leadership commitments
A school-level ethical leadership platform
Modeling professional conduct
Developing shared professional norms
Accountability and responses to misconduct
Digital citizenship and professional technology use
Inclusive and respectful professional relationships
Reflection, consistency, and ethical culture

5. Educational Leadership (20%)

Topics to review

Collaborative planning and decisions
Designing the improvement plan
Multiple sources of learning evidence
Patterns, trends, and root causes in school data

This exam also includes written responses (1 constructed-response assignment). The free diagnostic and Exam Builder practice cover multiple-choice content only.

Publisher sources

Checked November 7, 2026. Content areas and weights come from the exam framework; administrative details come from the publisher test pages.

TeacherPreps practice questions and lessons are independently written and are not publisher exam questions.

Continue your school leadership preparation

Read the study guide lessons, practice by content area in the Exam Builder and review the explanation for each answer.

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