Module 1

Question 1

When determining the least restrictive environment (LRE) for a student with disabilities, the student’s IEP team should be guided primarily by which of the following factors?

Answer 1

the frequency, duration, and intensity of the identified services needed by the student

Question 2

According to Part C of the IDEA, which of the following instruments is used to document and guide early intervention services for infants and toddlers with developmental delays?

Answer 2

Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP)

Question 3

The parents of a student with a physical disability are unable to attend an IEP team meeting for their child. During the meeting, the IEP team recommends modifications to the student’s transportation services and mobility supports. In this situation, the IEP team’s next responsibility would be to:

Answer 3

document the IEP modifications and their reasons for recommending them and send this information to the parents.

Question 4

A second grader with ASD has been attending a general education class for several weeks. The student has spent most of her time with a paraeducator in a private area of the classroom working on activities designed to prepare her for inclusion in the class. Although the general education teacher is aware that the student’s IEP specifies that she be included with her peers, the teacher has made little effort to involve her in class activities. The special education teacher decides to speak with the general education teacher about including the student more in class activities. The special education teacher also plans to spend more time in the classroom, facilitating the student’s class participation and modeling ways to engage her productively with peers. The special education teacher’s actions in this situation best demonstrate her understanding of how to:

Answer 4

advocate for the needs and rights of individual students with disabilities.

Question 5

Which of the following is a guaranteed right of due process for parents/guardians of children with disabilities?

Answer 5

viewing their child’s comprehensive educational records at any point during the school year

Question 6

The theories and philosophies of Maria Montessori most strongly influenced which of the following approaches to special education?

Answer 6

Learning activities should be adjusted to each child’s unique abilities, skills, and interests.

Question 7

In which of the following ways does the agreement reached in Gaskin v.
Pennsylvania Department of Education most directly relate to the mandates of the IDEA?

Answer 7

It clarifies the meaning and execution in Pennsylvania schools of the IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with students without disabilities to the maximum extent possible.

Question 8

A special educator co-teaches in a first-grade classroom. One of the students has a pragmatic language disorder and receives services from an SLT within the classroom twice a week. The student would likely benefit most from these services if the teachers use which of the following strategies?

Answer 8

arranging for the SLT to support the student during circle time and cooperative group times

Question 9

A new middle school special education teacher will be working with an experienced paraeducator who will assist in providing services to students in the special education program. Which of the following steps would be most effective for the teacher to take first as he prepares for his initial meeting with the paraeducator?

Answer 9

familiarizing himself with the defined roles and expectations for paraeducators in his district

Question 10

A special education teacher and a general education teacher co-teach a kindergarten class that includes several students with disabilities. The teachers are designing a mathematics learning center to give students practice with shapes and patterns. The general education teacher wants to use some materials in the center that the special education teacher feels may not be very accessible to the students with disabilities. Which of the following strategies would likely be most effective for the special education teacher to use to promote communication and collaboration between the teachers?

Answer 10

pointing out specific aspects of the materials that may be challenging for the students with disabilities and suggesting possible alternative materials

Question 11

The primary purpose of the Pennsylvania Child Find system is to:

Answer 11

conduct screenings and other activities to identify children who may need special education and related services.

Question 12

A new fourth-grade teacher’s class includes a student with ADHD. The special education teacher is meeting with the teacher to review the student’s Section 504 Plan. The special education teacher’s primary goal in this meeting should be to:

Answer 12

help the teacher understand the accommodations specified for the student.

Question 13

An IFSP team is developing a transition plan for a three-year-old child with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) who will be entering public preschool. The special education teacher who serves as the service coordinator wants to engage the parents as collaborative partners in this process. Which of the following strategies would be most appropriate and effective for the teacher to use in beginning to accomplish this goal?

Answer 13

asking the parents to provide information to help team members understand the family’s concerns, resources, and priorities

Question 14

A special education teacher is meeting for the first time with the parents of a third- grade student who has an IEP. The student’s parents require the services of an interpreter, so the teacher arranges for one to be present. During the meeting, the teacher makes a point of addressing his questions and responses to the interpreter and uses the time the interpreter is listening to the parents’ responses and comments to take notes. Of the following, the most significant problem with the teacher’s approach is that he:

Answer 14

shows a lack of respect for the parents by not speaking to them directly.

Question 15

Which of the following is true regarding transitions for students with special needs
at age three?

Answer 15

Decisions regarding the child’s services and family supports should be made with the child’s family/caregivers

Question 16

In typical childhood motor development, which of the following abilities
generally emerges first?

Answer 16

running smoothly in one direction

Question 17

Elementary school students with Asperger syndrome typically have the most difficulty with which of the following aspects of oral language development?

Answer 17

use of appropriate intonation and inflection

Question 18

A young child exposed to high levels of lead is most likely to develop which of the following conditions as a result?

Answer 18

impaired cognitive skills

Question 19

A child with fragile X syndrome will most likely show a developmental profile of social and emotional development that is most similar to children with which of the following disabilities?

Answer 19

autism spectrum disorder

Question 20

In typical physical development, which of the following fine-motor skills do children usually develop last?

Answer 20

buttoning large buttons

Question 21

The development of learned helplessness in students with learning disabilities is most closely linked to:

Answer 21

repeated academic failure.

Question 22

A special education teacher co-teaches in a culturally diverse second-grade class that includes several students with disabilities. The teacher notices that two students who come from the same cultural background have particular difficulty paying attention during extended listening tasks, such as teacher read-alouds. The teacher wonders if the students may have undiagnosed attention disorders. Which of the following should be the teacher’s first consideration when reflecting on this situation?

Answer 22

Teacher-led activities may not be compatible with the students’ personal and culturally influenced learning preferences.

Question 23

To provide effective social skills instruction to elementary school students with disabilities, teachers should ensure that role-playing and practice activities:

Answer 23

are age appropriate and relevant to students’ lives.

Question 24

A child with Down syndrome is at a higher risk than typical children for developing which of the following health problems?

Answer 24

heart defects

Question 25

Before the beginning of the new school year, a fourth-grade teacher sends a letter to the students in her upcoming class. She provides some personal information, including why she enjoys teaching; tells about a few of her recent summer experiences; writes that she is looking forward to learning about their summer activities; and includes a list of classroom supplies the students will need. The greatest benefit of sending a letter such as this is that it provides a way for the teacher to

Answer 25

foster positive rapport with students.

Question 26

An IEP team is developing an annual IEP for a five-year-old student with significant developmental delays. Which of the following factors would be most important for the team to take into account when creating goals for fostering the student’s self-help skills?

Answer 26

the family’s attitudes and understanding about the development of self-help skills

Question 27

Elementary students with moderate intellectual disabilities typically benefit most from an educational approach that:

Answer 27

integrates a functional curriculum with hands-on community-based learning

Question 28

A third-grade student with dyscalculia is likely to have the most difficulty with which
of the following tasks?

Answer 28

playing a game involving quantity and place value

Question 29

The parents of a prekindergarten student with developmental delays consult with a special education teacher about how to support her learning at home. Which of the following teacher recommendations is likely to have the most significant long- term impact on this child’s literacy development?

Answer 29

“Read aloud a variety of children’s fiction and nonfiction books to her on a regular basis.”

Question 30

A five-year-old with Down syndrome and associated language delays uses a speech-generating communication device that supplies the spoken word and/or related sound when she touches a picture on the screen. Which of the following is the most important benefit of this intervention for the child’s future learning?

Answer 30

A. supporting her acquisition of vocabulary and concepts

Question 31

Administering a universal screening to all kindergarten students three times during the school year is done primarily for which of the following purposes?

Answer 31

identifying those students who may be at risk and in need of additional behavioral and instructional support

Question 32

A second-grade student is referred for a comprehensive individual evaluation because of an inability to recall the letters of the alphabet in sequential order and an inability to make letter-sound associations. When selecting assessment instruments to include in this student’s evaluation, the team should first consider
an assessment instrument’s ability to:

Answer 32

produce data relevant to the student’s educational needs.

Question 33

A four-year-old preschooler demonstrates repetitive motor behaviors such as hand flapping and spinning. These behaviors interfere with the classroom routine and the child’s ability to play. The special education teacher observes the preschooler and records that these behaviors consistently occur when he is asked to transition from one activity to another. In relationship to the identified behaviors, the transition times can best be described as:

Answer 33

antecedents

Question 34

A special education teacher would like to assess a third-grade student’s reading ability in the areas of decoding, vocabulary, and fluency. Which of the following types of assessments should the teacher use to collect this diagnostic information?

Answer 34

informal reading inventory

Question 35

An early childhood special education teacher is planning to conduct weekly home visits to observe a ten-month-old child who has Down syndrome. Which of the following data collection tools would be most appropriate for the teacher to use in
this situation?

Answer 35

developmental checklist

Question 36

A fifth-grade student receives special education services due to a specific learning disability and ADHD. He is easily distracted, fidgets with school materials when seated at his desk, and disturbs classmates. The most effective way for the special education teacher to accommodate this student’s learning and behavioral needs during classroom assessments would be to alter which of the following aspects?

Answer 36

setting

Question 37

A four-year-old child was referred to the multidisciplinary team for an evaluation to determine if he meets the criteria for ASD. Which of the following reflects the best practice in communicating the evaluation results to the child’s parents?

Answer 37

describing the child’s behavior using concrete observable examples across settings

Question 38

A special education teacher wishes to minimize bias when administering achievement assessments to elementary school students from culturally diverse backgrounds. To achieve this goal, the teacher should use which of the following types of assessment instruments?

Answer 38

authentic

Question 39

A fifth grader with a specific learning disability and ADHD receives services in a general education classroom. Although the fifth-grade teacher has implemented all the modifications in the student’s IEP, she has not made the expected academic or behavioral progress. The fifth-grade teacher has now asked the IEP team to consider whether the student would benefit from receiving some of her services in an alternative setting. The IEP team’s best initial response in this situation would be to

Answer 39

evaluate whether adjustments to the student’s classroom instruction might lead to greater success.

Question 40

An IEP team has determined that an elementary school student with ASD would benefit from using an electronic communication board. Which of the following questions would be most important for the team to ask when considering how to incorporate this type of assistive technology into the student’s IEP?

Answer 40

Which of the student’s annual goals will the device enable him to meet?

Question 41

An RtII team is working with a bilingual assessor to conduct an evaluation of a young ELL. Preliminary assessment results indicate that the student may have a mild intellectual disability. In which of the following ways could the team best confirm that this finding is unrelated to second-language acquisition issues?

Answer 41

by meeting with the student’s parents/guardians and an interpreter to inquire about the student’s behaviors and abilities outside of school

Question 42

An IEP team has determined that a first-grade student with fine-motor deficits will receive instruction in the general education classroom with supplementary aids and services. Which of the following provisions included in the IEP would likely best address the student’s motor deficits?

Answer 42

providing the student multiple accommodations for physically performing tasks involving fine-motor skills

Question 43

An IEP team is reviewing a recently drafted IEP for a middle school student with ASD and an associated intellectual disability. Which of the following questions would be most important for the IEP team to focus on during this review?

Answer 43

Does the IEP provide a detailed outline of what the student needs in order to access and make progress in the general education curriculum?

Question 44

Which of the following is a required component of a toddler’s IFSP?

Answer 44

a statement of the family’s resources, priorities, and concerns relating to enhancing the child’s development

Question 45

Members of a two-year-old child’s IFSP team are in the process of identifying services and supports that the child will need to meet the goals specified in the IFSP. The team members can best ensure the selection of effective and appropriate services and supports for the child’s plan by emphasizing which of the following factors in their deliberations?

Answer 45

the current strengths and skills exhibited by the child in various domains