Practice Questions

Question 1

Which of these is correct about characteristics of the interview process?

a. Good interviewers focus only on information, not on social factors
b. Most often the interview questions are standardized for uniformity
c. Establishing a relationship with the respondent will only interfere
d. Rapport will create the trust needed to share personal information

Answer 1

d. Rapport will create the trust needed to share personal information

Question 2

What is true about observational measures used by psychologists?

a. Observations conducted must be by direct observation
b. Observations focus only on the processes of behavior
c. Observations can be all of these; no one answer is sufficient
d. Observations focus only on the products of behavior

Answer 2

c. Observations can be all of these; no one answer is sufficient

Question 3

At the beginning of the school year, for a new student with no previous assessments or school records, which of these would be least indicated for problem identification?

a. Complete IQ testing
b. Tests for social skills
c. Portfolio assessments
d. Personality inventory

Answer 3

c. Portfolio assessments

Question 4

The Activity-Based Assessment Inventory, or ABA Inventory, is not designed to explore which area of a student’s life?

a. Friends
b. Grades
c. Family
d. Games

Answer 4

b. Grades

ABA Inventory is not designed to explore a student’s grades. It is designed to explore a student’s activities outside of class. It covers the student’s role as a member of his or her family; the student’s role as a friend with others; the kinds of games, hobbies, or crafts in which the student engages.

Question 5

What is true regarding the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)?

a. It assesses behavior problems but not social competencies
b. Its items are not standardized and they can be individualized
c. The information it collects is reported by a child’s parents
d. It is a self-report measure, so interviewers are not allowed

Answer 5

c. The information it collects is reported by a child’s parents

Question 6

For which teachers would the History/Transition Information Profile be most useful?

a. Teachers with a class of all new students who have past school records
b. Teachers of mixed-age classes with the same students for several years
c. “Step-up” teachers who follow their students from one grade to the next
d. Teachers with a class of all new students with no earlier school records

Answer 6

a. Teachers with a class of all new students who have past school records

The History/Transition Information Profile would be most useful for a teacher with a class of all new students who have past school records. This instrument helps teachers to learn each student’s educational history by offering information about the student’s abilities, interests, strengths and weaknesses, and which educational strategies and methods have worked or failed previously. “Step-up” teachers and teachers with mixed-age classes who teach the same students for several years in a row are less likely to need this tool after their first year with students. Teachers with all new students who have no earlier school records would be less able to make use of this transition instrument. They could only use the section “from the family’s perspective” to gather information from parents as well as pertinent medical records.

Question 7

Which of the following people developed the first working intelligence test?

a. David Wechsler
b. Alfred Binet
c. Lewis Terman
d. Raymond Cattell

Answer 7

b. Alfred Binet

Alfred Binet published the first working intelligence test in France in 1905. Lewis Terman of Stanford University adapted Binet’s test for American children in 1916, standardized the test’s administration, and later developed age-level norms. Terman’s adaptation of Binet’s test is called the Stanford Revision of the Binet - Simon scale. David Wechsler published the Wechsler-Bellevue (for Bellevue Hospital in New York, where Wechsler worked) Intelligence Scale in 1939, adding nonverbal as well as verbal measures. It was renamed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) in 1955. Wechsler later created the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC) and the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence (WPPSI) to evaluate different age groups. Raymond Cattell created the Culture-Fair (or Culture-Free) Intelligence Test in 1949; in 1963 he identified the distinction between crystallized intelligence and fluid intelligence.

Question 8

Of the following tests, which is not a standardized achievement test?

a. The CTBS
b. The TAT
c. The SAT
d. The ITBS

Answer 8

b. The TAT

The TAT or the Thematic Apperception Test is a projective test used for personality assessment. The test taker is given ambiguous pictures to view and asked to make up a narrative of what s/he perceives the picture is about. The ITBS or the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the CTBS or Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills, and the SAT or Stanford Achievement Test, are all standardized achievement tests. These are normed tests commonly given annually to entire classes of students in elementary and secondary schools. Students’ scores are compared to national standards. Results typically give age and grade equivalents for a student’s scores, based on national averages.

Question 9

In the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC), which of the following subtests evaluates short-term memory?

a. Vocabulary
b. Digit Span
c. Symbol Search
d. Block Design

Answer 9

b. Digit Span

Question 10

What is not a type of executive function that students must use to succeed in school?

a. Being able to assign appropriate priority to each item
b. Being able to follow specific, step-by-step directions
c. Being able to retrieve previously learned information
d. Being able to organize a report, essay, or project parts

Answer 10

b. Being able to follow specific, step-by-step directions

Being able to follow specific, step-by-step directions is not an executive function. While an inability to follow step-by-step directions represents cognitive dysfunction, following directives represents micromanagement by the director and thus does not require executive functioning from the child. Executive functions require the child to self-direct and make decisions rather than be directed at every step. Retrieving previously learned material, and being able to organize one’s work are examples of executive function, as are the ability to decide the importance of items in a group, or to assign them priorities. Other executive functions include emotional self-regulation; regulation of processing rate; focusing one’s attention on a specific task; sustaining one’s attention; making transitions from one thing to another when needed; coming up with strategies for studying, test-taking and the like; knowing how to start an assignment; presenting material in a logical order; and monitoring one’s own progress.

Question 11

To save the expense of purchasing a new test form, a chief school administrator asks a certified school psychologist to administer a six-year-old form of an achievement test that agreed with the curriculum of the school district at that time. Considering the situation and the Principles for Professional Professional Ethics of the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP) the school psychologist should:

a. administer the outdated form but use new norms
b. ask that at least a few copies of the new form be administered for comparison
c. insist on administering only the most recent form of the test
d. recommend that the assessment be canceled.

Answer 11

c. insist on administering only the most recent form of the test

The best answer is C. NASP’s Principles for Professional
Ethics IVb2 requires that “[s]chool psychologists insist on
collecting relevant data for an evaluation that includes the
use of valid and reliable instruments and techniques that are
applicable and appropriate for the student.” Choice A is
inappropriate because the agreement between the old form
and current curriculum is unknown. Choice B would be
inappropriate for all students who took the old form if it
turned out that the forms measured different constructs.
Choice D would not address the school district’s assessment
needs, and choice E violates the NASP principle.

Question 12

A 7-year-old student arrived in the United States one year ago from a non-English-speaking country, where she achieved high scores in reading. Over the year, she has become fluent in social English. After a few months in a monolingual English second grade, her teacher refers her for evaluation because she has great difficulty with the basal reader used in the class.Two English proficiency tests administered to the student show that she performs above the mean for monolingual English grade peers in speaking and listening but well below the mean in reading and writing. She also performs well above the mean for grade peers on reading tests in her native language. Based on this information alone, which of the following is the most accurate interpretation?

a. continued use of the student’s native language in her home environment is interfering with her development of English
b. the student’s reading difficulty is an early indicator that she will have increased academic problems as her coursework requires more reading.
c. the discrepancy between the student’s English social language skills and reading skills is expected given the richer context win which social skills are acquired.
d. the discrepancy between the student’s native language reading skills and English reading skills is related to the greater complexity of English.

Answer 12

c. the discrepancy between the student’s English social language skills and reading skills is expected given the richer context win which social skills are acquired.

The best answer is C. Context-imbued second-language
skills are acquired before context-reduced second-language
skills. According to bilingual theory, the development of a
common underlying proficiency through the development
of first-language skills should help the child’s English
acquisition, eliminating choices A and D. The changing
nature of the student’s proficiencies eliminates both choice
B and choice E.

Question 13

According to Caplan’s model of consultee-centered case consultation, the consultant is primarily interested in

a. identifying the causes and solutions of the client’s presenting problems.
b. identifying and eliminating the causes of the consultee’s difficulties in handling a problem
c. establishing a hierarchy of authority to enable effective decision making.
d. presenting a single, well-defined and unambiguous course of action for the consultant to overcome skill deficits.

Answer 13

b. identifying and eliminating the causes of the consultee’s difficulties in handling a problem

The best answer is B. In consultee-centered case
consultation, the consultant is primarily interested in the
problems that prevent the consultee from solving a problem and not in the solutions to the client’s problems (eliminating
choice A). This relationship is coordinate rather than
hierarchical (which eliminates choices C and D). Choice E
would be more consistent with consultee-centered
administrative consultation.

Question 14

A major advantage of standardized norm-referenced assessment, as compared with curriculum-based assessment, is that standardized norm-referenced tests

a. are more tailored to the specific curriculum
b. provide a greater capacity to evaluate students in terms of large groups of grade-level peers
c. yield more information on whether students have mastered units that are prerequisites for future work
d. provide more information on the interplay between the students’ learning environment and skills

Answer 14

c. yield more information on whether students have mastered units that are prerequisites for future work

The best answer is C. Curriculum-based assessment
models and other criterion-referenced models are generally designed to assess specific curricula (choices B and D). The generally standardized nature of norm-referenced instruments limits their use in examining the impact of particular learning environments (choice E) and usually require that the tests be administered on the dates when they were normed (choice A).

Question 15

During assigned seat-work time, Mary, a first-grade student, sometimes leaves her seat and attempts to play with a block collection. When she leaves her seat, she fails to complete her seat work. Which of the following behavioral intervention strategies will most effectively increase the long-term likelihood that Mary will complete her seat work?

a. allowing Mary to read from a teacher-selected book for a specific period of time before beginning her seat work
b. allowing Mary to play with the blocks afterward if she remains in her seat throughout the assigned seat-work time
c. explaining to Mary the value of completing seat work in terms of the objectives of the lesson
d. removing the blocks from the classroom during the assigned seat-work time

Answer 15

b. allowing Mary to play with the blocks afterward if she remains in her seat throughout the assigned seat-work time

The best answer is B. It is important to note that
remaining in her seat throughout the seatwork time is already in Mary’s repertoire and need not be shaped. Because playing with the blocks is a high-probability behavior, it can be used to reinforce the lower probability of remaining in the seat, according to Premack’s principle. None of the other
choices involve contingent reinforcement.

Question 16

In a meeting with the school psychologist, Ms. Harcar, a new sixth-grade teacher, expresses some concerns about a student, Anthony. The psychologist has worked with the boy and knows him well.
Anthony has a mild learning disability and receives
academic support. He is doing well on a daily basis but has difficulty performing on tests. The psychologist discusses ways Ms. Harcar could
incorporate study skills training into the classroom
activities. With regard to study skills training, the school psychologist should stress which of the following principles while advising Ms. Harcar?

(A) Study skills of students with disabilities are
improved when the children are given a single
specific study strategy to follow for all subjects.
(B) Students with disabilities often develop study
skills on their own and need only some guidance
and reinforcement by the teacher.
(C) Training in study skills needs to include helping
students to guide their own thinking, to organize
their own study behaviors, and to use varied
study approaches.
(D) Study strategies are best taught in a small group,
by having students practice collaborative
problem-solving activities modeled by the
teacher.
(E) Study skills are best introduced and maintained
in an environment in which the teacher has an
authoritarian teaching style.

Answer 16

(C) Training in study skills needs to include helping
students to guide their own thinking, to organize
their own study behaviors, and to use varied
study approaches.

The best answer is C. Generally, students get the best results when they use a variety of study strategies. Therefore, option A which emphasizes teaching one study skill, is not the best answer. Often students Anthony’s age need help
developing study skills. The fact that Anthony is not
performing well on tests indicates that he needs help
developing study skills, therefore B is incorrect. Having Anthony practice collaborative problem solving skills (option D) might not help Anthony study for tests.

Question 17

A common criticism of labeling students as disabled
is that individuals tend to perform in accordance
with characteristics associated with a label. This
performance phenomenon is known by which of the
following names?
(A) The self-fulfilling prophecy
(B) The law of effect
(C) The primacy effect
(D) The social loafing
(E) The Premack principle

Answer 17

(A) The self-fulfilling prophecy

The best answer is A. The first sentence in the question
contains the definition of self-fulfilling prophecy. The law of
effect (B) states that individuals learn responses that have a rewarding effect and responses that result in punishing consequences are weakened or not learned. The primacy effect (C) is the tendency for the first information we receive to carry more effect than later information on our overall impression. Social loafing (D) is a phenomenon in which individuals take less responsibility for working when in the presence of others. The Premack principle (E) states that a high frequency (preferred behavior) can be an
effective reinforcer for a low frequency behavior (less
preferred behavior).

Question 18

A ten-year-old student who was born in a nonEnglish-speaking
country has been referred as a
possible candidate for special education services on
the basis of the low scores achieved on the school
district’s group achievement test. The student has
achieved high scores on the district’s English fluency
test. Of the following approaches to diagnostic
assessment, the most appropriate would be the
one that

(A) uses an interpreter who is fluent in the language
of the country in which the student was born
(B) uses the results of at least two English-language
intelligence tests
(C) accounts for sociocultural and adaptive behavior
in the process of identifying skills and abilities
(D) includes parent interviews and classroom
observations as well as the results of an
intelligence test
(E) bases the diagnosis on classroom observations

Answer 18

(C) accounts for sociocultural and adaptive behavior
in the process of identifying skills and abilities

The best answer is C. Fluency in English should be no
more an issue for this student than for any other student who
scores well on the English fluency test, eliminating choices A and B. Without knowing which services the child might be referred for, the intelligence test (choice D) might not be appropriate. Classroom observations (choice E) are also not
likely to be sensitive to variables related to achievement deficits. On the other hand, the low scores might reflect motivational factors or other intervening factors related to cultural differences, and the adaptive measures and sociocultural assessment might provide a more balanced perspective of the student.

Question 19

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which of the following must an
educational agency do before it changes the educational placement of a child with a disability?

(A) Give the child a trial period in the new
environment.
(B) Notify the parents in writing.
(C) Obtain school board approval.
(D) Conduct a hearing.
(E) Obtain parental consent.

Answer 19

(B) Notify the parents in writing.

The best answer is B. Any change proposed for the
child’s placement requires written notice to the parents but
not necessarily parental consent.

Question 20

In a code-based phonic approach to early reading
instruction, first-grade students are taught the sounds to the letters b, a, s, and g. According to the theory
underlying this approach, which of the following
would be most effective as the first sentence for these
children to read?
(A) Bob ate a snack.
(B) A dog bit Ann.
(C) Gail has a bag.
(D) Sally was happy.
(E) Mary saw Tom cry.

Answer 20

(C) Gail has a bag.

The best answer is C. The numbers of times the letter
sounds the children were taught are repeated in the
sentences are (at most): A=6, B=4, C=8, D=4, and E=3.
When children are introduced to letter sounds, they should
be given the opportunity to use these sounds in sentences.

Question 21

A sixth-grade teacher is concerned because Kerry,
a student in his class, has been hostile to classmates.
Which of the following teacher strategies is most likely to encourage Kerry to be more cooperative with classmates?

(A) Preventing Kerry from participating in play or recess activities as a consequence of hostile behavior
(B) Having Kerry memorize rules of behavior and
write examples of how they would apply in the classroom
(C) Withholding attention or approval from Kerry in response to hostile behavior
(D) Implementing social skills training to teach Kerry the appropriate replacement behaviors for hostile behaviors
(E) Explaining to Kerry why a teacher must control the behavior of a class to support learning

Answer 21

(D) Implementing social skills training to teach Kerry the appropriate replacement behaviors for hostile behaviors

The best answer is D. Choices A, B, C, and E reinforce
the role of the teacher as a power-assertive dispenser of
discipline. When strategies such as these are compared
with inductive or victim-centered empathy training, the inductive strategies are usually superior in inhibiting the hostile aggression.

Question 22

The superintendent of a large school district asks the school psychologist to predict students’ first year of high school grade point averages (GPAs). The psychologist has included achievement and aptitude scores as predictor variables for first-year high school GPA in a regression analysis and is considering
whether to also administer a school interest inventory and include those scores. The major concern of the school psychologist when making this decision should be which of the following?
(A) The intercorrelations of the aptitude and achievement test scores
(B) The degree to which the school interest inventory score raises the multiple correlation
when it is included as a predictor variable of first year
high school GPA
(C) The zero-order correlation of first-year GPA and the school interest inventory score
(D) The difference in the correlations of the school
interest inventory scores with first-year high school GPA and the aptitude or achievement
test scores with first-year high school GPA
(E) The multiple correlation of the first-year high school GPA and the aptitude and achievement scores with the school interest inventory scores.

Answer 22

(B) The degree to which the school interest inventory score raises the multiple correlation
when it is included as a predictor variable of first year
high school GPA

The best answer is B. Choice A does not address the
improvement of prediction by adding the inventory. Choices
C and D do not allow for evaluation of whether the
inventory adds any new information or just provides
information that is already available. Choice E offers no
comparison for judging the improvement of prediction
offered by the inventory scores and also uses the inventory scores as the dependent rather than an independent variable.

Question 23

Which of the following interventions is most effective
at facilitating the education of gifted students?
(A) Use of heterogeneous grouping to allow gifted
students to strengthen social skills as well as to grow academically
(B) Assignment of independent research projects within the framework of the curriculum
(C) Implementation of cooperative learning to
encourage gifted students to work up to their ability
(D) Provision of acceleration for gifted students, especially within the area of their interests and skills
(E) Provision of multisensory instructional input to capitalize on the divergent thinking of
gifted students

Answer 23

(D) Provision of acceleration for gifted students, especially within the area of their interests and skills

The best answer is D. Accelerating gifted students,
especially in areas of interest, helps them stay interested
and motivated. The other options are effective teaching
strategies in certain instances, but are not necessarily going
to meet the special needs of the gifted child.

Question 24

Which of the following conditions best characterizes
the focus of a behavioral model of school intervention?
(A) Underlying psychological processes
(B) Relationships among children
(C) Events during the child’s infancy
(D) Observable events
(E) Language enrichment

Answer 24

(D) Observable events

The best answer is D. A behavioral model focuses on
the modification of behavior by manipulating behavioral
contingencies. Choices A, B, and C are not concerned
with behaviors. Without knowing how language would be enriched, it cannot be evaluated as a behavioral model of school intervention.

Question 25

According to the National Association of School Psychologists’ (NASP’s) Standards for the Provision of School Psychological Services, which of the following is most accurate concerning supervising school psychologists of a school district?
(A) They should be elected by the school psychologists of the school district.
(B) They are eligible to supervise school psychologists after they have completed
one year of successful supervised experience as school psychologists.
(C) They need not themselves be credentialed school psychologists, but must demonstrate knowledge of the role and functions of school psychologists.
(D) Although there may be some variation, in most
cases one supervising school psychologist should be employed for every ten school psychologists to be supervised.
(E) Supervising school psychologists may supervise
up to ten school psychology interns at any given time.

Answer 25

(D) Although there may be some variation, in most
cases one supervising school psychologist should be employed for every ten school psychologists to be supervised.

The best answer is D. Supervising school psychologists are designated by the employing agency (Standard 1.2), eliminating choice A. They must have completed three years of successful supervised experience as school psychologists (Standard 1.2), eliminating choice B. The same standard requires that they are credentialed school psychologists by NASP standards, eliminating choice C. Standard 3.2.4 requires that supervising school psychologists supervise no
more than two school psychologist interns at a time,
eliminating choice E. Finally, Standard 3.2.3 states that in
most cases there should be one supervising school
psychologist for every ten employed school psychologists.

Question 26

A teacher attempts to encourage reading by
exempting students from some homework assignments
for each book they read. Which of the following terms
best describes the behavior modification technique
applied by the teacher?

(A) Extinction
(B) Variable-ratio reinforcement
(C) Fixed-ratio reinforcement
(D) Negative reinforcement
(E) Overcorrection

Answer 26

(D) Negative reinforcement

The best answer is D. Negative reinforcement refers to the contingent removal of aversive stimuli, in this case, the homework assignments.

Question 27

Arnold Gesell is significant to the history of school
psychology because he

(A) identified four major periods of cognitive
development
(B) established the ethical standards of the National Association of School Psychologists
(C) developed a version of the Thematic Apperception Test appropriate for use with children
(D) devised a prototypical normative assessment of
infants and young children
(E) developed a test of general intelligence that is
still in widespread use

Answer 27

(D) devised a prototypical normative assessment of
infants and young children

The best answer is D. The other options are not
contributions Gesell made.

Question 28

Susan is a first-grade student referred to the school
psychologist because she will not remain seated at
her desk. Her teacher reports that Susan is “always
getting up and walking around the room.” What
observation data would be LEAST relevant to this
referral concern?
(A) Frequency
(B) Duration
(C) Intensity
(D) Peer comparison
(E) Teacher response

Answer 28

(C) Intensity

The best answer is C. It is important to record frequency
(A and B) and duration of the reported behavior to make an
accurate assessment. Knowledge of peer comparison (D) allows you to determine whether Susan’s behavior is
atypical. Finally, recording the teacher’s response (E) will
help school psychologist make recommendations about how
to remediate the behavior.

Question 29

In test construction and evaluation, validity refers to
the degree to which a test

(A) measures what it purports to measure
(B) yields consistent results on successive
administrations
(C) has been piloted and statistically analyzed
(D) includes norms based on a representative sample
of the general population
(E) receives wide acceptance in the field

Answer 29

(A) measures what it purports to measure

The best answer is A. Option A is the definition of validity. Option B is the definition for test retest reliability. Option C describes some kind of pretesting. When a test has
norms that means it is a standardized test (D). Option E is not related to the psychometric prroperties of the test. It is merely a statement of popularity.

Question 30

The decisions in Tarasoff v. Board of Regents of California (1974, 1976) establishes which of the following principles regarding confidentiality in counseling relationships?

(A) Duty to warn and protect
(B) Responsibility to maintain privacy
(C) Need to obtain informed consent
(D) Need to maintain accurate records
(E) Duty to limit access to student records

Answer 30

(A) Duty to warn and protect

The best answer is A. Answers B-E are good ethical
practices but were not decided in the Tarasoff case.

Question 31

Which type of assessment attempts to identify the most pressing behavioral problems, and possible ways to alleviate it, by investigating the relationship between aspects of an individual’s environment and behavior?

a. personality
b. cognitive
c. ecological
d. curriculum-based

Answer 31

c. ecological

Ecological assessment involves a broad analysis of the environment within which the individual functions. Personality and cognitive assessment - (a) and (b) - deal with specific areas of individual functioning and do not account for the broader influence of the environment millieu. Curriculum-based assessment, (d), is used to determine the academic progress of students on the material being taught in the classroom; it does not focus on behavior.

Question 32

Within a multimethod model of assessment, child interviews are most helpful for which purpose?

a. incorporating a strength-based perspective
b. meeting legal guidelines for comprehensive assessment
c. providing an accurate timeline of when a problem began and how it changed over time
d. establishing rapport to better understand the child’’s perspective on a problem

Answer 32

D. Establishing rapport and to better understand the child’s perspective on the issue

It is important to develop rapport and to understand the child’s perception of the problem. An interview, (b), is not a required part of a multimethod model assessment. Child interviews are typically not the best way to incorporate a strength-based perspective, (a), or get detailed information on timing (c).

Question 33

Mr. Thomas, a school psychologist, works with Ms. Riddle, a special education teacher, to meet the needs of Mark, a student with ASD. Mr. Thomas does not work with Mark directly; Ms. Riddle acts as his mediator. This collaboration is an example of which consultation model?

a. systems
b. resource
c. triadic
d. adaptive learning environments

Answer 33

c. triadic

The triadic model includes three roles; consultant (school psychologist), mediator (special education teacher), and client (Mark). In this model, the consultant does not provide direct services but works through the mediator. The systems approach, (a), is a direct teaching method and involves direct assessment by the consultant. The resources model (b), provides both consultative and direct devices to the client by the consultant, with some services coming through the mediator. (d) is not a consultation model.

Question 34

Which of the following statistical procedures consists of systematically combining data from multiple studies focusing on the same questions and using similar variables?

a. analysis of variance
b. analysis of difference scores
c. multiple regression
d. meta-analysis

Answer 34

d. meta-analysis

A meta-analysis is defined as a method of systematically combining data from a number of studies focusing on the same question and using similar variables. The remaining choices are statistical procedures used to analyze data from a single study.

Question 35

Which of the following is a strategy that the NASP recommends as a best practice for improving school safety?

a. expelling a student immediately after a minor disciplinary infraction
b. implementing a strict student code of conduct, such as a zero-tolerance policy.
c. communicating to parents that the school environment is safe
d. creating a school safety and response team

Answer 35

d. creating a school safety and response team

NASP recommends having a school safety and crisis response procedure in place in the event of a crisis. (a) does not follow appropriate steps in school policy on how to handle students with minor disciplinary issues. (b) is not encouraged because resarch indicates that zero-tolerance policies are harsh and ineffective in the long run. (c) is incorrect because it does not take any action; communicating to parents that the school is safe does not improve the safety of the school.

Question 36

A school psychologist is asked to help Ms. Smith address problem behaviors that are disrupting the learning of her student. The school psychologist is given data that indicate discipline referrals have been written on 26 of the 30 students in Ms. Smith’s class. Which of the following is best for the school psychologist to recommend?

a. developing individual behavior contracts for the 26 students who have received discipline referrals
b. using comprehensive emotional and behavioral assessments for students who have received discipline referrals
c. providing school-based group counseling to address issues such as study skills, attendance, decision making, problem solving, and goal setting.
d. implementing a class-wide behavior management plan, such as a response-cost raffle.

Answer 36

d. implementing a class-wide behavior management plan, such as a response-cost raffle.

The best answer is (D). Implementing a class-wide behavior management plan is the best way to ensure that the behavior problems of all of the students are addressed. (a) would require too many different contracts and would likely be perceived as low in social validity by the teacher. (b) is a more extreme measure that would be taken if the students were referred to the Child Study Team for evaluation. (c) may be helpful, but it does not consistently and immediately address the problem behaviors in the environment in which they are occurring.

Question 37

The precedent established in Larry P. v Riles resulted in

a. the provision of a free, appropriate public education for students with disabilities
b. the provision of bilingual education for English-language learners
c. schools being held responsible for providing tests that do not discriminate on the basis of race
d. the assignment of similar funding to athletic activities for boys and girls

Answer 37

c. schools being held responsible for providing tests that do not discriminate on the basis of race

The best answer is (c). Larry P v Riles was a court case filed in California by the parents of students who said California’s method of classifying special education students was culturally biased.

Question 38

Which of the following is true regarding lifelong learning and ongoing professional development of school psychologists?

a. formal professional development plan should be made and updated annually
b. textbooks from graduate school should be reread annually
c. a degree in another field should be persued
d. a graduate education program should offer adequate preparation for professional practice, so no further training will be needed

Answer 38

a. formal professional development plan should be made and updated annually

The proliferation of research and new information places significant responsibility on school psychologists to develop a formal professional development plan to ensure that they are current with literature. This is emphasized in 11.1.4 of the NASP Principles for Professional Ethics (2010). (B) is an ineffective way to continue lifelong learning and professional development. Enrolling in another degree program, (c), does not ensure ongoing professional development in the field of school psychology. (d) does not aide int he process of ongoing learning and development.

Question 39

When a child is enrolled in elementary school, the parents are frequently involved in the child’s education as partners, collaborators, and problem solvers. During middle and high school, the parents are more typically described as

a. partners
b. collaborators
c. supporters
d. audience

Answer 39

d. audience

Research indicates that as children reach middle and high school, there is a greater emphasis on parents’ role as an audience. (a), (b), and (c) are incorrect because those roles diminish as the students become older.

Question 40

In schools characterized by high student achievement and family involvement, school community partnerships

a. provide additional opportunities for students to maximize their learning
b. are not an important factor for students to be successful
c. reduce the amount of success students achieve
d. take up too much of the school’s and the community’s time

Answer 40

a. provide additional opportunities for students to maximize their learning

In schools where families are involved, school-community partnerships can enhance opportunities for real-world learning. (b) and (c) are incorrect because research indicates that school-community partnerships are an effective means for promoting student success. (d) is incorrect because school-community partnerships do not need to be complex in planning or especially time-consuming.

Question 41

Which of the following must be done when universal screening data show that very few students are successfully meeting school competencies?

a. changes must be made in the delivery of the core program
b. students who are not meeting competencies must be given strategic or supplemental instruction
c. students must be given more time to develop competencies
d. students who are not meeting competencies must be evaluated for learning disabilities

Answer 41

a. changes must be made in the delivery of the core program

If a substantial number of students are not meeting the school competencies, the school must consider what changes should be made to the delivery of the core program in order to meet students’ needs. (b) and (d) are steps that should be taken after the implementation of a high-quality, research-based instructional program delivered at Tier 1. (c) is an outdated philosophy (ie. “the gift of time”).

Question 42

A school psychologist is providing feedback to a student’s parents regarding the student’s performance on a measure of academic achievement. To explain the concept of grade equivalent, the school psychologist should explain that it is

a. the average score on that measure obtained by students in a given grade
b. the average score on that measure obtained by students at a given age
c. the grade in which a student should be placed in school
d. utilized to determine accountability among peers

Answer 42

a. the average score on that measure obtained by students in a given grade

A grade-equivalent score compares a student’s performance on grade-level material against the average performance of students at other grade levels on the same material and is reported in terms of grade level and months. (b) is incorrect because it provides and age-equivalent score. (c) is incorrect because a grade-equivalent score does not determine what grade a school will place a student in. Many factors contribute to that determination. (d) is incorrect because the score a student earns on an academic achievement test is not a determinant of how a student should behave with peers.

Question 43

Which of the following types of data involves counting the number of occurrences of a behavior observed during a specified time period?

a. duration recording
b. latency recording
c. event recording
d. whole-interval recording

Answer 43

c. event recording

In event recording, the observer counts the number of times a behavior is observed during a specific period of time. (a) is a recording of the duration or time spent engaging in a behavior. (b) is the measurement of the elapsed time between the onset of a stimulus or signal. (e.g., a verbal directive) and a behavior. In (d), the target behavior is scored as having occurred only when it is present throughout the entire time interval.

Question 44

School psychologists serve a variety of clients, including students, parents, and systems. When individuals involved in a case cannot agree or have a conflict of interest, it is the responsibility of the school psychologist to first advocate for the needs of the

a. school staff
b. parents
c. teacher
d. student

Answer 44

d. student

The school psychologist’s primary client is always the student when there is a conflict of interest. In addition, school psychologists are mandated to do what is in the best interest of the student. (a), (b), (c) are incorrect because they put the needs of other individuals before the needs of the student.

Question 45

Which of these is correct about characteristics of the interview process?

a. Establishing a relationship with the respondent will only interfere
b. Most often the interview questions are standardized for uniformity
c. Good interviewers focus only on information, not on social factors
d. Rapport will create the trust needed to share personal information
e. Interviews are the same as questionnaires, but spoken, not written

Answer 45

1

Question 46

At the beginning of the school year, for a new student with no previous assessments or school records which of these would be least indicated for problem identification?

a. Complete IQ testing
b. Portfolio assessments
c. Personality inventory
d. Tests for social skills
e. Speech/hearing tests

Answer 46

3