REA - 161

Which of the following students would likely benefit most from recorded books? (A) A student with dyslexia (B) A student with dyscalculia (C) A student with dysgraphia (D) A student with physical disabilities who uses a wheelchair

(A) A student with dyslexia Recorded books are assistive technology tools that allow struggling readers or students with visual impairments to hear a book read by a fluent and expressive narrator. Struggling readers are encouraged to follow along with the narrator. Dyslexia is a common term for a reading disability. A student with dyslexia would likely benefit from a recorded book if she or he followed along and saw the words as she or he heard them pronounced correctly and strung together in expressive phrases.

Which of the following sentences has a syntax error? (A) Along the way sees Jesse a cat. (B) I ran and ran and ran and ran and ran. (C) no! don't go! (D) I would like to have a cat.

(A) Along the way sees Jesse a cat. A syntax error is an error in the ordering of a sentence. In this case, the verb and the noun are reversed and an awkward and incorrect sentence is left.

A sixth-grade language arts teacher arranges her classroom with desks facing the front and an area in the back with three clipboards on the wall. Masking tape denotes a small area of floor near each clipboard. As the teacher explains her expectations for the school year, she points out the clipboards and the taped-off sections of floor. She says, "During a lesson, if you are having a difficult time paying attention, feel free to stand up and walk quietly to the back and grab a clipboard if one is available. The clipboards will always have paper and pencil so that you can take notes while standing in the taped-off area." What is the teacher most likely trying to accomplish by implementing this classroom arrangement? (A) Anticipating and meeting the needs of tactile/kinesthetic learners in her classes (B) Rewarding students who finish their work early (C) Trying a new writing strategy using clipboards (D) Convincing students that she is their coolest teacher

(A) Anticipating and meeting the needs of tactile/kinesthetic learners in her classes Tactile/kinesthetic learners (and well over half of students with disabilities are tactile/kinesthetic) retain information best when able to move. This solution is offered to the entire class and, at the beginning of the year, many will try it. But the tactile/kinesthetic learners are likely going to be the students choosing to use it in the long run because it meets their need for some movement and frees them from the restriction of their desk while still providing them with the opportunity to listen and take notes.

What is a common issue for children on all levels of the autism spectrum? (A) Communication and social interaction (B) Difficulty reading (C) Inability to talk (D) Depression

(A) Communication and social interaction The core issue for children on the autism spectrum is communication. While autism is a spectrum disorder and will manifest itself in a wide variety of ways, atypical social interaction and communication skills are seen across the ability range.

What is a common term for a written language learning disability? (A) Dysgraphia (B) Dyslexia (C) Orthopedic impairment (D) Developmental delay

(A) Dysgraphia Dysgraphia is a common name for a written-language learning disability. Dysgraphia makes the act of writing difficult. It can lead to problems with spelling, handwriting, and putting thoughts on paper.

When presenting a sight-word lesson to an elementary student with intellectual disabilities, a Special Education teacher introduces a word and then places three word cards in front of the student. The teacher asks the student to point to the target word. When the student points to the incorrect word, the teacher takes away that distractor and repeats the question. The second time, the student points to the correct word, and the teacher praises the student. What instructional technique is the teacher using to teach sight words? (A) Errorless discrimination (B) Repetition and review (C) Repeated reading (D) Hand over hand

(A) Errorless discrimination The teacher is using errorless discrimination to ensure that the student will eventually select the correct answer and can then be praised for that correct answer. Errorless discrimination has its basis in behavioral theory and is often used with students who have extreme retention issues (for example, students with significant intellectual disabilities or students with traumatic brain injury).

Which of the following statements about postsecondary goals is true based on IDEA regulations? (A) The postsecondary goals must include independent living skills (B) The postsecondary goals must reflect parent expectations (C) The postsecondary goals must be measurable (D) The postsecondary goals cannot include unpaid employment

(C) The postsecondary goals must be measurable Based on IDEA regulations, postsecondary goals must be measurable.

A Special Education teacher in a PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities) classroom is assigned a paraprofessional who has never worked with young children before. The paraprofessional states that she is used to supervising children as they complete their work quietly and independently. What would be the most appropriate way for the teacher to respond? (A) Explain that young children with disabilities, like all young children, tend to be active learners who need manipulatives and time to practice good social skills. The teacher will be sitting on the floor with the children during circle time and participating in station activities with the children, and she expects the paraprofessional to do the same. (B) Ask the school principal to assign a more experienced paraprofessional to the PPCD class. (C) Tell the paraprofessional she can do copying and material preparation work primarily while the teacher works with the children. (D) Ask the paraprofessional why she took the job if she wasn't comfortable with preschool children.

(A) Explain that young children with disabilities, like all young children, tend to be active learners who need manipulatives and time to practice good social skills. The teacher will be sitting on the floor with the children during circle time and participating in station activities with the children, and she expects the paraprofessional to do the same. When working with paraprofessionals, modeling the way a teacher expects adults in the classroom to work with children is essential. Teachers should be clear in their expectations of paraprofessionals while treating the paraprofessionals with respect.

Which of the following student activities is an example of comprehension? (A) Matching words to pictures (B) Reading a 100-word passage in less than a minute (C) Identifying prefixes and suffixes in a list of words (D) Using a graphic organizer for prewriting

(A) Matching words to pictures Matching words to pictures is a common comprehension activity, particularly with younger readers and with students with significant disabilities. Essentially, the reader has to identify what the words "show" through their use or description.

What kind of goals must a Special Education student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) include? (A) Measurable and annual (B) Measurable and semi-annual (C) Community-based and annual (D) Extracurricular-focused and monthly

(A) Measurable and annual By law, an IEP must have measurable annual goals that include benchmarks or short-term objectives related to meeting a student's needs so that he or she can be involved and progress in the general curriculum as much as possible.

A sixth-grade teacher divides her class into two sides. She explains that they are going to have a mock debate in class that day. Side A has to argue for why peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are the best. Side B has to argue for why grilled cheese sandwiches are the best. Each side has 20 minutes to put the arguments together and then present them to the class. The students quickly get to work brainstorming supportive ideas for their side. When the two sides are ready to present, the teacher says she will decide who wins by how hungry she is for their sandwich. After the debate, the teacher assigns homework in the form of a paper each student will write to follow up on the debate. Which form of writing are the students most likely going to use for their homework assignment? (A) Persuasive (B) How-to (C) Compare/contrast (D) Narrative

(A) Persuasive The debate is an example of two sides arguing about an important point. This is the perfect opportunity for a student to take the arguments presented for the two sandwiches and write a persuasive paper about why one sandwich is the best.

Which type of assessment describes qualities of a performance in order to indicate a level of achievement? (A) Rating scale (B) Parent interview (C) Play-based assessment (D) Multiple-choice test

(A) Rating scale A rating scale has descriptors of performance that indicate a student's level of achievement on a particular academic, physical, or social task.

A tenth grader with reading disabilities wants to join the school newspaper club. The student approaches the journalism advisor and says she really wants to help with the school paper. She is especially interested in covering school sports. The journalism advisor approaches the student's English teacher and asks for her thoughts on the student's capabilities. Based on the Code of Ethics and Standard Practices for Texas Educators, which of the following replies is the most appropriate for the English teacher to make? (A) The English teacher relays the student's reading and writing strengths as well as the student's enthusiasm for sports. She also shares a couple of classroom adaptations, such as working with a partner and using colored overlays, which have really helped the student succeed on reading and writing tasks. (B) The English teacher tells the journalism advisor that the student has an IEP and struggles to read and write, so the newspaper club is really not appropriate for the student. (C) The English teacher tells the journalism advisor that the student has special needs and that extra reading and writing practice would be a good thing for her to do. (D) The English teacher offers to make a copy of the student's IEP for the journalism advisor to review.

(A) The English teacher relays the student's reading and writing strengths as well as the student's enthusiasm for sports. She also shares a couple of classroom adaptations, such as working with a partner and using colored overlays, which have really helped the student succeed on reading and writing tasks. The most important thing that the English teacher must keep in mind is that the Texas Code of Ethics is very clear about protecting a student's confidential information. Disabilities are confidential, and no teacher should share information about a student's disability without express consent from the family and school administration. In this case, the English teacher should be positive about the student, emphasizing her strengths to the journalism advisor.

A new Special Education teacher is hired to teach several reading intervention classes at a school-wide Title One middle school. At that school, 90 percent of the students are Hispanic, and 15 percent are English language learners, but these students have their own ESL class. The school has a traditional way of communicating regularly with parents: report cards go home at the end of each quarter, and progress reports go home three weeks before the end of each quarter. The teacher wants to be more progressive in communicating with parents, so she makes a point of sending home handwritten notes about each student once a week. She includes positive observations about the student and always includes one idea for helping the student practice reading skills at home. The teacher is sure these notes will be well-received by parents. One day, she is helping a student find a homework assignment in his backpack and discovers that all of her handwritten notes are in a pile in the bottom of the backpack. The teacher is surprised and looks at the student in confusion. The student looks down at his feet and mumbles something about his parents not being able to read them anyway. What is one flaw in the teacher's communication strategy? (A) The teacher's alternate form of communication is one-way communication, just like progress reports and report cards. There is no way for her to know if the notes have been read. (B) Students never give their parents notes or official papers from school. (C) The teacher's handwriting is sloppy and unreadable, so handwritten notes are a bad idea. (D) Handwritten notes are old-fashioned and outdated. Emails would be better.

(A) The teacher's alternate form of communication is one-way communication, just like progress reports and report cards. There is no way for her to know if the notes have been read. One-way communication strategies are easier than two-way communication strategies because the person distributing the information has time to get it ready before sending it out. There are no unknowns like there are in phone or face-to-face conversations. However, the flaw in one-way communication is that there is no real proof that parents actually read the communication and no way to know if they understood the information. In general, a mix of one-way and two-way communication strategies is preferable to all one-way strategies.

Researchers look at the strategies successful readers use to help them identify reading strategies to teach explicitly to struggling readers. Which of the following strategies is an example of an activity most successful readers do after reading? (A) Turning to a peer and talk about what was good about the book and what wasn't so good (B) Making predictions (C) Checking for understanding (D) Closing the book, saying "I'm done," and moving on to something else

(A) Turning to a peer and talk about what was good about the book and what wasn't so good. Successful readers don't just forget a book once they finish it and lay it down. If the book sparked something in them, they want to share it. They may do so on a social media site or via text message or in person, but the opportunity to talk immediately about what they just read with someone is quite strong. Structuring the classroom so that these kinds of reactions/reflections can happen naturally after reading will help develop this desire to share in all readers.

Which of the following practices is an example of assessing students ethically? (A) Using culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment procedures (B) Testing all students, regardless of disability or background, the same way (C) Basing a student's grade on one final exam (D) Using a Bell curve to assign grades

(A) Using culturally and linguistically appropriate assessment procedures Assessment ethics refer to a test administrator's responsibility to be as fair and objective as possible when evaluating a student's abilities. Assessment results can have wide-ranging impacts upon a child's future. One way to ensure ethical assessment practices is to use procedures that are culturally and linguistically appropriate. A child's cultural background or native language should not impact the results of an academic achievement test if at all possible.

Which of the following disabilities is an example of a low incidence disability? (A) Visual impairments, including blindness (B) Speech/language impairment (C) Specific learning disability (D) Dyslexia

(A) Visual impairments, including blindness A low-incidence disability is relatively rare and does not generally exceed 1 percent of the school aged population. Many of the disability categories under IDEA, including visual impairments, are considered low-incidence disabilities

Given the algebraic equation a = b + 7, which of the following statements is true? (A) a is greater than b (B) b is greater than a (C) a is equal to b (D) It is not possible to know which variable is greater in value.

(A) a is greater than b Since the variable a is equal to the variable b + 7, a is 7 greater than b.

A Special Education teacher in a middle-school ALE classroom sets up student roles in her class that change each week. One of the roles involves filing the class's folder games by skill (indicated by a picture symbol on the file folders). Another role requires students to put homework activities in order and staple them. A third role involves watering the class plants. The teacher's purpose in developing these class roles most likely is to (A) assess informally and build students' basic job skills in preparation for the transition plan in their IEP. (B) develop cooperative learning skills. (C) save the teacher's and paraprofessional's time by getting the students to do the rote classroom chores. (D) keep students occupied and less likely to misbehave.

(A) assess informally and build students' basic job skills in preparation for the transition plan in their IEP. When working with students with significant disabilities, like those in ALE classrooms, Special Education teachers have to complete task analyses and break down skills to their most basic levels. These students often learn through a great deal of repetition. Preparing them for vocational opportunities means finding meaningful ways to practice the kind of skills they may use in a workplace once they transition into adult life. Filing, collating, and watering plants are all some of those vocational skills. Since transition plans in Texas are required in the IEP at age 14, exploring vocational skills in middle school is essential. (B) is incorrect because the tasks described are all individual tasks, not cooperative group tasks.

A math teacher writes the following numbers on the board: 43, 26, 39, 67, 76, 67, 51 If the teacher asks the students to find the mean, she is asking them to (A) determine the average of this group of numbers. (B) place the numbers in sequential order. (C) figure out which number is in the middle once the numbers are sorted. (D) identify the lowest number.

(A) determine the average of this group of numbers. In math, the mean of a group of numbers is the average of those numbers. It is calculated by adding up all of the numbers and then dividing by the amount of numbers in the group.

Fifth-grade students walk into class to find a huge poster on each wall with the word "radius" on it. There is a circular paper spinner on each desk. The teacher has a large cardboard circle taped to his chest with a line from the edge of the circle to the middle of the circle. The teacher is most likely trying to (A) draw attention to a new math vocabulary word. (B) get students excited about circles. (C) provide materials for the students to play an educational game. (D) ensure that no student will ever misspell "radius" again.

(A) draw attention to a new math vocabulary word. Drawing attention to a new vocabulary word helps it "stick" in students' memory as they learn the word and what it means. In this example, it is clear that students are about to have a lesson on circles. Knowing what the radius is will help students measure the area of circles.

When working with students with disabilities in math, teachers should plan instruction that is primarily (A) explicit. (B) implicit. (C) digital. (D) verbal.

(A) explicit. Research on effective math strategies is very clear about the power of explicit instruction for students who are struggling. Explicit teaching helps students understand how to approach problems step by step.

A sixth-grade language arts teacher assigns partners and then gives each pair an index card with a saying on it. Sayings include "It's raining cats and dogs," "He broke my heart," and "Drop Grandma a line." The teacher asks each pair to illustrate the saying on their card as if it was a literal statement. Then she directs partners to talk about the real meaning behind the phrase when used in everyday speech. The type of expression this teacher is introducing is (A) idioms. (B) metaphors. (C) similes. (D) symbol-supported text.

(A) idioms. Idioms are expressions that use common words in uncommon ways. They are often very difficult for English learners and students with disabilities who are literal as the students understand only the surface meaning and thus find the idea of cats and dogs raining down rather odd and even frightening.

A Special Education co-teacher is trying to explain to a regular education colleague why classroom time spent on prereading activities will actually improve comprehension. The regular education teacher is concerned about the time that would take away from discussion after the reading is complete. One important reason to spend time on prereading strategies is that (A) preparing students to read significantly improves comprehension and teaches students strategies that make them more successful, independent readers in the future. (B) prereading strategies are easier than comprehension questions after reading. (C) prereading gives the plot away. (D) Some students just can't help picking up a book and starting to read.

(A) preparing students to read significantly improves comprehension and teaches students strategies that make them more successful, independent readers in the future. Prereading strategies are essential to comprehension. Successful readers implement prereading strategies without even thinking about it, giving the author and title a critical look and flipping through some pages to get a big picture sense of the story. Research suggests that for struggling readers, more time should be spent on prereading activities than postreading discussion questions, but as a beginning Special Education teacher, just getting some prereading instruction into a content-area class is an accomplishment.

During the course of the reading time, the three different oral reading methods that the teacher uses fluidly are (A) shared reading, echo reading, and choral reading. (B) recorded books, neurological impress, and echo reading. (C) language experience, phonics, and paired reading. (D) choral reading, phonics, and Orton-Gillingham.

(A) shared reading, echo reading, and choral reading. The teacher reading the book while showing it to the students is shared reading. The students repeating the phrase the teacher reads is echo reading. The students responding with one voice is choral reading.

Ms. Walker, an elementary ALE teacher, has been teaching her students high-frequency sight words along with some basic phonics. One day, Ms. Walker brings in a bag filled with advertisements cut out from magazines and newspapers and printed from the Internet. She pulls the advertisements out one at a time and uses a document camera to project each one on the whiteboard. Then she asks students if they see any of the words they have learned. Tristan, who is nonverbal, nods his head, and Ms. Walker tells him to show her a word on the board. Tristan approaches the board and circles a sight word on the advertisement. Ms. Walker gives him a high five and directs him back to his seat. The lesson continues with other students approaching the board and circling sight words found in the advertisements. Some of the words are in fancy fonts, and some are simple. Ms. Walker uses the interactive whiteboard and document camera for this lesson (A) so that the whole class can easily see the images and watch as peers find the sight words, combining visual and tactile/kinesthetic learning. (B) to expose students to technology. (C) to practice vocational skills. (D) to enable both sight words and phonics reviews.

(A) so that the whole class can easily see the images and watch as peers find the sight words, combining visual and tactile/kinesthetic learning. Using the interactive whiteboard allows Ms. Walker to expand the images and words on the advertisements so that they are easier to see and circle.

A Special Education teacher reviews her/his students' IEP objectives and results from the previous year's STAAR assessment to decide which skills to teach. She/he finds three students who need to improve their summarization skills and plans a smallgroup lesson on summarization just for them. This kind of lesson planning is called (A) targeted instruction. (B) test-based instruction. (C) inclusion. (D) errorless discrimination.

(A) targeted instruction. Targeted instruction is an extremely efficient use of time in the classroom because teachers use data to determine student needs and then teach directly to those needs in small groups. A student who has mastered the skill being taught can work independently or with a partner or paraprofessional on a different skill, while the teacher focuses on the students who do need the targeted skill.

A Special Education teacher is working with a ninth-grade biology teacher. The Special Education teacher suggests that for the next chapter in the textbook, they provide the students with five sticky notes each and then have the students read the chapter with a partner. During the reading, partners must stop five times to place a sticky note on the text and write a comment or question about the content. The purpose of the Special Education teacher's suggested activity is to (A) teach students to self-monitor for comprehension. (B) teach students to activate prior knowledge. (C) teach students how to sequence events. (D) provide students with an opportunity to converse.

(A) teach students to self-monitor for comprehension. One of the most important skills to teach readers of all abilities is to self monitor for comprehension. Pausing, even for a moment, and checking for understanding by making a connection or asking a question will greatly increase comprehension. It makes reading an active process. Using sticky notes to physically write comments and questions about the text will slow the process down a bit, but it will make checking for understanding concrete for readers, teaching them how to become more active readers with improved comprehension. Over time, the sticky notes can fade away as students learn to use this strategy subconsciously.

A teacher presents students with the following number pattern: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, . Given this pattern, the next number would be (A) 18. (B) 21. (C) 25. (D) 28.

(B) 21. This number pattern is what is referred to as a Fibonacci sequence. In a Fibonacci sequence, the next number is always found by adding the two numbers before it. The two numbers before the blank are 8 and 13. Added together, they make 21.

What is the area of the triangle below? (A) 4 cm (B) 6 cm (C) 7 cm (D) 12 cm

(B) 6 cm The area of a triangle is calculated by taking one half of the product when the base is multiplied with the altitude. In this case, that is ½ × 3 × 4. This is equal to 6 cm.

What must be administered to the student with the disability before a transition plan can be written for the student's IEP? (A) The STAAR or STAAR Alt (B) Age-appropriate transition assessments (C) Reading inventory (D) A medicare questionnaire

(B) Age-appropriate transition assessments . Age-appropriate transition assessments must be administered to the student with the disability so that the assessments can inform the transition plan that will be written in the student's IEP. This ensures that the IEP team has an array of information about the student's vocational strengths and interests.

Which of the following assistive technology examples was created specifically to help nonverbal students interact at school, at home, and in the community? (A) Talking calculator (B) Augmentative communication device (C) Speech-recognition program (D) Optical character-recognition software

(B) Augmentative communication device Augmentative communication devices are created to give students who are nonverbal or whose speech is difficult to understand an opportunity to communicate. Augmentative communication devices can be as simple as symbol based communication books or as complex as extremely expensive electronic machines that "talk" for a student when the student presses a button or types in a phrase.

A teacher in an elementary ALE classroom notices that one of her students with autism is reacting to changes in classroom routine much more emotionally than usual. The student has a 30-minute meltdown when rain prevents the students from going to the playground at their normal recess time. When the third meltdown happens in two days, the teacher calls the preferred contact number on the student's information card and requests a conference with the parents. The teacher does not hear back that day. The next day, there is a message waiting at the front office from the student's mother explaining she is out of town on business and in a time zone that is two hours different from the teacher's. The mother asks if the teacher can call her that evening after 6 p.m. What is the most appropriate response by the teacher? (A) Leave another message at the contact number saying, "Never mind. I understand the issue now." (B) Call the parent after 6 p.m. and thank her for calling back while being out of town. Explain the situation with the student, and brainstorm ideas with the parent to help the student feel more secure. (C) Find a secondary contact number for the student's family, and call that person to arrange a conference. (D) Ask an administrator to call the parent back that evening since it is after school hours.

(B) Call the parent after 6 p.m. and thank her for calling back while being out of town. Explain the situation with the student, and brainstorm ideas with the parent to help the student feel more secure. Communicating with parents in a way that produces positive relationships and fosters mutual respect sometimes means calling after school hours. This parent called the school and wants to be involved, so the teacher should foster that involvement.

A new Special Education teacher is hired to teach several reading intervention classes at a school-wide Title One middle school. At that school, 90 percent of the students are Hispanic, and 15 percent are English language learners, but these students have their own ESL class. The school has a traditional way of communicating regularly with parents: report cards go home at the end of each quarter, and progress reports go home three weeks before the end of each quarter. The teacher wants to be more progressive in communicating with parents, so she makes a point of sending home handwritten notes about each student once a week. She includes positive observations about the student and always includes one idea for helping the student practice reading skills at home. The teacher is sure these notes will be well-received by parents. One day, she is helping a student find a homework assignment in his backpack and discovers that all of her handwritten notes are in a pile in the bottom of the backpack. The teacher is surprised and looks at the student in confusion. The student looks down at his feet and mumbles something about his parents not being able to read them anyway. Based on the school's demographic information and the student's response when the teacher finds the note, a likely conclusion to make about the student's parents is that (A) the parents have disabilities too. (B) English is not the parents' native language. (C) the parents are not interested in learning what their son does at school. (D) the parents are never home.

(B) English is not the parents' native language. The teacher knows from the school demographics that a majority of the families are economically disadvantaged, and there is a significant percentage of English learners. Based on the statement by the student that the parents cannot read the notes, the teacher can assume that English is not the parents' native language.

FBA stands for (A) Federal Bureau of Accommodations. (B) Functional Behavior Assessment. (C) Focused Behavioral Analysis. (D) Fight Bullies Association.

(B) Functional Behavior Assessment. FBA stands for Functional Behavior Assessment or Functional Behavioral Assessment. FBAs are completed prior to the development of a Behavior Intervention Plan.

An eighth-grade U.S. history teacher has a diverse class and wants to ensure that they all gain a deep sense of the causes and effects of the events in our country's past. She asks her co-teacher for some suggestions. Which of the following strategies would be the most appropriate one to suggest given the social studies teacher's goals? (A) Use a Venn diagram to illustrate the content (B) Have small groups create parts of a multisensory timeline, placing each event in the wall in the sequence it occurred (C) Have students make outlines using the headings in their textbooks (D) Have students interview their parents about the most memorable historical event in their lives

(B) Have small groups create parts of a multisensory timeline, placing each event in the wall in the sequence it occurred Given that the teacher wants to emphasize cause and effect in historical events, a multisensory timeline is an excellent way to help students visually see how one event can lead to another or how multiple events can occur in close succession and lead to an unexpected effect. The other advantage of a multisensory timeline is that students make each piece of the timeline themselves, and for learners of all abilities, the act of making a manipulative or illustration increases short- and long-term retention. We remember what we make far longer than we remember what we see or hear.

A Special Education teacher is extremely frustrated with one of her students who constantly sneers at her directions and often says, "This class is so boring." Which of the following management strategies would NOT be appropriate with this student? (A) Taking the student aside, addressing the behavior directly, and asking what could be wrong (B) Ignoring the behavior (C) Catching the student being positive and praising the positive behavior (for example, something as simple as praising the student for being on time to class) (D) Being clear about consequences for rude behavior and applying those consequences in a calm manner when necessary

(B) Ignoring the behavior When dealing with a disrespectful student, ignoring the behavior is never a good idea. Ignoring disrespectful comments and behaviors sends a message to other students in the class that it is okay to disrespect the teacher.

According to the National Reading Panel's 2000 report, "Teaching Children to Read," there are five evidence-based areas of reading instruction. What are the five areas? (A) Multisensory awareness, phonemic awareness, choral, comprehension, phonics (B) Phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension (C) Echo reading, vocabulary, shared reading, choral reading, paired reading (D) Guided reading, independent reading, whole-group reading, small-group reading, sight words

(B) Phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension The National Reading Panel's report and its emphasis on research-based reading methods has led some to talk about the five pillars of reading. They are phonemic awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension.

Mr. Takei, a regular education earth science teacher, is planning a lesson on why volcanoes erupt and the effects of an eruption on the environment. As he thinks about his students, he reflects that two of his students (Maggie who has an IEP, and Sean who does not) seem to need concrete examples to understand concepts. Another Special Education student, Marcus, seems to retain more information when he has to talk about it himself. Several students need to see a picture to better understand what the teacher is talking about. Which of the following lesson presentation ideas best meets the needs of all of the learners in Mr. Takei's class? (A) Make the presentation a multimedia presentation on the classroom's interactive whiteboard. (B) Prepare a model of a volcano, and ask Maggie and Sean to be assistants in causing it to erupt. Ask Marcus to serve as narrator for the entire experiment. Place chairs in a semi-circle around the experiment table to allow for a good view. (C) Ask Maggie and Sean to sit in the back so they won't be tempted to touch the model volcano. Tell all students, including Marcus, to take careful notes of the steps leading up to the eruption. (D) Show a movie about the after-effects of the Mount St. Helens eruption in Washington in 1980.

(B) Prepare a model of a volcano, and ask Maggie and Sean to be assistants in causing it to erupt. Ask Marcus to serve as narrator for the entire experiment. Place chairs in a semi-circle around the experiment table to allow for a good view. The teacher's activity in (B) ensures that the identified concrete learners will be able to interact directly with the concept being taught, while the auditory learner will have a valid reason to talk through the concept out loud. The arrangement of the seats ensures a good view for the visual learners.

During a mathematics test, a Special Education teacher provides a student with an MP3 player on which all of the test questions have been recorded. The student has a reading disability. What type of assessment accommodation has the teacher provided? (A) Setting (B) Presentation (C) Timing (D) Scheduling

(B) Presentation Any accommodation that changes how a test is laid out or administered to a student is considered an accommodation in presentation. In this case, recording the questions so that the student can hear them helps ensure that the student has a fair opportunity to showcase her/his knowledge of mathematics despite her/his reading disability.

What characterizes the work of a late-stage emergent writer? (A) Approximated spellings (B) Strings of unrelated letters (patterned letters) (C) Scribbled pictures (D) Complex syntax

(B) Strings of unrelated letters (patterned letters) A late-stage emergent writer is just about to start writing words that adults can make some sense of, but for the moment, they are content with just stringing random letters together, showing their understanding that letters make up words, but they do not yet associate letters with specific sounds.

A Special Education student is evaluated using a battery of achievement tests, and the results indicate the student has procedural learning deficits. How would these deficits most likely affect the student in math? (A) The student has challenges conceptualizing geometric shapes (B) The student has difficulty solving multistep word problems (C) The student has issues with math fact drills (D) The student has difficulty measuring distances

(B) The student has difficulty solving multistep word problems Procedural learning deficits tend to manifest when students are trying to solve complex, multistep problems like the ones that are often embedded in word problems. Students have a difficult time figuring out how to organize and sequence the steps to solve the problem.

A Special Education teacher is using miscue analysis to diagnose students' reading difficulties. What would this look like in the classroom? (A) Each student reading an independent-level book silently while the teacher moves around the room and talks quietly to individual students (B) The teacher and student at a table in the back of the room with the student orally reading short passages and the teacher making marks on a separate copy of the passages (C) A small group of students gathered around the teacher at a kidney-shaped table and the teacher holding a big book in her hands and pointing to the first letters of various words (D) The teacher standing behind individual students and having them read aloud from an independent-reading-level book while the teacher whispers the words simultaneously in the student's right ear

(B) The teacher and student at a table in the back of the room with the student orally reading short passages and the teacher making marks on a separate copy of the passages Miscue analysis is an assessment method that pinpoints comprehension and other reading issues by listening to students read orally and classifying the errors they make (for example, pronunciation errors or letter reversal errors). Miscue analysis is a one-to-one assessment, so having the student at a table in the back of the classroom is the correct setting.

A second-grade student with a reading disability has difficulty associating sounds to letters. On which area of reading instruction should the teacher focus? (A) Reading comprehension (B) Word analysis (C) Spelling (D) The connection between reading and writing

(B) Word analysis Word analysis is the process of using phonetic patterns to figure out unfamiliar words. A second grade student who has difficulty associating sounds to letters is likely to benefit from direct phonics or word analysis instruction.

Instructional modification is (A) an extension of time to complete an assignment. (B) a change to the content students are learning. (C) a complex accommodation. (D) a behavioral improvement plan.

(B) a change to the content students are learning. By definition, an instructional modification is a change to the content to make it more accessible to students who are struggling. This change may involve shortening the assignment or re-writing the text to a lower reading level.

An acute angle is (A) a 90-degree angle. (B) an angle that measures less than 90 degrees but more than 0 degrees. (C) an angle that measures more than 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees. (D) a 180-degree angle.

(B) an angle that measures less than 90 degrees but more than 0 degrees. An acute angle is an angle that measures less than 90 degrees but more than 0 degrees.

A fourth grader is observed exhibiting awkward social behaviors, anxiety, and poor handwriting. After implementing several accommodations recommended by the school's RTI committee, the classroom teacher reports that the student is not showing any improvement in these areas. Special Education testing is recommended, and the parents are notified that the district proposes to conduct evaluations in all academic, emotional, behavioral, and social areas. The district also indicates that they would like to have their autism team evaluate the student for an autism spectrum disorder. The parents give consent for all testing except the autism team's evaluation. They claim that they know their child does not have autism, and they do not want any evaluations in that area. The appropriate response by the school district is to (A) conduct all recommended evaluations, as it is the district's purview to decide what assessments will be given. (B) conduct only the evaluations for which the parents gave consent. (C) tell the parents that if the district cannot conduct all of the recommended evaluations, it will withdraw the offer to evaluate their child in any area. (D) have the district's superintendent sign paperwork to override the parent's decision.

(B) conduct only the evaluations for which the parents gave consent. IDEA and Texas state law protect the parent's right to give or withhold consent for a Special Education evaluation. If parents do not want their child tested in a given area, they have the right to refuse consent, and the school district must abide by this or petition an informal hearing officer to make a ruling.

A Special Education teacher is planning a lesson on teaching the meaning of common outdoor signs to an Applied Learning Environment (ALE) class. One of the students is nonverbal. One way the teacher can ensure that the nonverbal student can fully participate in the lesson is to (A) have a paraprofessional help the student sit quietly. (B) provide response cards with pictures of the signs for the student to hold up to indicate his/her answer. (C) allow the student to play her/his favorite program on a classroom computer during the lesson. (D) talk extra loudly to make sure the student can hear the teacher.

(B) provide response cards with pictures of the signs for the student to hold up to indicate his/her answer. Response cards are powerful tools for students who are nonverbal. They are essentially picture cards that represent key concepts (for example, vocabulary words) that are being taught. By holding up the cards or pointing to them, a student who is nonverbal can fully participate in an interactive lesson.

In Special Education, the term co-morbidity refers to (A) terminal illness. (B) secondary or tertiary disability that exists alongside a child's primary diagnosis. (C) one-to-one aid required for academic tasks. (D) allergies to specific foods.

(B) secondary or tertiary disability that exists alongside a child's primary diagnosis. Co-morbidity is a term Special Education teachers should be familiar with. Technically a medical term, co-morbidity refers to one or more additional disabilities that exist alongside a child's primary diagnosis. For example, ADHD is often co-morbid in students with autism spectrum disorder.

The primary reason for renaming the Education for all Handicapped Children Act to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1990 is (A) that IDEA is a much cooler acronym than EHA. (B) to promote "people first" language, emphasizing the person, not the disability. (C) that high-school kids do not like to be called children. (D) because Congress updates names of important laws every 15 years.

(B) to promote "people first" language, emphasizing the person, not the disability. The 1990 renaming of the Education for all Handicapped Children Act to the Individual with Disabilities Education Act was part of promoting "people first" language in which the emphasis is on the individual rather than the disability. Not only was the act renamed, but throughout the law, the term "handicapped children" was replaced with "individuals with disabilities."

Which of the following fractions is equivalent to 0.625? (A) 3/4 (B) 6/25 (C) 5/8 (D) 2/5

(C) 5/8 0.625 is equivalent to ⅝. If you divide 5 by 8, the answer will always be 0.625.

What committee did Texas put in place to meet IDEA's requirement for a system of determination of eligibility for students with disabilities? (A) PTA (B) TEA (C) ARD (D) RTI

(C) ARD In Texas, the Admission, Review, and Dismissal committee (ARD) is the group of educators, diagnosticians, related service providers, administrators, and parents who meet to review test results and determine eligibility for Special Education services.

Tia is an eleventh grader with Downs syndrome. Her transitionneeds evaluation indicates that she loves to count coins and can count up to the number 1,000, but she only counts by ones, not fives or tens. Tia is nervous around people she does not know, but she can be quite chatty once she is comfortable with someone. Tia takes some time to learn a routine, but once she has it down, she really knows it. She washes her hands obsessively after using the restroom and sometimes has to be redirected. Tia's Special Education teacher reaches out to a local board-game company to ask about internship opportunities for Tia. The president of the game company supports programs for students with special needs and is open to bringing in Tia for an internship. He suggests the following jobs at his company. Which is the most appropriate for Tia based on her transition-needs evaluation? (A) Opening and unpacking boxes with board-game supplies (such as player pieces and six-sided dice) in the warehouse and then sorting the supplies into large bins for each type of game-board component (B) Assisting the receptionist at the front desk with greeting visitors and opening and sorting mail (C) Assembling board games and making sure each game has the correct number of playing pieces, dice, game cards, and play money (D) Working directly with the building custodian, learning how to clean the floors, the bathrooms, and the break room

(C) Assembling board games and making sure each game has the correct number of playing pieces, dice, game cards, and play money Assembling board games and making sure each game is complete fits well with Tia's love of counting, and board game assembly is a routine that she can be taught. Also, in the assembly portion of the warehouse, she is unlikely to encounter strangers.

Which of the following statements about assistive technology is true? (A) Assistive technology must have a digital component (B) Only a district coordinator can provide assistive technology to a student (C) Assistive technology can be as simple as a pencil grip or as elaborate as a multithousand-dollar machine (D) Assistive technology gives students with disabilities an unfair advantage over their peers

(C) Assistive technology can be as simple as a pencil grip or as elaborate as a multithousand-dollar machine Assistive technology can be almost anything (an item, a software program, a tablet-based app, a multithousand-dollar machine) that is used to help a student learn or to level the playing field so that a disability does not impede learning.

Two high school ALE teachers plan a trip to the local grocery store for their students. The class works together on a shopping list. Using old magazines and grocery store flyers, students place a picture next to each item on the list. On the day of the trip, students are paired up, and each pair receives a copy of the shopping list. The partners must find all of the groceries on the list and meet at the checkout counter. What kind of instruction is this? (A) Game-based learning (B) Sheltered instruction (C) Community-based instruction (D) Scientific experiment

(C) Community-based instruction Community-based instruction is a powerful tool for engaging student interest and for making realworld connections between the lessons learned in the classroom and the long-term life skills students with disabilities will need as adults to survive and thrive in the community.

A first-grade teacher gathers students in a circle and reads them a book with a repetitive phrase. At first, only the teacher reads. The fifth time the phrase appears, the teacher says, "Read with me," and signals the class to read the words aloud with her. The class continues reading the repetitive phrase with the teacher every time it appears. When the story ends, the teacher says "Good reading!" Then she writes the repetitive phrase on the interactive whiteboard and points to it. She says, "Listen to how I read this sentence." She models the sentence and then asks the students to try to read it "just like I did." The students try to match the teacher's voice inflections and speed. The teacher praises the students as they get closer and closer to imitating her. Which of the following reading skills is the teacher addressing? (A) Phonemic awareness (B) Comprehension (C) Fluency (D) Phonics

(C) Fluency By providing the students with a repetitive phrase to keep practicing and having the students focus on trying to match the teacher's inflection, the first-grade teacher is providing the perfect instructional opportunity to improve fluency skills.

What does FAPE stand for? (A) First Aid in Physical Education (B) Funds for Administrators and Professional Educators (C) Free and Appropriate Public Education (D) Functional Assessments and Professional Evaluations

(C) Free and Appropriate Public Education FAPE stands for Free and Appropriate Public Education, the core promise for all students with disabilities made in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

To prepare students in a middle-school intervention math class for a unit on fractions, a Special Education teacher puts together a Power Point presentation on the interactive whiteboard using videos and images from the Internet. The presentation shows people using fractions at work, at home, and in the community. What is the teacher most likely trying to accomplish with this presentation? (A) Involve the visual learners in the class (B) Prepare the students for a vocational assessment (C) Motivate the students with reasons to learn fractions (D) Provide an alternative way to study for the unit test

(C) Motivate the students with reasons to learn fractions When working with students who have struggled with mathematics, one of the most common things a teacher will hear is "When am I ever going to use this stuff?" Lack of motivation to learn the content coupled with learning difficulties often leads to failure. By showing images of fractions in use in the real world, she is helping students see that learning the content is about more than just the grade in school.

Mrs. Tomas, a third-grade teacher, is teaching students to write in cursive. Anna, one of her students, is struggling with this task, and her handwriting is incomprehensible. Which of the following related service providers would be most qualified to evaluate Anna's needs and suggest appropriate accommodations? (A) Physical therapist (B) Speech-language pathologist (C) Occupational therapist (D) School psychologist

(C) Occupational therapist An occupational therapist works with students on fine-motor and life skills. Since Anna's issue is handwriting, an occupational therapist will be able to evaluate if Anna needs help changing the way she grips the pencil or some other accommodation.

A fourth-grade teacher is new to a school. She has a diverse classroom, and she wants to start the year off on a positive note. Which of the following activities would be the most appropriate way for the teacher to let students know she is excited to be their teacher and that she respects them and their learning needs? (A) Hug every student at the beginning of each day (B) Smile all day, even when explaining consequences or correcting student behavior (C) Play a "name game" to help students learn each other's names while the teacher also learns the name or nickname each student prefers (D) As the students pack up to go home each day, give each student a piece of candy with a message like "It's going to be a sweet year" attached

(C) Play a "name game" to help students learn each other's names while the teacher also learns the name or nickname each student prefers. Learning students' names and (in the case of nicknames) knowing which names they prefer speaks volumes about how much a teacher cares. For many students, the fact that the teacher takes the time to know their names quickly is also a sign of the respect the teacher has for the students. Any kind of "name game" that helps the teacher memorize students' names quickly is a great way to start the school year.

Which of the following would be the best activity for teaching budgeting skills to high-school students? (A) Completing budgeting worksheets (B) Watching a video about inflation (C) Providing menus from local restaurants and having students decide what they will order for less than 10 dollars (D) Learning how to use spreadsheet software

(C) Providing menus from local restaurants and having students decide what they will order for less than 10 dollars When teaching a consumer math skill like budgeting, it is best to make the activity as "real" as possible. High school students with disabilities may have opportunities to go on community-based instruction trips outside the school grounds, but when that is not possible, bringing the real world into the classroom works best. With this menu activity, students have an opportunity to practice ordering on a budget, something they will likely do many times in their adult lives.

A fourth-grade student knows all of his/her multiplication facts and can solve three digit multiplication problems with ease. However, he/she has difficulty solving word problems and is failing mathematics because of his/her poor performance on tests. What skills should the teacher target to best help this student improve his/her performance? (A) Mathematics (B) Writing (C) Reading (D) Study skills

(C) Reading Many students struggle with word problems in mathematics because of below-grade-level reading skills. Since this student is on grade level with his/her computations, we can assume he/she knows how to complete the mathematics problems but is unable to read well enough to understand how to set up the problem. Therefore, targeted instruction in reading will likely also improve this student's mathematics performance.

Which of the following symptoms is NOT an indicator of a hearing impairment? (A) The student talks very loudly, even in situations where it not warranted (B) The student does not turn and look at a person who is talking behind him/her (C) The student puts her/his hands over her/his ears repeatedly (D) The student does not speak clearly and mispronounces many words

(C) The student puts her/his hands over her/his ears repeatedly Individuals with hearing impairments do not frequently put their hands over their ears. Rather, this is a common gesture seen in individuals with an autism spectrum disorder.

An appropriate tool for evaluating an authentic assessment task is (A) a multiple-choice quiz. (B) a norm-referenced test. (C) a rubric. (D) observation.

(C) a rubric. An authentic assessment is constructed to represent real-world competencies as much as possible. It may be a project or a simulation or a community-based activity. Because an authentic assessment task will have a wide range of factors, a rubric that clearly relays project expectations and potential levels of performance on the task is the most appropriate tool for evaluation.

The term used to describe a reader who is just beginning to make the letter-sound connection and who recognizes a few sight words is (A) decoder. (B) reluctant. (C) emergent. (D) fluent.

(C) emergent. An emergent reader is a very beginning reader who may recognize a few sight words and understands that letters make up words and that printed words represent spoken words. However, they are generally just beginning to make the letter-sound connection.

Ms. Walker, an elementary ALE teacher, has been teaching her students high-frequency sight words along with some basic phonics. One day, Ms. Walker brings in a bag filled with advertisements cut out from magazines and newspapers and printed from the Internet. She pulls the advertisements out one at a time and uses a document camera to project each one on the whiteboard. Then she asks students if they see any of the words they have learned. Tristan, who is nonverbal, nods his head, and Ms. Walker tells him to show her a word on the board. Tristan approaches the board and circles a sight word on the advertisement. Ms. Walker gives him a high five and directs him back to his seat. The lesson continues with other students approaching the board and circling sight words found in the advertisements. Some of the words are in fancy fonts, and some are simple. The reading term for the advertisements that Ms. Walker has brought into the class is (A) joint attention. (B) primary sources. (C) environmental print. (D) narratives.

(C) environmental print. Environmental print is any text on objects or items in the world around us (our environment). The advertisements are a good example of environmental print as we are bombarded each day by media images.

A child must be reevaluated to determine continued eligibility for Special Education services (A) every year. (B) every two years. (C) every three years. (D) only when a teacher or related services provider determines a reevaluation is necessary.

(C) every three years. By law, a student who qualifies for Special Education services must be reevaluated every three years to determine continued eligibility.

The purpose of a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) is to (A) document student behavior for determination of consequences. (B) analyze the reasons for a negative behavior. (C) explain what behaviors are being targeted for change and how school staff will implement the change. (D) satisfy a requirement of the ARD.

(C) explain what behaviors are being targeted for change and how school staff will implement the change. The purpose of a Behavior Intervention Plan is to describe in concrete and measurable terms what behaviors are being targeted for change and how school staff will implement that change. It is a plan of action that includes clear standards and timelines for measuring success.

It is important for students to develop procedural fluency in math so students can (A) read word problems quickly. (B) follow directions easily. (C) focus on learning higher order math skills. (D) present their ideas clearly in class discussions.

(C) focus on learning higher order math skills. Procedural fluency in math is essentially the ability to complete basic math computations with automaticity. This frees the brain to concentrate on learning new, higher-level concepts.

To determine a child's eligibility for Special Education services, a school district will administer (A) a formative assessment. (B) parent evaluation. (C) formal diagnostic assessments. (D) an end-of-chapter test from a textbook used in the child's classroom.

(C) formal diagnostic assessments. School districts administer a variety of formal diagnostic assessments to determine a student's eligibility for Special Education services. Generally, these diagnostic assessments are chosen by school psychologists and cover a range of academic, behavioral, social, and gross and fine motor skills.

A student with ADHD has a difficult time maintaining focus in his third-grade classroom. The classroom seating arrangements that would be most appropriate for this student and help him focus is to (A) isolate the student in a study carrel in the back of the classroom. (B) seat the student at the teacher's desk for proximity control. (C) have the student sit with his peers, but make his chair an exercise ball. (D) place the student in the middle of the classroom.

(C) have the student sit with his peers, but make his chair an exercise ball. Sitting on an exercise ball instead of a chair has been found to improve focus in students with attention issues. Staying upright on the ball necessitates keeping balance and a bit of bouncing which engages the student's body and helps the mind stay on track. Since the exercise ball is not much taller than a chair, it can be used at a student desk with minimal disruptions.

According to IDEA guidelines, which of the following elements is NOT required to be included in a Behavior Intervention Plan? (A) A measurable description of the behavior changes expected (B) A description of when and how information will be shared between home and school (C) A description of the interventions that will be used including who will be involved, procedures that will be followed, and an explanation of how data will be collected (D) A list of the student's strengths, abilities, academic grades, and standardized test scores

(D) A list of the student's strengths, abilities, academic grades, and standardized test scores It is a good idea to include information about a student and the student's strengths and abilities as background information in a Behavior Improvement Plan, but it is not required by IDEA guidelines.

In a ninth-grade algebra class, a student with learning disabilities struggles to complete assignments in a timely manner. The teacher and a Special Education co-teacher spend time analyzing how the student approaches problems, and they find that his reasoning is sound but he is hampered by the fact that he has not memorized his basic math facts. The most appropriate way to help this student is to (A) have the student practice his math facts with the co-teacher the first 10 minutes of every class. (B) call the student's parents and ask them to help the student practice math facts for 30 minutes every day. (C) provide the student with a calculator for completing basic calculations on assignments and tests. (D) transfer the student to a remedial math class so he is not so stressed.

(C) provide the student with a calculator for completing basic calculations on assignments and tests. By high school, students are faced with increasingly complex math curriculum like algebra. If a student has not yet mastered math facts, the lack of procedural fluency will slow them down significantly even if they understand the higher-level concept they are working on. At this point in their lives, teaching students to use a tool like a calculator will provide them with a way to overcome their disabilities.

When presenting a sight-word lesson to an elementary student with intellectual disabilities, a Special Education teacher introduces a word and then places three word cards in front of the student. The teacher asks the student to point to the target word. When the student points to the incorrect word, the teacher takes away that distractor and repeats the question. The second time, the student points to the correct word, and the teacher praises the student. The most likely purpose of praising the student in the sight-word example above is to (A) make the student feel better after missing the word on the first try. (B) provide an instructional accommodation. (C) reinforce the correct answer and build the student's self- esteem. (D) let the student's classmates know that the student is doing good work.

(C) reinforce the correct answer and build the student's self- esteem. Praise is a powerful tool for building student self-esteem and reinforcing desired behaviors. In this scenario, the teacher praises the student every time the student points to the correct sight word. This technique will help the student recall the word and associate a positive feeling with getting the correct answer.

A good communication strategy to use when conducting a parentteacher conference is to (A) set a timer for 15 minutes where everyone can see it so the meeting time is kept to a minimum. (B) talk about whatever the parents want to talk about. (C) start the meeting with a friendly, informal conversation, and share positive details about the student's strengths. (D) have the parent sit at the student's desk while the teacher sits at his or her desk.

(C) start the meeting with a friendly, informal conversation, and share positive details about the student's strengths. Starting any meeting with parents on a positive note is an excellent way to build a working relationship built on trust and mutual respect. Parents trust teachers who they sense care about the whole child and the child's family.

Based on United States law, the entity ultimately responsible for providing a free and appropriate public education for all students, including students with disabilities, is (A) the federal government. (B) the courts. (C) the states. (D) parents.

(C) the states. The states have jurisdiction over public education in the United States, although the federal government is able to influence states via funding and monitoring requirements. It was because states were not offering public education to so many children with disabilities that the Rehabilitation Act and IDEA were passed by Congress. These laws make it clear that states are responsible for providing a free and appropriate public education for all students, including students with disabilities.

One advantage of recorded books is that (A) they keep students quiet during class. (B) they are an old technology. (C) they provide students with a model of fluent reading and can be turned off when the students wants to read on their own. (D) they encourage students to listen instead of read.

(C) they provide students with a model of fluent reading and can be turned off when the students wants to read on their own. Recorded books are excellent tools for providing models of fluent, expressive reading. They can also be turned off when the student is ready to read without a "helper."

A Special Education teacher in an ALE classroom uses communication notebooks to share information with parents about their children's academic work and behavior each day. She also uses the notebooks to write questions to parents and to request supplies. Two days ago, the teacher wrote in a student's notebook that the student needed a spare set of clothes to have available if he has an accident or gets wet at the water fountain. There has been no reply from the parents, and no spare clothes have been sent. The most appropriate next step for the teacher to take would be to (A) assume the parents don't care about their son, and gather some clothes from a thrift store to have on hand for the child. (B) write another note in the notebook, this time using exclamation points to emphasize that the spare clothes are needed as soon as possible. (C) use another form of communication to contact the parents, such as a phone call or an email. (D) ask the school counselor to reach out to the family since they are not responding to the teacher.

(C) use another form of communication to contact the parents, such as a phone call or an email. No single form of communication works for every parent. Since the teacher has not heard back in two days, she should assume the parent has not read the notebook and use a different form of communication, preferably a two-way form of communication like a phone call where she can hear the parent's thoughts.

A fifth-grade teacher writes the following math problem on the board and tells students to remember the order of operations as they solve it. (2 + 4) × 5 = . The correct answer to this problem is (A) 11. (B) 14. (C) 22. (D) 30.

(D) 30. According to the rules of the order of operations, the operation inside parentheses is always completed first. Therefore, the first step to solving this problem is to add 2 and 4. The sum is 6. That leaves 6 × 5. This is a simple multiplication problem, and the product is 30.

Which of the following factors can affect behavior? (A) Cognitive (B) Environmental (C) Affective (D) All of the above

(D) All of the above Cognitive, environmental, and affective factors can all contribute to behavior. A Functional Behavior Assessment will examine all of these factors in developing a hypothesis regarding the cause of the student's negative behavior.

A third-grade student is evaluated for Special Education services, and the assessments indicate she has a reading disability characterized by visual-spatial deficits. At the ARD committee meeting, the parents indicate an interest in learning more about these types of reading disabilities. Which of the following educational organization websites would be the most appropriate to recommend the parents explore? (A) www.cec.sped.org (B) www.ldanatl.org (C) www.interdys.org (D) All of the above

(D) All of the above The three websites listed are for the Council for Exceptional Children, the Learning Disabilities Association of America, and International Dyslexia Association. All of these organizations have websites with pertinent information about reading disabilities

A Special Education teacher consults with a student's inclusion teacher to plan for the upcoming district assessment. Based on the student's work and behavior in the classroom, they agree to allow the student to mark her/his answers directly in the test booklet, and to provide the student with a study carrel in which to take the test. What are the teachers developing? (A) Assessment ethics (B) Assessment modifications (C) Assessment rules (D) Assessment accommodations

(D) Assessment accommodations In this scenario, the teachers are determining changes that may be needed in the way the test is given so that the student in question has a fair opportunity to showcase what he/she knows. Any changes in the way a test is given are considered assessment accommodations.

A first-grade teacher gathers students in a circle and reads them a book with a repetitive phrase. At first, only the teacher reads. The fifth time the phrase appears, the teacher says, "Read with me," and signals the class to read the words aloud with her. The class continues reading the repetitive phrase with the teacher every time it appears. When the story ends, the teacher says "Good reading!" Then she writes the repetitive phrase on the interactive whiteboard and points to it. She says, "Listen to how I read this sentence." She models the sentence and then asks the students to try to read it "just like I did." The students try to match the teacher's voice inflections and speed. The teacher praises the students as they get closer and closer to imitating her. When the teacher asks students to do their best to imitate her, she encourages them to match her voice inflection patterns. Because the key phrase is repetitive, the students have an opportunity to read the phrase 10 times over the course of several minutes. What specific skill is the teacher focusing on when asking students to mimic her? (A) Main idea (B) Blending (C) Prediction (D) Expression

(D) Expression The focus on voice-inflection patterns is a key part of expression. Good expression is part of fluency and has a great impact on comprehension.

If a teacher assesses a student's rate, accuracy, and expression, what area of reading is being evaluated? (A) Comprehension (B) Miscue analysis (C) Phonics (D) Fluency

(D) Fluency In reading instruction, fluency indicates that a child can read successfully. This is often assessed through oral reading and evaluated in terms of accuracy, rate, expression, and speed or flow.

Which of the following postsecondary options is NOT included in IDEA 2004's definition of postschool activities? (A) Vocational education (B) Independent living (C) Integrated employment (D) Home health

(D) Home health Home health is not included in IDEA's specific list of postschool activities.

How did the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 2001 (better known as No Child Left Behind) affect IDEA in the reauthorization of 2004? (A) It had no effect on IDEA. They are separate laws (B) It combined the two laws into one education initiative (C) It required a statement in IDEA that all paraprofessionals, including personal care assistants, meet the requirements of highly qualified personnel (D) It influenced language that reflected greater accountability for all students and the selection of research-based instructional programs

(D) It influenced language that reflected greater accountability for all students and the selection of research-based instructional programs No Child Left Behind focused on accountability for all students and scientifically research-based interventions. Both of these areas were reflected in the reauthorization of IDEA in 2004.

What are generic problem-solving strategies in math instruction? (A) Strategies that involve consumer math (B) Explicit visual models (C) Strategies for memorizing math facts (D) Organizational steps that can be applied to a range of math problems

(D) Organizational steps that can be applied to a range of math problems Generic problem-solving strategies are steps that students can learn to apply to any math problem they encounter, particularly if it is a word problem or has keywords in the directions. Examples of generic problem solving strategies are "highlight the keywords" or "circle the word that shows the operation."

A Special Education co-teacher is working with a small group of students on the concept of "greater than" and "less than." She wants to scaffold their learning, so she uses several different activities to move them toward mastery of the concept. Of the following activities, which one should be last in the teaching sequence? (A) Place two liquid measuring cups of equal size in front of students, and fill one to the 1-cup line with fruit punch and the other to the 2-cups line with fruit punch. Have students point to the measuring cup with more fruit punch. Then have students point to the measuring cup with less fruit punch. (B) Using a small whiteboard, write down two numbers that students call out randomly. Provide students with cards with the "greater than" and "less than" symbols, and then have a student place the card between the numbers on the whiteboard to show which number is greater. Have the group agree or disagree once the card is placed and explain why. (C) Show students a picture of an alligator with its mouth open to help them visualize the greater than/less than symbol. (D) Pair students, and provide each pair with a spinner with the numbers 1 to 20 on it and two blank worksheets. Tell students to take turns spinning. The first number spun should go on the left side of the first space on the worksheet, and the second number spun should go on the right side. Once both numbers are written, partners should agree whether the first number is greater than, less than, or equal to the second number, and write the appropriate symbol.

(D) Pair students, and provide each pair with a spinner with the numbers 1 to 20 on it and two blank worksheets. Tell students to take turns spinning. The first number spun should go on the left side of the first space on the worksheet, and the second number spun should go on the right side. Once both numbers are written, partners should agree whether the first number is greater than, less than, or equal to the second number, and write the appropriate symbol. When scaffolding instruction, conceptual activities and independent activities should come last. With the spinner game, students have to apply the concepts of greater than/less than in concert with a partner.

Which of the following is NOT a procedural safeguard for parents in the federally mandated Special Education system? (A) Written notice of proposed Special Education testing (B) Parental consent for Special Education placement (C) Right to appeal school decisions to an impartial hearing officer (D) Right to select the best teacher for the child

(D) Right to select the best teacher for the child There are a number of procedural safeguards built into IDEA to protect parents' rights. However, parents do not have the right to select a teacher for their child. Teacher assignment is the purview of the school district and the campus principal.

Which of the following examples is NOT a concept of print? (A) Book title (B) Reading text left to right (C) Black marks on a page that are the words being spoken (D) Simile

(D) Simile A simile is a figure of speech, not a concept of print. Concepts of print are foundational understandings of how books are used and the realization that the marks on a page stand for letters and words.

Which of the following conditions is NOT included in the IDEA definition of OHI? (A) Epilepsy (B) Leukemia (C) Tourette syndrome (D) Specific learning disability

(D) Specific learning disability The IDEA definition of Other Health Impairment (OHI) is a condition of limited strength, vitality, or alertness caused by a chronic or acute health problem that adversely affects a child's educational performance. A specific learning disability is not a chronic health issue and is therefore not included in the definition of OHI.

Why is it important to identify the reasons for a student's misbehavior rather than simply administer a punishment? (A) To make the punishment stick (B) To be able to explain the situation to parents and administrators (C) To satisfy teacher union requirements (D) To be able to address the cause of the negative behavior and, by extension, eliminate or modify the behavior

(D) To be able to address the cause of the negative behavior and, by extension, eliminate or modify the behavior Identifying the reasons for a student's misbehavior allows an educator to address the cause of the negative behavior and remove that cause or redirect the student when the cause cannot be eliminated. Essentially, knowing why a student behaves in a negative way allows an educator to put together a plan to prevent the behavior from occurring. This is especially important for many students with severe cognitive or developmental disabilities as they often cannot express the reasons for their behavior and often just react to situations where they feel uncomfortable or out of control.

A teacher in an ALE classroom provides each student with a plastic 10-frame and 10 small plastic rectangles that fit on the 10- frame. The math concept the teacher is most likely planning to teach with this manipulative is (A) geometry. (B) number patterns. (C) probability. (D) addition.

(D) addition. A number of basic math concepts can be taught using a 10-frame, which is essentially a rectangle made up of 10 equal rectangles. Each of the small rectangles stand for one while the larger rectangle stands for 10. For students with significant disabilities, learning to add on a 10-frame allows them to see the process of addition in an extremely concrete way. For 3 + 2, they would place three small rectangles on the 10- frame, and then place two more small rectangles on the 10-frame, so that they could see they now have a total of five small rectangles.

A new Special Education teacher is hired to teach several reading intervention classes at a school-wide Title One middle school. At that school, 90 percent of the students are Hispanic, and 15 percent are English language learners, but these students have their own ESL class. The school has a traditional way of communicating regularly with parents: report cards go home at the end of each quarter, and progress reports go home three weeks before the end of each quarter. The teacher wants to be more progressive in communicating with parents, so she makes a point of sending home handwritten notes about each student once a week. She includes positive observations about the student and always includes one idea for helping the student practice reading skills at home. The teacher is sure these notes will be well-received by parents. One day, she is helping a student find a homework assignment in his backpack and discovers that all of her handwritten notes are in a pile in the bottom of the backpack. The teacher is surprised and looks at the student in confusion. The student looks down at his feet and mumbles something about his parents not being able to read them anyway. In this situation, an appropriate response for the teacher to make is to (A) discipline the student for not giving the notes to his parents. (B) gather all the notes up, and request a parent-teacher conference to show the notes to the parents and explain that their son was supposed to give them the notes. (C) stop writing notes to this family and send emails instead. (D) ask the school office to help find a bilingual colleague and make a phone call to the parents to relay, with the help of the translator, all the positive things the teacher had written.

(D) ask the school office to help find a bilingual colleague and make a phone call to the parents to relay, with the help of the translator, all the positive things the teacher had written. Since the teacher can assume that a language barrier exists for these parents, being prepared by having a bilingual colleague to assist with two-way communication if needed is a smart plan. Also, making a point to tell the parents all the positive things that were in the notes will foster a positive relationship with the parents and make it easier in the future if there are issues to resolve.

A summative assessment would be administered (A) prior to beginning a unit. (B) one third of a way through a unit. (C) halfway through a unit. (D) at the conclusion of a unit.

(D) at the conclusion of a unit. A summative assessment is always administered at the conclusion of a unit of study. Its purpose is to evaluate a student's retention and depth of understanding of the key concepts taught in the unit.

A third-grade teacher with a diverse class has just attended a professional development session on colored overlays and how reading with a colored background can help some students with reading disabilities because the color does not reflect fluorescent light like white paper does. The teacher has two students in her class who have complained that their eyes hurt when they read or that the print is blurry. The school nurse has checked their eyesight, and it is 20/20. The teacher decides to do a colored overlay experiment with the whole class. Students try each of the colors the teacher provides and write down feedback about whether the text is any easier to read with each color. The teacher is delighted when both of the students who reported trouble with reading in the past find colors that they say "make the words stop moving." Several other students in class also report that the color makes it easier to read. The most likely reason for the teacher deciding to run the experiment with the whole class instead of just the two students is to (A) fulfill the requirements of the professional development session. (B) be able to count the experiment as a class science lesson. (C) give the students something fun to do. (D) help the students understand learning differences and ensure that any use of colored overlays by students in the class will not be viewed as "weird."

(D) help the students understand learning differences and ensure that any use of colored overlays by students in the class will not be viewed as "weird." One of the classroom goals of any teacher should be to foster a positive classroom environment where differences are accepted not mocked. In this case, the teacher does not want to single out the two students who have complained about reading or have other students ask questions about why those two students get colored overlays. By having the entire class complete the experiment, the teacher also gains the advantage of learning of other students who may have mild issues with reflective light and reading. Since everyone in class tries the colored overlays, all students understand their purpose and will more easily accept that some classmates will use the overlays and some won't.

Before districts can share personal information about students with community agencies providing or paying for transition services, IDEA requires (A) a completed transition plan. (B) documentation of state certification from the community agency. (C) an administrator's approval. (D) parental consent, or the consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority.

(D) parental consent, or the consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority. IDEA requires districts to have parental consent or the consent of an eligible child who has reached the age of majority before the district shares personal information with community agencies, even if those agencies are providing or paying for transition services.

A seventh-grade mathematics teacher has several students with learning disabilities in one of his classes and is assigned a coteacher from the Special Education department to help during that class period. The math teacher sets up a table with five chairs in the back of the room and directs the co-teacher and the four students with learning disabilities to sit there throughout the class. He tells the co-teacher that she can help her kids that way. The most appropriate response by the co-teacher would be to (A) thank the math teacher for his consideration. (B) explain that working with a small group in the back of the room will distract the other students from their tasks. (C) ask the math teacher if she can have a desk instead. (D) point out that the table, while a good place to use for flexible group instruction, should not be the permanent seating area for the students with learning disabilities as it segregates them and, therefore, does not meet the legal requirements of least restrictive environment.

(D) point out that the table, while a good place to use for flexible group instruction, should not be the permanent seating area for the students with learning disabilities as it segregates them and, therefore, does not meet the legal requirements of least restrictive environment. In an inclusion class with a co-teacher, the goal is to facilitate so that the students with learning disabilities do not stand out as different but instead are empowered to achieve alongside their peers. Separating the students with learning disabilities and the co-teacher in the manner suggested by the mathematics teacher would be like having a separate resource class and would not be inclusive.

Ms. Walker, an elementary ALE teacher, has been teaching her students high-frequency sight words along with some basic phonics. One day, Ms. Walker brings in a bag filled with advertisements cut out from magazines and newspapers and printed from the Internet. She pulls the advertisements out one at a time and uses a document camera to project each one on the whiteboard. Then she asks students if they see any of the words they have learned. Tristan, who is nonverbal, nods his head, and Ms. Walker tells him to show her a word on the board. Tristan approaches the board and circles a sight word on the advertisement. Ms. Walker gives him a high five and directs him back to his seat. The lesson continues with other students approaching the board and circling sight words found in the advertisements. Some of the words are in fancy fonts, and some are simple. Ms. Walker's most likely purpose for asking students to find the sight words in the advertisements is to (A) test their long-term retention. (B) check their vision. (C) assess their fluency. (D) see if they can generalize the sight words they have learned.

(D) see if they can generalize the sight words they have learned. For students in an Alternative Learning Environment classroom, generalization of skills is often challenging because of poor short- and long-term memory and because learners have a tendency to see something only in the way they learn it. By bringing in the advertisements, Ms. Walker gets to see if her students can generalize and apply their knowledge of the sight words they have been studying.

Which of the following shapes is an isosceles triangle?

An isosceles triangle has two equal sides and two equal angles.