Evaluation and Eligibility
A newly registered student who has an IEP for an specific learning disability has enrolled in a high school Exceptional Student Education (ESE) program at the beginning second semester. The student was placed in ninth grade courses to align with transcripts sent from his previous school. The assigned ESE teacher has reviewed the student's records which included data collected at the beginning of eighth grade, and the teacher determined that the student was performing on a 6.0 level in reading and a 5.0 level in math according to records from his previous school. The other students in the teacher's class are currently performing on approximately a 3.0 level in reading and a 2.5 level in math. How can the teacher meet this student's needs?
Administer diagnostic assessments to collect current data related to the student's current level of functioning and plan for instruction. Gathering data about present levels is the first step to support a newly enrolled student. This data can then be used by the IEP team to support the student's current placement or consider whether another placement should be considered as the least restrictive environment.
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Pre-referral process mandated in the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Research-based instructional intervention system delivered in the general education classroom Process used to monitor and measure student progress in the general education curriculum Tiered, systematic process for students who are experiencing learning or behavioral difficulties and may not meet the grade-level achievement standards
Formal assessments
go into the gradebook.
Which of the following is the primary reason that teachers administer formative assessments?
identifying mastered skills and skills in need of further development A formative assessment is used to provide feedback on students' progress and identify which areas in which students need further instruction so that teachers can develop lesson plans to address these skills.
Informal assessments
inform instruction.
The teacher must understand
percentile rank, standard scores, and age/grade equivalents.
The most effective way to ensure that IEP goals are properly written and implemented is to align them to:
state standards in which the student has displayed a weakness over multiple assessment opportunities. IEP goals should reflect an academic weakness that would benefit the student if improved upon. Accurate identification of strengths and weaknesses requires multiple data points and, possibly, multiple modes of assessment.
The percentile rank of a score is
the percentage of scores in its frequency distribution that are equal to or lower than it. For example, a test score that is greater than 55% of the scores of people taking the test is at the 55th percentile, where 55 is the percentile rank.
Which is the best example of an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) teacher conducting a work sample analysis?
A teacher reviews a writing sample to identify types of grammatical errors. By reviewing the writing sample, the teacher can identify the student's current strengths and deficits.
Which of the following would be an appropriate method of assessment when reporting progress on an IEP goal that measures a student's ability to understand and use newly acquired vocabulary?
Ask the student to choose from a word bank the vocabulary word that best fits the blanks in a series of sentences. Properly using a vocabulary word in context is a fair and accurate measure of whether a student understands both the word's definition and how to use the word.
Scarlett is a student in sixth grade who qualifies for special education as having an intellectual disability. To be academically successful, Scarlett requires her curriculum to be modified to a kindergarten level in all content areas. What would be an appropriate goal in Scarlett's IEP?
By the end of the second grading period, when given objects and a visual for a number, Scarlett will demonstrate an understanding of the quantities that numbers to 10 represent by counting out the designated number of objects with 90% accuracy in four out of five trials over four sessions, as measured by observation, data, and work samples. This goal is measurable, has a timeline, names the number of trials and the type of data points to collect, and names a concept that is attainable by Scarlett.
Ms. Smith's third-grade class was academically screened for reading and several of her students' scores fell below district level benchmark. Following Response to Intervention (RTI) procedures, what should Ms. Smith do first?
Continue to collect data on reading performance using curriculum-based measures. This is the correct answer because in RtI, Tier 1, a student's progress is closely monitored using a validated screening system such as curriculum-based measurement for at least 8 weeks of data collection.
Summative Assessment
Cumulative evaluation of the student's progress. The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student progress, application, and understanding of specific student expectations as indicated in the state's educational standards or Common Core standards. State Mandated Tests End of Course Exams Final exams Semester exams Achievement Test
Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)
Evaluation conducted by independent qualified assessment personal not associated with the local education agency. Parents can request this to be done if they disagree with a re-evaluation. Medical Tests Psychiatric Tests Outside testing
A high school student with ADHD receives special education services for Other Health Impairment (OHI). He often needs extra time on tests and has qualified to use this accommodation on the SAT. When his scores are returned, he sees that he scored in the 65th percentile. What does this mean?
His score was better than 65% of other students taking the test. Percentile rank shows the place at which others scored equal to or less than the student.
Which of the following are the most important considerations when drafting IEP goals?
Identifying data-supported weaknesses the student has displayed and aligning goals to curriculum standards that will allow the student to practice and improve on their deficiency at the appropriate rigor. IEP goals should be individually tailored to student deficiencies in their respective content areas and should be adjusted in rigor to meet the student's individual developmental level.
Which of the following statements is not a component of measurable IEP goals?
Measurable goals based on the student's grade level. With an IEP in place, measurable goals are based on students' disabilities and needs, not on students' grade levels.
Formative Assessment
Periodic review of the student's assignment to monitor his progress. The goal of formative assessment is to provide progress monitoring and focus targeted instruction on specific student expectations to increase the student's knowledge and skills. Weekly quiz/test Writing or reading conference Math homework
Self-Assessment
Self-review of one's progress with the assignment Rubric Exit Ticket
Which of the following is the best rationale for using formative assessment?
Students will show what skills they have mastered and what skills still need to be practiced. A formative assessment is used by teachers to determine what concepts students have mastered following instruction and then identify areas in which additional practice is needed. Teachers use formative assessment data to plan subsequent lessons.
Which of the following statements outlines the responsibility of the Local Education Agency (LEA) with assessing children with limited English proficiency?
The LEA must administer a state identified English language proficiency assessment to kindergarten through 12th-grade students who demonstrate limited English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This would fulfill an LEA's legal requirement in the assessment of an English language learner.
Which of the following scenarios indicates a situation in which a parent has the right to request an independent educational evaluation (IEE)?
The parent disagrees with the district's re-evaluation which found a student only eligible under specific learning disability (SLD) when the student previously had a secondary disability qualifier also. If the parent does not agree to the district's re-evaluation, the parent has a right to request an IEE.
Which of the following scenarios indicates that a student may meet certain eligibility criteria for a specific learning disability?
The student has received Tier 3 reading interventions but continues to read below grade level. Students who fail to make progress despite receiving research-based interventions may be eligible as having a specific learning disability.
Informal Assessment
Unofficial evaluation to monitor the student's progress Guided practice Warm-Up Exit Ticket Conference Parent-provided information
A 2nd-grade teacher and a special education teacher are planning a co-taught reading and writing block. They are planning to partner students for buddy reading and use those same partners for the first project in which students will read a book and retell the story with puppets. Which of the following would be the most appropriate way to group the students?
Use the data from the first developmental reading assessment of the year administered by the teacher. Administering a developmental reading assessment is the most accurate way to assess a student's reading level. These tests should be administered at least 3 times per year to track growth. These tests require students to read leveled passages while the administering teacher tracks errors and asks comprehension questions.
Review of Existing Data (REED)
a mandated review of all existing evaluation data including the initial evaluation, any re-evaluations, classroom observations, and standardized testing to determine if dismissal of services is necessary
Mrs. Janes begins each day with a warm-up question that reviews material taught the day before. Students write their responses individually and then they discuss as a class. While they are writing, she moves around the room reading each response. What type of assessment is this?
formative This formative assessment allows the teacher to determine whether students are progressing through the current content. If students are struggling with the answer, she can immediately reteach it before moving on to the next concept.
A sixth-grade special education teacher is providing instruction on human body systems in a co-taught science class. The teacher would like to determine students' current level of understanding and gaps in learning to prepare additional lessons in the unit. Which of the following assessments should be used to address this?
formative assessment A formative assessment will assess the students' current level of understanding. The teacher can use this information to plan opportunities for reteaching and intervention.
Ms. Cooper uses think-pair-share as a way to evaluate progress and adapt instruction. Which type of assessment is this?
formative assessment This is the correct answer because formative assessment is a process used by teachers and students during instruction that provides feedback to adjust ongoing teaching and learning to improve students' achievements of intended instructional outcomes.
It's also important to remember that each Local Education Agency (LEA)
has its own identification, assessment, admission, and dismissal process. However, each LEA is legally required to adhere to all the federal and state laws regarding students with a disability, including the RtI process mandated through IDEA.
The special education teacher collects data on a student's progress on phonemic awareness to determine:
if further intervention is needed to meet criteria and plan for future instruction. Data collection and assessment are the means with which special education teachers make informed decisions on student progress. This can inform future instruction and allow evidence for further intervention, if needed.
In a non-skewed, normal distribution
most students are around the 50th percentile.
Informal assessments
not data driven, but content and performance driven. Examples would include a book report, a multiple-choice exam over an instructional unit, or a classroom assessment which utilizes a rubric.
As a special education teacher, Mr. Platz wants to use an assessment that accurately reflects his students' vast diversity of skill and knowledge, and that uses multiple forms of data, student work, and learning material to measure progress. The best assessment style to recommend to Mr. Platz would be:
portfolio-based assessments. A portfolio-based assessment would give Mr. Platz a thorough picture of his students' abilities and would allow him multiple different forms of data, student work, and student learning material to be incorporated in assessment.
In order for a special education teacher to monitor IEP progress on reading goals on fluency and accuracy for a small group of fourth-grade students, which is the best assessment procedure?
record each student's accuracy and speed on a weekly graph This is the correct answer because a weekly basis is essential to providing feedback, evaluating a student's progress so that the intervention can be adjusted if needed.
Standardized assessments
show where a student of the same age and grade level performs in relation to same age- and grade-level peers. It may be used as a data point to show whether a student who is receiving special education services is making consistent progress or if they are accelerating or declining.
Dually exceptional children are often not identified as needing
special education because their giftedness masks their disabilities. For example, a gifted child with dyslexia can read enough words in a passage and listen to the class discussion to have a strong understanding of what is being taught.
When thinking about Extended School Year (ESY) or summer school for a student with severe learning disabilities, the IEP committee must consider which of the following?
substantial regression proven with data evidence Substantial regression must be considered when determining ESY. The review of existing evaluation data will provide assessment information to determine the need for ESY.
If the child does not make progress in the curriculum through RtI,
then the referral process for special education services can begin. The referral can come from the student's parent or legal guardian; school personnel such as a general education teacher, special education teacher, counselor, or administrator; or any other person involved in educating or caring for the student. However, the parent or legal guardian must consent to the evaluation regardless of who requests it before it can begin.
