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Section 4: Sample Selected-Response Questions
Educational Diagnostician (253)

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This section presents some sample exam questions for you to review as part of your preparation for the exam. To demonstrate how each competency may be assessed, sample questions are accompanied by the competency that they measure. While studying, you may wish to read the competency before and after you consider each sample question. Please note that the competency statements do not appear on the actual exam.

The sample questions are included to illustrate the formats and types of questions you will see on the exam; however, your performance on the sample questions should not be viewed as a predictor of your performance on the actual exam.

Selected-Response Questions with Rationales

Each sample exam question here includes the correct answer and a rationale for each answer option.

Domain I—Identification and Assessment

Competency 001—(Identification for Special Education Evaluation and Services): Apply knowledge of requirements for identifying students who meet disability criteria and for determining the need for specially designed instruction and related services.

1. An educational diagnostician is interviewing the parents/guardians of a second-grade student who has been referred for a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) for suspected autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Which of the following anecdotal parent/guardian observations regarding the student's acquisition of developmental milestones is most suggestive of ASD?

  1. "He had three ear infections before he was 12 months old."
  2. "He liked to line up all of his toys every morning and became very upset if anyone touched them."
  3. "He crawled and walked until he was 18 months old. After that, he walked but fell sometimes on uneven surfaces."
  4. "His favorite game was to make food for his stuffed animal toys and pretend to feed them."
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because the anecdotal parent/guardian observation describes behavior that is restrictive and repetitive, which is a primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Other primary characteristics of ASD include deficits in social skills and difficulties with expressive and receptive communication. Options A, C, and D are incorrect because a history of middle ear infections, gross motor delays in the absence of other developmental delays, and engaging in pretend play are not indicators associated with ASD.

2. A school district is working to address potential disproportionality in special education services for culturally and linguistically diverse student populations. Which of the following actions would most effectively promote this goal?

  1. evaluating bilingual and multilingual students to determine special education service eligibility until they are considered proficient in spoken English
  2. examining the district's assessment practices for all students to determine whether the assessment instruments used are valid and unbiased
  3. arranging for a school-based committee of educational diagnosticians and psychologists to be solely responsible for making special education referrals
  4. meeting with the parents/guardians of students currently receiving special education services and asking their perspectives on the quality of educational services
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because assessment practices and instruments that may not account for students' cultural and linguistic backgrounds will not accurately measure students' individual strengths and needs, and are therefore likely to contribute to the misidentification and overrepresentation of diverse students in special education. Without accounting for these components of students' backgrounds, educational diagnosticians and other professionals can test students in ways that are not appropriate for students, and as a result, obtain test results that do not accurately reflect students' knowledge, understanding, and capabilities. In response to disproportionality in special education, federal law mandates that educators use culturally responsive assessment procedures, which includes examining test instruments for validity and potential test bias. Option A is incorrect because withholding special education services until students are considered proficient in English would violate their right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Options C and D are incorrect because limiting who refers students for special education evaluations and obtaining the perspective of only students' parents/guardians would violate IDEA's mandate, which stipulates the composition of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team or the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. 

3. A second-grade student has recently been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by a licensed physician. Per parent request, a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) was conducted. When considering the student's eligibility for special education and related services, the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee must:

  1. determine that the student's academic needs are not based on the ADHD diagnosis.
  2. ensure that the student has received adequate instructional supports and classroom accommodations for ADHD prior to determining eligibility.
  3. use information from multiple sources of data in determining whether the student's ADHD adversely affects the student's educational performance.
  4. show that the student is not advancing from grade to grade due to ADHD.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee reviews multiple sources of data when determining eligibility for special education services to develop a full understanding of a student's strengths and needs, especially in the area of the student's suspected disability. The ARD committee is responsible for determining if the student's needs related to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) impact the student's ability to make effective progress toward the curriculum. Data should include formal and informal assessments, observations, information provided by the parents/guardians, work samples, interviews, and a cumulative educational record review. Option A is incorrect because the student's academic difficulties are most likely related to ADHD. Option B is incorrect because assessing instructional supports and the need for classroom accommodations would be reviewed as part of the ARD committee meeting, but would not determine if a student was eligible for services. Option D is incorrect because many students who require special education services advance successfully grade to grade; therefore, this information would not be used to make an eligibility determination.

Competency 002—(Evaluation, Planning, Selection, and Administration): Apply knowledge of the functions and principles of assessment, assessments used to make educational and instructional decisions about students, and procedures and considerations in selecting and administering appropriate formal and informal assessments for individual students.

4. A kindergarten student with a disability requires frequent prompts and cues to attend to instructions and remain within the proximity of the teacher and peers during classroom activities. After collecting baseline behavior data, the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee plans to develop an intervention plan to support the student's ability to attend and remain engaged. Which of the following sources of data would best inform the ARD committee's development of an intervention plan?

  1. observing the student during specified time intervals and recording occurrences of the target behavior
  2. informing the student that the student's behavior is being observed and offering praise when the student demonstrates prosocial behavior
  3. determining an intervention method that will be implemented with the student and collecting data on the duration of the student's target behavior using that method
  4. considering environmental and situational factors that are contributing to the student's behavior
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because by observing the student at specified time intervals, the observer can determine if there are times during the day when the student demonstrates the target behavior more frequently, and if there are times of the day during which the target behavior does not occur at all. By conducting these observations over a range of days and times, the observer and the committee can look for patterns of when the student's target behavior occurs most frequently and plan the intervention accordingly. Option B is incorrect because this approach informs the student that they will be observed, which is different from the student's natural environment, and could lead the student to behave in a self-conscious or anxious manner. Offering the student praise for prosocial behavior reinforces the behavior that the observer and the committee would like the student to conduct and does not necessarily reflect how the student would typically act in this situation, and is therefore not an accurate reflection of the student's natural behavior. Option C is incorrect because the committee must collect enough data for a stable pattern of the student's target behavior to be established before an intervention is chosen and implemented. Predicting which intervention to use without enough data can result in an ineffective intervention, and as a result, time lost in working toward an effective solution with the student. Option D is incorrect because although environmental and situational factors (e.g., peers, changes in schedule) can influence a student's behavior, they are variable and external and should not be considered intrinsic to the student's behavior.

5. The parents/guardians of a third-grade student who was recently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by a pediatrician have requested a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE). Which of the following actions would be most appropriate for the educational diagnostician to take in the evaluation process?

  1. obtaining written consent from the parents/guardians to request records and evaluation data from the student's physician
  2. administering an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder rating scale to assess the student's attention, memory, and processing
  3. discontinuing the evaluation and using information from the student's physician to qualify the student for services
  4. designing appropriate accommodations to help the student manage impulsivity in the classroom
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because before conducting a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the Texas Education Code (TEC) requires the local educational agency (LEA) to obtain written consent from a student's parents/guardians. In addition, the LEA and the medical provider must obtain consent to share confidential information before gaining access to a student's personal health care information. Option B is incorrect because the educational diagnostician would most likely administer an attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) rating scale after written parental/guardian consent has been obtained. Option C is incorrect because the LEA is obligated to evaluate the student given the request for the FIIE by the student's parents/guardians. Option D is incorrect because accommodations would be considered when developing a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) or Section 504 plan.

6. An educational diagnostician is working in conjunction with the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC). In which of the following components of a student's evaluation would the LPAC members be most closely involved?

  1. becoming the primary point of contact for a student's parents/guardians regarding their child's learning
  2. writing language-related Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals for a student
  3. administering cognitive assessments to the student in a student's home language
  4. making recommendations about appropriate assessments and linguistic accommodations for a student
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because the purpose of the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) is to assess English learner's acquisition of English and level of language proficiency, recommend language-based instructional interventions to promote academic achievement, and determine appropriate educational placements in general education and supports based on language learning needs. Given that the LPAC committee is most knowledgeable about a student's language knowledge and abilities, they have a unique perspective regarding appropriate assessments and linguistic accommodations. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because becoming the primary point of contact, writing language-related Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, and administering cognitive assessments would not be primary roles of the LPAC committee when assessing a student for special education services.

Competency 003—(Interpretation and Reporting of Evaluation Results): Apply skills for interpreting, reporting, and communicating the results of the Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE).

7. On the Similarities and Vocabulary secondary subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® — Fifth Edition (WISC®–V), a fourth-grade student obtained scaled scores of 4. Which of the following interpretations best describes the student's performance on the subtests?

  1. average visual spatial reasoning and attention to visual detail
  2. significantly below-average semantic knowledge and verbal reasoning
  3. slightly below-average decision making and short-term visual memory
  4. above-average attention and concentration
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because scaled scores are derived from raw scores and are used to compare a student's performance to a normed population distributed across a common scale. Given that the average range of scaled scores falls between 8 and 12, the student's scaled scores of 4 are significantly below average, indicating difficulties in semantic knowledge and verbal reasoning. Options A and D are incorrect because average and above-average scaled scores fall between 8 and 13. Option C is incorrect because the WISC®–V Similarities and Vocabulary subtests do not measure decision making and short-term visual memory.

8. When selecting assessment materials and procedures for linguistically diverse students, an educational diagnostician should be aware that norm-referenced evaluations are likely to:

  1. distinguish between limited English proficiency and disability.
  2. accurately identify a specific disability in English learners (ELs).
  3. overidentify disability even when appropriately administered.
  4. define the impact of the disability on learning.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because norm-referenced evaluations are frequently normed on students who are monolingual speakers and therefore results inadequately represent the linguistic abilities of English learners (ELs). Options A, B, and D are incorrect because norm-referenced evaluations are not designed to distinguish between limited English proficiency and language disability, identify specific learning disabilities in English learners, or define the impact of a student's disability on learning.

9. An eighth-grade student with bilateral hearing aids requires a number of accommodations, such as priority seating, daily hearing aid listening checks, and classroom adaptations, to reduce noise reverberation. The student is enrolled in general education classes and, based on classroom performance and results of state testing, is considered average to above average academically. In addition, the classroom teachers report no social, emotional, or behavioral concerns. Given the student's needs, which of the following educational programs would best support the student's access to the learning environment, instruction, and materials?

  1. Individualized Education Program (IEP)
  2. Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS)
  3. Section 504 plan
  4. universal design for learning (UDL)
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because although the student has a qualifying disability, the student's educational performance does not indicate the need for specialized instruction to make effective progress toward grade-level curriculum standards. A Section 504 plan would be most appropriate given that the student requires specific accommodations to effectively learn alongside grade-level peers in the general education classroom. Options A and B are incorrect because the student does not require specialized instruction or tiered intervention to address academic skills, such as special education services or Tier II interventions. Option D is incorrect because the student accesses the curriculum given specific accommodations, which are unlikely to be addressed using a universal design for learning (UDL) approach to teaching.

Domain II—Curriculum, Instruction, and Intervention

Competency 004—(Academic Instruction and Strategies): Apply knowledge of educational implications of disabilities, appropriate curricula, and instructional strategies, including accommodations, modifications, and interventions, for students with disabilities.

10. An educational diagnostician is recommending an explicit and systematic intervention approach for a fifth-grade student with a specific learning disability in mathematics. Which of the following examples best represents explicit and systematic instruction that would allow for the student's progress to be monitored?

  1. The teacher pairs the student with a peer to develop a process for adding simple fractions. The students are encouraged to create a step-by-step guide for adding fractions to share with other students.
  2. The teacher displays a solution expressing the process of adding two simple fractions. The student is then asked to add a similar fraction of comparable difficulty. The student's answer is then compared to the fraction expression presented by the teacher.
  3. The teacher models several different examples of adding fractions with the student. The teacher then encourages a student to think aloud while adding simple fractions. The teacher provides the student with corrective feedback throughout the activity.
  4. The teacher verbally explains the process of adding fractions for the student. The student is then instructed to add simple fractions while using a graphic organizer developed by the teacher outlining the new concepts taught.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because the teacher models adding fractions, encourages the use of learning strategies, and provides feedback to the student regarding performance, which are examples of explicit and systematic instruction. When using an explicit and systematic instructional approach, a single concept is taught in a highly structured and sequenced manner while providing guided practice opportunities, such as those illustrated in option C. Options A, B, and D are incorrect because these scenarios do not evidence use of explicit and systematic instruction, however, they demonstrate frequently used instructional strategies to support student learning. These instructional strategies are beneficial in other ways but do not provide explicit and systematic instruction.

11. As a transition goal, an eleventh-grade student with an intellectual disability wants to independently engage in a variety of recreational activities, such as taking public transportation to go to the movies and the public library. Which of the following data collection measures would allow most effectively monitoring of the student's progress toward this goal?

  1. weekly self-assessments to monitor perceived progress toward goals
  2. single-point data analysis to judge performance within specific tasks
  3. daily descriptive documentation outlining abilities and progress
  4. periodic sampling using a rubric describing criteria for each level of performance
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because the student's progress toward functional skill development would most effectively be measured using an observational data collection method, such as a rubric. An effective rubric identifies the student's specific learning outcomes while providing qualitative descriptions and a quantitative rating scale for each level of performance. By periodically sampling functional skill development, the student's progress toward learning outcomes can be used to inform intervention and measure performance over time. Option A is incorrect because although self-assessment would be a valuable approach to supporting a student's awareness of personal strengths and needs, the data obtained is subjective and less accurately reflects progress. Options B and C are incorrect because analysis of a single-data point and daily descriptive documentation are data collection methods that would not yield information about a student's progress toward functional skill development.

12. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

An educational diagnostician is reviewing results from an academic achievement test recently administered to an eighth-grade student with a specific learning disability in reading as part of the student's three-year reevaluation. A portion of the summary is shown below.

Subtest Score Summary
Subtest Percentile Rank Classification
Listening Comprehension 55 Average
Reading Comprehension 5 Low
Sentence Composition 6 Low
Word Reading 7 Low
Essay Composition 4 Low
Pseudoword Decoding 1 Low
Oral Expression 45 Average
Oral Reading Fluency 1 Low
Spelling 4 Low

In social studies, the student is required to participate in whole-class discussions after reading complex, grade-level texts, such as articles, essays, and personal accounts. Based on the student's evaluation performance, which of the following accommodations would most effectively support the student's ability to participate in the whole-class discussions?

  1. offering the student extended time to complete reading assignments
  2. providing the student with a list of words and definitions associated with key discussion topics
  3. activating the student's background knowledge by using small-group discussions prior to reading
  4. giving the student access to reading materials using text-to-speech or digital audio files
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because based on the student's test performance, listening comprehension and oral expression are strengths whereas, decoding, reading fluency, and reading comprehension are areas of need. Given the student's strengths, assistive technology, such as text-to-speech or digital audio files, is likely to promote the student's access to grade-level reading materials. Options A and B are incorrect because these instructional strategies are unlikely to increase the student's ability to access content within the texts. Option C is incorrect because this strategy will not ensure the student's access to specific content within the articles, essays, and personal accounts

Competency 005—(Functional Skill Instruction and Strategies): Understand the use of appropriate assessment, evaluation, planning, and instructional strategies for developing students' social, behavioral, communication, and adaptive skills.

13. An educational diagnostician analyzes the following behavior data for Ellie, a second-grade student, to develop a recommendation for a replacement behavior.

Behavior Consequence Function of Behavior
Ellie frequently refuses to participate in classroom activities. Ellie refuses to engage, often leaves work site, seeks negative attention from adults, and attempts to engage in preferred activities, such as drawing or dancing. The paraprofessional typically brings Ellie on a walk outside of the classroom when behaviors become too disruptive. Escape

Which of the following recommendations would be most appropriate for the educational diagnostician to make to Ellie's teacher to most effectively decrease Ellie's escape behavior?

  1. giving Ellie an opportunity to earn points toward choice time for completing tasks
  2. offering Ellie a choice of activities after participating in a nonpreferred task for a specified duration
  3. revoking Ellie's privileges, such as recess, as a consequence to noncompliant behavior and task refusal
  4. providing Ellie with sensory materials such as fidget toys and manipulatives while completing required tasks
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because providing students with decision-making opportunities after participating in nonpreferred activities is an intervention strategy that is most likely to decrease escape behavior while encouraging extrinsic motivation to engage in nonpreferred activities. Also, students are likely to incrementally increase time on task when the time duration in which the student participates in nonpreferred activities is increased from the current level of performance. Options A and D are incorrect because it is unlikely that a delayed reward system or the addition of sensory materials would be effective given the student's observed difficulties with inhibition and frustration tolerance. Option C is incorrect because punishment or punitive consequences would not be an effective intervention for supporting the student's skill development necessary for participating in nonpreferred activities.

14. Following a manifestation determination review, the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee determines that a seventh-grade student's behavior issues are the result of the student's emotional disturbance. A functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and behavioral intervention plan (BIP) were already conducted this school year and were included in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). Which of the following actions should the ARD committee take next to best address the student's behavior?

  1. changing the student's placement and developing a BIP that includes counseling
  2. reviewing the BIP and modifying it as necessary to address the student's behavior
  3. recommending a psychological assessment to address the student's behavior
  4. placing the student in a mandatory alternative education placement
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because when the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee determines that the student's behavior is a manifestation of the disability, a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)  must be conducted or the student's behavioral intervention plan (BIP) must be updated if one has already been developed. Because the student has a BIP, the ARD committee must modify the plan to address the student's emotional needs. Options A and D are incorrect because the student should remain in the least restrictive environment to the maximum extent possible, as mandated by federal and state law. An alternative educational placement should only be considered when supplementary aids and services cannot support the student's educational needs. Option C is incorrect because although the ARD committee may eventually recommend a psychological assessment, this would not be the next step in addressing the student's behavior.

15. An eleventh-grade student with an intellectual disability expresses an interest in studying cosmetology and working at a hair salon. The student is on track to earn a diploma through the Foundation High School Program. Which of the following actions would be most appropriate for the school district to take prior to the student's annual Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting?

  1. enrolling the student in a series of courses to earn a public service endorsement
  2. encouraging the student to take additional credits to be eligible for a performance acknowledgment
  3. requiring the student to explore available employment opportunities in the community
  4. inviting a vocational program representative to the student's ARD committee meeting
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because a vocational program representative (career and technical education [CTE] representative) should be present at the ARD committee meeting in order to develop a transition plan to support the student's post-secondary goals. The vocational program representative could provide direct and specific information to the prospective student regarding the program's offerings and requirements and a clearer understanding of what the career path would entail. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because these actions would not necessarily assist the ARD committee in developing a transition plan, including goals and services that would assist the student in reaching career goals.

Domain III—Professional Responsibilities

Competency 006—(Consultation and Collaboration): Understand strategies and approaches for effective consultation and development of collaborative relationships with students, parents/guardians, school personnel, and other professionals and apply skills for scheduling and management of timelines and reporting requirements.

16. An Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee is convening to develop the Individualized Education Program (IEP) of a first-grade student with an intellectual disability. When facilitating the contribution of the student's general education teacher, the educational diagnostician should primarily focus on:

  1. gathering information regarding the curriculum and the knowledge and skills the student should be expected to perform.
  2. suggesting goals that acknowledge the long-term vision for the student and working to address the student's future needs.
  3. identifying the range of resources that are necessary to support the student in accessing grade-level learning standards.
  4. interpreting evaluation results and analyzing how this information relates to designing specialized instruction and accommodations for the student.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee members jointly make informed decisions when determining a student's needs and when developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) that effectively supports a student's learning. As an expert in grade-level curriculum standards, the general education teacher is most likely to contribute information regarding the knowledge and skills the student has acquired or needs to acquire to make progress toward classroom learning standards. Option B is incorrect because goals addressing a long-term vision for the student would not be addressed by the general education teacher but by the ARD committee. Option C is incorrect because although the general education teacher has some knowledge about resources that would support the student's access to grade-level learning standards, identifying a range of resources would not be a valuable contribution when developing the student's IEP. Option D is incorrect because it is not the general education teacher's responsibility to interpret evaluation results to design specialized instruction and accommodations for the student.

17. At an annual Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting, the guardians of a tenth-grade student with a specific learning disability who is an English learner (EL) request that their child be exited from English as a Second Language (ESL) program services. The student has most recently been assessed at an intermediate level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English. In response to the guardians' written request, which of the following actions is most appropriate for the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) and ARD committee to take first?

  1. discontinuing the student's ESL services, but collaborating for state assessment purposes to account for factors related to the student's disability and second-language acquisition
  2. reviewing the student's performance on state assessments in English to determine whether the student has met the criteria to exit from the ESL program
  3. seeking permission to administer the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) to the student to further determine language proficiency
  4. requesting a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) to determine whether the ESL program continues to be appropriate for the student
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because under the Texas Administrative Code (TAC), the student's guardians have previously approved their child's participation in the English as a Second Language (ESL) program. The guardians have the right to request that their child no longer participate in the ESL program by signing a denial of program participation. Because the student is still identified as emergent bilingual (EB), they must continue to receive instruction in the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and be assessed on the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS). Therefore, the language proficiency assessment committee (LPAC) would continue to collaborate with the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee to ensure that specially designed instruction (SDI) is appropriate based on the student's English language proficiency levels although no language accommodations are permitted for the student through the LPAC. Options B and C are incorrect because it is already known that the student, who has an intermediate proficiency level in listening, speaking, reading, and writing, does not meet the ESL reclassification criteria and therefore does not require additional assessments to determine language proficiency. Option D is incorrect because requesting a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) is not an identified step in the English Learner (EL) reclassification process and would be an extraneous step in determining the appropriateness of the ESL program.

18. After receiving the education records of a transfer student, the school discovers that the student was referred for a special education evaluation 30 calendar days earlier, but the evaluation was never completed by the previous district. Which of the following actions should the district take to ensure accurate assessment of the student?

  1. convening an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting within 30 calendar days to determine whether the referral remains appropriate
  2. completing the evaluation within 60 calendar days from the date the original consent for evaluation was signed
  3. agreeing with the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) to a new timeline that is no more than 45 school days from a newly established date of consent
  4. finishing the evaluation before the 30-day transfer Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because state law requires that a Full Individual and Initial Evaluation (FIIE) be completed in no more than 45 school days from the date of receiving written consent for the evaluation. However, there are exceptions to the law, which include students enrolling in a new district, that allow for establishing a new evaluation timeline. In a case such as this scenario, the new district and the student's parent(s)/guardian(s) can agree to a new timeline, if it is within 45 days from the newly established date of consent. Option A is incorrect because the district is obligated to conduct an FIIE. Options B is incorrect because simply extending the evaluation timeline would not be in accordance with state regulations. Option D is incorrect because the purpose of the 30-day transfer Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting is to develop, adopt, or implement a new Individualized Education Program (IEP), and since special education eligibility has not been determined, conducting this meeting with the purpose of reviewing the student's evaluation would be unnecessary.

Competency 007—(Legal and Ethical Practice): Apply knowledge of professional practices, roles, and responsibilities and the legal and ethical foundations of evaluation related to special education.

19. Special education services provided in the general education classroom have primarily impacted special education evaluation and programming for students with disabilities by:

  1. reducing the need for specially designed instruction to address students' individualized learning goals.
  2. increasing the amount of time students with disabilities are educated alongside students with a similar disability profile.
  3. improving differentiated instruction and assessment approaches that support students' access to general education curriculum.
  4. requiring a general education placement for all students with disabilities for the majority of the school day as an initial placement.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct because when students are provided with special education services, including differentiated instruction and assessment approaches, in the context of the general education classroom, they are more likely to access and make progress toward the general education curriculum. Option A is incorrect because providing special education services in the general education classroom changes the environment that a student receives specially designed instruction, but not the need for specially designed instruction. Option B is incorrect because providing special education services in the classroom does not increase the amount of time students with disabilities are educated alongside students with similar learning profiles. Option D is incorrect because there is not a mandate requiring a general education placement for all students with disabilities, however, all students should be educated in the least restrictive environment for their needs. 

20. In which of the following ways has the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) primarily impacted special education evaluation procedures conducted by an educational diagnostician?

  1. The educational diagnostician is responsible for creating a public database of all students under his or her purview that delineates the types of special education services that each student is entitled to receive.
  2. Accountability systems are emphasized when measuring the progress of students with disabilities using the state's academic achievement standards or alternative standards aligned to the same state standards.
  3. The educational diagnostician ensures that students who are eligible for special education services participate in an alternative portfolio assessment in lieu of a general state standardized assessment.
  4. The progress of a student with a disability toward Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals is monitored only using formal and summative achievement measures.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct because the Every Student Success Act (ESSA) is federal legislation enacted to improve educational equity for all students. For example, ESSA emphasizes developing and improving assessment practices to measure the academic achievement of all students, including those with learning disabilities. Options A and C are incorrect because these are not provisions identified in ESSA. Option D is incorrect because a variety of data collection methods could be used to measure a student's progress toward Individualized Education Program (IEP) goals, not solely formal and summative achievement measures.

21. An educational diagnostician is meeting with the parents of a fifth-grade student with an intellectual disability in preparation for an upcoming meeting with the student's Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. The ARD committee will be considering the student's least restrictive environment (LRE) as the student gets ready to make the transition to middle school. To promote the parents' active involvement at the meeting, which of the following steps should the educational diagnostician take first?

  1. assisting the parents in developing questions to gather information they need to know about how their child's individual needs will be addressed in the continuum of services
  2. working with the parents to review their child's most recent qualitative assessment information and create a profile summary of their child's intellectual and academic functioning
  3. arranging for the student to attend a range of different educational settings and providing the parents with opportunities to observe their child in each setting
  4. discussing with the parents a recommended program placement that effectively includes students with a disability classification similar to their child's
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because the educational diagnostician could effectively increase the parents' active engagement in the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting by assisting them in developing questions that they can pose to committee members about their child's individual needs. ARD committee meetings are often unfamiliar to parents and they do not always know how to most effectively participate in these meetings. Educational diagnosticians can support parents/guardians by assisting them in determining which types of questions they can ask to learn more about how their child's needs will be met. Option B is incorrect because although the educational diagnostician would review assessment data with the parents in preparation for the ARD committee meeting, the educational diagnostician would not exclusively review quantitative assessment information with parents to create a profile of their child. Option C is incorrect because the student's educational setting would most likely be explored following the transition meeting in which placement options would be discussed. Option D is incorrect because it would be inappropriate to consider a student's placement based solely on a disability classification.

22. A sixth-grade student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and an intellectual disability recently transitioned into middle school. Given the student's increased independence within academic and functional activities, an educational diagnostician is meeting with the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee to consider strategies to further promote the student's independence. When developing objectives for the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), the ARD committee is required to consider:

  1. the student's ability to self-select learning standards.
  2. opportunities for the student to establish autonomy within the community.
  3. strategies to fade the student's need for special education services.
  4. the staff-to-student ratio that is appropriate to identified activities.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee is required to consider eleven Individualized Education Program (IEP) strategies for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when developing an IEP for a student with ASD, in accordance with Texas regulations. These eleven strategies are designed as a framework to address educational issues frequently encountered by students with ASD. One of the strategies includes the staff-to-student ratio the student requires to function in and benefit from educational activities/environments. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because these are not strategies that the ARD committee is required to consider when developing an IEP for a student with ASD.

23. Which of the following rights are parents/guardians entitled to regarding an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting for their child?

  1. the right to request progress summaries two weeks in advance of the meeting
  2. the right to choose who is invited to attend the meeting
  3. the right to select the date and time of the meeting
  4. the right to invite individuals with special expertise to participate in the meeting
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the parents/guardians have the right to invite other individuals with knowledge or special expertise about their child to the Admission Review and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting. IDEA is a federal law that makes a free appropriate public education (FAPE) available to eligible children with disabilities throughout the United States and ensures special education and related services to those children. There are numerous components of this law, including information about how Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) should be created and how ARD committees should be involved in this process. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because parents/guardians do not have the right to request progress summaries two weeks in advance, choose who is invited to attend, or select the date and time of the ARD committee meeting.

Clustered Questions

Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.

Kai is a fourth-grade student enrolled in a co-taught class. He has a specific learning disability in reading comprehension. An educational diagnostician consults with Kai's teachers to collaborate regarding strategies to best support Kai's access to the general education curriculum. They review a series of lesson plans for upcoming instruction. An excerpt of one of the lessons is shown below.

The following is formatted in the table below. Lesson Component: Whole-Class Read-Aloud Co-Teach Approach: One Teach, One Support – Yes, Parallel – No, Station – No, Team – No
General Education Teacher Role: Ensures that students have copy of the article. Gives verbal praise and redirection to support students' listening skills during teacher reading.
Special Education Teacher Role: Connections to Article – asks, "What do you know about coastal Texas? Coastal southeast Texas?" Reads article aloud at responsive pace. Asks clarifying questions after each section of the article to check for understanding.

Lesson Objective: Students will collaboratively compare and contrast information from an informational text.

Lesson Overview

Whole-Class Read-Aloud:

Students will read along as teacher reads aloud the article "Coastal Plains Region of Texas and the Coastal Plains Region of the Southeast U.S."

Small-Group Work:

Students will work in groups to identify key characteristics for each region presented in the article.

Share:

Groups will share key characteristics with the whole class. One teacher records information into a Venn diagram. Another teacher leads a discussion about comparing and contrasting the information in the diagram.
 

blank

General Education
Teacher Role

 Special Education
Teacher Role

Lesson Component: Whole-Class Read-Aloud

Co-Teach Approach:

[X] One Teach, One Support

[  blank ] Parallel

[  blank ] Station

[  blank ] Team
  • Ensures that students have copy of the article.
  • Gives verbal praise and redirection to support students' listening skills during teacher reading.
  • Connections to article: Asks, "What do you know about coastal Texas? Coastal southeast U.S.?"
  • Reads article aloud at responsive pace.
  • Asks clarifying questions after each section of the article to check for understanding.

Competency 004—(Academic Instruction and Strategies): Apply knowledge of educational implications of disabilities, appropriate curricula, and instructional strategies, including accommodations, modifications, and interventions, for students with disabilities.

24. Based on Kai's identified needs, which of the following interventions would best promote Kai's access to instruction?

  1. supporting Kai's application of phonics generalizations in the article
  2. promoting Kai's understanding of word formation in the article through multisensory instruction
  3. focusing on improving Kai's sight-word automaticity for increased fluency in reading the article
  4. teaching Kai to break complex text in the article into manageable components
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct because based on Kai's learning needs, teaching him to break the text into smaller components is an evidence-based strategy that is likely to increase his ability to process information by decreasing the overall cognitive demands of the activity. Also, teaching Kai how to use the strategy is likely to improve his awareness of how he learns best. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because targeting phonics skills, word formation, and sight-word recognition are unlikely to support Kai's participation in the classroom lesson or achieve the stated lesson objective.

25. Which of the following teacher actions should the educational diagnostician recommend to most effectively support Kai's access to the read-aloud of the article?

  1. The special education teacher models reading strategies and provides students with visuals while reading the article aloud.
  2. The general education teacher arranges for Kai to highlight key concepts in the article with a classmate during the read-aloud.
  3. The special education teacher asks students to write down key concepts from the article directly after the read-aloud.
  4. The general education teacher asks Kai to locate key concepts within the article independently before the read-aloud.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct because providing students with visual supports, such as content-related photographs, is an evidence-based instructional strategy that promotes reading comprehension. Providing visuals while reading the article aloud is likely to support Kai's ability to understand concepts and recall content from the text. Option B is incorrect because although highlighting key concepts is likely to draw Kai's attention to salient information within the text, highlighting text alone will not support his reading comprehension. Options C and D are incorrect because writing and locating key concepts from dictation are strategies that are unlikely to promote Kai's reading comprehension because these will not provide him with access to the text or provide a scaffold for connecting information within the text to his prior knowledge.

Additional Selected-Response Questions

This section includes additional sample selected-response questions for you to review in preparation for the exam. The correct answer is provided for each question below.

Domain I—Identification and Assessment

Competency 001—(Identification for Special Education Evaluation and Services): Apply knowledge of requirements for identifying students who meet disability criteria and for determining the need for specially designed instruction and related services.

26. An educational diagnostician is working with a representative of a local educational agency (LEA) to implement the Child Find mandate in the school district. Which of the following statements best describes a key component of the mandate with which the school district must comply?

  1. Children who are placed by parents/guardians in private schools, including religious schools, are exempt from Child Find requirements.
  2. Children referred through Child Find must be identified with a disability for which the child's local school district can provide services.
  3. Children from migrant working families can be evaluated with Child Find once they no longer experience interrupted formal education for a period of three years.
  4. Children suspected of having a disability must be referred through Child Find, including children who are advancing from grade to grade.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

27. A ninth-grade student with an emotional disturbance explores postsecondary options with the educational diagnostician in preparation for an Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meeting. With support from the educational diagnostician, the student identifies and prioritizes objectives that are necessary to reach identified long-term transition goals. Which of the following critical components of transition planning is best illustrated by the educational diagnostician's actions in this scenario?

  1. promoting the student's self-determination in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process
  2. teaching decision making and problem solving while promoting the student's self-awareness
  3. determining cognitive skills that are needed for the student to succeed academically
  4. ensuring that the instruction provided to the student targets academic skill development
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct.

28. An educational diagnostician is part of the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee for a sixth-grade student with a learning disability in mathematics. The committee is creating goals and objectives to include in the student's Individualized Education Program (IEP). When completing this process, it is most important for the committee to ensure that the student's goals and objectives:

  1. are specific, measurable, and relevant.
  2. will be applicable for more than one school year.
  3. can be applied across the academic curriculum.
  4. align with current classroom lessons.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct.

Competency 002—(Evaluation, Planning, Selection, and Administration): Apply knowledge of the functions and principles of assessment, assessments used to make educational and instructional decisions about students, and procedures and considerations in selecting and administering appropriate formal and informal assessments for individual students.

29. A third-grade student who is an English learner (EL) is being evaluated for special education eligibility. An educational diagnostician reviewed information from the student's cognitive testing in conjunction with culture and language data. This action primarily supports the educational diagnostician in:

  1. prioritizing the student's areas of academic strengths instead of needs.
  2. considering potential areas of bias in the assessment results for the student.
  3. comparing differences between the student's crystallized and fluid intelligence.
  4. identifying the student's level of projective achievement in different areas.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

30. A prospective kindergarten child with a visual impairment has been referred by Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) for a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE). Which of the following steps is most important for the educational diagnostician to take to begin the evaluation process?

  1. collecting a transcript of the child's most recent annual pediatric examination
  2. interviewing the child's parents/guardians to determine how safely the child navigates outside play structures
  3. collaborating with the certified teacher of the visually impaired (CTVI) about the child
  4. reviewing developmental assessments that evaluated the child's motor, communication, and cognitive abilities
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct.

31. Use the evaluation results below for a third-grade student to answer the question that follows.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® — Fifth Edition (WISC®–V)
Composite Composite Score Percentile Rank
Verbal Comprehension Index (VCI) 90 25
Working Memory Index (WMI) 70 2
Processing Speed Index (PSI) 85 16

Based on the WISC®–V composite scores shown, with which of the following cognitive skills is this student most likely to experience difficulty?

  1. acquiring new vocabulary
  2. developing abstract reasoning
  3. focusing on expressive language
  4. attending to auditory information
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

32. An educational diagnostician has recently administered an academic achievement test as part of a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) for a third-grade student who has demonstrated difficulty in reading comprehension. When communicating results of multiple sources of data to the student's parents/guardians, it is most important for the educational diagnostician to:

  1. highlight results from subtests that represent the student's suspected areas of academic weakness.
  2. emphasize key concepts from an achievement test, a criterion-referenced test, and the student's work samples.
  3. explain technical aspects of scoring and how the student's standard scores and scaled scores are derived on the administered subtests.
  4. conduct an error analysis using actual items from the student's administered subtests.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

Competency 003—(Interpretation and Reporting of Evaluation Results): Apply skills for interpreting, reporting, and communicating the results of the Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE).

33. An educational diagnostician plans to write a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE) report for a third-grade student who demonstrates difficulty with basic reading skills and has been referred for a special education evaluation. Federal guidelines require that the FIIE:

  1. prioritize normative assessment measures in identifying special education eligibility for the student's suspected disability category.
  2. be sufficiently comprehensive to identify all of the student's special education and related services needs.
  3. outline specialized instruction that would support the student's access to the general education curriculum.
  4. include instruments that adequately reflect the student's developmental delays in sensory, motor, or speaking skills.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

34. As part of the evaluation process, the educational diagnostician interviews the parents/guardians of a third-grade student with a suspected learning disability. The parents/guardians report that the student suffered a head injury at age five. Which of the following actions should the educational diagnostician take in response to this information?

  1. disregarding the information because of the amount of time that has passed since the incident
  2. continuing the evaluation but limiting the assessment to the area of the suspected disability
  3. suspending the evaluation until an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) is completed
  4. obtaining written permission from the parents/guardians to review pertinent medical records
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

Domain II—Curriculum, Instruction, and Intervention

Competency 004—(Academic Instruction and Strategies): Apply knowledge of educational implications of disabilities, appropriate curricula, and instructional strategies, including accommodations, modifications, and interventions, for students with disabilities.

35. A sixth-grade student who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experiences difficulties in interpreting sarcasm and humor when used by teachers and peers. Which of the following characteristics primarily associated with ASD is best illustrated through these experiences?

  1. preoccupation with abstract reasoning
  2. repetitive and stereotypic language usage
  3. significant differences in expressive and receptive language abilities
  4. marked deficits in pragmatic language
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

36. A fifth-grade student with a specific learning disability in basic reading with the condition of dyslexia has been receiving special education services for several years. The student's Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee has convened for the student's reevaluation and has reached the consensus shown in the summary notes below:

ARD Summary Notes
The student has made steady decoding progress, and can accurately decode grade-level text.
The student has difficulty with oral reading fluency, and reads in a slow and labored manner.
The student understands grade-level text when read aloud.
The student demonstrates literal and inferential comprehension of grade-level paragraphs that are four or five sentences long.
The student has difficulty with literal and inferential comprehension when reading more than a single paragraph.

Based on the ARD committee's collective conclusions, which of the following general approaches would most effectively address the student's identified needs?

  1. The student should perform tasks that are designed to increase decoding skills and improve the ability to comprehend longer passages.
  2. The student should be taught explicit strategies to effectively draw on strengths in oral reading fluency to compensate for reading comprehension difficulties.
  3. The student should be provided with practice in prosody required for literal and inferential text comprehension.
  4. The student should be taught explicit skills to increase reading fluency so that working memory can more efficiently process language.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

Competency 005—(Functional Skill Instruction and Strategies): Understand the use of appropriate assessment, evaluation, planning, and instructional strategies for developing students' social, behavioral, communication, and adaptive skills.

37. An educational diagnostician has completed a reevaluation for a second-grade student with a learning disability in reading comprehension. The educational diagnostician is reviewing results with the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. The ARD committee has determined that the student would benefit from a goal that addresses the development of perspective taking. Which of the following actions would most effectively promote the student's perspective-taking abilities through reading activities?

  1. exploring through questioning with the student how different characters in a story might feel about the same event
  2. stopping periodically and asking the student to summarize who and what the story is mostly about
  3. asking the student to describe what was the student's favorite part and why at the end of reading
  4. providing the definition of any unfamiliar vocabulary for the student in terms the student can easily understand
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct.

38. A tenth-grade student demonstrates limitations in executive functioning, often forgetting to bring necessary materials to classes. A reference chart that lists required materials associated with each class has been developed and implemented to facilitate the student's ability to plan and organize. Which of the following approaches would most effectively promote generalization of the student's executive function abilities?

  1. giving specific feedback to the student periodically to increase self-awareness
  2. requiring universal implementation of the strategy to all of the classes the student attends
  3. providing the student with intermittent reinforcement when using the reference charts
  4. decreasing cues to facilitate the student's independent use of the strategy
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

39. An eleventh-grade student with a learning disability in mathematics and an emotional disturbance began taking medication, prescribed by a pediatric psychiatrist, in ninth grade to manage symptoms associated with bipolar disorder. Until recently, the student did not demonstrate any concerning behaviors while at school. However, within the past eight weeks, the student has evidenced inappropriate behaviors, such as skipping classes and verbally assaulting teachers and peers. Which of the following actions is most appropriate for the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee to take first?

  1. arranging for the student to speak with the building administrator and guidance counselor
  2. contacting the student's psychiatrist to request a change in medication
  3. scheduling an ARD committee meeting to discuss the student's behavior change
  4. requiring the student to list socially appropriate responses when faced with conflict or frustration
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct.

Domain III—Professional Responsibilities

Competency 006—(Consultation and Collaboration): Understand strategies and approaches for effective consultation and development of collaborative relationships with students, parents/guardians, school personnel, and other professionals and apply skills for scheduling and management of timelines and reporting requirements.

40. Families of children who will be entering prekindergarten are encouraged to attend prekindergarten screenings, which are arranged at various times throughout the year. The parents/guardians who attend these screenings often have concerns about their child's development and readiness for prekindergarten. When the educational diagnostician is discussing concerns with the parents/guardians before and after these screenings, which of the following communication strategies is most likely to promote a collaborative relationship?

  1. attentively listening to the parents/guardians with a neutral facial expression
  2. providing parents/guardians with extensive information regarding the special education process
  3. assuring parents/guardians that their child will make gains after being enrolled in prekindergarten
  4. practicing active listening skills, such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and clarifying
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

41. An annual Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee meeting is scheduled for a ninth-grade student with autism spectrum disorder, but due to an unforeseen emergency, the occupational therapist cannot attend. The educational diagnostician contacts the parents/guardians to reschedule the ARD meeting due to the absence. However, the parents/guardians would like to continue with the meeting as scheduled. Which of the following actions should the educational diagnostician take next?

  1. obtaining written consent from the parents/guardians at the ARD meeting to excuse the absent team member
  2. rescheduling the ARD meeting so that all team members can attend
  3. proceeding with the ARD meeting but scheduling an additional meeting to review the all progress summaries
  4. asking the occupational therapy to contact the parents/guardians directly following the ARD committee meeting
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct.

42. In preparation for an upcoming three-year reevaluation for a fourth-grade student with a specific learning disability, an educational diagnostician is meeting with the student's parents. The educational diagnostician would like to promote the parents' active participation with the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee. Which of the following steps would be most effective for the educational diagnostician to take for this purpose?

  1. showing the parents norm-referenced tests administered to their child and providing an opportunity for the parents to ask clarifying questions regarding their child's responses
  2. arranging for the parents to be present for any evaluation that will be used to determine their child's continued eligibility for special education services
  3. ensuring that the parents understand the evaluation process and their unique ability to offer insight into their child's learning needs and long-term goals
  4. reviewing with the parents their child's grade-level curricular standards and working with the parents to prioritize the standards they would like their child to achieve
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct.

43. Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

An educational diagnostician has developed the following checklist to keep track of individuals who have been interviewed as part of a student's evaluation process.

Potential Interviewees Interviewed?
Student Yes [  ] No [  ]
Parents/guardians Yes [  ] No [  ]
Teachers Yes [  ] No [  ]
Administrator Yes [  ] No [  ]
Counselors Yes [  ] No [  ]
Student assistance team Yes [  ] No [  ]
Physician Yes [  ] No [  ]
Outside agency service provider Yes [  ] No [  ]
School attendance monitor Yes [  ] No [  ]
Other: Yes [  ] No [  ]

Which of the following descriptions best expresses the purpose of the educational diagnostician's checklist?

  1. determining the student's eligibility to receive a full range of special education and related services
  2. using multiple sources of information to understand the student's learning needs
  3. gathering information from those who know or work closely with the student
  4. collecting anecdotal information about the student's cognitive abilities
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

Competency 007—(Legal and Ethical Practice): Apply knowledge of professional practices, roles, and responsibilities and the legal and ethical foundations of evaluation related to special education.

44. An educational diagnostician is conducting an evaluation of a student to determine eligibility for special education services. Which of the following actions most effectively illustrates use of best practice guidelines in conducting the evaluation?

  1. using the technical language employed in the assessment when communicating a student's assessment results to the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee
  2. ensuring that data considered for a student's eligibility are strictly standardized or norm-referenced
  3. designing evaluation reports that adequately compare the student's performance to that of peers with a similar disability profile
  4. collecting data about a student from multiple sources, such as objective observations, classroom work samples, and formative and summative evaluations
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

45. An educational diagnostician is considering recommendations for the participation of a third-grade student in the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) program. The student's Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee suggests the student participate in the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment. Which of the following statements describes an eligibility requirement for participation in the STAAR Alternate 2 assessment?

  1. The student would require multiple accommodations to successfully participate in the STAAR assessment.
  2. The student has a significant cognitive disability as determined by the results of an evaluation performed by a qualified evaluation team.
  3. The student has participated in the STAAR assessment for at least two consecutive years and has shown minimal academic progress.
  4. The student requires curricular modifications to regular class instruction and assessment.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

Clustered Questions

Use the information below to answer the three questions that follow.

The parents/guardians of a fourth-grade student have concerns regarding their child's reading abilities and limited progress, even after the student has received intensive reading comprehension intervention five times each week for 30-minute sessions. The student's general education teacher reports below-grade-level reading comprehension. The student is motivated, consistently demonstrates good effort, and has demonstrated ongoing progress in mathematics. Given the concerns of the parents/guardians, the student's below-grade-level reading abilities, and limited intervention progress, the intervention team is reviewing existing data. Shown below are excerpts from the student's data.

State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR)
Third Grade
 blank Scaled Score Percentile Rank Interpretation
Reading 1256 16 Did Not Meet
Mathematics 1380 31 Approaches
Fourth Grade
 blank Scaled Score Percentile Rank Interpretation
Reading 1341 14 Did Not Meet
Mathematics 1503 26 Approaches
Response to Intervention (RtI)
Reading Comprehension Strategy Instruction
Week of Intervention Words Read Correctly (WRC) per Minute (min) on Fourth-Grade Level Passages Question Response Accuracy Following Repeated Reading
2 94 WRC/min Factual: 25%

Inferential: 0
4 97 WRC/min Factual: 25%

Inferential: 0
6 99 WRC/min Factual: 50%

Inferential: 0
8 105 WRC/min Factual: 50%

Inferential: 0
Grade 4 Progress Report
Progress Key:

E = Exceeds   M = Meets   P = Progressing   NY = Not Yet Developed

NC = Not Covered This Term
English Language Arts December May
Reading Fluency NY P
Reading Comprehension NY NY
Vocabulary Knowledge NY NY
Mathematics December May
Operations and Algebraic Thinking NC P
Operations Using Base Ten NY P
Geometry P M
Measurement and Data P M

Competency 002—(Evaluation, Planning, Selection, and Administration): Apply knowledge of the functions and principles of assessment, assessments used to make educational and instructional decisions about students, and procedures and considerations in selecting and administering appropriate formal and informal assessments for individual students.

46. Based on the data presented, the intervention team should recommend which of the following actions to best support the student's learning and progress toward curricular objectives?

  1. providing the student with additional Tier III interventions for an additional eight weeks
  2. convening a Section 504 committee meeting to discuss an accommodation plan
  3. seeking written parent/guardian consent to begin the evaluation process
  4. declining a Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE)
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option C is correct.

47. In addition to reviewing the student's STAAR scores, intervention progress, and general education progress report, the intervention team should collect evidence to determine:

  1. the appropriateness of the instruction that has already been provided to the student.
  2. the type and degree of the student's learning disability.
  3. the impact of the student's health and medical history on learning.
  4. the student's sustained effort and participation during a language arts lesson.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option A is correct.

Competency 004—(Academic Instruction and Strategies): Apply knowledge of educational implications of disabilities, appropriate curricula, and instructional strategies, including accommodations, modifications, and interventions, for students with disabilities.

48. Which of the following strategies would be most appropriate for the educational diagnostician to suggest to the student's teacher?

  1. raising the student's reading fluency goal to 150 words read correctly per minute and continuing fluency progress monitoring biweekly
  2. recording the provision of appropriate reading instruction and collecting test data related to the student's proficiency
  3. administering practice state examinations to the student in all subjects weekly and recording the specific areas of weakness
  4. providing a reading intervention focusing on comprehension skills and tracking the student's progress using a curriculum-based assessment (CBA) weekly
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.

Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.

Following a Review of Existing Evaluation Data (REED), the Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) committee requested a reevaluation of a tenth-grade student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a specific learning disability in mathematics calculations. The student's general education and special education teachers report good progress as evidenced by formative and summative evaluations, and the student has achieved a Meets Grade Level score on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) End-of-Course (EOC) Algebra I assessment. The student has received special education services for mathematics since fourth grade, but given the student's considerable progress, the educational diagnostician obtained parent/guardian consent to complete a reevaluation. The results of the reevaluation are summarized below.

Woodcock-Johnson® IV Tests of Acievement (WJIV™)
Cluster Standard Score Percentile Rank
MATHEMATICS 97 42
BROAD MATHEMATICS 100 50
MATH CALCULATION SKILLS 105 63
MATH PROBLEM SOLVING 95 37
Subtest Standard Score Percentile Rank
Calculation 105 63
Math Facts Fluency 106 66
Applied Problems 90 25
Quantitative Concepts 100 50
Number Matrices 100 50
Woodcock-Johnson® IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJIV™ COG)
(mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15)
Cluster Standard Score Percentile Rank
Fluid Reasoning 88 21
Comprehension-Knowledge 90 25
Processing Speed 90 25
Visual Processing 90 25
Short-Term Working Memory 87 19
Long-Term Retrieval 85 16
Auditory Processing 90 25

Competency 002—(Evaluation, Planning, Selection, and Administration): Apply knowledge of the functions and principles of assessment, assessments used to make educational and instructional decisions about students, and procedures and considerations in selecting and administering appropriate formal and informal assessments for individual students.

49. In addition to formal evaluations, the educational diagnostician should obtain which of the following data?

  1. grade-equivalent scores based on the student's mathematics cluster standard scores
  2. the student's curriculum-based, criterion-referenced, and informal data
  3. a variety of criterion-referenced tests to measure the student's mathematics achievement
  4. scores from standardized mathematics tests taken by the student
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option B is correct.

Competency 003—(Interpretation and Reporting of Evaluation Results): Apply skills for interpreting, reporting, and communicating the results of the Full and Individual Initial Evaluation (FIIE).

50. Given the student's performance on the Woodcock-Johnson® IV Tests of Achievement (WJ IV™) and the Woodcock-Johnson® IV Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ IV™ COG), combined with multiple sources of data, which of the following conclusions would be most appropriate for the educational diagnostician to report to the ARD committee?

  1. The student's Broad Mathematics and Short-Term Working Memory standard scores indicate performance consistent with that of a student with a specific learning disability.
  2. The student's Math Problem Solving standard score indicates limited proficiency in grade-level mathematics activities.
  3. The student's results evidence the presence of an intellectual disability.
  4. The results indicate that the student no longer meets eligibility criteria of a specific learning disability in mathematics calculation.
Enter to expand or collapse answer.Answer expanded
Option D is correct.