FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 study plan

Define the major disability categories recognized under federal and Florida ESE eligibility criteria, and state one defining characteristic of each.

Trace the sequence of landmark litigation and legislation that shaped special education, and explain the principle each contributed (e.g., free appropriate public education, least restrictive environment, procedural safeguards).

Diagram the IEP team membership and describe each member's required role and contribution.

Sequence the special education process from child find and referral through evaluation, eligibility determination, IEP development, and placement.

Rank the placements on the least restrictive environment continuum and justify a placement decision for two contrasting student profiles.

Distinguish MTSS/response-to-intervention tiers from the formal evaluation required for ESE eligibility.

Explain the difference between accommodations and modifications, and classify 15 given classroom supports into each category.

Identify the components of a legally defensible evaluation (parent consent, timeline, multiple measures, nondiscriminatory assessment).

Describe how eligibility determinations are made using data from more than one source.

Interpret standard scores, percentile ranks, stanine scores, and grade equivalents, and explain why grade equivalents are misleading.

Differentiate norm-referenced, criterion-referenced, and curriculum-based measures by purpose and use.

Explain reliability, validity, and standard error of measurement in plain language, and predict how each affects test interpretation.

Compare formative, summative, and progress-monitoring data and specify when each should drive an instructional decision.

Evaluate which testing accommodations fit a given student profile and justify the choice.

Apply universal design for learning principles to redesign one lesson with multiple means of engagement, representation, and expression.

Construct an explicit-instruction lesson segment containing modeling, guided practice, and independent practice with corrective feedback.

Select and justify differentiation strategies (tiered tasks, flexible grouping, scaffolded supports) for three learner profiles.

Match evidence-based reading and mathematics interventions to specific skill deficits (e.g., phonemic awareness, decoding fluency, computation, word problems).

Compare co-teaching models and assistive technology supports, and select the best fit for a described classroom.

Design a data-collection plan (what to measure, how often, how to record) for a target academic behavior.

Define the components of an effective classroom environment that prevents behavior problems (routines, physical arrangement, expectations, rapport).

Distinguish instructional and behavioral functions of problem behavior in given scenarios.

Sequence the functional behavioral assessment process and identify the data sources used at each step.

Analyze ABC (antecedent-behavior-consequence) records to hypothesize the function of a behavior.

Construct behavior intervention plan components that match the identified function, including replacement behaviors and reinforcement strategies.

Compare schedules of reinforcement and select an appropriate schedule for a described behavior goal.

Apply positive behavioral interventions and supports at the classroom and individual level, and describe de-escalation steps.

Describe communication strategies that build trust with families, including culturally responsive and plain-language practices.

Differentiate the roles of teachers, related-service providers, paraprofessionals, and administrators in collaborative teams.

Outline the transition-planning process, including age-appropriate transition assessment, measurable postsecondary goals, and coordinating agencies.

Compare service-delivery and collaboration models (co-teaching, consultation, itinerant) and identify the communication demands of each.

Explain confidentiality and the family's procedural-safeguards rights in a parent-friendly summary.

Complete two full-length timed practice tests and record domain-by-domain accuracy.

Rank your three weakest subareas by error frequency and re-study each using your own notes and error log.

Reconstruct from memory a one-page summary sheet per domain.

Explain aloud, without notes, five commonly confused concept pairs (e.g., accommodation vs. modification, IEP vs. 504 plan, FBA vs. BIP, norm- vs. criterion-referenced).