GACE School Psychology (724) study plan

Map the assessment domain into its sub-areas (norm-referenced cognitive and achievement testing, curriculum-based measurement, behavioral and social-emotional rating scales, progress monitoring, and eligibility decision rules) and rank each by your current confidence.

Explain, in your own written words, the difference between standard scores, percentile ranks, T-scores, z-scores, and age/grade equivalents, including what each does and does not tell you.

Define reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, inter-rater) and validity (content, construct, criterion) and describe how each affects interpretation of a specific score you might report.

Compute and interpret standard error of measurement and a confidence interval around a standard score using a worked numeric example you construct yourself.

Sequence the full evaluation cycle from referral through consent, data collection, interpretation, eligibility determination, and report writing, and identify the decision point at which each data source matters most.

Distinguish screening from diagnostic assessment and describe how universal screening data feed into intervention decisions.

Describe the purpose and mechanics of curriculum-based measurement and progress monitoring, including how often to probe and how to set a goal using rate of improvement.

Outline the core components of a defensible psychoeducational report: reason for referral, background, observations, assessment results, interpretation, and linked recommendations.

Identify common assessment threats (practice effects, floor and ceiling effects, cultural and linguistic bias, examiner error) and state one safeguard against each.

Differentiate Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3 supports and describe the decision rules that move a student between tiers.

Compare the defining features and appropriate use of cognitive-behavioral, behavioral, solution-focused, and social-skills group interventions for school-age students.

Describe the components of a behavioral intervention plan (target behavior definition, function-based hypothesis, replacement behavior, reinforcement schedule, and fidelity checks).

Explain crisis response roles and sequence (risk assessment, notification, safety planning, reintegration) for suicide risk and threat scenarios.

Identify signs of internalizing versus externalizing concerns and match each to an appropriate screening or progress-monitoring method.

Summarize typical developmental trajectories in language, phonological awareness, reading fluency, written expression, and mathematics across elementary, middle, and high school.

Apply major learning theories (behavioral, cognitive, social-cognitive, constructivist, information processing) to explain a classroom learning problem.

Explain how executive function, working memory, and attention develop and how each affects academic performance.

Describe the defining characteristics of common academic skill disorders (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia) and how they differ from general low achievement or limited English proficiency.

Compare consultation models (behavioral, mental health, instructional, and collaborative/problem-solving) by their assumptions, consultant role, and typical steps.

Draft the structure of a problem-solving meeting: problem identification, problem analysis, plan implementation, and plan evaluation, with the data each stage requires.

Describe strategies for building trust with families from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds, including working with interpreters.

Explain how to frame feedback about student data so it is specific, non-blaming, and tied to actionable next steps for teachers and parents.

Identify barriers to intervention fidelity (time, competing priorities, unclear steps) and one concrete remedy for each.

Outline the key requirements of special education law as they affect school psychology practice: referral, evaluation timelines, informed consent, eligibility, least restrictive environment, and procedural safeguards.

Explain parental rights, record access, and confidentiality obligations, including when information may be shared without consent.

Apply an ethical decision-making model to two hypothetical dilemmas (for example, pressure to find a student eligible, or a request to withhold assessment results).

Describe culturally responsive assessment practices, including nondiscriminatory evaluation and the role of language proficiency data.

Identify common assessment accommodations and modifications and distinguish them from one another.

Describe the historical and legislative roots of school psychology and how the role has expanded from assessment toward intervention and systems work.

Map the major professional practice standards and credentialing bodies and explain what each governs (practice, ethics, or licensure).

Summarize the school psychologist's role within multi-tiered systems of support and how it differs from the roles of teachers, counselors, and administrators.

Explain supervision, continuing education, and scope-of-practice boundaries, including when to refer out.

Review your notes from weeks 1-6 and list every domain sub-area you still cannot explain without notes.

Complete a timed full-length practice test under exam conditions and record your score by domain.

Analyze every missed item to classify the error as content gap, misreading, or reasoning error, and target the largest category.

Re-teach your 10 weakest sub-areas from week 7 using your own notes and reference sheets, without rereading source material.

Recite from memory the score-interpretation sheet, the evaluation cycle, the consultation stages, and the ethical decision model.

Build a one-page exam-day strategy sheet covering pacing, flagging, and how you will handle unfamiliar terminology.