GACE Special Education General Curriculum (P-12) (735) study plan
GACE Special Education General Curriculum (P-12) (735) · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 7 hours per week
Students with Disabilities
Classify each disability category recognized under IDEA and match it to its defining characteristics
Describe the academic, behavioral, and social impacts of the highest-incidence disabilities (specific learning disability, other health impairment, emotional/behavioral disability, autism, speech-language impairment)
Differentiate look-alike profiles (e.g., learning disability vs. intellectual disability, ADHD vs. emotional/behavioral disability) using distinguishing criteria
Explain how cultural, linguistic, and economic factors can be misread as disability and why over-identification matters
Your checkpoint
A completed 13-category reference matrix (definition, 3 characteristics, 2 instructional implications per category) plus a self-quiz scored at 85% or higher
Students with Disabilities & Assessment and the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Sequence the special education process from pre-referral intervention through eligibility, IEP development, placement, and annual review
Explain the role and membership of the multidisciplinary team in determining eligibility
Analyze missed practice items on Domain 1 and label each error by cause (unknown term, misread stem, faulty reasoning)
Identify the required components of an IEP and the procedural safeguards tied to each stage
Your checkpoint
A 40-question Domain 1 practice set scored at 80% or higher, accompanied by a written error log that categorizes every missed item
Assessment and the Individualized Education Program (IEP)
Write measurable annual goals that contain condition, target behavior, criterion, and baseline
Draft a present-levels statement that logically connects baseline data to each proposed goal
Differentiate accommodations from modifications and select appropriate supports for given student needs
Outline transition planning requirements and the timeline for IEP meetings and reevaluations
Your checkpoint
A complete mock IEP for a supplied student profile, scored against a 10-point rubric and including at least 3 compliant, measurable annual goals
Assessment and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) & Instruction
Revise the mock IEP using rubric feedback until every component meets the compliance checklist
Compare explicit/direct instruction, strategy instruction, and peer-mediated approaches by purpose and structure
Match evidence-based practices to specific disability profiles and grade bands
Explain how progress-monitoring data from an IEP goal would trigger an instructional change
Your checkpoint
A revised IEP plus a one-page table matching 8 evidence-based practices to specific student profiles with a one-sentence justification for each
Instruction
Design scaffolded instruction that moves through modeling, guided practice, and independent application
Apply Universal Design for Learning principles across engagement, representation, and action/expression in a single lesson
Differentiate one lesson for three learners performing at different levels within the same classroom
Plan co-teaching roles and paraprofessional responsibilities within the lesson structure
Your checkpoint
One original lesson plan with UDL and differentiation embedded, plus a one-page rationale identifying the specific principles and evidence base used
Assessment
Distinguish formative assessment, summative assessment, and curriculum-based measurement by purpose and timing
Interpret standard scores, percentiles, and progress-monitoring trend lines to make instructional decisions
Select testing accommodations and justify each with documented student need rather than convenience
Explain the tiers of an RTI/MTSS framework and the data required at each tier
Your checkpoint
A data-analysis write-up based on a supplied set of progress-monitoring scores, containing 3 data-based instructional decisions with supporting justification
Planning and Managing the Learning Environment & Professional Responsibilities and Foundations
Design a classroom management plan that combines prevention, clear routines, and tiered behavioral supports
Outline the functional behavioral assessment to behavior intervention plan process and match function-based interventions to hypothesized functions
Summarize legal and ethical requirements including confidentiality, least restrictive environment, discipline protections, and due process
Describe collaboration strategies for working with families, general educators, and related-service providers
Your checkpoint
A behavior intervention plan outline for a behavioral scenario, plus a 20-item Domain 3 and Domain 6 quiz scored at 80% or higher
Students with Disabilities & Assessment and the Individualized Education Program (IEP) & Planning and Managing the Learning Environment & Instruction & Assessment & Professional Responsibilities and Foundations
Diagnose remaining weak subareas by reviewing cumulative error logs across all six domains
Complete timed, full-length practice tests under simulated testing conditions
Re-teach the three weakest subareas using targeted review and fresh practice items
Consolidate key terminology and legal timelines into a single review sheet
Your checkpoint
A full-length practice test scored at 80% or higher overall, plus a one-page action sheet listing the three weakest subareas and the specific steps to address each before test day
Milestones
Week 2: Domain 1 practice set completed at 80% or higher with a full error log; can list the special education process steps in correct order without notes
Week 4: Mock IEP passes the compliance checklist with all required components; 50 mixed items across Domains 1, 2, and 4 scored at 75% or higher
Week 6: Domain 5 practice set scored at 80% or higher and the progress-monitoring data write-up complete with 3 justified instructional decisions
Week 8: Full-length timed practice test scored at 80% or higher overall, with no single domain below 70% and a written weak-area action sheet finished