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MTLE Special Education Core Skills study materials
MTLE Special Education Core Skills study resources

MTLE Special Education Core Skills practice questions

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Question 1Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a specific learning disability in reading has an IEP goal targeting phonemic awareness. Which activity most directly builds the skill this goal addresses?

  1. Matching pictures to their printed word cards
  2. Reading a grade-level passage aloud with a partner
  3. Orally segmenting the word 'clap' into individual sounds Correct answer.
  4. Copying a list of spelling words three times each

Explanation

Phonemic awareness is the ability to notice and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, so segmenting 'clap' into /k/ /l/ /a/ /p/ targets that skill directly. The other activities involve print, spelling, or fluency rather than manipulating spoken sounds.

Question 2Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Under IDEA, which statement accurately describes the requirement for a student's IEP team membership?

  1. The team may consist of a single special education teacher if the parents give written consent
  2. The team must include the parent, a general education teacher when the child may participate in general education, and a representative qualified to supervise special education services Correct answer.
  3. The team must consist only of the special education teacher and the school principal
  4. The team must include the student's private physician in all cases

Explanation

IDEA specifies required IEP team members, including the parent, at least one general education teacher if the child is or may be in the general education environment, a special education teacher, and a local education agency representative qualified to provide or supervise services. A physician is not a required member, and the team cannot be reduced to one person by consent.

Question 3Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher wants to measure how often a student leaves their seat during independent work. Which method is the most appropriate direct measure?

  1. A curriculum-based measurement of reading fluency
  2. A permanent product check of completed worksheets
  3. A weekly Likert-scale teacher rating of behavior
  4. Event recording of each out-of-seat occurrence Correct answer.

Explanation

Out-of-seat behavior has a clear beginning and end, so event recording (tallying each occurrence) captures frequency directly. Permanent products, rating scales, and reading fluency measures do not count the discrete target behavior.

Question 4Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student's assessment results show a standard score of 85 with a 95% confidence interval of 80 to 90. Which interpretation is most defensible?

  1. The test is invalid because the interval is wider than the score
  2. The student's score is above the average for same-age peers
  3. The student scored exactly 85 and no other score is plausible
  4. The student's true score is likely to fall within the 80 to 90 range Correct answer.

Explanation

A confidence interval indicates the range within which the student's true score probably falls, given measurement error. The obtained score of 85 is an estimate, and the interval of 80 to 90 expresses that uncertainty rather than exactness.

Question 5Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which classroom practice best reflects the principle of universal design for learning (UDL)?

  1. Assigning all students the same worksheet to ensure identical expectations
  2. Waiting until a student fails before adding accommodations
  3. Offering content in multiple formats and allowing students several ways to demonstrate learning Correct answer.
  4. Providing accommodations only to students with identified disabilities

Explanation

UDL builds flexibility into instruction from the start by presenting information in multiple ways and offering varied means of expression and engagement. It is proactive and designed for the full range of learners rather than a retrofit for individual students.

Question 6Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with an intellectual disability is learning to count money to make purchases. Which approach is most consistent with applied behavior analysis for this skill?

  1. Teaching the entire skill in one session without feedback
  2. Replacing the money skill with a general math worksheet
  3. Task analysis with systematic prompting and reinforcement of successive steps Correct answer.
  4. Waiting for the student to discover the skill through unstructured play

Explanation

ABA breaks complex skills into teachable components (task analysis) and uses prompting, reinforcement, and data to build independence step by step. This structured, data-driven approach matches the principles of applied behavior analysis.

Question 7Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)?

  1. To assign a disciplinary consequence for a behavior incident
  2. To determine whether a student qualifies for special education services
  3. To identify the antecedents, consequences, and function that maintain a problem behavior Correct answer.
  4. To compare a student's academic achievement with that of peers

Explanation

An FBA gathers information about what happens before and after a behavior to determine its function, which then guides a behavior intervention plan. It is not an eligibility determination, a disciplinary tool, or an academic comparison.

Question 8Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student who is deaf and uses American Sign Language needs access to a lecture. Which accommodation most directly provides access to the spoken content?

  1. A copy of the lecture slides provided after class
  2. Extended time on the end-of-unit written test
  3. An ASL interpreter positioned where the student can see both the interpreter and the speaker Correct answer.
  4. Preferential seating at the front of the room without additional support

Explanation

A qualified ASL interpreter provides real-time access to spoken language for a student who uses sign language. Preferential seating alone, test accommodations, and delayed notes do not convey the spoken lecture as it occurs.

Question 9Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a learning disability in written expression struggles to organize ideas into paragraphs. Which instructional strategy most directly targets this difficulty?

  1. Explicit instruction in a planning framework such as a graphic organizer for topic and supporting sentences Correct answer.
  2. Increasing the number of spelling words assigned each week
  3. Having the student read more narrative texts independently
  4. Reducing the length requirement for every writing assignment

Explanation

Struggles with organizing ideas respond to explicit strategy instruction in planning, such as using a graphic organizer to structure a topic sentence and supporting details. Spelling drills, extra reading, and reducing requirements do not teach the organizational process.

Question 10Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which statement best characterizes the concept of least restrictive environment (LRE)?

  1. A student with a disability is educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when supplementary aids and services are insufficient Correct answer.
  2. A student's placement is determined solely by the category of disability
  3. Placement in general education is required regardless of whether the student's needs can be met there
  4. A student with a disability must always be placed in a separate special education classroom

Explanation

LRE requires education alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when the nature or severity of the disability means education in general classes with supplementary aids cannot be achieved satisfactorily. Placement is individualized, not automatic.

Question 11Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher uses a token economy in which students earn tokens for on-task behavior and exchange them for preferred activities. Which principle does this system primarily rely on?

  1. Positive reinforcement through conditioned reinforcers Correct answer.
  2. Extinction of an unwanted behavior
  3. Punishment through response cost
  4. Negative reinforcement by removing a task demand

Explanation

Tokens function as conditioned reinforcers that are paired with backup reinforcers, and earning them for on-task behavior is positive reinforcement. No aversive stimulus is added or removed, so punishment, extinction, and negative reinforcement do not apply.

Question 12Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with autism spectrum disorder has difficulty transitioning between activities. Which support is most likely to reduce transition-related distress?

  1. Removing all structure from the classroom routine
  2. Providing a visual schedule and a predictable warning before the transition Correct answer.
  3. Increasing the pace of transitions to build tolerance
  4. Waiting until the student is calm before announcing any change

Explanation

Visual schedules and advance warnings increase predictability, which reduces anxiety and supports successful transitions for many students with autism. Sudden or faster transitions and removing structure generally increase distress.

Question 13Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following is the best example of a curriculum-based measurement (CBM) used to monitor reading progress?

  1. An IQ test administered by a school psychologist
  2. A teacher's end-of-year letter grade in reading
  3. Weekly one-minute oral reading fluency passages scored for words read correctly Correct answer.
  4. A single standardized achievement test administered once per year

Explanation

CBM uses brief, repeated probes of basic skills to track growth over time, such as weekly one-minute oral reading fluency measures. Annual standardized tests, IQ tests, and letter grades do not provide frequent, sensitive progress data.

Question 14Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student's IEP includes the goal 'Given a graphic organizer, the student will write a three-paragraph essay with a topic sentence and two supporting details per paragraph in 4 of 5 trials.' Which component is missing from this goal statement?

  1. A criterion for success
  2. A statement of how progress will be measured and reported Correct answer.
  3. A condition under which the behavior occurs
  4. A measurable behavior

Explanation

The goal includes a condition (given a graphic organizer), a measurable behavior (write a three-paragraph essay), and a criterion (4 of 5 trials), but it does not specify how progress will be measured and reported. IDEA requires IEP goals to include how progress toward the goal will be measured.

Question 15Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a manifestation determination review (MDR)?

  1. To decide whether the student should be retained in grade
  2. To set the student's annual IEP goals for the coming year
  3. To determine the student's eligibility for special education services
  4. To decide whether a student's behavior that led to a disciplinary change of placement was caused by or directly related to the student's disability Correct answer.

Explanation

An MDR is conducted when a disciplinary change of placement occurs to determine whether the conduct was caused by or substantially related to the student's disability or the failure to implement the IEP. It does not determine eligibility, set goals, or decide retention.

Question 16Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a speech-language impairment omits final consonants in conversational speech. Which goal most directly targets this pattern?

  1. The student will answer comprehension questions after listening to a story
  2. The student will produce final consonants in words at the sentence level with 80% accuracy across three sessions Correct answer.
  3. The student will write a paragraph using complete sentences
  4. The student will read grade-level passages with 95% accuracy

Explanation

The goal targets the specific phonological error by requiring accurate production of final consonants with a measurable criterion. Reading fluency, written sentences, and listening comprehension do not address the sound-production pattern.

Question 17Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which assessment practice is most consistent with the requirement that students with disabilities participate in state accountability assessments?

  1. Excluding the student from all state assessments
  2. Using only teacher-made tests in place of the state assessment for all students with IEPs
  3. Providing the accommodations listed in the student's IEP during the general assessment Correct answer.
  4. Administering the assessment without any of the student's usual accommodations

Explanation

Students with disabilities participate in state accountability assessments with appropriate accommodations as documented in the IEP. Exclusion, removal of needed accommodations, or wholesale substitution of teacher tests would not meet accountability requirements.

Question 18Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a specific learning disability in math has difficulty with place value. Which instructional approach is most likely to support understanding of place value?

  1. Having the student copy definitions of place value terms
  2. Using base-ten blocks and explicit instruction connecting the manipulatives to written numerals Correct answer.
  3. Increasing the number of homework problems without additional instruction
  4. Assigning timed drills of multiplication facts

Explanation

Concrete manipulatives paired with explicit connections to symbolic notation support conceptual understanding of place value. Timed drills, copying definitions, and more problems without instruction do not build the underlying concept.

Question 19Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following best describes the role of a paraeducator in supporting a student with disabilities?

  1. Serving as the sole decision-maker at the IEP meeting
  2. Conducting the initial evaluation to determine eligibility
  3. Independently designing the student's IEP goals and services
  4. Delivering instruction and support under the direction and supervision of a certified teacher Correct answer.

Explanation

Paraeducators provide instructional and related support under the supervision of certified personnel, who retain responsibility for planning and decision-making. IEP design, eligibility evaluation, and IEP decisions remain with qualified professionals and the team.

Question 20Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a traumatic brain injury has difficulty with organization and memory after returning to school. Which accommodation is most likely to support these needs?

  1. Assigning additional homework to build memory
  2. Removing the student from all social activities
  3. Providing a daily assignment notebook and checklists to structure tasks Correct answer.
  4. Reducing the student's access to all academic content

Explanation

External organizational supports such as assignment notebooks and checklists compensate for difficulties with organization and memory while keeping the student engaged in learning. Restricting content, isolating the student, or adding homework does not address the cognitive needs.

Question 21Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher is planning instruction for a student with a learning disability who struggles with reading comprehension. Which strategy is most consistent with research-supported practice?

  1. Teaching the student to use a comprehension strategy such as self-questioning while reading Correct answer.
  2. Replacing comprehension instruction with spelling practice
  3. Having the student read silently without any strategy instruction
  4. Increasing the reading volume without teaching strategies

Explanation

Explicit instruction in comprehension strategies, such as self-questioning, helps students with learning disabilities actively construct meaning from text. Unstructured reading, additional volume without strategy instruction, and substituting spelling do not teach comprehension.

Question 22Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following best describes the concept of a continuum of alternative placements under IDEA?

  1. A requirement that all students be placed in residential settings
  2. A range of placement options from general education to more restrictive settings, selected based on individual needs Correct answer.
  3. A system in which placement is determined by the student's disability label
  4. A single placement option that applies to all students with disabilities

Explanation

IDEA requires a continuum of alternative placements, ranging from general education classrooms to more restrictive settings, so the IEP team can select the option that meets the student's needs in the least restrictive environment. Placement is individualized, not uniform or label-driven.

Question 23Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a learning disability in reading has difficulty decoding multisyllabic words. Which instructional approach is most appropriate?

  1. Increasing the number of sight words memorized each week
  2. Explicit instruction in syllable types and syllable division rules Correct answer.
  3. Encouraging the student to guess words from pictures
  4. Having the student read only grade-level chapter books

Explanation

Explicit instruction in syllable types and division rules gives students a systematic strategy for decoding longer words. Guessing from pictures, memorizing more sight words, and reading only grade-level texts do not teach the decoding skills needed for multisyllabic words.

Question 24Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

Which of the following best describes the purpose of a transition plan in an IEP for a student turning 16?

  1. To determine the student's eligibility for special education services
  2. To replace all academic goals with vocational goals
  3. To decide whether the student should be retained in grade
  4. To identify postsecondary goals and the services and activities needed to prepare the student for adult life Correct answer.

Explanation

Transition planning identifies measurable postsecondary goals in areas such as education, employment, and independent living, along with the services and activities needed to achieve them. It does not determine eligibility, replace academic goals, or decide retention.

Question 25Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher is using a behavior intervention plan that includes a replacement behavior for a student who engages in off-task behavior to escape difficult tasks. Which replacement behavior is most appropriate?

  1. Requesting a break or help using a taught signal when a task feels difficult Correct answer.
  2. Leaving the classroom without permission when frustrated
  3. Continuing to engage in off-task behavior during difficult tasks
  4. Refusing to attempt any task that seems challenging

Explanation

When off-task behavior functions to escape difficult tasks, an appropriate replacement is a functionally equivalent skill such as requesting a break or help. This gives the student a more acceptable way to meet the same need while keeping them engaged.

Question 26Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student's IEP team is drafting a present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP) statement. Which content makes the statement most defensible under IDEA?

  1. A list of the services the district intends to purchase for the student during the coming school year
  2. A narrative summary of the parent's concerns written by the case manager without student data
  3. A statement of the student's annual goals and the criteria used to measure progress toward them
  4. A description of the student's current performance in the general curriculum, including how the disability affects involvement and progress, supported by data Correct answer.

Explanation

The PLAAFP must describe the student's current academic achievement and functional performance, explain how the disability affects participation in the general curriculum, and be grounded in evaluation and progress data. It is the baseline from which goals and services are later derived, not a place to list purchases or restate goals.

Question 27Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A general education teacher asks how to apply the principle of universal design for learning (UDL) when planning a science unit. Which action best reflects UDL?

  1. Offering the unit's key content through text, audio, and visual models, and allowing students to demonstrate learning in more than one format Correct answer.
  2. Waiting until a student with an IEP enrolls before designing any alternate materials
  3. Adding extra credit assignments for students who finish the standard unit early
  4. Teaching the unit exactly as written and then reteaching it for students who fail the quiz

Explanation

UDL builds multiple means of representation and multiple means of expression and engagement into the initial design so that a wide range of learners can access content. It is proactive and planned for all students, not retrofitted after a student struggles or after an IEP arrives.

Question 28Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with an emotional disability has begun refusing to enter the classroom after lunch, and the behavior occurs nearly every day. Before writing a behavior intervention plan, the team should complete which step?

  1. Conduct a functional behavioral assessment to identify the antecedents, consequences, and function of the behavior Correct answer.
  2. Move the student to a more restrictive setting until the behavior stops
  3. Increase the number of office referrals to document the pattern for the parent
  4. Remove the student from lunch period permanently to eliminate the trigger

Explanation

A functional behavioral assessment gathers data on antecedents, behavior, and consequences to identify the function that maintains the behavior. The resulting hypothesis is what allows the team to design a behavior intervention plan with an appropriate replacement behavior.

Question 29Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a specific learning disability in reading reads accurately but very slowly, and the teacher wants a quick measure of oral reading fluency that can be repeated weekly. Which approach fits best?

  1. Having the student read a brief passage aloud for one minute and recording words correct per minute Correct answer.
  2. Asking the student to self-report how confident they feel about each reading passage
  3. Administering a standardized norm-referenced achievement test at the end of each grading period
  4. Completing a full psychoeducational reevaluation before changing the reading intervention

Explanation

Repeated one-minute timed oral reading of brief passages, scored as words correct per minute, is a curriculum-based measure that is sensitive to short-term growth and suited to frequent progress monitoring. Standardized achievement tests and full reevaluations are too infrequent and too broad for weekly decision making.

Question 30Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

An IEP team is determining placement for a student with a significant intellectual disability. Which principle should guide the team's decision?

  1. The student's placement should be decided once and remain unchanged for the duration of the IEP
  2. The student should be placed in the setting that is least restrictive and in which the IEP can be implemented satisfactorily, with supplementary aids and services considered first Correct answer.
  3. The student must be placed in a general education classroom full time regardless of the supports needed
  4. The student should be placed according to the district's available programs rather than individual need

Explanation

Placement must be determined individually, based on the IEP, and chosen from the continuum only after the team considers whether supplementary aids and services would allow education in a more inclusive setting. Availability of programs cannot drive the decision.

Question 31Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with autism spectrum disorder has a goal to initiate greetings with peers. Which data collection method gives the most direct evidence of progress on this goal?

  1. Recording the number of greetings the student receives from peers during the week
  2. Recording the teacher's overall impression of the student's social skills each Friday
  3. Recording the number of minutes the student spends in the cafeteria each day
  4. Recording the percentage of daily opportunities on which the student initiates a greeting without a prompt Correct answer.

Explanation

The goal targets the student's unprompted initiations, so the data must count opportunities and record whether an independent initiation occurred. Measuring the behavior the goal names, under the conditions it names, keeps the data valid for IEP progress reporting.

Question 32Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher wants to reduce a student's calling out during whole-class instruction by teaching the student to raise a hand and to use a written note pad for urgent questions. Which element of behavior support does this plan emphasize?

  1. Referring the student for special education evaluation
  2. Punishing the calling-out behavior with removal of recess
  3. Teaching and reinforcing a functionally equivalent replacement behavior Correct answer.
  4. Ignoring the behavior without changing any classroom conditions

Explanation

Effective behavior support identifies the function of the problem behavior and teaches a replacement that achieves the same outcome in a more acceptable way, then reinforces that replacement. Simply suppressing the behavior or ignoring it without environmental change is unlikely to produce durable improvement.

Question 33Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student who is hard of hearing and uses a personal FM system reports difficulty hearing the teacher during small-group discussions. Which accommodation most directly addresses this problem?

  1. Seating the student at the front of the room during whole-class lecture only
  2. Providing a written summary of the discussion after the class ends
  3. Reducing the amount of group work the student participates in
  4. Providing a sound-field system or a pass-around microphone so peers' speech is amplified through the student's device Correct answer.

Explanation

The difficulty arises because the teacher's microphone does not pick up peers during group discussion, so a sound-field system or a microphone passed among speakers delivers peers' voices to the student's device. This preserves access to the discussion itself rather than substituting a summary afterward.

Question 34Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a learning disability in mathematics consistently makes errors when solving multi-step word problems, though single-step computation is accurate. Which instructional support is most appropriate?

  1. Teaching a structured problem-solving routine that includes identifying the question, selecting operations, and checking the answer Correct answer.
  2. Providing a calculator without any change to instruction
  3. Allowing the student to skip word problems and complete only computation items
  4. Having the student complete more single-step computation worksheets to build speed

Explanation

When computation is accurate but multi-step problems fail, the difficulty lies in the problem-solving process rather than in calculation. Explicit strategy instruction with steps for interpreting the problem, planning operations, and checking supports the area of need.

Question 35Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a speech-language impairment has difficulty understanding figurative language and idioms in classroom discussion. Which IEP goal is most directly aligned with this need?

  1. The student will produce /r/ accurately in conversational speech in four of five opportunities
  2. The student will explain the meaning of common idioms and figurative phrases in context with 80% accuracy across three sessions Correct answer.
  3. The student will answer literal comprehension questions about a grade-level passage with 90% accuracy
  4. The student will increase mean length of utterance to five words in spontaneous conversation

Explanation

The identified need is comprehension of nonliteral language, so the goal should target interpreting idioms and figurative expressions in context. The other goals address articulation, utterance length, or literal comprehension, which are different skills.

Question 36Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a specific learning disability in written expression produces short, disorganized paragraphs. Which instructional approach is best supported for this need?

  1. Reducing the number of writing assignments the student receives each week
  2. Replacing written assignments with oral presentations for all content areas
  3. Assigning longer writing prompts and grading the final products more strictly
  4. Providing explicit instruction in a planning strategy such as POW plus WWW, W=2, H=2, with modeling and guided practice Correct answer.

Explanation

Students with written expression disabilities benefit from explicit, modeled strategy instruction that structures planning and drafting, followed by guided and independent practice. Increasing output demands or grading more harshly does not build the missing planning skills.

Question 37Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher is preparing a student with a disability to take the state's grade-level assessment. Which practice is most consistent with IDEA assessment requirements?

  1. Selecting accommodations on the morning of the test based on the student's mood
  2. Exempting the student from the assessment because the disability affects test performance
  3. Providing the accommodations and supports listed in the student's IEP and documenting their use Correct answer.
  4. Administering the assessment without any accommodations so the results can be compared to peers

Explanation

Students with disabilities participate in state and district assessments, and the IEP team determines and documents the accommodations or alternate assessment the student needs. Accommodations are planned in advance and applied consistently.

Question 38Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a traumatic brain injury has trouble remembering assignments and organizing materials after returning to school. Which accommodation set best targets these needs?

  1. Preferential seating and a reduced homework load
  2. Frequent breaks and a quiet corner for self-regulation
  3. A daily assignment log checked by the teacher, a consistent home-school communication system, and a structured system for organizing materials Correct answer.
  4. Extended time on tests and a separate testing room

Explanation

The identified needs are organization and memory for assignments, so the accommodations should supply external structure such as a checked assignment log, systematic home-school communication, and an organizing system. The other sets address different needs such as test access, attention, or regulation.

Question 39Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with an intellectual disability is learning to purchase items at a school store. Which instructional approach is most likely to promote generalization of the skill?

  1. Repeated practice with worksheets showing coins and bills
  2. Instruction in the actual school store using real items and money, with periodic checks in a community store Correct answer.
  3. Watching a video of someone making a purchase without practice
  4. Practicing only with the same item and the same cashier each day

Explanation

Skills taught in the natural setting with real materials and then probed across other settings are more likely to generalize to community use. Varied items, amounts, and people further support transfer.

Question 40Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a learning disability in reading has difficulty decoding multisyllabic words. Which instructional approach is most directly aligned with this need?

  1. Encouraging the student to guess unfamiliar words from pictures and context
  2. Providing audiobooks for all reading assignments and excusing decoding instruction
  3. Teaching syllable types and a strategy for dividing words into pronounceable parts, with guided practice in connected text Correct answer.
  4. Increasing the number of vocabulary words the student studies each week

Explanation

Explicit instruction in syllable patterns and word-division strategies gives the student a reliable procedure for approaching unfamiliar multisyllabic words. Practice in connected text then supports application of the strategy during real reading.

Question 41Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher is designing a lesson for a class that includes a student with a significant intellectual disability and a student with a learning disability. Which approach best reflects differentiated instruction?

  1. Creating a separate curriculum for each student with a disability and teaching those separately
  2. Planning a shared content focus with varied materials, levels of support, and ways for students to demonstrate learning Correct answer.
  3. Teaching one lesson to the whole class and offering tutoring only to students who request it
  4. Delivering the same lesson and the same assignment to everyone to maintain high expectations

Explanation

Differentiated instruction keeps a common content focus while varying the process, materials, scaffolding, and products so that diverse learners can access and demonstrate the same essential content. It is planned in advance around student readiness and needs.

Question 42Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

An IEP team is writing a measurable annual goal. Which goal statement best meets the requirement for measurability?

  1. The student will benefit from small-group reading instruction
  2. The student will read grade-level narrative passages aloud with 90 words correct per minute and 95% accuracy across three consecutive weekly probes Correct answer.
  3. The student will demonstrate increased confidence and motivation in reading
  4. The student will improve reading skills to the best of their ability

Explanation

A measurable goal specifies the behavior, the conditions, the criterion, and the way progress will be measured. Stating the reading task, the fluency and accuracy criteria, and the number of probes gives the team objective data for progress reporting.

Question 43Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student's behavior intervention plan has been in place for eight weeks, and the team is reviewing progress. Which practice best reflects data-based decision making?

  1. Continuing the plan unchanged because the school year is not over
  2. Replacing the plan with a new one because any change is preferable
  3. Discontinuing the plan once the student has had three good days in a row
  4. Comparing graphed baseline and intervention data to decide whether to continue, modify, or fade the plan Correct answer.

Explanation

Reviewing graphed baseline and intervention data allows the team to judge whether the plan is producing change and to decide systematically whether to continue, adjust, or fade supports. Decisions based on trends are more defensible than decisions based on a few days or on the calendar.

Question 44Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a learning disability in reading comprehension can decode accurately but cannot identify main ideas or summarize text. Which instructional focus is most appropriate?

  1. Practice reading lists of high-frequency words for speed
  2. Additional phonics review to strengthen letter-sound correspondence
  3. Explicit instruction in comprehension strategies such as main-idea identification, summarization, and text structure, with modeling and guided practice Correct answer.
  4. Instruction in handwriting fluency to improve written output

Explanation

Because decoding is accurate, the need is in comprehension, so instruction should target strategies for extracting and organizing meaning, taught explicitly with modeling and scaffolded practice. Phonics or fluency drills address different components of reading.

Question 45Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with a disability is being considered for an alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards. Which criterion should the IEP team apply?

  1. The student's significant cognitive disability prevents participation in the general assessment even with accommodations Correct answer.
  2. The student has an IEP in any disability category and receives resource room services
  3. The student's score on the most recent standardized achievement test falls below the 25th percentile
  4. The parent requests that the student be exempted from the general assessment

Explanation

Participation in an alternate assessment is reserved for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose performance cannot be appropriately measured by the general assessment even with accommodations. Eligibility is not determined by a test score, a disability category, or parent preference.

Question 46Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student with an emotional disability is removed from the current placement for 12 school days for a weapon-related incident. Which statement about the disciplinary process is accurate?

  1. The removal is automatically limited to 10 cumulative school days for the school year
  2. A manifestation determination review must be conducted within 10 school days of the decision to change placement Correct answer.
  3. The student may be removed without any review because the incident involved a weapon
  4. The team must wait until the end of the semester to review the relationship between the behavior and the disability

Explanation

When a disciplinary change of placement occurs, the IEP team must conduct a manifestation determination review within 10 school days of the decision. Special circumstances involving weapons, drugs, or serious bodily injury permit immediate removal to an interim setting, but the review still follows.

Question 47Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher wants to collect data on how often a student leaves their seat during independent work and how long each episode lasts. Which method is most appropriate?

  1. Duration recording of each episode combined with frequency counts Correct answer.
  2. Event recording of each occurrence only
  3. Permanent product recording of completed worksheets
  4. Anecdotal notes written at the end of each day

Explanation

The teacher needs both how often the behavior occurs and how long it lasts, so combining frequency counts with duration recording captures both dimensions. A single method would leave one of the target dimensions unmeasured.

Question 48Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A student who uses a wheelchair and has fine motor difficulties needs to complete a science lab report. Which accommodation most directly supports the writing task?

  1. Providing a scribe or speech-to-text software for composing the report Correct answer.
  2. Reducing the number of lab sessions the student attends
  3. Providing a copy of the teacher's notes after the lab
  4. Scheduling science lab during a different period

Explanation

The barrier is the physical act of writing, so a scribe or speech-to-text allows the student to compose content without being limited by fine motor demands. This preserves the academic task while removing the access barrier.

Question 49Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

An IEP team is developing a transition plan for a 16-year-old student with a learning disability. Which element is required as part of the plan?

  1. A list of the colleges the student will apply to, selected by the special education teacher
  2. Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessments, with transition services and courses of study to support them Correct answer.
  3. A statement that the student will remain in school until age 21
  4. A guarantee of competitive employment upon graduation

Explanation

Transition planning must be based on age-appropriate transition assessments and must include measurable postsecondary goals in education, training, and employment, along with the services and course of study needed to reach them. The plan is individualized and cannot promise particular outcomes.

Question 50Special Education Core Skills content domain (weights not published in source)

A teacher is concerned that a student's reading scores have plateaued despite eight weeks of a research-based intervention delivered with fidelity. Which next step best reflects a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework?

  1. Immediately refer the student for special education evaluation and stop the intervention
  2. Move the student to a lower-tier intervention with less structure
  3. Review fidelity and progress data with the team and intensify the intervention, such as increasing frequency or group size reduction, before considering a referral Correct answer.
  4. Continue the same intervention for the rest of the year because eight weeks is too short to judge

Explanation

In an MTSS framework, insufficient response prompts a review of implementation fidelity and progress data followed by intensification of the intervention before a referral decision. This ensures that the student has received an adequate, well-implemented opportunity to respond.