NBPTS ECYA/ENS cheat sheet

IDEA recognizes 13 disability categories: autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, and visual impairment including blindness.

Five developmental domains frame observation and assessment: cognitive, communication/language, motor, social-emotional, and adaptive/self-help; a significant delay in any one domain is a referral trigger.

Approximate share of students served under IDEA: specific learning disability about one-third (largest category), speech or language impairment about one-fifth, other health impairment about 15 percent, autism about 12 percent.

ADHD is not a separate IDEA category; students with ADHD are typically served under other health impairment (or, if the impact is less than special-education eligible, under Section 504).

'Developmental delay' is an optional state category for children roughly ages 3 through 9, allowing service before a specific disability label can be confirmed.

Twice-exceptional students are gifted and have a disability simultaneously; strengths can mask the disability and the disability can mask giftedness, so both dimensions require separate assessment.

IDEA contains exclusionary clauses: a student is not eligible if the determining factor is limited English proficiency or lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math, so data must rule these out.

Disproportionality data commonly show overrepresentation of Black and Native American students in emotional disturbance and intellectual disability, and underrepresentation of the same groups in gifted programs.

Score conversion anchors: standard scores mean 100, SD 15; subtest scaled scores mean 10, SD 3; T-scores mean 50, SD 10; z-scores mean 0, SD 1; percentile rank equals the percentage of the norm group scoring below.

Standard error of measurement sets the confidence interval around an obtained score; when two score confidence intervals overlap, the difference between them may reflect measurement error rather than real difference.

Reliability refers to consistency of scores across items, occasions, or raters; validity refers to whether a test measures the construct it claims - a test can be reliable without being valid.

IDEA timeline rules: initial evaluation within 60 days of parental consent (unless state law sets a shorter period), reevaluation at least every three years, and an IEP reviewed at least annually.

Decision rule: no single measure or procedure may be the sole criterion for eligibility; assessment must use multiple sources, be administered in the child's native language or mode of communication, and be free of cultural/racial discrimination.

IDEA 2004 permits identification of specific learning disability through documentation of insufficient response to scientific, research-based intervention (RTI) and prohibits states from requiring a severe discrepancy between ability and achievement.

For behavior, a functional behavior assessment precedes the behavior intervention plan; ABC recording (antecedent, behavior, consequence) plus interviews and record review establish the function that drives the plan.

Progress-monitoring decision rules: typical curriculum-based measurement is administered weekly or biweekly; a trend of four consecutive data points below the aimline, or a flat trend, signals a need to change the intervention.

Accommodations alter how a student accesses content or demonstrates learning without changing standards; modifications alter what is taught or expected; the alternate assessment aligned to alternate achievement standards is intended for roughly 1 percent of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities.

Universal Design for Learning rests on three principles: multiple means of engagement (why), multiple means of representation (what), and multiple means of action and expression (how); supports are planned in advance rather than retrofitted.

Explicit instruction follows a model–guide–apply sequence: teacher models the skill, students practice with frequent response opportunities and immediate corrective feedback, then students practice independently at high success rates.

Task analysis breaks a multi-step skill into teachable components; components are then chained forward (teach first step first) or backward (teach last step first).

Co-teaching arrangements include one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and team teaching; the selection depends on lesson purpose and student grouping needs.

The IDEA continuum of alternative placements runs from general education with supplementary aids and services, to resource rooms, separate classes, separate schools, homebound/hospital instruction, and residential placements, with a presumption in favor of the general education classroom.

Transition planning must begin no later than age 16 (earlier if state law requires) and must produce measurable postsecondary goals in education/training and employment, plus independent living goals when appropriate, with transition services that lead to those goals.

Differentiated instruction varies content, process, product, or environment in response to student readiness, interest, and learning profile; it is planned from the same grade-level standards used for peers.

Assistive technology must be considered for every IEP and ranges from low-tech (pencil grips, visual schedules) to high-tech (speech-generating devices, text-to-speech); AAC is assistive technology, and device abandonment is a recognized failure mode when training and follow-up are missing.

PBIS is a three-tier prevention framework: universal Tier 1 supports for all students, Tier 2 targeted small-group interventions, and Tier 3 intensive individualized supports, with students matched to tiers by screening and progress data.

Reinforcement schedules: continuous reinforcement produces fast acquisition but rapid extinction; variable-ratio schedules produce the highest, most extinction-resistant response rates; interval schedules reinforce the first response after a set time.

The Premack principle states that a high-frequency preferred activity can serve as a reinforcer for a lower-frequency behavior (for example, complete assigned work, then earn computer time).

The four typical functions of problem behavior are attention, escape/avoidance, access to tangibles or activities, and automatic/sensory reinforcement; an intervention that does not match the identified function will not reduce the behavior.

Antecedent-based supports - posted visual schedules, predictable routines, advance warnings of transitions, defined physical zones, reduced task size, and choice - reduce problem behavior by removing the trigger before it occurs.

Seclusion and restraint are restricted to situations of imminent danger of serious physical harm, are never used as discipline, punishment, or convenience, and require monitoring, documentation, parent notification, and staff debriefing.

Students with chronic health conditions (diabetes, asthma, severe allergy, seizure disorder) require written health plans, trained staff, and emergency protocols coordinated through Section 504 or the IEP, plus accessible exits and equipment.

Required IEP team members are the parent, at least one regular education teacher if the child is or may be in general education, at least one special education teacher or provider, an LEA representative qualified to supervise provision of services, and someone able to interpret evaluation results; the student is invited when transition is discussed.

Prior written notice must be given to parents before the school proposes or refuses to initiate or change identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of a free appropriate public education.

Procedural safeguards notice informs parents of rights to consent, revoke consent, inspect records, request an independent educational evaluation, use mediation, and file a due process complaint.

FERPA gives parents and eligible students the right to inspect and review education records (generally within 45 days of a request), to seek amendment, and to limit disclosure without written consent except under specified exceptions.

Dispute-resolution options escalate from facilitated IEP meetings and informal problem solving, to mediation, to formal complaints, to due process hearings and civil action.

Collaboration models differ: consultation involves an expert advising a teacher; coaching involves ongoing observation and feedback cycles; co-teaching involves shared delivery of instruction in the same classroom.

When families speak a language other than English or need accommodations, districts must provide interpretation, translated documents, and jargon-free explanations so that parental participation is meaningful.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017) held that an IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances and be appropriately ambitious, not merely de minimis.

Board of Education v. Rowley (1982) defined FAPE as personalized instruction with sufficient support services to permit the child to benefit educationally, and held that states need not maximize a child's potential.

Statutory roles differ: IDEA and its IEP govern special education eligibility and services; Section 504 prohibits disability discrimination and requires equal access; ADA extends nondiscrimination to public entities; ESSA governs general accountability and reporting.

Child find obligates states and districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children suspected of needing special education, including children who are homeless, wards of the state, or enrolled in private schools.

Ethical standards for special educators (for example, the CEC Code of Ethics) require confidentiality of student information, nondiscriminatory practice, avoidance of conflicts of interest and dual relationships, and advocacy for students' rights.

Advocacy operates at three levels: individual (securing services for a specific student), systemic (changing school or district policies and practices), and legislative (influencing statute, regulation, and funding).

Evidence-based practice requires selecting interventions supported by peer-reviewed research or recognized clearinghouses, monitoring implementation fidelity and student response, and discontinuing unproven or pseudoscientific treatments.