NYSTCE 060 cheat sheet

IDEA (originally P.L. 94-142, 1975; renamed 1990) rests on six principles: free appropriate public education, nondiscriminatory evaluation, IEP, least restrictive environment, parent/student participation, and procedural safeguards.

IDEA Part B covers ages 3-21; Part C covers infants and toddlers from birth to age 3 through an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP).

IDEA names 13 disability categories; eligibility requires BOTH a qualifying category AND a resulting need for specially designed instruction, so a medical diagnosis alone does not confer eligibility.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (1973) is broader than IDEA: any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity qualifies and is addressed through accommodations, not necessarily special education.

Board of Education v. Rowley (1982) established that FAPE requires personalized instruction yielding some educational benefit; it does not require maximizing a student's potential.

PARC v. Pennsylvania (1972) and Mills v. Board of Education (1972) established the right of students with disabilities to a public education; Brown v. Board (1954) ended racial segregation in schools.

Federal timelines: initial evaluation within 60 days of parental consent (states may shorten), IEP reviewed at least annually, and reevaluation at least once every three years.

Procedural safeguards include prior written notice, informed parental consent, access to records, independent educational evaluation, mediation, and due process hearings.

Child find requires districts to identify, locate, and evaluate all children with suspected disabilities residing in the district, including those enrolled in private schools.

Standard scores on most ability and achievement tests use a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15; T-scores use mean 50/SD 10; z-scores use mean 0/SD 1; stanines use mean 5/SD approximately 2.

Reliability is consistency of scores across occasions, forms, or raters; validity is the degree to which a test measures what it claims and supports the intended inferences or decisions.

The standard error of measurement quantifies score inconsistency; a 95% confidence interval is roughly the obtained score plus or minus 1.96 times the SEM.

Percentile rank is the percentage of the norm group scoring at or below a given score; it is not the percentage of test items answered correctly.

Norm-referenced tests compare a student to a norm group, whereas criterion-referenced tests compare performance to a fixed standard or mastery criterion.

In an RTI model, Tier 1 is universal instruction, Tier 2 is targeted small-group intervention, and Tier 3 is intensive individualized intervention, with frequent progress monitoring at each tier.

Nondiscriminatory assessment requires technically sound instruments, testing in the child's native language or mode of communication, multiple measures, and administration by trained personnel.

A functional behavioral assessment identifies antecedents, the target behavior, and consequences to determine the behavior's function and drive a behavior intervention plan.

Identification of intellectual disability requires significantly subaverage intellectual functioning (about 70 or below, considering SEM) together with concurrent deficits in adaptive behavior.

Universal Design for Learning provides multiple means of representation (the what), multiple means of engagement (the why), and multiple means of action and expression (the how).

An accommodation changes how a student accesses content or demonstrates learning (extended time, preferential seating); a modification changes what is taught or the performance standard.

Task analysis breaks a complex skill into sequenced steps and is paired with forward chaining, backward chaining, or total task presentation.

Explicit instruction follows model (I do), guided practice with corrective feedback (we do), and independent practice (you do), with frequent checks for understanding.

The five essential components of reading instruction are phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.

Positive behavior support prioritizes antecedent manipulation, precorrection, reinforcement schedules, token economies, and self-monitoring before aversive consequences.

The six co-teaching models are one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, and team teaching.

Transition planning must begin no later than age 16 and include measurable postsecondary goals in education/training, employment, and, when appropriate, independent living.

Assistive technology, defined as devices or services that increase functional capability, must be considered for every student with an IEP.

Required IEP team members: the parent, a general education teacher (if the student is or may be in general education), a special education teacher, an LEA representative, an individual able to interpret evaluation results, related service providers as appropriate, and the student when appropriate.

Prior written notice is required whenever the district proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, educational placement, or provision of FAPE.

Removal for more than 10 consecutive school days constitutes a change of placement; a manifestation determination review must occur within 10 school days of that decision.

A 45-school-day interim alternative educational setting is permitted for weapons, illegal drugs, or serious bodily injury regardless of whether the behavior was a manifestation of the disability.

A resolution session must be held within 15 days of a due process complaint unless both parties waive it in writing; mediation is voluntary and cannot delay or deny a hearing.

FERPA requires districts to let parents inspect and review education records, generally within 45 days of request, and limits disclosure of personally identifiable information without consent.

Related services (speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling, transportation) are those required for the student to benefit from special education.

Paraprofessionals deliver instruction and support under the supervision of certified staff; they do not design instruction, write IEPs, or make placement decisions.

Family-centered collaboration requires interpreters, translated documents, and consideration of the family's language, culture, and values in all meetings and communications.