NYSTCE 060 study guide
NYSTCE 060 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Students with Disabilities Content Specialty Test (060) is one of the New York State Teacher Certification Examinations (NYSTCE), the testing program New York uses as part of its educator certification process. It appears on the official NYSTCE test menu as "Students with Disabilities Revised (May 2019)," and it is intended for candidates who are preparing to teach students with disabilities in New York State public schools. The NYSTCE 060 study guide has 4 sections and about 1,298 words.
01Foundations of Special Education
Know the core guarantees of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act: zero reject (including child find), nondiscriminatory evaluation, free appropriate public education (FAPE), least restrictive environment (LRE), procedural safeguards, and parent participation. FAPE means individualized special education and related services, at public expense, that conform to the IEP and confer meaningful benefit; the Rowley standard asks whether the plan is reasonably calculated to enable progress, not whether it maximizes a child's potential.
337 words, about 2 min02Understanding and Evaluating Students with Disabilities
Know the sequence: screening and pre-referral supports, referral, written parental consent, comprehensive multidisciplinary evaluation, eligibility determination, IEP development, and periodic reevaluation. Legally and professionally, teams gather multiple measures across settings and informants, using technically adequate instruments judged by reliability (consistency) and validity (measuring what is claimed).
335 words, about 2 min03Promoting Student Learning and Development
Specially designed instruction (SDI) is the adapted content, methodology, and delivery that addresses the student's unique needs; it is instruction, not merely access. Layer it with Universal Design for Learning (multiple means of engagement, representation, and action/expression), differentiation, explicit instruction with modeling and guided practice, and scaffolds that are systematically faded.
311 words, about 2 min04Working in a Collaborative Professional Environment
The IEP team is multidisciplinary and includes parents as equal partners; the general educator is a full member responsible for implementing accommodations and modifications in the general classroom, not a bystander. Know the co-teaching models: one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching (same content, two groups), alternative teaching (small group for reteaching or extension), and team teaching (both lead).
315 words, about 2 min