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OSAT OK128 practice questions

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Question 1Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Before a school psychologist conducts an initial full and individual evaluation for special education eligibility, which action satisfies the informed-consent requirement?

  1. Notify the parent by letter after testing has begun
  2. Secure approval from the building principal in place of parent consent
  3. Obtain written parental consent before the evaluation begins Correct answer.
  4. Review the student's cumulative folder as a substitute for consent

Explanation

IDEA requires informed parental consent before an initial evaluation. Notification after testing, administrative approval, or record review does not replace the parent's written consent.

Question 2Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, which right do parents generally have regarding their child's education records?

  1. Blocking teachers from reviewing records needed for instruction
  2. Requiring the school to destroy all disciplinary records at graduation
  3. Inspecting and reviewing the records within a specified period Correct answer.
  4. Releasing records to any third party without written permission

Explanation

FERPA gives parents the right to inspect and review education records, generally within 45 days, and it limits disclosure. It does not require destruction of all disciplinary records or permit unrestricted release.

Question 3Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student earns a standard score of 85 on an intelligence test that has a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15. What is the closest percentile rank for this score?

  1. 50th percentile
  2. 34th percentile
  3. 68th percentile
  4. 16th percentile Correct answer.

Explanation

A score of 85 is one standard deviation below the mean. In a normal distribution, about 16% of scores fall below that point, so the closest percentile rank is 16.

Question 4Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist compares two rating scales and finds that Scale A has lower reliability than Scale B. Assuming similar score variability, what is the most likely effect on Scale A's standard error of measurement and confidence interval?

  1. A smaller standard error and a narrower confidence interval
  2. A larger standard error and a narrower confidence interval
  3. No change in either the standard error or the confidence interval
  4. A larger standard error and a wider confidence interval Correct answer.

Explanation

Lower reliability increases the standard error of measurement. The larger SEM produces a wider confidence interval around an obtained score, reflecting greater measurement uncertainty.

Question 5Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

In a multi-tiered system of support, which activity is most characteristic of Tier 2 for reading?

  1. Long-term one-to-one instruction delivered in a self-contained classroom
  2. Small-group supplemental intervention with frequent progress monitoring Correct answer.
  3. Comprehensive special education evaluation before any intervention
  4. Universal screening of all students in the general education classroom

Explanation

Tier 2 provides targeted supplemental support, often in small groups, for students identified by screening as needing more than core instruction. Progress monitoring is used to judge response and adjust intervention.

Question 6Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A functional behavior assessment shows that a student frequently tears up math worksheets and is then sent to the hallway. The behavior is maintained by escape from math tasks. Which intervention best addresses this function?

  1. Use a daily raffle ticket for every worksheet the student completes without tearing
  2. Teach the student to request a brief break while gradually increasing math task demands Correct answer.
  3. Provide a verbal reprimand each time the student tears a worksheet
  4. Send the student to the hallway for longer periods after each worksheet is torn

Explanation

When behavior is maintained by escape, intervention should teach an appropriate replacement that also accesses a break and reduce task difficulty strategically. Gradual demand increase prevents escape while building tolerance.

Question 7Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A 15-year-old student tells the school psychologist about suicidal thoughts and describes a specific plan. What is the school psychologist's most appropriate immediate response?

  1. Supervise the student, notify the guardian, and contact crisis services Correct answer.
  2. Schedule a routine follow-up meeting for the next week
  3. Tell the student to call a crisis line after school if feelings worsen
  4. Keep the disclosure confidential because the student requested privacy

Explanation

When a minor discloses suicidal ideation with a plan, safety overrides confidentiality. The psychologist should provide close supervision, involve the parent or guardian, and access emergency or crisis services as needed.

Question 8Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A cross-battery cognitive assessment reveals a statistically significant weakness in short-term working memory, but the student's reading and mathematics achievement are average and progress monitoring shows adequate response to core instruction. What is the most defensible interpretation?

  1. Cognitive processing scores should be discarded whenever achievement is average
  2. The processing weakness alone confirms a specific learning disability in reading
  3. A processing weakness alone does not establish a learning disability Correct answer.
  4. The student should be found eligible because cognitive weaknesses always require special education services

Explanation

Specific learning disability identification requires an academic skill deficit and ruling out other causes, not just a cognitive processing weakness. A processing score can inform instruction only when it is reliable and meaningfully related to the academic problem.

Question 9Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A universal screener for a low-incidence condition has sensitivity of 0.90 and specificity of 0.80. The condition occurs in 5% of the screened population. Approximately what is the positive predictive value of a positive screen?

  1. 45%
  2. 90%
  3. 80%
  4. 19% Correct answer.

Explanation

PPV equals true positives divided by all positive screens: (0.90 × 0.05) / [(0.90 × 0.05) + (0.20 × 0.95)] ≈ 0.19. Thus about 19% of students who screen positive actually have the condition.

Question 10Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

An English learner obtains low scores on an English reading test, and the team is considering a disability referral. Which assessment practice is most appropriate?

  1. Delay all assessment until the student is fully fluent in English
  2. Administer only nonverbal tests to avoid the influence of language
  3. Gather native-language and English data and compare with similar English learners Correct answer.
  4. Rely on the English test alone because the student has received English instruction

Explanation

Nondiscriminatory assessment for English learners requires data in both languages when possible, comparison with appropriate peers, and consideration of language proficiency and opportunity to learn. This helps distinguish language difference from disability.

Question 11Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Under the federal IDEA timeline, a school district must complete a student's initial full and individual evaluation within how many calendar days after receiving written parental consent, unless the state has established a different timeframe?

  1. 45 calendar days
  2. 90 calendar days
  3. 30 calendar days
  4. 60 calendar days Correct answer.

Explanation

IDEA sets a federal baseline of 60 calendar days from receipt of written parental consent to complete an initial evaluation, although states may establish a different timeframe. The 60-day clock helps ensure timely eligibility decisions.

Question 12Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A behavior rating scale reports a T-score of 70, where the mean is 50 and the standard deviation is 10. What is the equivalent standard score on a scale with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 15?

  1. 140
  2. 115
  3. 130 Correct answer.
  4. 120

Explanation

A T-score of 70 is two standard deviations above the mean of 50 because each 10-point T-score unit equals one standard deviation. Converting to a mean-100, SD-15 scale gives 100 + 2(15) = 130.

Question 13Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student with a chronic health condition needs a health plan and accommodations to access the general classroom but does not require specially designed instruction. Which legal framework is most appropriate?

  1. McKinney-Vento
  2. IDEA Part B
  3. Section 504 Correct answer.
  4. FERPA

Explanation

Section 504 provides accommodations and related aids for a student with a disability that substantially limits a major life activity, even when specially designed instruction is not needed. IDEA Part B is for students who require special education services.

Question 14Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student's oral reading fluency baseline is 40 words correct per minute (wcpm). After 12 weeks of intervention, the student reads 70 wcpm. The team's goal slope was 1.5 wcpm per week. What is the most accurate interpretation?

  1. The student's actual slope of 2.5 wcpm per week exceeds the goal. Correct answer.
  2. The student's actual slope cannot be calculated from these data.
  3. The student's actual slope of 1.5 wcpm per week equals the goal.
  4. The student's actual slope of 0.8 wcpm per week falls below the goal.

Explanation

The actual slope is the gain divided by weeks: (70 − 40) / 12 = 2.5 wcpm per week. Because 2.5 exceeds the goal of 1.5, the intervention is producing stronger-than-expected progress.

Question 15Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student obtains a standard score of 92 on a norm-referenced test, with a 95% confidence interval of 86 to 98. Which interpretation is most defensible?

  1. If the student were tested many times, 95% of observed scores would fall between 86 and 98.
  2. There is a 95% probability that the student's true score lies between 86 and 98. Correct answer.
  3. The student's true score is exactly 92.
  4. The score is invalid because the interval is too wide.

Explanation

A 95% confidence interval estimates the range likely to contain the student's true score, given measurement error. It does not mean the true score is exactly the obtained score or that the test is invalid.

Question 16Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student frequently shouts out during independent work and receives peer attention. The school psychologist teaches the student to raise a hand and provides praise only for hand-raising, while planned ignoring is used for shouting out. Which intervention procedure is being implemented?

  1. DRO
  2. NCR
  3. DRA Correct answer.
  4. Response cost

Explanation

DRA reinforces an alternative behavior that serves the same function as the problem behavior-here, hand-raising to obtain attention-while withholding reinforcement for shouting out. DRO would reinforce the absence of the problem behavior for a set interval.

Question 17Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

During an autism spectrum disorder evaluation, the school psychologist wants a standardized, semi-structured direct observation of social communication and restricted/repetitive behaviors. Which instrument best fits this purpose?

  1. Behavior Assessment System for Children, Third Edition
  2. Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition Correct answer.
  3. Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition
  4. Conners Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scales

Explanation

The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured, standardized direct observation measure used to assess social communication and restricted or repetitive behaviors in autism evaluations. Rating scales such as the BASC-3 and Conners gather informant perceptions rather than direct observation.

Question 18Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A teacher requests help with a student who is frequently off task. The school psychologist discovers that the teacher's classroom transitions are chaotic and that the teacher feels overwhelmed by managing multiple students. The consultant focuses on building the teacher's transition-management skills rather than directly changing the student's behavior. Which consultation model is this?

  1. Client-centered consultation
  2. Organizational-development consultation
  3. Program-centered administrative consultation
  4. Consultee-centered consultation Correct answer.

Explanation

Consultee-centered consultation targets the consultee's skills, knowledge, or confidence so the consultee can better handle the current and similar cases. Client-centered consultation focuses primarily on the student's difficulties.

Question 19Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

After a student begins receiving special education services, a parent submits written revocation of consent for all special education and related services. Under IDEA, what is the school district's primary obligation?

  1. Refer the parent to FERPA for a records hearing.
  2. Continue services until the next annual IEP meeting.
  3. File for due process to override the revocation because services are necessary.
  4. Provide prior written notice, then discontinue services. Correct answer.

Explanation

Under IDEA, written revocation of consent requires the district to provide prior written notice before discontinuing services. The district may not use mediation or due process to override the parent's revocation and is not required to provide FAPE after services stop.

Question 20Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

An eligibility team is considering a pattern-of-strengths-and-weaknesses (PSW) approach for specific learning disability identification. Which statement best describes the core logic of PSW methods?

  1. They require a severe discrepancy between overall IQ and a single achievement score, as in the classic discrepancy model.
  2. They rely primarily on teacher report and curriculum-based measures without cognitive testing.
  3. They rule out SLD whenever any cognitive score falls below the average range.
  4. They link an academic deficit to a coherent processing weakness with otherwise intact abilities. Correct answer.

Explanation

PSW approaches look for a theoretically coherent cognitive processing weakness that is linked to the student's academic deficit, while other cognitive abilities remain relatively intact. This differs from a simple IQ–achievement discrepancy model.

Question 21Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist is administering a standardized norm-referenced achievement battery and notices that a student asks for help on several items. To preserve the validity of the scores, what should the psychologist do?

  1. Give extra time because the student appears anxious.
  2. Skip items the student says are too hard.
  3. Clarify each item so the student understands what is being asked.
  4. Follow the examiner directions exactly as written in the manual. Correct answer.

Explanation

Standardized norms are valid only when administration conditions match those used in the norm sample. Changing directions, prompting, or timing introduces construct-irrelevant variance and can make scores noncomparable.

Question 22Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

During a counseling session, a student tells the school psychologist that he plans to bring a weapon to school tomorrow. What is the school psychologist's most immediate ethical responsibility?

  1. Call the student's parents only after the end of the school day.
  2. Document the statement and wait to see whether the student acts on it.
  3. Maintain confidentiality because the student spoke during counseling.
  4. Notify school administration and law enforcement to protect potential victims. Correct answer.

Explanation

Confidentiality is limited when there is a credible threat of serious harm to others. The school psychologist must take reasonable steps to protect potential victims, which typically includes notifying administrators and law enforcement.

Question 23Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student earns a percentile rank of 84 on a norm-referenced measure. Which interpretation is most accurate?

  1. The student scored at or above about 84% of peers. Correct answer.
  2. The student's score is 84 points above the normative mean of 100.
  3. The student has an 84% probability of passing a similar test in the future.
  4. The student answered 84% of the test items correctly, so the raw score was 84.

Explanation

A percentile rank indicates the percentage of the norm group scoring at or below that score. It is not a percentage correct, a point difference from the mean, or a probability of future success.

Question 24Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A functional behavior assessment indicates that a student's yelling during math is maintained by escape from difficult assignments. Which intervention is most clearly aligned with that function?

  1. Teach the student to request a break before work. Correct answer.
  2. Send the student to the hallway each time yelling occurs.
  3. Ignore yelling and continue presenting the assignment.
  4. Give a sticker for every 10 minutes without yelling.

Explanation

A function-based intervention for escape-maintained behavior teaches an appropriate replacement that produces the same outcome, such as requesting a break. It also reduces the need to yell to escape difficult work.

Question 25Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

During an interview, a student shows the school psychologist a bruise and says a family member hit him with a belt. The student begs the psychologist not to tell anyone. What is the school psychologist's best course of action?

  1. Keep the disclosure confidential because the student requested it.
  2. Call the family member to verify the explanation first.
  3. Wait for the student to repeat the disclosure to a teacher.
  4. Report the suspected abuse to child protective services. Correct answer.

Explanation

School psychologists are mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect. A student's request for secrecy does not override the legal duty to report to the designated child protective agency.

Question 26Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

An eligibility team is considering an intellectual disability. The student's IQ is 68, and academic achievement is low. Which additional area must be assessed to meet the IDEA definition?

  1. Auditory discrimination
  2. Phonological awareness
  3. Adaptive behavior Correct answer.
  4. Visual-motor integration

Explanation

IDEA's definition of intellectual disability requires significantly subaverage intellectual functioning together with deficits in adaptive behavior. Adaptive behavior includes conceptual, social, and practical skills needed for everyday functioning.

Question 27Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist finds that a student's parent and teacher report very different levels of inattention on the same standardized rating scale. Which interpretation is most appropriate?

  1. The teacher rating should be discarded because classroom demands vary.
  2. The discrepancy may reflect setting-specific behavior. Correct answer.
  3. The ratings should be averaged into one score before interpretation.
  4. The parent rating is invalid because parents are less objective.

Explanation

Informant discrepancies are common and can provide useful information about how behavior varies across settings. The school psychologist should explore the contexts, expectations, and demands rather than automatically discarding or averaging the ratings.

Question 28Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A second-grade student has accurate but very slow word reading. Which cognitive process is most important to assess when considering a dyslexia profile?

  1. Rapid automatized naming Correct answer.
  2. Auditory memory for digits backwards
  3. Nonverbal reasoning
  4. Visual-motor coordination

Explanation

Dyslexia can involve impaired reading fluency as well as inaccurate word decoding. Rapid automatized naming is strongly associated with fluent word reading and is useful when slow reading is a prominent concern.

Question 29Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A parent disagrees with an IEP team's proposed change to a student's services and requests an independent educational evaluation at public expense. Under IDEA, which statement best describes the district's obligation?

  1. Ignore the request unless the parent first files a due process complaint.
  2. Provide the IEE automatically without reviewing the parent's request.
  3. Fund the IEE or request a due process hearing. Correct answer.
  4. Select a different evaluator and deny the parent's choice without explanation.

Explanation

Under IDEA, if a parent requests an independent educational evaluation at public expense and the district believes its own evaluation is appropriate, the district must either fund the IEE or initiate a due process hearing to defend its evaluation. The district cannot simply ignore the request.

Question 30Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist is consulting with a teacher who says she has no time to implement a daily behavior report card. Which consultation approach is most likely to build cooperation?

  1. Report the teacher to the administrator for noncompliance.
  2. Collaborate with the teacher to adapt the plan to classroom routines. Correct answer.
  3. Tell the teacher the plan must be followed exactly as written.
  4. Withdraw consultation services until the teacher requests help.

Explanation

Effective consultation often involves shared problem solving and adapting interventions to the consultee's setting and constraints. This approach increases treatment integrity and preserves the intervention's core function.

Question 31Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A parent asks to inspect her child's school psychological evaluation report and cumulative folder. Under FERPA, within what maximum period must the school allow the parent access?

  1. 30 calendar days of the request
  2. 45 days of the request Correct answer.
  3. 10 school days of the request
  4. 90 days of the request

Explanation

FERPA generally requires public educational agencies to permit parents to inspect and review education records within 45 days after receiving the request. Shorter timelines may be set by state or district policy, but the federal maximum is 45 days.

Question 32Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist is reviewing the technical manual for a behavior rating scale. Which psychometric property is most directly concerned with the consistency of scores when the same rater completes the scale on two occasions without intervention?

  1. Test-retest reliability Correct answer.
  2. Content validity evidence
  3. Convergent validity evidence
  4. Item difficulty analysis

Explanation

Test-retest reliability estimates the stability of scores over time when the same measure is administered on separate occasions. Content validity concerns item coverage, convergent validity concerns relationships with related measures, and item difficulty concerns the proportion of examinees answering an item correctly.

Question 33Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school is building a multi-tiered system of supports. Which activity is best described as a Tier 1 universal support for behavior?

  1. Writing a behavior intervention plan for one student
  2. Providing individual counseling to a student with anxiety
  3. Teaching all students a schoolwide expectation lesson Correct answer.
  4. Conducting a functional behavior assessment for a student with aggression

Explanation

Tier 1 supports are delivered to all students and focus on prevention, such as schoolwide expectations and lessons. Individual counseling, functional behavior assessment, and individualized behavior intervention plans are more intensive supports for students with greater needs.

Question 34Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist evaluates a student who is learning English and has low scores on an English-only reading test. The team needs to determine whether the student may have a specific learning disability. Which approach is most defensible?

  1. Use multiple data sources and examine language, instruction, and opportunity Correct answer.
  2. Compare the score with English-speaking peers and refer for special education
  3. Rely on the English-only score because it is standardized
  4. Wait until the student is fully fluent in English before collecting data

Explanation

A nondiscriminatory evaluation for a student learning English must consider language proficiency, educational history, instruction, and opportunity to learn, not just an English-only score. Low performance may reflect second-language acquisition rather than a disability.

Question 35Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist uses an ABAB reversal design to evaluate a classroom intervention. The target behavior improves in each B phase and returns to baseline in the second A phase. What is the strongest conclusion?

  1. The intervention likely changed the behavior, and the reversal supports a functional relation Correct answer.
  2. The intervention is ineffective because the behavior returned to baseline
  3. The results cannot be interpreted without a control group of at least 30 students
  4. The behavior change is due to maturation because the design included a reversal

Explanation

In an ABAB design, a functional relation is supported when the behavior changes with the introduction and withdrawal of the intervention. The reversal helps rule out simple maturation or history effects because the behavior tracks the contingency.

Question 36Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

During an interview, a student reports current suicidal ideation, a specific plan, and access to a means. What should the school psychologist do first?

  1. Document the statements and continue the standard interview without interruption
  2. Ensure immediate safety; notify guardian and emergency supports Correct answer.
  3. Schedule a follow-up counseling session for the next week
  4. Tell the student that the information will remain confidential

Explanation

Current ideation with a specific plan and access to means indicates elevated risk and requires immediate safety planning. The school psychologist should arrange supervision, notify appropriate guardians and emergency supports, and document the actions taken.

Question 37Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A teacher tells the school psychologist that a student is 'always disruptive.' The school psychologist asks for observable examples, frequency, duration, and the settings in which the behavior occurs. This best illustrates which stage of problem-solving consultation?

  1. Problem identification Correct answer.
  2. Consultee resistance
  3. Intervention selection
  4. Plan evaluation

Explanation

Problem identification involves translating vague concerns into observable, measurable descriptions of behavior, including frequency, duration, and conditions. Intervention selection and plan evaluation occur after the problem has been clearly defined.

Question 38Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student with word-decoding difficulties needs a small-group reading intervention. Which selection process best reflects evidence-based practice?

  1. Use a research-supported decoding program and monitor response Correct answer.
  2. Use the same intervention that was purchased for the previous student
  3. Choose the intervention that is easiest for the teacher to prepare
  4. Select the intervention with the highest student satisfaction ratings

Explanation

Evidence-based practice requires selecting an intervention with research support for the student's area of need and monitoring the student's response to determine whether it is working. Convenience, prior use, or satisfaction alone are weaker bases for selection.

Question 39Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist completes a continuous performance test with a student referred for attention problems. The student's scores are elevated, but parent and teacher ratings are within normal limits, and classroom observations show no academic or social impairment. What is the most appropriate interpretation?

  1. The ratings and observations must be wrong because they disagree with the test
  2. The student should be found eligible for special education based on the test score alone
  3. One elevated test score is insufficient; impairment across settings must be documented Correct answer.
  4. The test result confirms attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder because it is objective

Explanation

Diagnosis and eligibility decisions require evidence of functional impairment across settings, not just an elevated score on one task. Multi-method assessment should integrate test data, ratings, observations, and academic functioning.

Question 40Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist plans to use a cognitive measure with a student from a culturally and linguistically diverse background. The manual reports high internal consistency but limited validity evidence for this population. Which interpretation is most defensible?

  1. The measure should be used as the sole basis for eligibility because it is standardized
  2. Interpret scores cautiously and use them as one part of a comprehensive evaluation Correct answer.
  3. High internal consistency guarantees that the scores are valid for this student
  4. The student's background is irrelevant if the examiner follows administration directions exactly

Explanation

Internal consistency does not establish validity for a particular population, and limited validity evidence requires cautious interpretation. Scores should be integrated with other data and considered in light of language, culture, and educational opportunity.

Question 41Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student obtains a T-score of 60 on a behavior rating scale. What does this score indicate?

  1. The score is within the average range.
  2. The student's raw score was 60.
  3. The student is in the 60th percentile.
  4. The student's score is one standard deviation above the mean. Correct answer.

Explanation

A T-score has a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10. A score of 60 is one standard deviation above the mean, which is often considered moderately elevated for behavior rating scales.

Question 42Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student frequently complains of headaches during math. The teacher allows the student to go to the nurse, and the complaints increase. This is an example of:

  1. negative reinforcement Correct answer.
  2. extinction
  3. punishment
  4. positive reinforcement

Explanation

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior increases because an aversive stimulus (the math task) is removed. The student's complaints are reinforced by escape from math.

Question 43Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Which of the following is a core characteristic of autism spectrum disorder according to DSM-5?

  1. Specific learning disability in reading
  2. Hyperactivity and impulsivity
  3. Deficits in social communication and interaction Correct answer.
  4. Below-average intelligence

Explanation

DSM-5 identifies persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts as a core feature of autism spectrum disorder. Intellectual disability and hyperactivity are not core diagnostic features.

Question 44Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Under IDEA, after a parent provides consent for an initial evaluation, the school must complete the evaluation within what maximum timeframe (unless state law specifies otherwise)?

  1. 90 days
  2. 30 days
  3. 45 days
  4. 60 days Correct answer.

Explanation

Under IDEA, the initial evaluation must be completed within 60 days of receiving parental consent, unless the state has established a different timeframe. Oklahoma follows the federal 60-day requirement.

Question 45Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist uses curriculum-based measurement (CBM) to monitor a student's oral reading fluency. Which feature is most characteristic of CBM?

  1. It requires a licensed psychologist to administer.
  2. It uses brief, standardized probes administered repeatedly to track short-term growth. Correct answer.
  3. It is administered once per year to compare to national norms.
  4. It measures underlying cognitive processes.

Explanation

CBM uses brief, standardized probes administered frequently (e.g., weekly) to monitor student growth in basic academic skills. It is designed to be sensitive to short-term change and is not a one-time norm-referenced test.

Question 46Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

In conjoint behavioral consultation, the school psychologist typically facilitates collaboration among which parties?

  1. The school psychologist and outside therapist
  2. The student, principal, and school board
  3. The teacher, parents, and student Correct answer.
  4. The special education director and related service providers

Explanation

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) is a structured, indirect model that brings together parents, teachers, and the student to collaboratively address academic or behavioral concerns.

Question 47Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

When providing counseling to a 15-year-old student, the school psychologist should inform the student that confidentiality may be broken when:

  1. The student expresses a desire to drop out of school.
  2. The student reports engaging in minor misconduct.
  3. There is a risk of harm to self or others. Correct answer.
  4. The student's grades decline.

Explanation

School psychologists must breach confidentiality when there is a clear and imminent risk of harm to the student or others. Minor misconduct, desire to drop out, or declining grades do not typically warrant breaking confidentiality.

Question 48Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A school psychologist wants to evaluate a reading intervention across three separate classrooms without withdrawing the intervention once it is introduced. Which single-case design is most appropriate?

  1. Changing criterion design
  2. ABAB reversal design
  3. Multiple baseline across settings Correct answer.
  4. Alternating treatments design

Explanation

A multiple baseline across settings design introduces the intervention sequentially in different settings without withdrawing it once it has been applied. This is useful when withdrawal is impractical or unethical.

Question 49Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

A student obtains a score of 85 on a reading test and 98 on a math test. Each test has a standard error of measurement of 5. The difference between these two scores is best interpreted as:

  1. Not statistically significant because the difference falls within the standard error of difference. Correct answer.
  2. Evidence of a specific learning disability in reading.
  3. Unreliable because both scores are below the mean.
  4. Statistically significant because the scores are more than 10 points apart.

Explanation

The standard error of difference is computed as the square root of the sum of the squared standard errors of measurement, which is about 7.07. The observed difference of 13 points is less than 1.96 times 7.07 (about 13.86), so it is not statistically significant at the 95% confidence level.

Question 50Subject-matter content knowledge for the certification area

Before changing the placement of a student with a disability for disciplinary reasons for more than 10 school days, the IEP team must determine whether the behavior was:

  1. Premeditated and intentional.
  2. A violation of the school's code of conduct.
  3. Related to the student's home environment.
  4. A direct result of the student's disability or the school's failure to implement the IEP. Correct answer.

Explanation

Under IDEA, a manifestation determination review must decide whether the behavior was caused by or had a direct and substantial relationship to the student's disability, or was the direct result of the school's failure to implement the IEP.