Praxis 5302 cheat sheet

Standard scores: mean 100, SD 15 (deviation IQ/achievement); T scores: mean 50, SD 10; z scores: mean 0, SD 1; scaled scores: mean 10, SD 3; stanines: mean 5.

SEM = SD × √(1 − r); the 95% confidence interval around an obtained score is approximately score ± 1.96 × SEM.

Reliability coefficients range 0 to 1; ≥ .90 is generally expected for tests used in high-stakes individual eligibility decisions, ≥ .80 for screening instruments.

IDEA initial evaluation: complete within 60 calendar days of parental consent unless the state sets a different timeline; eligibility is determined by a multidisciplinary team.

Reevaluation at least every 3 years; IEP reviewed at least annually; parents may request an independent educational evaluation, which the district must fund unless it files for due process.

Procedural safeguards include prior written notice, parental consent for evaluation and placement, stay-put during disputes, and a manifestation determination review within 10 school days of a disciplinary change of placement.

Nondiscriminatory assessment: instruments validated for the purpose, administered in the child's native language or mode of communication, and never a single measure as the sole criterion.

FERPA: parents may inspect and review education records within 45 days of a request and may request amendment; release without consent is limited to narrow exceptions such as health/safety emergencies or court orders.

Instructional hierarchy: acquisition → fluency → maintenance/generalization → adaptation; the intervention target changes with each phase.

Explicit instruction sequence: review, model, guided practice with high response rates, corrective feedback, independent practice, cumulative review.

Skill deficit → teach the skill with modeling and practice; performance deficit → change antecedents or consequences (prompts, reinforcement) rather than reteach.

Behavioral objective format: condition + observable behavior + criterion (e.g., "given a 2-minute probe, writes 40 correct digits").

Tier 2: small group (3–6 students), 3–5 sessions per week, 20–40 minutes, progress monitored every 1–2 weeks; Tier 3: individual, more minutes, weekly monitoring.

CBM goal setting: multiply the expected rate of improvement for the student's grade by 1.5–2.0 to target closing the gap toward the class median.

BIP components derived from the FBA: antecedent modifications, teaching a functionally equivalent replacement behavior, consequence strategies (DRA, DRO, extinction), and a measurement plan.

Accommodation changes access (extended time, read-aloud); modification changes content or performance standard (fewer items, below-grade material).

Reinforcement schedules: continuous reinforcement for skill acquisition, intermittent (variable ratio or interval) for maintenance; extinction may produce an initial response burst.

Progress monitoring: collect baseline (about 3 points), set an aimline to the goal, then decide after 4–6 points; 4 consecutive points below the aimline = change the intervention, 4 above = raise the goal.

CBM reading: median words correct per minute from 2–3 grade-level passages; CBM math: digits correct per minute; written expression: correct word sequences.

Sensitivity = true positives ÷ all cases; specificity = true negatives ÷ all non-cases; positive predictive value = true positives ÷ all positives and depends heavily on base rate.

Validity types: content (covers the domain), construct (measures the intended trait), criterion (correlates with an outcome, concurrent or predictive); reliability is necessary but not sufficient for validity.

Standard error of the difference = √(SEM₁² + SEM₂² − 2r₁₂ × SEM₁ × SEM₂); use it to judge whether two scores from the same student truly differ.

Norm-referenced scores compare to a norm group; criterion-referenced scores compare to a performance standard; percentile ranks are ordinal and not equal-interval.

SLD identification under IDEA must not rely on a single measure and must consider response-to-intervention data; ability–achievement discrepancy, patterns of strengths and weaknesses, and RTI are all permissible.

Functional/ecological data sources: record review, interviews, direct observation using antecedent–behavior–consequence recording, and permanent products.

Behavioral consultation stages: problem identification → problem analysis → plan implementation → treatment evaluation; the consultee implements and the consultant supports with data.

Caplan's mental health consultation types: client-centered case, consultee-centered case, program-centered administrative, and consultee-centered administrative.

Conjoint behavioral consultation joins parents and teachers as co-consultees and targets generalization of intervention effects across home and school.

Interpreters: use trained, neutral interpreters (never the student or a sibling), address the family directly, avoid jargon, and allow extra time for two-way interpretation.

Confidentiality: share with school staff on a need-to-know basis; written parental consent is required for release to outside parties; limits include risk of harm, suspected abuse/neglect, and court order.

Dispute resolution ladder: informal problem solving → facilitated IEP → mediation (voluntary, confidential) → due process hearing → appeal to civil court.

Cultural reciprocity: surface your own cultural assumptions, learn the family's explanatory model, and negotiate a plan that honors both frames.

IEP team membership: parent, general education teacher (if the child is or may be in general education), special education teacher, district representative, someone able to interpret evaluation results, and the student when appropriate.