Praxis 5282 cheat sheet

NASP Practice Model organizes services into 10 domains of practice grouped under two broad goals: improving academic/social-emotional/behavioral outcomes and ensuring systems-level support; the model is not a licensure statute.

Training sequence: specialist-level (EdS, ~60 graduate semester hours plus 1,200-hour internship) versus doctoral-level (PhD/PsyD, ~90+ hours plus 1,500-2,000-hour internship); both can practice in schools depending on state credentialing.

Title protections vary: 'school psychologist' certification typically falls under state departments of education, while 'psychologist' licensure falls under state boards of psychology; scope differences include independent private practice authority.

NASP ethics code is organized around four broad principles (respecting dignity, professional competence, responsibility to schools/families, integrity in relationships) and is enforced through state/national review processes.

Response-to-Intervention and MTSS frameworks require documented decision rules (e.g., cut scores, trend lines) before changing tiers; fidelity data must accompany student outcome data in eligibility documentation.

Supervision standards: internship supervision requires a credentialed school psychologist providing at least 2 hours per week of direct supervision, with at least half occurring face-to-face in most state guidelines.

Continuing professional development requirements are jurisdiction-specific (commonly 50-75 hours per renewal cycle); ethics coursework is frequently a mandated component.

Record-keeping: special education records generally must be retained at least 3 years after the student exits services, but state retention schedules may be longer; FERPA governs access rights to those records.

Piaget's stages: sensorimotor (0-2, object permanence), preoperational (2-7, egocentrism, symbolic play), concrete operational (7-11, conservation, reversibility), formal operational (11+, abstract/hypothetical reasoning).

Vygotsky's zone of proximal development = gap between independent performance and assisted performance; scaffolding is faded as competence increases; private speech is internalized as inner speech.

Erikson's psychosocial crises sequence: trust/mistrust, autonomy/shame, initiative/guilt, industry/inferiority, identity/role confusion, intimacy/isolation, generativity/stagnation, integrity/despair.

Kohlberg's moral stages: preconventional (punishment/obedience, instrumental exchange), conventional (interpersonal conformity, law and order), postconventional (social contract, universal principles); Gilligan critiques the male-oriented justice framing.

Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model layers: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem; proximal processes are the primary engines of development.

Attachment classifications (Ainsworth strange situation): secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant/ambivalent, disorganized; secure base supports exploration and later peer competence.

Memory development: working memory capacity and processing speed increase with age; automaticity frees resources; rehearsal, organization, and elaboration are teachable strategies.

Motivation theory markers: intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation, self-determination (autonomy, competence, relatedness), expectancy-value, and growth vs fixed mindset attributions.

Brain-behavior mapping: frontal lobes (executive function, inhibition, planning), parietal (somatosensory, spatial), temporal (auditory, language comprehension, memory), occipital (vision), cerebellum (motor coordination, timing).

Neurotransmitter associations: dopamine (reward/motivation, motor control), serotonin (mood, sleep, appetite), norepinephrine (arousal, attention), GABA (inhibition), acetylcholine (memory, muscle activation).

ADHD neurobiology implicates prefrontal-striatal circuits and catecholamine (dopamine/norepinephrine) dysregulation; stimulant medication increases synaptic availability of these neurotransmitters.

Executive function components: inhibition, working memory, cognitive flexibility; these underlie planning, organization, and self-monitoring and predict academic achievement.

Classical vs operant conditioning: Pavlovian stimulus pairing (respondent) vs consequence-driven behavior (Skinner: positive/negative reinforcement, positive/negative punishment); extinction and spontaneous recovery apply to both.

Social learning (Bandura): observational learning requires attention, retention, reproduction, motivation; self-efficacy and vicarious reinforcement shape persistence.

Emotional regulation develops from external co-regulation to internal strategies; chronic stress activates the HPA axis, raising cortisol and impairing hippocampal-dependent memory.

Language bases: Broca's area (expressive/production), Wernicke's area (receptive/comprehension), arcuate fasciculus (connection); phonological awareness is the strongest early predictor of reading acquisition.

Standard scores have mean 100 and SD 15; T-scores mean 50, SD 10; scaled scores mean 10, SD 3; z-scores mean 0, SD 1. Convert with z = (X - mean)/SD.

Reliability coefficients: internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), test-retest, inter-rater; standard error of measurement SEM = SD × sqrt(1 - reliability).

Confidence intervals: 68% = ±1 SEM, 90% = ±1.645 SEM, 95% = ±1.96 SEM; always report the CI around obtained scores, not just the point estimate.

Validity types: content (alignment to construct), criterion (concurrent/predictive), construct (convergent/discriminant); test bias is a validity threat, not a reliability issue.

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM): standardized, brief, repeated probes; use slope of improvement (e.g., words correct per minute per week) to judge response to intervention.

Dual-discrepancy model for specific learning disability: ability-achievement discrepancy plus low rate of response to validated intervention; RTI data alone may not satisfy all state criteria.

Norm-referenced vs criterion-referenced: the former compares to a standardization sample, the latter to a defined performance standard; eligibility decisions should triangulate multiple sources.

Behavior assessment: functional behavior assessment identifies antecedent-behavior-consequence patterns; indirect (interviews, rating scales) and direct (ABC observation, scatterplot) methods are combined.

Tiered intervention logic: Tier 1 universal (80-90% of students), Tier 2 targeted small-group (10-15%), Tier 3 intensive individualized (1-5%); movement between tiers is data-driven.

Evidence-based reading components (National Reading Panel): phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension; explicit, systematic instruction outperforms incidental approaches.

Behavior intervention plan components: operational definition of target behavior, baseline data, function-based replacement behavior, antecedent modifications, consequence strategies, progress monitoring, and review dates.

Reinforcement schedules: continuous (fastest acquisition, weakest persistence), intermittent/variable (strongest resistance to extinction), ratio vs interval, fixed vs variable.

Self-monitoring and self-regulation interventions improve on-task behavior; check-in/check-out (CICO) is a common Tier 2 protocol using daily progress reports and adult mentoring.

Math intervention targets: number sense, fact fluency, procedural knowledge, and problem-solving strategies; concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequencing is well supported.

Progress monitoring decision rules: 4-point rule (four consecutive data points below goal line = adjust), trend-line comparison, and goal attainment scaling; aim for at least 8-10 data points before judging.

Fading and generalization: plan for transfer across settings, people, and materials; intermittent reinforcement and natural maintaining contingencies support maintenance.

Multi-tiered mental health supports: universal screening (e.g., BASC-3 BESS, SDQ) plus Tier 2 skill groups and Tier 3 individualized plans; screening requires parental consent per district policy and state law.

Suicide risk assessment components: direct asking about ideation/plan/intent/means, protective factors, lethality assessment, safety planning, notification of guardians, and referral; do not leave a high-risk student unsupervised.

Threat assessment follows a structured team model (e.g., Virginia/Comprehensive model): distinguish transient vs substantive threats, gather collateral information, and avoid zero-tolerance automatic exclusion.

Crisis response phases: prevention/mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery; school crisis teams coordinate with community emergency services and include reunification procedures.

Mandated reporting: suspected child abuse/neglect must be reported to designated authorities within state-specified timeframes (often 24-48 hours); reporting duty is individual and non-delegable.

Trauma-informed practices: safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural humility; avoid restraint/seclusion as first-line responses.

Behavioral risk indicators: sudden withdrawal, giving away possessions, hopelessness, increased substance use, and access to lethal means are warning signs requiring immediate follow-up.

Postvention after a student death includes supporting grieving students, monitoring at-risk peers, and avoiding sensationalized memorialization that can increase contagion risk.

Consultation models: behavioral (contingency-focused, problem-solving), mental health (process/relationship-focused), instructional (content expertise), and organizational/ecological (systems-level).

Consultation stages: entry/contracting, problem identification, problem analysis, plan implementation, and evaluation/termination; clarify roles, confidentiality limits, and expected outcomes at entry.

Collaborative consultation assumes shared expertise and joint decision-making; expert consultation places the psychologist as the knowledge source; the choice affects buy-in and treatment integrity.

Treatment integrity (fidelity) is a prerequisite for judging intervention effectiveness; low fidelity invalidates conclusions about student response.

Family-school partnership principles (e.g., Epstein's overlapping spheres): parenting, communicating, volunteering, learning at home, decision-making, and collaborating with community.

Conjoint behavioral consultation involves parents and teachers as co-consultees; it improves generalization across home and school settings.

Cultural humility in consultation: elicit family explanatory models of behavior, use interpreters appropriately, and avoid deficit framing of culturally normative behavior.

Team meeting facilitation: agenda setting, timekeeping, role assignment (facilitator, recorder, timekeeper), action-item review, and follow-up dates improve implementation.

IDEA core entitlements: free appropriate public education (FAPE), least restrictive environment (LRE), procedural safeguards, parent participation, individualized education program (IEP), and evaluation timelines (initial evaluation generally 60 days unless state specifies otherwise).

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibits disability discrimination and requires accommodations; it is broader than IDEA and does not require specialized instruction.

Disproportionality: IDEA requires states to monitor significant disproportionality by race/ethnicity in identification, placement, and discipline; comprehensive coordinated early intervening services (CCEIS) may be required.

Assessment fairness: evaluate in the child's native language or mode of communication, use multiple measures, and avoid discriminatory instruments; nondiscriminatory assessment is an IDEA requirement.

Ethical decision-making: identify the problem, consult codes and laws, consider stakeholders, evaluate consequences, consult colleagues, and document the process.

Informed consent for evaluation and services: capacity, disclosure of purpose and procedures, voluntariness, and documentation; consent may be revoked in writing under IDEA.

Confidentiality limits: danger to self or others, suspected abuse/neglect, court order, and FERPA-permitted disclosures; share only minimum necessary information.

Cultural bias in assessment: norming samples, item content, language load, and examiner expectations can distort scores; use culture-reduced measures cautiously and interpret with caution.