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Praxis 5354 practice questions

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Question 1Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Which individual founded the first psychological clinic in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896 and is often credited as a founder of school psychology?

  1. G. Stanley Hall
  2. Francis Galton
  3. Alfred Binet
  4. Lightner Witmer Correct answer.

Explanation

Lightner Witmer opened the first psychological clinic in the United States at the University of Pennsylvania in 1896 and coined the term 'clinical psychology,' and historians of the field commonly credit him with laying groundwork for school psychology.

Question 2Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Which right does FERPA guarantee to parents of a public school student?

  1. The right to have all special education records destroyed once the student graduates
  2. The right to approve each person within the district who views the student's records
  3. The right to inspect and review the student's education records within a reasonable time, generally no more than 45 days after a request Correct answer.
  4. The right to receive a free copy of every record the district maintains

Explanation

FERPA guarantees parents, and eligible students, the right to inspect and review education records within 45 days of a request and to receive copies when inspection is otherwise impossible; it does not create a right to destruction of records or a veto over every internal access.

Question 3Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist may disclose otherwise confidential information without parental consent when:

  1. There is a clear and imminent danger to the student or to others Correct answer.
  2. A general education teacher asks for test scores so the student can be compared with classmates
  3. The principal wants background information for an athletic eligibility decision
  4. A community therapist telephones to request the evaluation report

Explanation

Confidentiality may be broken without consent when disclosure is necessary to protect the student or others from clear and imminent danger, or when disclosure is required by law; curiosity, convenience, or administrative interest does not meet that threshold.

Question 4Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Which statement accurately distinguishes Section 504 from IDEA?

  1. Section 504 requires a categorical disability label, while IDEA does not
  2. Section 504 requires accommodations for any student whose impairment substantially limits a major life activity, while IDEA requires a qualifying disability category and a need for specially designed instruction Correct answer.
  3. Section 504 applies only to students who have specific learning disabilities
  4. Section 504 requires districts to write an IEP, while IDEA requires only a 504 accommodation plan

Explanation

Section 504 is a broad antidiscrimination statute covering any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, whereas IDEA is an education-funding statute limited to specified disability categories and to students who need special education.

Question 5Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Before conducting an initial evaluation, the school psychologist must obtain informed parental consent, which requires that the parents:

  1. Understand that consent, once signed, cannot be revoked
  2. Sign the consent form only after the evaluation has already been completed
  3. Waive their right to a summary of the evaluation results when they sign
  4. Receive a full explanation, in a language they understand, of all information relevant to the proposed evaluation Correct answer.

Explanation

Informed consent requires that parents understand what is proposed and that the explanation be given in their native language or usual mode of communication; consent must be voluntary and may be revoked at any time.

Question 6Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist observes a pattern of bruises on a student that is consistent with non-accidental injury. The psychologist should:

  1. Notify the parents and let them explain before deciding whether to report
  2. Document the observation and monitor the student for several weeks before reporting
  3. Ask the student to name the person responsible before taking any other action
  4. Report the suspicion promptly to the designated child protective services agency Correct answer.

Explanation

School personnel are mandated reporters who must report reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect promptly to the designated agency; they are not investigators and do not need to notify parents before reporting.

Question 7Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under IDEA, prior written notice must be provided to parents whenever the school district:

  1. Hires a new school psychologist
  2. Proposes to initiate or change, or refuses to initiate or change, the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of a student Correct answer.
  3. Publishes its annual testing calendar
  4. Conducts a routine fire drill

Explanation

IDEA requires prior written notice any time the district proposes or refuses to initiate or change a student's identification, evaluation, educational placement, or provision of a free appropriate public education.

Question 8Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

According to the NASP ethical standards, the school psychologist's primary obligation is to:

  1. Support teachers' classroom management preferences above all else
  2. Carry out administrators' directives, because the district is the employer
  3. Preserve the reputation of the school in the community
  4. Protect the rights and welfare of the students with whom they work Correct answer.

Explanation

NASP's ethics code grounds professional practice in the dignity, rights, and welfare of students; employer directives and institutional convenience are subordinate to that obligation when the two conflict.

Question 9Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

The ruling in Larry P. v. Riles (1979) primarily addressed which issue?

  1. The right of students with disabilities to be educated in the least restrictive setting
  2. The obligation of states to provide bilingual instruction for English learners
  3. The use of standardized intelligence tests to place African American students in classes for the educable mentally retarded, because the tests were found to be culturally biased Correct answer.
  4. The provision of interpreting services for deaf students in public schools

Explanation

In Larry P. v. Riles the court found that standardized intelligence tests were culturally biased and barred their use in placing African American students in classes for the educable mentally retarded, which sharpened later requirements for nondiscriminatory assessment.

Question 10Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Board of Education v. Rowley (1982), the U.S. Supreme Court held that a free appropriate public education requires:

  1. Maximizing each student's potential to the fullest extent possible
  2. An IEP reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefit, not the best possible program Correct answer.
  3. Providing exactly the services that private evaluators recommend
  4. Guaranteeing grade-level achievement for every student with a disability

Explanation

Rowley held that FAPE is satisfied by an IEP reasonably calculated to confer educational benefit; the law does not require districts to maximize each child's potential or to adopt every recommended service.

Question 11Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under IDEA's child find requirement, states must:

  1. Wait until a student has failed in the general curriculum before identifying a disability
  2. Evaluate only students whose parents submit a written request for testing
  3. Identify, locate, and evaluate all children with disabilities who need special education, including children who are homeless or enrolled in private schools Correct answer.
  4. Screen all students with a single standardized group achievement test

Explanation

Child find imposes an affirmative duty on states to locate, identify, and evaluate all children with disabilities who need special education, including those who are homeless, wards of the state, or placed in private schools.

Question 12Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

When an RTI framework is used to identify a specific learning disability, which element is required?

  1. Repeated progress monitoring while research-based interventions of increasing intensity are provided and compared with the performance of peers Correct answer.
  2. Retention of the student in the current grade for at least one year
  3. Delivery of all interventions by special education teachers rather than general educators
  4. Documentation of a severe discrepancy between IQ and achievement

Explanation

Under an RTI framework, eligibility rests on documented response to increasingly intensive, research-based interventions measured through repeated progress monitoring, rather than on a discrepancy score.

Question 13Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

When evaluating a student whose primary language is not English, the school psychologist should:

  1. Postpone all evaluation until the student is fully fluent in English
  2. Select instruments and procedures appropriate for the student's language and culture, use multiple data sources, and interpret results cautiously Correct answer.
  3. Rely on a single nonverbal ability test as the sole measure of cognitive functioning
  4. Translate a standardized English test informally during administration

Explanation

Nondiscriminatory assessment requires instruments and procedures valid for the student's language and culture, corroboration from multiple sources, and careful interpretation; informal on-the-spot translation invalidates standardized norms.

Question 14Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist receives a subpoena demanding a student's complete psychological records. The most appropriate response is to:

  1. Release the test protocols but withhold the written report
  2. Release the records immediately, because a subpoena overrides confidentiality
  3. Notify the parent or eligible student and the district's legal counsel before releasing any records Correct answer.
  4. Destroy the records to protect the student's privacy

Explanation

A subpoena does not by itself authorize release of protected records; the psychologist should notify the parents or eligible student and legal counsel so that privilege and any applicable protections are asserted or waived lawfully.

Question 15Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under IDEA, a student with a disability must be reevaluated:

  1. Only when a parent submits a written request
  2. Every year, immediately before the annual IEP review
  3. Whenever the student changes grade levels or buildings
  4. At least once every three years, unless the parent and the district agree that reevaluation is unnecessary Correct answer.

Explanation

IDEA requires reevaluation at least once every three years unless the parent and district agree it is unnecessary, and no more than once a year unless the parent and district agree otherwise.

Question 16Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Which statement best reflects IDEA's least restrictive environment requirement?

  1. Students with disabilities must spend at least half of the school day in general education classes
  2. Placement must be determined by the district's available continuum of services rather than by individual student need
  3. Removal from general education is permitted only when education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily Correct answer.
  4. A student may be removed from general education whenever behavior interferes with the class

Explanation

Least restrictive environment presumes placement in the general classroom with supplementary aids and services, and removal is justified only when that placement cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

Question 17Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In a problem-solving model, the first step after a teacher refers a student for academic concerns is to:

  1. Move the student to a more restrictive classroom setting
  2. Initiate a full special education evaluation
  3. Define the problem in observable, measurable terms and collect baseline data Correct answer.
  4. Ask the parents to obtain a medical diagnosis before proceeding

Explanation

Problem-solving models begin with precise problem identification, which means operationally defining the concern and gathering baseline data, before interventions are designed or eligibility is considered.

Question 18Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

If parents disagree with the district's evaluation and request an independent educational evaluation, the district must:

  1. Complete a second in-house evaluation and then treat the request as satisfied
  2. Either provide the independent evaluation at public expense or initiate a due process hearing to show that its own evaluation was appropriate Correct answer.
  3. Deny the request unless the parents pay an evaluator from the district's approved list
  4. Convene an IEP meeting to change the student's placement instead

Explanation

When parents request an independent educational evaluation, the district must fund it or request a due process hearing to demonstrate that its own evaluation was appropriate.

Question 19Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist is asked to provide private therapy to a student whom the psychologist is also evaluating for the district. The best course of action is to:

  1. Accept both roles because the student will benefit from working with a familiar adult
  2. Avoid the dual role, because combining them may impair objectivity and create conflicting obligations to the student and the district Correct answer.
  3. Accept both roles as long as the parents sign a release
  4. Accept the private role but keep it confidential from school staff

Explanation

Ethical standards caution against multiple relationships that could impair objectivity or exploit the professional relationship; an evaluator should not simultaneously serve as the student's private therapist.

Question 20Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under IDEA, transition services must be included in a student's IEP:

  1. Beginning no later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16, with measurable postsecondary goals and coordinated transition services Correct answer.
  2. Only if the student's parents request a vocational assessment
  3. Only during the student's final semester before graduation
  4. Beginning in kindergarten for all students with disabilities

Explanation

IDEA requires measurable postsecondary goals and transition services in the IEP no later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16, and earlier when the IEP team determines it appropriate.

Question 21Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court clarified that an IEP must be:

  1. Reasonably calculated to enable the child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances, so that merely more than de minimis progress is insufficient Correct answer.
  2. Revised to include one-to-one instruction whenever parents reject the district's proposal
  3. Evaluated solely on the basis of grade-level achievement test scores
  4. Designed to provide the maximum possible benefit for every student with a disability

Explanation

Endrew F. clarified the Rowley standard by holding that an IEP must be reasonably calculated to enable progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances, rejecting a standard of merely more than de minimis progress.

Question 22Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Honig v. Doe (1988) established which principle regarding students whose misconduct is related to their disability?

  1. Schools may expel such students without any procedural steps once the behavior occurs
  2. Parents must provide 24-hour supervision for students with emotional disturbance
  3. Such a student may not be unilaterally excluded from school for that conduct while due process proceedings are pending Correct answer.
  4. Such students must be placed in separate facilities whenever they are disruptive

Explanation

Honig v. Doe upheld the stay-put provision: a student may not be unilaterally excluded for disability-related conduct while due process proceedings are pending, although interim placements may be arranged through the hearing process.

Question 23Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

When a disciplinary removal constitutes a change of placement, the manifestation determination requires the IEP team to decide whether the conduct was:

  1. Witnessed by a school employee, in which case the removal is automatically valid
  2. Caused by or substantially related to the student's disability, or the direct result of the district's failure to implement the IEP Correct answer.
  3. Intentional, in which case standard discipline may proceed without further limitation
  4. Related to the student's cultural or linguistic background rather than to the disability

Explanation

A manifestation determination asks whether the conduct was caused by or had a direct and substantial relationship to the student's disability, or was the direct result of the district's failure to implement the IEP; if either is true, the discipline must be modified.

Question 24Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Which statement correctly describes FERPA's 'legitimate educational interest' provision?

  1. Records may never be shared with school staff other than the school psychologist who created them
  2. A teacher's request for records must always be accompanied by written parental consent
  3. Records may be disclosed without consent to school officials, including teachers, who have a legitimate educational interest in the information Correct answer.
  4. Records may be shared with any district employee for any reason, at the district's sole discretion

Explanation

FERPA permits disclosure without consent to school officials with a legitimate educational interest in the records, which is why districts publish criteria defining that interest and the scope of access.

Question 25Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In most jurisdictions, the confidentiality privilege that protects school psychological records belongs to:

  1. The parent or guardian, and the eligible student once rights transfer, rather than the school district Correct answer.
  2. The school psychologist personally, who decides when to waive it
  3. The referring teacher, who initiated the referral
  4. The school district, which may release records whenever it chooses

Explanation

The privilege protecting school psychological records generally belongs to the parent or guardian, and to the student once rights transfer, not to the district or the psychologist, which is why limits on confidentiality should be explained at the outset.

Question 26Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist plans to begin a weekly counseling group for middle school students. Before services begin, the psychologist should obtain informed consent from:

  1. The district's special education director
  2. The students alone, since they are the clients
  3. The students' parents or guardians Correct answer.
  4. The building principal, who represents the district

Explanation

Minors cannot legally give consent to counseling; consent must come from a parent or guardian, ideally accompanied by the student's assent. Administrative staff do not hold consent rights over a student's mental health services, and the student's own agreement supplements rather than replaces parental consent.

Question 27Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under FERPA, when parents request to inspect their child's education records, the school must make them available:

  1. Only after a formal hearing is held
  2. Within 45 days of the request Correct answer.
  3. Before the end of the current school year
  4. Within 10 school days of the request

Explanation

FERPA requires that parents be given access to education records within 45 days of a request, and schools may not delay access until the end of the year or until a hearing occurs. A hearing is a separate right that arises only when a parent contests the content of a record.

Question 28Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A student with a chronic health condition needs rest breaks and extra time on assignments but does not require specialized instruction. The most appropriate framework for serving this student is:

  1. Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act
  2. No formal plan, since the student is currently passing
  3. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act Correct answer.
  4. IDEA, under the category of other health impairment

Explanation

Section 504 requires accommodations for students whose disability substantially limits a major life activity but who do not need specially designed instruction. IDEA eligibility requires an adverse effect on educational performance that creates a need for specialized instruction, which this student does not have.

Question 29Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist learns that a colleague has been letting teachers review secure copies of a standardized achievement test before the school-wide administration. According to professional ethics, the psychologist should first:

  1. Send an anonymous note to the district assessment office
  2. Say nothing, because test security is the colleague's responsibility
  3. Discuss the concern directly with the colleague and seek a remedy Correct answer.
  4. Report the colleague to the state licensing board

Explanation

Ethical codes call for informal resolution directly with the colleague when doing so is feasible, escalating only if the concern is not addressed. Allowing teachers to preview secure items compromises test validity and gives students an unfair advantage.

Question 30Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

The 1954 Thayer Conference is important in the history of school psychology because it:

  1. Defined the roles and training of school psychologists Correct answer.
  2. Established the first law guaranteeing education to students with disabilities
  3. Introduced the response-to-intervention model for identifying disabilities
  4. Created the National Association of School Psychologists

Explanation

The Thayer Conference produced a landmark statement of the roles, functions, and recommended training levels for school psychologists, shaping the field's professional identity. Legal guarantees for students with disabilities came from court decisions and statutes in the 1970s, and NASP was founded later, in 1969.

Question 31Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist who has met national standards for training and practice beyond state licensure holds which credential?

  1. LPC
  2. Ed.S.
  3. BCBA
  4. NCSP Correct answer.

Explanation

The Nationally Certified School Psychologist credential is awarded through NASP to individuals who complete an approved graduate program, a supervised internship, and the national school psychology examination. State licensure or certification is separate, and the other credentials reflect different scopes of practice or degree levels.

Question 32Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

The NASP Practice Model describes comprehensive school psychological services as organized across:

  1. Five broad service areas
  2. Three tiers of intervention
  3. Ten domains of practice Correct answer.
  4. Twelve eligibility categories

Explanation

The NASP Practice Model organizes school psychological services into ten domains that together describe a comprehensive role spanning assessment, intervention, consultation, and systems-level work. Three tiers describe an intervention framework, and twelve categories describe IDEA disability classifications, not the practice model.

Question 33Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In consultee-centered consultation, the primary goal is to:

  1. Conduct a comprehensive psychoeducational evaluation
  2. Provide direct counseling to the referred student
  3. Build the teacher's capacity to handle future problems Correct answer.
  4. Document the teacher's referral for the file

Explanation

Consultee-centered consultation targets the teacher's knowledge, skill, confidence, or objectivity so that the teacher can solve similar problems independently in the future. Direct work with the student is characteristic of client-centered consultation or intervention rather than consultee-centered consultation.

Question 34Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Cedar Rapids Community School District v. Garret F. (1999), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that:

  1. Only services delivered by a physician count as related services
  2. Schools may charge parents for health services provided during the school day
  3. Continuous nursing care can qualify as a related service under IDEA Correct answer.
  4. Medical services are never required, regardless of cost

Explanation

The Court held that services such as continuous nursing care that are not delivered by a physician are related services the district must provide, even when they are costly. Expense alone does not excuse the district, and the physician exclusion is narrow.

Question 35Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Schaffer v. Weast (2005), the Supreme Court addressed which issue in IDEA due process hearings?

  1. Which party bears the burden of proof when challenging an IEP Correct answer.
  2. Whether students may be expelled for disability-related misconduct
  3. Whether private school tuition may be reimbursed
  4. Whether parents may represent themselves without an attorney

Explanation

Schaffer held that the party seeking relief in a due process hearing bears the burden of proof, which in most cases is the parents. The other issues were resolved in different cases, such as Winkelman, Honig, and Forest Grove.

Question 36Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Under the McKinney-Vento Act, a student who becomes homeless must be:

  1. Placed in the district's alternative school until housing is secured
  2. Enrolled immediately, even without the usual documents Correct answer.
  3. Transported to the school in the district where the family last lived
  4. Evaluated for special education before enrolling

Explanation

McKinney-Vento requires immediate enrollment of students experiencing homelessness, and missing records such as immunization or residency documents cannot delay placement. The student may also remain in the school of origin when that is in the student's best interest, but enrollment cannot be conditioned on prior evaluation.

Question 37Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) requires schools to do which of the following before administering a federally funded survey about students' political beliefs?

  1. Notify the state education agency within 30 days
  2. Have a school psychologist review the survey items
  3. Obtain approval from the school board in a public meeting
  4. Obtain written parental consent Correct answer.

Explanation

PPRA requires written parental consent before students participate in surveys funded by the U.S. Department of Education that ask about protected topics such as political beliefs, sexual behavior, and mental health. For nonfunded surveys on those topics, schools must at minimum give parents notice and an opt-out opportunity.

Question 38Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Winkelman v. Parma City School District (2007) is significant because the Court held that:

  1. Parents may represent their own IDEA interests in court without a lawyer Correct answer.
  2. Functional behavioral assessments are required before any suspension
  3. School districts must pay parents' attorney fees in all due process cases
  4. Students with disabilities must be included in statewide assessments

Explanation

The Court recognized that parents have their own substantive rights under IDEA and therefore may pursue those rights in federal court without counsel. Attorney fees are awarded only under specific circumstances, and the other issues rest on different statutory provisions or cases.

Question 39Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A parent who cannot pay a private counseling fee offers to remodel the psychologist's kitchen instead. According to ethical standards, the psychologist should:

  1. Accept only if the parent signs a waiver of liability
  2. Accept, provided the value of the work is documented in a signed written agreement
  3. Accept, because bartering is common in small communities
  4. Decline the barter and consider alternatives such as a fee adjustment Correct answer.

Explanation

Bartering with families is strongly discouraged because it creates a dual relationship and carries a high risk of exploitation or disagreement about value. The preferred course is to decline and explore fee adjustment, referral, or other standard arrangements.

Question 40Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist with no training in assessing students who are deaf is asked to evaluate a student who uses American Sign Language. The psychologist should:

  1. Ask an interpreter to translate the test items during administration
  2. Obtain supervision or consult a specialist before proceeding Correct answer.
  3. Decline to evaluate the student and close the referral
  4. Administer the standard verbal IQ test and label the results invalid

Explanation

Ethical standards require practice within one's boundaries of competence, which can be met by obtaining supervision, consultation, or additional training before proceeding. Simply translating standardized items or knowingly administering an inappropriate instrument does not produce valid results.

Question 41Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

At the start of counseling, a school psychologist should explain the limits of confidentiality to a student mainly because:

  1. Minors are entitled to know when information may be disclosed Correct answer.
  2. Districts require a written agreement for every counseling case
  3. Students must sign a legal waiver before counseling can begin
  4. Federal law requires documentation of each session's content

Explanation

Informed assent includes telling students in advance the circumstances under which information may be shared, such as risk of harm, abuse, or a court order. This preserves trust and gives the student a realistic understanding of privacy.

Question 42Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Irving Independent School District v. Tatro (1984), the Supreme Court held that clean intermittent catheterization is:

  1. A medical service excluded from IDEA
  2. A service only physicians may deliver
  3. A service parents must provide during school hours
  4. A related service the school must provide Correct answer.

Explanation

The Court held that catheterization is a related service because it is a supportive service required for the student to attend school and is not performed by a physician. The medical services exclusion is narrow and does not cover routine health procedures.

Question 43Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist is evaluating whether a reading intervention is working. Which step is most important before concluding that the intervention has failed?

  1. Verify that the intervention was implemented as designed Correct answer.
  2. Add a second intervention to increase the effect
  3. Repeat the baseline measurement in a different classroom
  4. Wait a full school year before reviewing progress

Explanation

Conclusions about intervention effectiveness are only valid when treatment integrity, or fidelity, has been documented. Without evidence that the intervention was delivered as intended, weak progress may reflect poor implementation rather than an ineffective intervention.

Question 44Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist documents counseling notes in the district's student information system. These records are generally governed by:

  1. HIPAA, because the notes contain health information
  2. No privacy law, since school records are considered public
  3. FERPA, because they are education records maintained by the school Correct answer.
  4. State mental health confidentiality statutes only

Explanation

Records that a school maintains about a student are education records under FERPA, and HIPAA expressly excludes records covered by FERPA from its scope. State law may add protections, but it does not displace the federal education records framework.

Question 45Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist evaluates a student who is an English learner. Modifying standardized test items to simplify the language is problematic mainly because:

  1. It requires permission from the test publisher
  2. It takes too much time during the testing session
  3. It invalidates the use of the test's norms Correct answer.
  4. It violates the student's right to an interpreter

Explanation

Standardized scores are interpretable only when the test is administered as designed, so altering item wording changes the task and invalidates comparisons with the normative sample. Appropriate practice calls for selecting instruments with suitable norms and using interpreters only for directions and nonstandardized procedures under documented conditions.

Question 46Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A school psychologist finds that district discipline data show students of one racial group are consistently referred for evaluation at higher rates after minor infractions. The most appropriate professional response is to:

  1. Present the data to district leadership and advocate for systemic changes Correct answer.
  2. Continue evaluating every referred student, since the referral has been made
  3. Document the pattern in an email to the teachers and take no further action
  4. Stop accepting referrals from the teachers involved

Explanation

When data reveal a systemic pattern of disproportionate referral, ethical standards call for advocacy at the systems level rather than only case-by-case compliance. Bringing evidence to decision-makers and promoting equitable practices addresses the source of the disproportionality.

Question 47Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

In Forest Grove School District v. T.A. (2009), the Supreme Court ruled that parents may receive tuition reimbursement for a unilateral private placement:

  1. Only if the parents filed a due process complaint before enrolling the student
  2. Only when the private school is state-approved for special education
  3. Only if the district had previously found the student eligible for special education
  4. Even if the student had never received special education services from the district Correct answer.

Explanation

The Court held that IDEA does not bar reimbursement simply because the student had never been found eligible for or received special education from the district. Reimbursement depends on whether the district failed to provide a free appropriate public education, not on prior eligibility status.

Question 48Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Parents request copies of their child's completed, copyrighted test protocols. Under FERPA and professional ethics, the school psychologist should:

  1. Refuse, because test protocols are the psychologist's personal property
  2. Release the protocols only after the publisher grants written permission
  3. Provide access while explaining copyright and test-security limits on copying Correct answer.
  4. Provide the originals and keep no copy for the district

Explanation

Parents have a FERPA right to inspect and review education records, including completed protocols, but the psychologist should explain copyright and test-security restrictions, such as supervised review or a written agreement not to reproduce items. Access may be managed, but it cannot be denied outright.

Question 49Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

Parents file a due process complaint challenging their child's current IEP. While the hearing is pending, the student must generally:

  1. Be removed from special education until the dispute is resolved
  2. Remain in the current educational placement Correct answer.
  3. Receive homebound instruction for the duration of the hearing
  4. Be placed in the setting the parents request

Explanation

IDEA's stay-put provision requires that a student remain in the current educational placement during the pendency of due process proceedings, unless the parties agree otherwise. This protects the student from disruption while the dispute is resolved.

Question 50Foundations and Professional Responsibilities

A student with a disability is enrolled by her parents in a private religious school. Under IDEA, the local district must:

  1. Pay the private school tuition as a unilateral placement
  2. Refuse any services because the student is not enrolled publicly
  3. Provide a proportionate share of services through equitable participation Correct answer.
  4. Develop a full IEP and provide FAPE at the private school

Explanation

When a student with a disability is placed in a private school by parents, the district is not obligated to provide FAPE but must spend a proportionate share of federal IDEA funds on equitable services for such students. The district must consult with private school representatives and child find applies, but individual IEPs are not required.