Praxis Special Education: Mild to Moderate cheat sheet

IDEA disability categories (13): autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, emotional disturbance, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, specific learning disability, speech or language impairment, traumatic brain injury, visual impairment including blindness.

Specific learning disability exclusion rule: a student is not identified as having SLD if the determining factor is lack of appropriate instruction in reading or math, or limited English proficiency.

Dyslexia = word-level decoding and spelling deficit; dyscalculia = number sense and fact retrieval deficit; dysgraphia = written expression and handwriting deficit. These fall under SLD, not separate IDEA categories.

Emotional disturbance requires one or more of five characteristics (inability to learn unexplained by other factors, relationship problems, inappropriate behavior, pervasive unhappiness, physical symptoms/fears) exhibited over a long period and to a marked degree.

ADHD is typically served under other health impairment (OHI) when it adversely affects educational performance; it is not its own IDEA category.

Intellectual disability requires significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning existing concurrently with deficits in adaptive behavior, manifested during the developmental period.

Twice-exceptional (2e) students have both a disability and high ability; a strength in one area can mask a deficit and vice versa, so profiles require both strength and need data.

Autism under IDEA includes autistic disorder, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and Asperger syndrome; the category is defined by deficits in social communication plus restricted/repetitive behavior.

Section 504 covers any student with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; it provides accommodations, not specialized instruction, and has no categorical list.

Explicit instruction sequence: review prior knowledge, state objective, model (I do), guided practice (we do), independent practice (you do), cumulative review.

Scaffolding fades: prompts, cues, models, and manipulatives are withdrawn as the student reaches criterion, so the student performs the skill independently.

Systematic phonics instruction is more effective than whole-language or embedded phonics for students with word-reading difficulties; it teaches letter-sound correspondences in a defined sequence.

Self-monitoring and self-regulation strategies (goal setting, self-recording, self-reinforcement) improve on-task behavior and are most effective when the student, not only the teacher, tracks performance.

Mnemonic instruction (keyword, pegword, letter strategies) improves recall of facts and vocabulary for students with learning disabilities.

CRA sequence for math: concrete (manipulatives) to representational (drawings, number lines) to abstract (symbols and algorithms).

Accommodations change how content is accessed (extended time, read-aloud, preferential seating); modifications change what is taught or the performance standard. Accommodations do not alter content expectations.

Universal Design for Learning principles: multiple means of representation (what), multiple means of action and expression (how), multiple means of engagement (why).

Task analysis breaks a complex skill into teachable component steps; chaining teaches the steps in order (forward chaining begins with the first step, backward chaining with the last).

RTI/MTSS tiers: Tier 1 universal core instruction for all; Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention; Tier 3 intensive individualized intervention. Progress monitoring data drive movement between tiers.

Discrepancy versus RTI: the ability-achievement discrepancy model waits for a gap to appear; RTI identifies struggling students early and monitors response to validated intervention before referral.

Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) uses brief, timed, standard probes (e.g., words read correct per minute) to index growth; it is sensitive to short-term change and used for progress monitoring.

Norm-referenced tests compare a student to a norm group (standard scores, percentiles); criterion-referenced tests compare performance to a defined skill standard.

Standard score mean is 100 with a standard deviation of 15 on most cognitive and achievement tests; a score of 85 is one standard deviation below the mean.

Evaluation requirements: assessments must be selected and administered so as not to be racially or culturally discriminatory, given in the child's native language or mode of communication, and validated for the specific purpose.

Eligibility timeline: after parental consent, the initial evaluation must be completed within 60 days (or the state-established timeframe), and eligibility determination follows.

A single measure may not be used as the sole criterion for determining disability or appropriate educational program.

IEP progress must be measured and reported at least as often as nondisabled peers receive report cards; present levels of academic achievement and functional performance anchor all goals.

Continuum of services, least restrictive first: general education with supports, co-teaching, resource room, self-contained, specialized school, home/hospital. Placement is determined by the IEP team, not by disability label.

Functional behavior assessment (FBA) identifies antecedents, behaviors, and consequences; the behavior intervention plan (BIP) is built from the FBA and targets the function (attention, escape, access to tangibles, sensory).

ABC data: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. Function-based interventions replace the behavior with an equivalent, more acceptable response.

Positive reinforcement increases behavior by adding a stimulus after the response; negative reinforcement increases behavior by removing an aversive stimulus. Negative reinforcement is not punishment.

Classroom arrangement rules: high-traffic areas free of congestion, clear sight lines to all students, easy access to frequently used materials, quiet zones separated from noisy areas.

Manifestation determination review is required when a disciplinary change of placement exceeds 10 consecutive school days or constitutes a pattern; the team asks whether the behavior was caused by or directly related to the disability, or a result of failure to implement the IEP.

Instructional time on task rises when transitions are structured, expectations are posted, and routines are taught and rehearsed rather than assumed.

Co-teaching models: one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station teaching, parallel teaching, alternative teaching, team teaching. Station and parallel models increase student-teacher ratio and active engagement.

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

Procedural safeguards include prior written notice, parental consent for evaluation and placement, access to records, independent educational evaluation (IEE) at public expense when parents disagree, and due process/mediation rights.

Confidentiality: FERPA governs education records access and amendment; IDEA requires written consent before disclosing personally identifiable information except under specified exceptions.

Prior written notice must be given before the school proposes or refuses to initiate or change identification, evaluation, placement, or provision of FAPE.

Paraprofessionals may deliver instruction under the supervision and direction of a certified teacher; they do not design instruction, conduct initial evaluations, or make eligibility decisions.

Transition planning begins no later than age 16 (earlier if state requires) and must include measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessments in education/training, employment, and independent living.

Cultural competence in collaboration: interpreters and translated materials are provided at no cost to families; family input is documented in the IEP, and communication uses plain language.

Consultation versus collaboration: consultation is expert-to-teacher advice; collaboration is shared decision-making with joint responsibility for planning, delivery, and evaluation of instruction.