Praxis Special Education: Mild to Moderate flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Least restrictive environment

IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when supplementary aids and services cannot achieve satisfactory progress.

Twice-exceptional

A student who has both a disability and high academic ability; one area can mask the other, so eligibility and programming require data on strengths and needs.

Emotional disturbance criteria

An IDEA category requiring one or more of five characteristics exhibited over a long period and to a marked degree, adversely affecting educational performance.

Other health impairment

IDEA category for limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems, such as asthma or ADHD, that adversely affects educational performance.

Dyscalculia

A specific learning disability affecting number sense, calculation, and math fact retrieval; it falls under the SLD category rather than a separate IDEA category.

Section 504

Civil rights law prohibiting discrimination based on disability; requires accommodations for students whose impairment substantially limits a major life activity, without specialized instruction.

Adaptive behavior

Conceptual, social, and practical skills needed for everyday functioning; deficits in adaptive behavior, with subaverage intellectual functioning, define intellectual disability.

Explicit instruction

A structured teaching sequence of modeling, guided practice, and independent practice with clear objectives, frequent responses, and cumulative review of previously taught skills.

CRA sequence

A math instructional progression from concrete manipulatives to representational drawings and number lines to abstract symbols and algorithms, supporting students with math difficulties.

Scaffolding

Temporary supports such as prompts, models, and cues that are gradually withdrawn as the student gains competence, transferring responsibility for performance to the learner.

Accommodation

A change in how a student accesses instruction or demonstrates learning, such as extended time or read-aloud, without altering content expectations or performance standards.

Modification

A change to what a student is taught or the performance standard expected, such as reduced content or alternate assignments, altering grade-level expectations.

Universal Design for Learning

A framework providing multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement so varied learners can access curriculum from the outset.

Task analysis

Breaking a complex skill into ordered component steps that can be taught, modeled, and reinforced individually, often paired with chaining procedures.

Mnemonic instruction

Memory strategy using keywords, pegwords, or letter cues to link new information to familiar knowledge, improving recall of facts and vocabulary for students with disabilities.

Self-monitoring

A strategy in which the student observes and records their own behavior or performance against a goal, increasing on-task behavior and academic productivity.

RTI tiers

A multi-tiered framework: Tier 1 universal instruction, Tier 2 targeted small-group intervention, Tier 3 intensive individualized support, with progress data driving movement.

Curriculum-based measurement

Brief, standardized, timed probes of basic skills used to index student growth and evaluate intervention effectiveness through repeated progress monitoring.

Standard score

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

Criterion-referenced test

An assessment comparing a student's performance to a defined skill standard or mastery criterion rather than to a norm group of peers.

Initial evaluation timeline

After parental consent, the initial evaluation must be completed within 60 days or the state-established timeframe, followed by the eligibility determination meeting.

Present levels of performance

The IEP statement describing a student's current academic achievement and functional performance, which anchors goals, services, and progress measurement.

Functional behavior assessment

A process identifying antecedents, behaviors, and consequences to determine the function of a behavior, which then guides development of a behavior intervention plan.

ABC data

Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence recording used in functional behavior assessment to identify patterns that reveal why a behavior occurs.

Negative reinforcement

A consequence that increases a behavior by removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus; it is not punishment and is often confused with it.

Manifestation determination

A review required when discipline changes placement beyond 10 consecutive school days, asking whether the behavior was caused by or related to the disability.

Co-teaching models

Arrangements including one teach/one observe, one teach/one assist, station, parallel, alternative, and team teaching, each varying the division of instructional roles.

Continuum of services

The range of placements from general education with supports to specialized settings, selected by the IEP team based on individual need and least restrictive environment.

Prior written notice

Written notice required before the school proposes or refuses to change a student's identification, evaluation, placement, or provision of a free appropriate public education.

Independent educational evaluation

An evaluation conducted by a qualified examiner outside the school; parents may request one at public expense when they disagree with the school's evaluation.

Transition planning

IEP planning beginning no later than age 16 that includes measurable postsecondary goals in education or training, employment, and independent living based on transition assessments.

Paraprofessional role

A support staff member who delivers instruction and services under the supervision of a certified teacher and does not design instruction or make eligibility decisions.