TExES Exam TExES Special Education EC-12 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Under IDEA's Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requirement, placement decisions must:
- Default to a self-contained special education classroom for any student with a disability
- Be made annually without considering the student's prior placement history
- Ensure students are educated alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate (Correct answer)
- Place all students with disabilities in general education regardless of support needs
Correct answer: Ensure students are educated alongside nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate
LRE requires that students with disabilities be educated with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when education with supports cannot be achieved satisfactorily.
Question 2: A student demonstrates significant difficulty with phonemic awareness, decoding, and spelling despite adequate instruction. This profile is MOST consistent with which disability category?
- Intellectual Disability
- Specific Learning Disability in the area of reading (Dyslexia) (Correct answer)
- Speech-Language Impairment
- Other Health Impairment
Correct answer: Specific Learning Disability in the area of reading (Dyslexia)
Persistent difficulties with phonemic awareness, decoding, and spelling despite appropriate instruction are the hallmark characteristics of dyslexia, a specific learning disability.
Question 3: Which data collection method involves the teacher recording every instance of a target behavior within an observation period?
- Interval recording
- Duration recording
- Event/frequency recording (Correct answer)
- Latency recording
Correct answer: Event/frequency recording
Event or frequency recording involves tallying every occurrence of a target behavior within a defined observation window.
Question 4: A student who is deaf and uses American Sign Language (ASL) has an IEP meeting scheduled. Which consideration is MOST important to ensure FAPE?
- The meeting can proceed without the student if they use a different communication system
- A qualified ASL interpreter must be provided so the student can meaningfully participate (Correct answer)
- The school may conduct the meeting in English and provide a written summary later
- Parental consent is not required if the student uses alternative communication
Correct answer: A qualified ASL interpreter must be provided so the student can meaningfully participate
FAPE requires that students be able to meaningfully participate in their IEP process, which necessitates qualified interpretation in the student's language.
Question 5: A general education teacher refers a student for a special education evaluation. What must happen BEFORE the school can conduct the evaluation?
- The student must fail two consecutive grade levels
- Informed written parental consent must be obtained (Correct answer)
- The school board must approve the evaluation request
- The student must be placed in a resource room for 30 days first
Correct answer: Informed written parental consent must be obtained
IDEA requires that schools obtain informed written parental consent before conducting an initial evaluation for special education eligibility.
Question 6: When developing a social skills intervention for a student with ASD, which approach has the strongest research evidence?
- Unstructured free play with nondisabled peers only
- Social Skills Training (SST) using direct instruction, modeling, practice, and feedback (Correct answer)
- Watching social interaction videos without guided debriefing
- Reducing all group activities to eliminate social demands
Correct answer: Social Skills Training (SST) using direct instruction, modeling, practice, and feedback
Structured Social Skills Training that includes explicit instruction, modeling, role-play practice, and systematic feedback is the most evidence-based approach for students with ASD.
Question 7: A student's IEP team determines that extended school year (ESY) services are needed. This determination MUST be based on:
- The parents' request and financial need
- Evidence that the student is likely to experience significant regression during breaks and cannot recoup skills in a reasonable time (Correct answer)
- State law requiring ESY for all students with disabilities
- The student's failure to meet IEP goals during the regular school year
Correct answer: Evidence that the student is likely to experience significant regression during breaks and cannot recoup skills in a reasonable time
ESY eligibility is determined by whether a student demonstrates significant regression during school breaks that cannot be recouped within a reasonable time after returning.
TExES Exam TExES Special Education EC-12 5
Under IDEA's Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) requirement, placement decisions must: