DESE Special Education & IEP Development 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following is an example of a measurable annual IEP goal?
- Juan will improve his reading skills during the school year
- Maria will understand math concepts at the third-grade level
- By June, Devon will correctly solve two-digit addition problems with regrouping with 80% accuracy across 4 of 5 trials (Correct answer)
- Carlos will behave appropriately in class
Correct answer: By June, Devon will correctly solve two-digit addition problems with regrouping with 80% accuracy across 4 of 5 trials
A measurable IEP goal must include the skill, the condition, the criterion for mastery, and the timeframe, as shown in Devon's goal.
Question 2: Under IDEA's procedural safeguards, parents who disagree with an IEP decision have the right to:
- Only submit a written complaint to the state education agency
- Request mediation, file a state complaint, or request a due process hearing (Correct answer)
- Withdraw their child immediately without further obligation to the district
- Appeal directly to a federal court without exhausting administrative remedies
Correct answer: Request mediation, file a state complaint, or request a due process hearing
IDEA provides parents with multiple dispute resolution options including mediation, state complaint procedures, and due process hearings.
Question 3: A student is placed in a private school by the LEA to receive FAPE. Who is responsible for ensuring the student's IEP is implemented?
- The private school alone, since it is the student's placement
- The LEA retains responsibility for IEP implementation even when the student attends a private school (Correct answer)
- The state education agency takes over responsibility for private placements
- Responsibility is shared 50/50 between the LEA and private school
Correct answer: The LEA retains responsibility for IEP implementation even when the student attends a private school
When the LEA places a student in a private school to provide FAPE, the LEA remains responsible for ensuring the IEP is properly implemented.
Question 4: Which disability category under IDEA requires that a student's educational performance be adversely affected as part of the eligibility determination?
- Intellectual disability only
- Traumatic brain injury only
- Emotional disturbance, along with most other IDEA categories (Correct answer)
- Physical impairment only
Correct answer: Emotional disturbance, along with most other IDEA categories
Most IDEA disability categories, including emotional disturbance, require that the condition adversely affects educational performance as a criterion for eligibility.
Question 5: A student who uses a wheelchair attends a school where the special education classroom is only accessible via stairs. The school's legal obligation is to:
- Provide alternative services off campus until the building is renovated
- Ensure program accessibility by moving the program to an accessible location or making the space accessible (Correct answer)
- Document the barrier and request state funding before taking action
- Seek a waiver from the district's facilities department
Correct answer: Ensure program accessibility by moving the program to an accessible location or making the space accessible
Schools must ensure that special education programs are accessible to students with physical disabilities, either by modifying facilities or relocating services.
Question 6: In a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework, Tier 3 intervention is best described as:
- Universal screening and core instruction provided to all students
- Targeted, small-group supplemental instruction for students not responding to Tier 1
- Intensive, individualized intervention for students with the most significant needs (Correct answer)
- Special education services provided under a formal IEP
Correct answer: Intensive, individualized intervention for students with the most significant needs
Tier 3 involves intensive, individualized interventions for students who have not made sufficient progress in Tiers 1 and 2.
Question 7: Which of the following statements about confidentiality of special education records is accurate under FERPA and IDEA?
- Schools may share a student's IEP with any teacher without parental consent
- Parents have the right to inspect and review all education records relating to their child (Correct answer)
- Special education records must be retained permanently and cannot be destroyed
- Outside agencies may access IEP records without parental consent if a student is transitioning
Correct answer: Parents have the right to inspect and review all education records relating to their child
FERPA and IDEA guarantee parents the right to inspect and review all education records pertaining to their child.
DESE Special Education & IEP Development 5
Which of the following is an example of a measurable annual IEP goal?