DESE Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the DESE exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 DESE Exam Format at a Glance
📚 DESE Topics to Study (69)
✍️ Sample DESE Questions & Answers
1. A student with a disability who is incarcerated in an adult correctional facility:
IDEA allows states to modify certain provisions for incarcerated students with disabilities, but they retain the right to FAPE.
2. Which of the following BEST describes the purpose of a School Quality Review (SQR) conducted by DESE in Massachusetts?
SQRs are diagnostic reviews that examine school practices, systems, and culture to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
3. Schools that treat parents as partners rather than recipients of information tend to see:
Research consistently shows that when families are treated as partners, both student outcomes and overall school climate improve.
4. A school counselor reviewing course enrollment data discovers that students of color are underrepresented in advanced coursework. The most appropriate systemic intervention is to:
School counselors use disaggregated data to identify opportunity gaps and advocate systemically for equitable access to rigorous academic pathways for all students.
5. Which accommodation is specifically designed to support English Language Learners during standardized testing?
Bilingual glossaries provide ELL students access to academic vocabulary in their native language without providing content answers, supporting linguistic access without compromising validity.
6. Community asset mapping in the context of school-community partnerships involves:
Asset mapping shifts the focus from community deficits to available strengths and resources that can support student success.