DLM Essential Elements 2 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: In DLM, Essential Elements are best described as:
- Grade-level standards identical to Common Core
- Reduced complexity academic targets for students with significant cognitive disabilities (Correct answer)
- Behavioral goals written by special education teachers
- Therapy objectives developed by related service providers
Correct answer: Reduced complexity academic targets for students with significant cognitive disabilities
Essential Elements are specific academic targets that reduce the complexity of grade-level standards for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Question 2: Which subject areas are covered by DLM Essential Elements?
- Only English Language Arts and Mathematics
- English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science
- English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies (Correct answer)
- All core subjects including Physical Education and Art
Correct answer: English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies
DLM Essential Elements are developed for English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science.
Question 3: How are DLM Essential Elements organized within each grade band?
- By student IQ level
- By nodes arranged in learning maps that show prerequisite relationships (Correct answer)
- Alphabetically by skill name
- By the date each skill was introduced to the student
Correct answer: By nodes arranged in learning maps that show prerequisite relationships
Essential Elements are organized as nodes within learning maps that show how skills build on prerequisite knowledge and connect to related skills.
Question 4: What does the term 'precursor' mean in the context of DLM Essential Elements?
- A skill that is more advanced than the target Essential Element
- A foundational skill that must be mastered before the Essential Element can be addressed (Correct answer)
- An alternate form of assessment for nonverbal students
- A technology tool used during DLM testing
Correct answer: A foundational skill that must be mastered before the Essential Element can be addressed
Precursor skills are foundational competencies on the learning map that support a student's progress toward an Essential Element.
Question 5: Which of the following is TRUE about the relationship between DLM Essential Elements and Common Core State Standards?
- Essential Elements are completely unrelated to Common Core
- Essential Elements reflect the same rigor as Common Core but with different wording
- Essential Elements are linked to Common Core but represent reduced complexity appropriate for students with significant cognitive disabilities (Correct answer)
- Common Core Standards are embedded inside the Essential Elements without modification
Correct answer: Essential Elements are linked to Common Core but represent reduced complexity appropriate for students with significant cognitive disabilities
Essential Elements maintain a connection to grade-level Common Core content while reducing complexity to be accessible for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
Question 6: During Instructionally Embedded (IE) window assessments, how do teachers use Essential Elements?
- Teachers select Essential Elements to assess based on what they have taught during the year (Correct answer)
- Teachers assess all Essential Elements at every grade level simultaneously
- Essential Elements are only used during the spring summative window, not IE
- Teachers are randomly assigned Essential Elements to assess by the DLM system
Correct answer: Teachers select Essential Elements to assess based on what they have taught during the year
During the IE window, teachers choose which Essential Elements to assess based on their instructional focus throughout the school year.
Question 7: What is a 'linkage level' within the DLM Essential Elements framework?
- The grade band at which an Essential Element was first introduced
- One of several points on the learning map (from Initial Precursor to Target) that describes complexity of a skill (Correct answer)
- A score range on the DLM summative assessment
- A connection between two different subject-area Essential Elements
Correct answer: One of several points on the learning map (from Initial Precursor to Target) that describes complexity of a skill
Linkage levels represent points along the learning mapāspanning from Initial Precursor through Proximal Precursor, Distal Precursor, Target, and Successorāthat describe increasing complexity toward the Essential Element target.
DLM Essential Elements 2
In DLM, Essential Elements are best described as: