ESPC Communication & Collaboration 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An ESP notices that a student with a hearing impairment is struggling to follow group discussions. What is the most appropriate action?
- Speak louder and more slowly to the student
- Position yourself so the student can see your face and use visual cues (Correct answer)
- Write down every word spoken during the discussion
- Ask the student to leave the group and work independently
Correct answer: Position yourself so the student can see your face and use visual cues
Positioning yourself so the student can see your face allows lip-reading and visual cues, which significantly aids comprehension for students with hearing impairments.
Question 2: When collaborating with a general education teacher, an ESP should primarily focus on:
- Directing the instructional content of the lesson
- Supporting the teacher's lesson plan and student access to curriculum (Correct answer)
- Evaluating student performance independently
- Deciding which students need special services
Correct answer: Supporting the teacher's lesson plan and student access to curriculum
The ESP's role in collaboration is to support the teacher's instructional plan and help students access the curriculum, not to direct instruction independently.
Question 3: A parent contacts the school demanding to know why their child received a low grade. As an ESP, you should:
- Explain the grading rationale and defend the teacher's decision
- Refer the parent to the classroom teacher or administrator for academic concerns (Correct answer)
- Promise the parent the grade will be reviewed
- Tell the parent the student did not try hard enough
Correct answer: Refer the parent to the classroom teacher or administrator for academic concerns
Grading decisions and academic explanations are the responsibility of the licensed teacher; ESPs should direct parents to the appropriate professional.
Question 4: During an IEP meeting, the ESP's most valuable contribution is:
- Recommending new goals without input from the team
- Sharing specific behavioral and academic observations of the student (Correct answer)
- Deciding which services the student will receive
- Remaining silent unless directly questioned
Correct answer: Sharing specific behavioral and academic observations of the student
ESPs spend significant time with students and can provide detailed, firsthand observations that are invaluable to the IEP team's decision-making.
Question 5: An ESP working with an English Language Learner (ELL) student should:
- Avoid using the student's home language entirely
- Use simple, clear language and support comprehension with visuals and gestures (Correct answer)
- Translate all instruction word-for-word
- Focus only on English grammar drills
Correct answer: Use simple, clear language and support comprehension with visuals and gestures
Using simplified language paired with visual supports and gestures makes instruction comprehensible and supports language acquisition for ELL students.
Question 6: When a colleague shares confidential information about a student in the teachers' lounge, an ESP should:
- Join the conversation since they also work with the student
- Remind the colleague that student information must remain confidential (Correct answer)
- Report the colleague to the union immediately
- Ignore the situation and walk away without comment
Correct answer: Remind the colleague that student information must remain confidential
ESPs have a professional obligation to uphold student confidentiality and should respectfully remind colleagues of this responsibility.
Question 7: To ensure consistent behavior support for a student, an ESP should:
- Develop their own separate behavior plan for the student
- Follow and reinforce the behavior strategies outlined in the student's plan and team (Correct answer)
- Only address behavior when the teacher is absent
- Focus on academics and leave behavior management to the teacher
Correct answer: Follow and reinforce the behavior strategies outlined in the student's plan and team
Consistency across all adults working with a student is essential for effective behavior support, requiring the ESP to follow the established team plan.
ESPC Communication & Collaboration 2
An ESP notices that a student with a hearing impairment is struggling to follow group discussions.
What is the most appropriate action?