FTCE ESE - FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 Assessment and Evaluation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which type of assessment measures a student's performance against a predetermined standard of mastery rather than comparing the student to a normative peer group?
- Norm-referenced assessment
- Criterion-referenced assessment (Correct answer)
- Dynamic assessment
- Ecological assessment
Correct answer: Criterion-referenced assessment
Criterion-referenced assessments determine whether a student has mastered specific skills or content standards, independent of how other students score. Norm-referenced tests, by contrast, rank students relative to a standardized comparison sample.
Question 2: Under IDEA 2004, what event triggers the requirement for an IEP team to conduct a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) if one has not previously been completed?
- The student fails to meet two consecutive IEP behavioral objectives
- The student receives three or more office referrals within a single grading period
- The student with a disability faces a disciplinary change of placement (Correct answer)
- The student transfers from a school in another district
Correct answer: The student with a disability faces a disciplinary change of placement
IDEA mandates an FBA when a disciplinary removal constitutes a change of placement (more than 10 consecutive school days or a pattern of shorter removals). The FBA findings then guide development of a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP).
Question 3: A parent believes the school district's psychoeducational evaluation was flawed. Which right does IDEA explicitly guarantee to that parent?
- The right to have the evaluation automatically invalidated by the state education agency
- The right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense (Correct answer)
- The right to block the IEP team from meeting until a new evaluation is ordered
- The right to select the district's evaluator for all future assessments
Correct answer: The right to request an Independent Educational Evaluation at public expense
Under IDEA, parents who disagree with a district's evaluation may request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at public expense. The district must either fund the IEE or initiate a due process hearing to defend the adequacy of its own evaluation.
Question 4: Unless parents and the school district mutually agree it is unnecessary, how frequently must a student in special education be reevaluated under IDEA 2004?
- Every year
- Every two years
- At least every three years (Correct answer)
- Every five years
Correct answer: At least every three years
IDEA requires a reevaluation—often called the 'triennial review'—at least once every three years to confirm continued eligibility and current educational needs. With written agreement from both parties, this cycle may be waived.
Question 5: Within a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), which data-collection method is most appropriate for determining whether a student is responding to Tier 2 interventions?
- Annual standardized norm-referenced testing
- Portfolio assessment reviewed each grading period
- Frequent progress monitoring using curriculum-based measures (Correct answer)
- One-time ecological assessment across multiple settings
Correct answer: Frequent progress monitoring using curriculum-based measures
Tier 2 decision-making depends on frequent, brief progress-monitoring probes (such as CBMs) that produce ongoing data about student growth. This frequent data collection allows teams to adjust or intensify interventions quickly rather than waiting for annual test results.
Question 6: An ESE teacher presents a student with a brief instructional sequence during testing and then observes how the student applies the taught concept. Which assessment approach does this describe?
- Norm-referenced assessment
- Portfolio assessment
- Curriculum-based measurement
- Dynamic assessment (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Dynamic assessment
Dynamic assessment, rooted in Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, evaluates a student's learning potential by incorporating mediation or brief teaching during the assessment itself. It distinguishes between what a student can do independently and what they can do with guided support.
FTCE ESE - FTCE Exceptional Student Education K-12 Assessment and Evaluation 1
Which type of assessment measures a student's performance against a predetermined standard of mastery rather than comparing the student to a normative peer group?