IA Assessment & Progress Monitoring 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student's IEP includes a goal to improve math calculation. Which tool would provide the MOST direct measure of progress toward this goal?
- An IQ test
- A curriculum-based math probe (Correct answer)
- A behavioral rating scale
- A standardized achievement test
Correct answer: A curriculum-based math probe
Curriculum-based math probes directly measure calculation skills aligned to the curriculum, making them the most direct measure for an IEP math goal.
Question 2: An aide notices a student's work samples show reversals of letters 'b' and 'd' consistently. The BEST next step is to:
- Ignore it since reversals are common in young children
- Document the pattern and share observations with the teacher (Correct answer)
- Immediately refer the student for special education evaluation
- Ask the student why they reverse the letters
Correct answer: Document the pattern and share observations with the teacher
The aide should document patterns observed and communicate them to the teacher, who can then determine whether further assessment or intervention is warranted.
Question 3: What is the key difference between a standardized test and an informal assessment?
- Standardized tests are always multiple choice; informal are open-ended
- Standardized tests follow uniform procedures for all students; informal are flexible (Correct answer)
- Informal assessments are graded; standardized are not
- Standardized tests are given by aides; informal by teachers
Correct answer: Standardized tests follow uniform procedures for all students; informal are flexible
Standardized tests must be administered under the same conditions for every student to allow valid comparison, while informal assessments can be adapted to context.
Question 4: A student with a disability receives extended time on assessments as an IEP accommodation. If the aide administers a timed quiz WITHOUT providing extended time, this is:
- Acceptable if the aide was not informed
- A violation of the student's IEP (Correct answer)
- Only a problem if the student fails
- Standard practice for classroom quizzes
Correct answer: A violation of the student's IEP
IEP accommodations are legally required and must be implemented consistently; failing to provide them violates the student's rights under IDEA.
Question 5: When using interval recording to track on-task behavior, the aide marks whether the behavior occurred during each interval. This approach is BEST for behaviors that:
- Happen only once per session
- Are discrete and easily counted
- Occur frequently or continuously (Correct answer)
- Have a clearly defined start and end
Correct answer: Occur frequently or continuously
Interval recording is best suited for behaviors that happen often or continuously because it samples behavior across set time periods rather than counting each instance.
Question 6: A teacher shares a student's benchmark data showing the student is in the bottom 10% compared to grade-level peers. This type of comparison reflects:
- Criterion-referenced assessment
- Norm-referenced assessment (Correct answer)
- Curriculum-based measurement
- Portfolio-based evaluation
Correct answer: Norm-referenced assessment
Norm-referenced assessment compares a student's performance to a normative sample, reporting results as percentile ranks or standard scores.
Question 7: An instructional aide is asked to collect data on 'latency' for a student who struggles to begin tasks. What should the aide measure?
- How long the student works before stopping
- How many tasks the student completes per session
- The time between the instruction being given and the student beginning the task (Correct answer)
- How accurately the student completes the task
Correct answer: The time between the instruction being given and the student beginning the task
Latency recording measures the delay between a cue or instruction and the student's initiation of the expected behavior.
IA Assessment & Progress Monitoring 3
A student's IEP includes a goal to improve math calculation.
Which tool would provide the MOST direct measure of progress toward this goal?