IA Special Education Support 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which federal law governs special education services for students with disabilities in public schools?
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
- No Child Left Behind Act
- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (Correct answer)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Correct answer: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
IDEA is the primary federal law that mandates and funds special education and related services for eligible students.
Question 2: A student with ADHD frequently blurts out answers in class. Which strategy should the paraprofessional use first?
- Ignore the behavior and hope it stops
- Use a prearranged nonverbal signal to cue the student to raise their hand (Correct answer)
- Immediately remove the student from the classroom
- Tell the student they will lose recess
Correct answer: Use a prearranged nonverbal signal to cue the student to raise their hand
A private, prearranged nonverbal cue corrects the behavior discreetly without disrupting the class or embarrassing the student.
Question 3: What is 'task analysis' in the context of special education instruction?
- Evaluating a student's academic performance on standardized tests
- Breaking a complex skill into small, sequential steps for teaching (Correct answer)
- Analyzing the difficulty level of assigned tasks
- Reviewing a student's behavior data over time
Correct answer: Breaking a complex skill into small, sequential steps for teaching
Task analysis breaks a multi-step skill into smaller, teachable steps to support students with disabilities in learning complex tasks.
Question 4: When a paraprofessional provides 'errorless learning,' they are:
- Allowing students to make mistakes without correction
- Structuring tasks so the student consistently succeeds with guided prompts (Correct answer)
- Testing students without any prior instruction
- Removing all accommodations to measure true ability
Correct answer: Structuring tasks so the student consistently succeeds with guided prompts
Errorless learning structures tasks with sufficient prompting to prevent incorrect responses, building confidence and accuracy.
Question 5: A student with cerebral palsy has difficulty holding a pencil. Which accommodation is most appropriate for written assignments?
- Exempt the student from all written work
- Provide an adapted grip or allow keyboarding as an alternative (Correct answer)
- Ask the student to try harder
- Reduce the student's grade expectations
Correct answer: Provide an adapted grip or allow keyboarding as an alternative
Adapted pencil grips or keyboarding alternatives address the motor barrier without reducing academic expectations.
Question 6: Which team member is responsible for supervising a paraprofessional's work with a student in special education?
- The student's parents
- The classroom paraprofessional themselves
- The licensed special education teacher (Correct answer)
- The school principal
Correct answer: The licensed special education teacher
The licensed special education teacher is legally responsible for directing and supervising paraprofessionals who support students with disabilities.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes 'scaffolding' in special education support?
- Testing a student without any prior instruction
- Providing temporary support that is gradually removed as the student gains independence (Correct answer)
- Keeping support constant so the student never struggles
- Eliminating challenging tasks to prevent frustration
Correct answer: Providing temporary support that is gradually removed as the student gains independence
Scaffolding involves providing structured support that is systematically faded as the student develops competency.
IA Special Education Support 3
Which federal law governs special education services for students with disabilities in public schools?