NCED Advanced Diagnostics & Troubleshooting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An educational diagnostician is conducting a math diagnostic and finds a student can solve computation problems but consistently fails word problems. The PRIMARY area to investigate further is:
- Fact retrieval automaticity
- Language comprehension and problem representation skills (Correct answer)
- Visual-spatial processing
- Long-term memory for procedures
Correct answer: Language comprehension and problem representation skills
The ability to translate verbal/written problem statements into mathematical representations is a language-based skill distinct from computation ability.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST describes the diagnostic utility of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) probes compared to norm-referenced tests?
- CBM provides a broader normative comparison across national samples
- CBM offers frequent, sensitive progress monitoring tied directly to the curriculum (Correct answer)
- CBM replaces the need for standardized cognitive assessment
- CBM is used exclusively for eligibility determination under IDEA
Correct answer: CBM offers frequent, sensitive progress monitoring tied directly to the curriculum
CBM probes are designed for repeated, sensitive measurement of skill growth within a student's actual curriculum, making them ideal for progress monitoring rather than eligibility determination.
Question 3: A student demonstrates strong performance on isolated phonics tasks but reads connected text slowly and with many errors. The diagnostician should prioritize assessing:
- Advanced vocabulary and morphology
- Reading fluency and automaticity of decoding in context (Correct answer)
- Listening comprehension and oral language
- Visual acuity and tracking
Correct answer: Reading fluency and automaticity of decoding in context
A gap between isolated phonics and connected text reading signals that decoding has not become automatic, implicating reading fluency as the key diagnostic target.
Question 4: When a student's scores on two subtests measuring the same construct differ by more than 1.5 standard deviations, the diagnostician should:
- Average the two scores and report the mean
- Investigate the discrepancy through behavioral observations, testing conditions, and supplemental tasks (Correct answer)
- Report only the higher score to avoid penalizing the student
- Invalidate both scores and re-test immediately
Correct answer: Investigate the discrepancy through behavioral observations, testing conditions, and supplemental tasks
Large intra-construct discrepancies signal that scores may be influenced by construct-irrelevant factors, requiring clinical investigation before interpretation.
Question 5: A student referred for a suspected specific learning disability in reading has average IQ scores. Under IDEA 2004, which approach is the PREFERRED basis for SLD determination?
- Significant IQ-achievement discrepancy formula
- Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tiered System of Supports data combined with comprehensive evaluation (Correct answer)
- Below-average scores on a single reading test
- Teacher rating scales alone
Correct answer: Response to Intervention (RTI)/Multi-Tiered System of Supports data combined with comprehensive evaluation
IDEA 2004 explicitly permits—and most states now prefer—an RTI/MTSS-based approach combined with comprehensive evaluation data rather than relying solely on IQ-achievement discrepancy.
Question 6: Which diagnostic finding would MOST strongly support a diagnosis of dyscalculia rather than general math underachievement due to poor instruction?
- Below-average scores on a standardized math achievement test
- Persistent deficits in number sense, subitizing, and magnitude comparison despite adequate instruction (Correct answer)
- Difficulty memorizing multiplication tables only
- Low performance on a single classroom math exam
Correct answer: Persistent deficits in number sense, subitizing, and magnitude comparison despite adequate instruction
Core dyscalculia markers include foundational deficits in number sense and magnitude understanding that persist across instructional contexts, unlike general underachievement.
Question 7: A diagnostician reviews records showing a student passed a hearing screening but a teacher reports the student frequently asks for repetition and misunderstands spoken directions. The MOST appropriate referral is for:
- Repeat audiological screening only
- Auditory processing disorder evaluation by an audiologist (Correct answer)
- Psychiatric evaluation for attention deficits
- Vision therapy
Correct answer: Auditory processing disorder evaluation by an audiologist
A pattern of difficulty understanding spoken language despite normal peripheral hearing is a classic indicator of auditory processing disorder, requiring specialized audiological evaluation.
NCED Advanced Diagnostics & Troubleshooting 3
An educational diagnostician is conducting a math diagnostic and finds a student can solve computation problems but consistently fails word problems.
The PRIMARY area to investigate further is: