NCED Individualized Education Plans & Interventions 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student with an IEP transitions from elementary to middle school. Which action is legally required?
- A completely new evaluation must be conducted
- The receiving school must have an IEP in effect on the first day of school (Correct answer)
- Parents must re-consent to all services
- The IEP must be rewritten by the new team before transfer
Correct answer: The receiving school must have an IEP in effect on the first day of school
IDEA requires that a student with a disability have an IEP in effect at the beginning of each school year, including when transferring between schools.
Question 2: Which intervention framework involves providing increasingly intensive tiers of support based on student response to instruction?
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
- Response to Intervention (RTI) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) (Correct answer)
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Correct answer: Response to Intervention (RTI) / Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS)
RTI/MTSS uses a tiered model where Tier 1 is universal instruction, Tier 2 is targeted intervention, and Tier 3 is intensive individualized support based on student response data.
Question 3: Under IDEA, when must transition planning begin for students with disabilities?
- At age 14
- No later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16 (Correct answer)
- Upon entering high school regardless of age
- When the student requests it
Correct answer: No later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16
IDEA 2004 requires that transition services be included in the IEP no later than the first IEP to be in effect when the student turns 16.
Question 4: A functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is completed and reveals that a student's disruptive behavior is maintained by peer attention. Which intervention would BEST address this function?
- Increase instructional difficulty to reduce boredom
- Teach the student an appropriate way to gain peer attention (Correct answer)
- Remove the student from all peer interactions
- Implement a token economy unrelated to social interaction
Correct answer: Teach the student an appropriate way to gain peer attention
Function-based interventions replace the problem behavior with a socially acceptable behavior that achieves the same function—in this case, gaining peer attention.
Question 5: Which document must accompany an IEP that includes placement in a more restrictive environment to justify that decision?
- A written parental waiver of LRE rights
- An explanation of why the general education setting with supplementary aids is not appropriate (Correct answer)
- A court order authorizing the restrictive placement
- A secondary disability diagnosis
Correct answer: An explanation of why the general education setting with supplementary aids is not appropriate
IDEA requires IEPs to include an explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will NOT participate in general education and the reasons why.
Question 6: A student with a learning disability receives extended time as an IEP accommodation. How does this differ from a modification?
- Accommodations change what is taught; modifications change how it is taught
- Accommodations change how the student accesses content without altering the standard; modifications change the standard itself (Correct answer)
- Accommodations are legally required; modifications are optional
- There is no legal distinction between accommodations and modifications
Correct answer: Accommodations change how the student accesses content without altering the standard; modifications change the standard itself
Accommodations provide access to the same curriculum without changing the content standard, while modifications alter the level or content of what is expected.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the role of an educational diagnostician in the IEP process?
- Solely administering standardized tests and filing reports
- Interpreting assessment data, linking findings to instructional needs, and contributing to IEP goal development (Correct answer)
- Serving as the LEA representative at all meetings
- Writing all sections of the IEP independently
Correct answer: Interpreting assessment data, linking findings to instructional needs, and contributing to IEP goal development
Educational diagnosticians interpret comprehensive assessment data and translate findings into actionable IEP recommendations including eligibility, present levels, and goal direction.
NCED Individualized Education Plans & Interventions 3
A student with an IEP transitions from elementary to middle school.
Which action is legally required?