NYSTCE ATAS Supporting Diverse Learners and Special Education 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teaching assistant notices a student with a learning disability struggles to follow multi-step verbal directions. What is the BEST accommodation to provide?
- Break directions into single steps and use visual cues (Correct answer)
- Repeat the full directions more loudly
- Ask the student to copy directions from a peer
- Send the student to the resource room for all instruction
Correct answer: Break directions into single steps and use visual cues
Breaking directions into single steps paired with visual cues supports students with learning disabilities by reducing cognitive load.
Question 2: An IEP specifies that a student requires extended time on tests. Who is primarily responsible for ensuring this accommodation is implemented?
- The student's parents
- The classroom teacher and the teaching assistant together (Correct answer)
- The school principal
- The state education department
Correct answer: The classroom teacher and the teaching assistant together
The classroom teacher and teaching assistant share responsibility for implementing IEP accommodations within the instructional setting.
Question 3: A student with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) becomes distressed during unstructured transition times. What is the MOST effective strategy for a teaching assistant to use?
- Allow the student to stay in the classroom during all transitions
- Provide a visual schedule and give advance warning before transitions (Correct answer)
- Assign a peer buddy to manage the student during transitions
- Ignore the distress so the student learns to self-regulate
Correct answer: Provide a visual schedule and give advance warning before transitions
Visual schedules and advance warnings reduce transition anxiety for students with ASD by increasing predictability.
Question 4: A teaching assistant is working with an English Language Learner (ELL) who has limited English proficiency. Which strategy BEST supports comprehension during instruction?
- Speak more slowly and use gestures and visual supports (Correct answer)
- Translate all instruction into the student's home language
- Pair the student only with other ELL students
- Reduce the student's workload significantly
Correct answer: Speak more slowly and use gestures and visual supports
Using gestures, visual supports, and slower speech are evidence-based scaffolds that support comprehension for ELL students.
Question 5: A student with ADHD has difficulty staying on task during independent work. What is the MOST appropriate role for the teaching assistant?
- Complete the work for the student to keep pace with the class
- Use proximity, brief check-ins, and break work into smaller chunks (Correct answer)
- Remove the student from the classroom when off-task
- Report the behavior to administration each time it occurs
Correct answer: Use proximity, brief check-ins, and break work into smaller chunks
Proximity, frequent check-ins, and chunked tasks are proven strategies to support on-task behavior for students with ADHD.
Question 6: Which federal law mandates that students with disabilities receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment?
- 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 mandates FAPE and the least restrictive environment (LRE) for students with qualifying disabilities.
NYSTCE ATAS Supporting Diverse Learners and Special Education 1
A teaching assistant notices a student with a learning disability struggles to follow multi-step verbal directions.
What is the BEST accommodation to provide?