Practice Test 2 Flashcards
As a school psychologist, you are asked to help support a student who has significant neurologic impairments in the right hemisphere of the brain due to a stroke. As you consult with the teacher, you state that the student will most likely have which of the following learning problems?
Difficulty with novel problem-solving
A school psychologist is counseling a regular education high school student who has been caught using his brother’s attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) medication. The parent believes her son is distraught because he was denied admission to a selective college that he wanted to attend. When the psychologist meets with the student, the student is told that he has control of how he chooses to respond to the situation. Which counseling theorist emphasizes that people can always choose how to respond to difficult situations?
Viktor Frankl
Which analysis is not included in the three levels of an effective response-to-intervention (RTI) data analysis?
Analysis of the quantity of data
Although token economies are effective systems to use in behavioral modification programs, what is a complaint often stated by teachers regarding these methods?
Token economies are sometimes cumbersome to implement and maintain
A school psychologist, practicing in an affluent public school district, is notified by the district’s crisis team that an unfortunate situation has occurred. A seventh-grade student died from a self-inflicted injury late at night. The next morning, the psychologist is called to assist the crisis team at the student’s school. The administration has already been notified of the situation and they are awaiting support from the district crisis team.
In the situation just described, the initial and primary concern is which of the following?
You must discuss and plan for contagion effects with school staff
A school psychologist is evaluating a sixth-grade male student named Cameron for special education services. The psychologist administers a full cognitive test battery (e.g., Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children [WISC]) and various social–emotional measures. The preliminary results are as follows: The full-scale standard score on Cameron’s cognitive test battery is 113 (SS-113). All major cognitive domains (indexes) were found to be within two standard score points of each other. The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) indicates that both the teacher and parent forms have T-scores above 69 within the attention domain. The semi-structured student interview reveals that Cameron follows the rules of the school, but he appears to follow these rules only to avoid punishment or gain rewards.
In addition to the assessment tools used in the previous example, what other assessments should be completed as part of a comprehensive evaluation?
A review of student records and a student observation
Which of the following behavioral reinforcement schedules has shown to be effective, but it is most difficult to modify the behavior once established using this technique?
Variable-ratio reinforcement
A teacher alerts the school psychologist to a high school transgender student who has made suicidal comments during a class assignment. The psychologist meets with the student and decides that a full suicide assessment is prudent. Given this situation, it is critical to do which of the following?
Do not leave the student unsupervised during any part of the process
When is it legal to disclose the confidential records of a student to a third party (e.g., outside the school)?
When there is a safety issue involved
What is the primary difference between punishment and negative reinforcement?
Negative reinforcement increases behavior, whereas punishment decreases behavior
Michele is a student engaged in a school’s response-to-intervention (RTI) process for reading comprehension issues. When she started the RTI process, her baseline score was 3, which was considered below that of her same-aged peers. She is given weekly assessments to gauge her progress with reading comprehension. Michele’s scores are based on a 1 to 10 scale, with 10 being the highest and most positive score possible. Her scores for the past several weeks are 1, 5, 7, 7, and 10.
What is the mean score in the given set of numbers?
6
Which critical law or case law states that special education students must have a manifestation meeting to review placement if they are suspended for more than 10 days?
Honig vs. Doe
In addition to student motivation, school climate, and school policies, what is another factor in student success or failure?
Family involvement
A district-level school psychologist is asked to lead a threat assessment on a high school student. The student was caught at school with pepper spray and a list of students targeted for revenge. The threat assessment team was thorough during the inquiry and confidential student information was shared with the administration and law enforcement. Parents were not present during the interview with the student of concern. Because a violent incident was averted and strict disciplinary action was taken against the student of concern, the parents of the targeted students were not notified. What potential legal violation is involved in this situation?
A duty-to-warn infraction occurred
A school psychologist is asked to help address a kindergartener’s difficult behavior. The teacher is new and the psychologist decides to personally address the problem. The psychologist directly teaches the student self-regulation skills. In this case, the psychologist is engaged in which type of consultation model?
Client-centered model
A school psychologist is asked to test a female student suspected of having a learning disability. The female student only speaks a few words of English, but she is fluent in Spanish. When the psychologist conducts an assessment, it is prudent to do which of the following?
Use informal measures as well as appropriately normed standardized assessments
A teacher tells her class that they can have 10 minutes of free computer time to play recreational games if they complete their short math assignment first. What behavioral principle is this teacher employing to motivate her students?
Premack principle (related to B.F. Skinner’s theories); States that a higher order (desired) behavior can shape a less desired behavior
Schools generally favor behavioral techniques based on B. F. Skinner’s theories. Which one of the following statements best describes Skinner’s beliefs?
Behavior is shaped by consequences that immediately follow the behavior
A school psychologist works as a private practitioner and is also employed by a large suburban public school district. A portion of this school district is very wealthy. During the summer months when the schools are closed, a parent asks the psychologist to complete a full cognitive assessment for her child, who attends a school that is different from where the psychologist works. The parent needs a full-scale cognitive test score so she can register her son at a private school. The parent is willing to pay the psychologist for the service. What should the school psychologist do in this situation?
A psychologist can accept this specific type of work if they are licensed and qualified to do so as a private practitioner
When a formal ethical complaint is filed against a National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) member, NASP can take several potential actions. Which one of the following actions is not valid?
Revoke the license of the practitioner
Michele, a third-grade student, struggles to read at grade level. Teachers believe that Michele’s reading skills are a full year below her grade. Michele’s family is collaborative and they want direct support for Michele, but they are struggling financially and had to move twice in the past 2 years. The parents and teachers are worried that Michele will fall further behind in her reading development. In a consultation situation, what should the school psychologist recommend?
The psychologist should make a formal recommendation to the school’s response-to-intervention (RTI) team
What is the recommended guideline when collecting baseline response-to-intervention (RTI) data?
There should be no new highs (spikes) or lows for three consecutive data points
On most mainstream cognitive tests, a T-score of 64 is considered to be within which range?
Above Average
Generally speaking, a student might have an intellectual disability (ID) if the student has subaverage scores on an adaptive/functional assessment and a below average full-scale standard score on a mainstream cognitive test battery. Which standard score on a cognitive test battery is typically associated with ID?
SS=69
When engaged in a professional consultation situation, which of the following personality traits are important elements for success?
Empathetic and trustworthy
The court ruled that schools must provide equal educational opportunities despite a family’s socioeconomic status (SES).
Hobson vs. Hansen
School psychologists typically consult with several educational specialists and must know some of the concepts and terms from other professional disciplines. In one situation, a school psychologist is told by a speech–language pathologist that a fifth-grade student frequently makes grammatical mistakes in class. For example, during a conversation, the student stated, “To car we the go.” When the school psychologist consults with the teacher, the area of concern is focused on the student’s _______.
Syntax (related to the rules governing how words and sentences are constructed, including the order of words)
Landon is a seventh-grade student suspected of having mild autism. When shown pictures of people engaging in various social interactions, the school psychologist asks Landon how each person in the picture feels. Landon has difficulty with this task and provides atypical responses. This informal task provides information related to which one of the following choices?
Theory of the mind (is the appropriate name of a specific theory associated with the perspective-taking difficulties associated with autism)
A school psychologist is counseling a second-grade student who is significantly concerned about her father’s recent unemployment. From Abraham Maslow’s perspective, the psychologist could say this student is coping with the aspects found at which level?
Safety needs
Ruled that schools receiving federal funds must provide English language instruction to non-English-speaking students
Lau vs. Nichols
The court found that IQ tests could not be used as a sole indicator and showed the importance of using multiple tools to assess a child’s needs.
Larry P vs. Riles
The court defined FAPE to include special education and related services, and required schools to develop an individualized education program (IEP) for each child.
Rowley vs. Board of Education
