Practice Test Questions

Question 1

A school psychologist completed a multiday comprehensive assessment on a 12-year-old student initially referred for special education services. Student tested has a WISC full-scale standard score of 67 and an ABAS standard score of 73. The student wants to know about his performance and asks the psychologist to explain the results. What is best practice in this situation?

Answer 1

First, secure parent permission before discussing assessment findings with the student

Question 2

Planned learning communities (PLCs) are helpful in developing staff skills. PLCs usually require staff members to meet at consistent, designated times to review, analyze, and discuss data. PLCs are drive by 3 primary questions. Which one is NOT one of those driving questions?

Answer 2

How will the data be collected and presented?

Question 3

Noam Chomsky is known for what psychologic idea?

Answer 3

Humans have a predisposition to acquire language

Question 4

A new school psychologist is assigned to an inner-city public school. The department leader gives the psychologist a new cognitive test to administer for which they have no formal training. Parents of the student have an advocate. The advocate is formally requesting that the new test be administered because it uses the latest norms and it is culturally sensitive. The new test is highly regarded and it would be effective for this case. What should the school psychologist do in this situation?

Answer 4

The psychologist can practice with the test first, then administer with supervision

Question 5

A child who was recently tested with a well-known cognitive test battery had a full-scale standard score of 85. Student’s Vineland assessment from the teacher illustrated a standard score of 60, but Mom’s Vineland resulted in a standard score of 88, and Dad’s Vineland revealed a standard score of 79. The school psychologist determined the discrepancy between adaptive assessment scores is most likely due to:

Answer 5

The subjectivity and different perceptions of raters

Question 6

What is the primary difference between achievement tests and cognitive tests?

Answer 6

Cognitive tests are typically used to provide reasons why a student is struggling

Question 7

An optimal service delivery system is one that is aligned with MTSS supports. According to NASP, which one is NOT a key component of the Tier-1 level of the MTSS model?

Answer 7

The use of evidence-based interventions that align to the intensive needs of specific students

Question 8

Projective tests (e.g., Rorschach, Draw-A-Person) are usually used for:

Answer 8

Gathering supplementary information about a student

Question 9

Which brain structure is usually associated with emotions?

Answer 9

Amygdala

Question 10

A school psychologist is asked to perform a social-emotional assessment on a 9-year-old student. While evaluating the student, the psychologist must remember various developmental norms. According to Erikson, children in second grade are negotiating which stage of development?

Answer 10

Industry versus inferiority

Question 11

What does research state about the use of “learning styles” in designing intervention strategies to help support students?

Answer 11

Research has found small to negligible effects for learning styles

Question 12

CRC refers to:

Answer 12

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

Question 13

A school psychologist works in a community where many parents use illegal drugs. The psychologist is concerned about one particular elementary school they spend 2 days a week servicing. The school psychologist has heard students talk about drugs and wanting to use drugs. What is an effective intervention in this case?

Answer 13

Gather parental, school, and community support to raise awareness and address the drug problem at school

Question 14

A school psychologist is asked to work on a committee to address equity issues in the building. Through the course of a needs assessment, it is determined that there is disproportionality in discipline procedures. African American students are disciplined at twice the rate of nonminority students, African American and Latino students are significantly behind in academics, and there is a lack of minority parent participation at the school across all groups.

The school psychologist is very cognizant of social determinants of mental health and would like to propose that leadership and stakeholders examine which of the following?

Answer 14

Whether the teachers are experienced and qualified in working with the demographics of the school

Question 15

A school psychologist is conducting a school-wide presentation to increase teacher effectiveness. The presentation focuses on the importance of “engagement.” Which of the following is NOT a type of engagement?

Answer 15

Social

Question 16

What is one of the most effective intervention strategies for early reading difficulties?

Answer 16

Phonologic interventions

Question 17

When staff directly instruct students on the behavior they want to see at school and positively reinfornce that behavior while examining data to determine where when, and with whom misbehavior is occurring, the school has potential to reduce disciplinary practices. Which model does this describe?

Answer 17

Positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)

Question 18

An important role of school psychologists is to implement antibullying programs in schools. During a schoolwide training, the school psychologist tells staff that bullying is conceptualized as a type of which of the following?

Answer 18

Aggression that is characterized by a consistent abuse of power

Question 19

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) corresponds with:

Answer 19

NASP Practice Model

Question 20

An assistant principal wants the school psychologist to modify the school’s process to address students who draw pictures that depict self-harm and death. The psychologist adds to the formal suicide process which of the following actions when dealing with a student who has drawn very concerning pictures regarding suicide?

Answer 20

Notify the parents of this student and conduct a suicide evaluation

Question 21

Students grieve loss and respond to crisis in many ways. Which of the following is NOT a variable for how one is impacted?

Answer 21

Quality of adult guidance on how long grieving should take

Question 22

When implementing a crisis intervention for an off-campus suicide, the second step is to do which of the following?

Answer 22

Lend direct support to peers/friends of the deceased student

Question 23

Research shows that providing children from low socioeconomic status (SES) communities with executive functioning intervention significantly impacts later academic success (Deer et al., 2020).

The school psychologist is in the process of evaluating the research. Which of the following should she NOT consider in evaluating the research?

Answer 23

The county where the research was conducted

Question 24

The “stay-put” rule is implemented at what time?

Answer 24

When due process has started

Question 25

Typically, nonverbal and novel problem-solving subtests on major cognitive assessments primarily evaluate the functioning of the:

Answer 25

Right hemisphere of the brain

Question 26

High school students who have dysgraphia should be given what type of accommodation and/or modification on tests?

Answer 26

Multiple-choice tests

Question 27

Which therapeutic method or therapy works best for selective mutism?

Answer 27

Stimulus fading (related to gradual desensitization techniques)

Question 28

In regard to professional associations related to school psychology, which of the following statements is most valid?

Answer 28

The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) is the primary accredidation body for the Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP) credential

Question 29

A student is referred to the school psychologist’s office because he consistently makes inappropriate comments and engages in disruptive behavior. What is the FIRST approach to addressing this problem?

Answer 29

Perform an FBA to determine the antecedent and consequence for the behavior so an intervention can be planned

Question 30

According to many behaviorists, what are the major reasoning and motivations for a variety of common behaviors that school psychologists address within an educational setting?

Answer 30

Attention, affiliation, control

Question 31

A seventh-grade female student has a speech impediment and poor social skills. By the second month of school, the student is teased by a group of girls to the point she becomes despondent. Several other students are aware of the teasing but do nothing about the situation. One day, the student writes a detailed note to her teacher that she will kill the teasing students if they do not stop with the bullying.

In this situation, the school psychologist MUST do which of the following?

Answer 31

Immediately notify the administration and the parents of the children who have been threatened

Question 32

A seventh-grade female student has a speech impediment and poor social skills. By the second month of school, the student is teased by a group of girls to the point she becomes despondent. Several other students are aware of the teasing but do nothing about the situation. One day, the student writes a detailed note to her teacher that she will kill the teasing students if they do not stop with the bullying.

In this scenario, a school psychologist should also do which of the following?

Answer 32

Conduct a formal school-wide needs survey to improve school climate through tailored interventions and determine the extent of the bullying and harassment problem

Question 33

A teacher resides in the community where he teaches. One evening, he sees one of his students at a store. The student has visible marks on his face and arms. The father of this child is known to be strict. In this situation, the teacher should do which of the following?

Answer 33

As a mandated reporter, the teacher has a duty to notify social services or law enforcement about the marks

Question 34

When should a school psychologist suggest exploring more information regarding medication for ADHD to parents?

Answer 34

After assessments have been completed and there are indications of ADHD traits

Question 35

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children:

Answer 35

Can cause learning disabilities and attention problems

Question 36

A teacher asks the school psychologist for direct assistance regarding a disruptive student. The psychologist agrees to observe the child and discreetly sits in the class. The psychologist carefully observes what happens before, during, and after the targeted behavior. After several observations, it was determined that the student was acting out when the student was working with a specific peer. What type of evaluation was conducted to assist the teacher?

Answer 36

Functional behavioral assessment

Question 37

A school psychologist reviews a journal article that describes several studies and experiments. The psychologist is specifically asked to discern the strongest correlation coefficient from the following. Which one depicts the strongest correlation?

Answer 37

-0.98

Question 38

An experiment examines the impact background music has on learning. Two groups are formed: One group studies with soft classical background music, whereas the other group studies in a quiet area.

In the experiment, the music is considered the:

Answer 38

Independent variable

Question 39

When a school psychologist assesses a student for special services, best practice suggests that the psychologist do which of the following?

Answer 39

Use both valid formal and informal assessments to base decisions

Question 40

An educator teaches a student to employ a problem-solving method that reduces the number of options or alternatives to be considered. What type of problem-solving technique is this called?

Answer 40

A heuristic

Question 41

During a structured interview for a Canadian-born student, the psychologist notices that the interviewee is well groomed and has a quick but polite sense of humor. Care must be taken that assessment results are not tainted by what psychologic phenomenon?

Answer 41

Halo effect

Question 42

An administrator asks the school psychologist to analyze school-wide disaggregated data that may contribute to inequities. When examining the root causes of injustice and disparities, which one of the following should the psychologist carefully consider?

Answer 42

Systemic racism

Question 43

A school district is mandated to formally identify children of all ages with suspected disabilities. According to educational law, this previous statement is known as which of the following?

Answer 43

Child Find

Question 44

Which standardized cognitive assessment is largely based on Luria’s theory and the PASS (planning, attention, simultaneous, successive) model?

Answer 44

Cognitive Assessment System

Question 45

An upper elementary school student is referred to the special education team for unusual social and egocentric behavior. The school psychologist conducts an observation of the student and interviews the teacher. The inquiry reveals that the young boy has an uncanny ability to remember detailed facts about World War II military planes. Interview information finds that although the child is polite, he has abnormalities in inflection when he speaks, he has few friends, and he has expressive language problems.

The parents have given the school psychologist signed permission to directly support the student. The psychologist decides that social skills training is the best initial approach. Which of the following best reflects social skills training?

Answer 45

Direct instruction, modeling, and coaching

Question 46

1. Reduce frequency of undesirable behavior by altering the relationship between the student behavior and the environment that prevents the consultee from working effectively with the client
2. Help the consultee develop new methods, strategies, or skills to help the child achieve academically, behaviorally, or socially-emotionally by building the skill set of the consultee (typically a teacher, parent, or administrator).
3. Prepare the consultee to deal with similar problems in the future

Answer 46

Behavioral Model/Problem-Solving Model

Question 47

Supports meetings in which all parties come together (e.g., parent, student, and staff) to resolve issues

Answer 47

Conjoint Behavioral Consultation

Question 48

Builds on the relationship between the facilitator and consultee to strengthen and support the person (teacher, parent, or other adult) who has the responsibility of helping the student(s). The relationship is nonjudgmental, nonprescriptive, and nonhierarchical. The goal is to facilitate conceptual change and understanding about the problem and co-construct new meaning for solutions. Works to improve the relationship between the consultee and the student(s) and to build the skills of the consultee

Answer 48

Consultee-Centered Consultation

Question 49

Anticipates that cultural issues will need to be raised and the consultation process adjusted when working with cultural differences and values of the consultant, consultee, or client or any combination of the consultation participants.

Answer 49

Multicultural Consultee-Centered Consultation