Praxis Practice Test Flashcards
Which of the following is listed as one of the mindsets in the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies assessment?
A. Self-confidence in the ability to succeed
B. Positive attitude toward work and learning
C. Belief in the development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being
D. Promotion and enhancement of student academic, career, and social/emotional outcomes
(D) is correct. This is the only listed mindset which corresponds to the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies assessment.
A school counselor should do which of the following to demonstrate positive change as a result of a classroom lesson?
A. Ask the teacher to evaluate the lesson
B. Ask the students to evaluate the lesson
C. Ask the students to complete pretests and posttests for the lesson
D. Ask the school principal to observe the lesson
(C) is correct. Having the students complete a pretest and a posttest is the best method for demonstrating positive change from before to after the lesson.
Liam is an eighth-grade student who is struggling in his classes. When he meets with his middle school counselor, he tells the counselor that he does not know how to study and often forgets what assignments he needs to complete. Liam and the counselor determine an objective for their sessions together that will help Liam use time-management, organizational, and study skills to improve his grades. Which of the following ASCA Mindsets & Behavior standards contains this objective?
A. Mindsets
B. Behavior: Learning Strategies
C. Behavior: Self-Management Skills
D. Behavior: Social Skills
(B) is correct. The objective is directly written from the Behavior Standard, Learning Strategies B-LS 3. Use time management, organizational, and study skills.
A frequently applied career theory used with students explores students’ knowledge of the self and the world of work by reflecting on their interests, abilities, and values. The theory classifies students according to six personality types: realistic,
investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. Which of the following is the name of this classification system?
A. Holland codes
B. Life-span, life-space approach
C. Circumscription and compromise theory
D. Happenstance learning theory
(A) is correct. The Holland codes are part of John Holland’s Theory of Vocational Choice (1973), which is one of the most well-known theories in career-based school counseling. The idea of career-based personality types is built into assessments.
Which of the following best describes consultation services?
A. School counselors make recommendations based on appraisal of tests, inventories, and other data to help students make decisions for their future.
B. School counselors work with students to analyze and assess their abilities, interests, skills, and achievements.
C. Multiple individuals work toward a common goal and share responsibility for the associated tasks.
D. Information is gathered from experts about student needs, and information, opinions, and recommendations are provided to individuals who can support those needs
(D) is correct. Gathering information from experts about student needs and providing information, opinions, and recommendations to individuals who can support those needs is the definition of consultation, according to the ASCA National Model.
Which of the following approaches should a school counselor take when making an outside referral for a student to receive long-term intensive services?
A. Agreeing to meet with the student outside of the school day to continue offering support if the school counselor has appropriate state licensing
B. Recommending specific trusted agencies within the community to the student for additional support
C. Providing multiple referrals from the district’s vetted list, being careful not to endorse or show a preference for a particular counselor or practice
D. Consulting with the student’s parents and agreeing to provide intensive services during the school day to make it convenient for the family
(C) is correct. According to the ASCA Ethical Standards, school counselors should always provide a list of referral options with multiple therapeutic counselors and agencies. The school counselors can work with the parents so that they are knowledgeable of what to ask for, but it is ultimately up to the parents to make the phone calls, conduct the interviews, and select the outside counselor or agency that they feel will best provide intensive services for their child.
Which of the following impacts does technology have on a school counselor when used with intentionality and purpose in serving all students?
A. It expands the school counselor’s reach and efficiency.
B. It places a school counselor in a potential legal and ethical dilemma.
C. It causes dual relationships and should be avoided.
D. It causes a school counselor’s role to become irrelevant.
(A) is correct. By using technology appropriately, a school counselor can reach and impact a greater number of students through the school counseling program and also meet the challenges of managing large caseloads.
A school counseling team wants to increase the number of students in the sixth grade that are meeting or exceeding standards according to the state math achievement tests. The school counseling team has determined that many parents do not have a strong understanding of the math curriculum and are not able to adequately assist their children with homework. Additionally, many students lack the study skills to appropriately prepare for the state test, which leads them to feel overwhelmed. Which of the following is a direct service the school counseling team can provide to help meet the goal?
A. Hosting a parent night in conjunction with the math department to help parents understand how to help their child with math
B. Providing a teacher in-service on creating a calming classroom environment for the weeks leading up to the state math achievement testing window
C. Disaggregating the testing data to see whether a specific population of students are struggling on the state math achievement test more than other student populations
D. Providing a series of classroom lessons on study skills, calming strategies, and ways to reduce test anxiety
(D) is correct. By providing classroom lessons, the school counseling department will be offering students a direct service that can help improve the students’ ability to reduce stress during the test.
A school counseling team wants to decrease the number of students with two or more failing grades from 50 students in the first semester of the year to 45 students in the second semester. Which of the following services correctly describes a collaborative indirect approach that would support the department’s goal?
A. Creating a targeted small group intervention for all 50 students for five sessions that will cover study skills, goal setting, and growth mindset strategies
B. Meeting with all 50 students individually to help them identify possible postsecondary options and create individual academic plans
C. Seeking out evidence-based resources to identify possible strategies or interventions that can be used to achieve the goal
D. Partnering with families, teachers, and administrators on a school counseling advisory council in order to elicit feedback on the goal
(D) is correct. Although the advisory council would be discussing the goal, it would not directly affect the students involved in the goal. The purpose of a fall advisory meeting is to present the data analysis results from the previous year and discuss the annual student outcome goals and interventions for the current school year.
Mr. Marris, a school counselor, has different cultural values than a student who is assigned to his caseload. The school counselor explains to his supervisor that he does not think he can work with the student due to a value clash. Mr. Marris is doing which of the following?
A. Allowing his personal biases to affect his practice of school counseling
B. Using good judgment by recognizing that it would be unethical to work with the student due to their differing values
C. Exhibiting respect for the student’s beliefs by choosing not to work with the student
D. Confronting and challenging his values to do what is best for the student
(A) is correct. Per the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, the school counselor is not refraining from refusing services to the student and is basing his decision on his beliefs and values.
According to the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, to ensure optimal professional effectiveness and competency, school counselors are expected to do which of the following?
A. Monitor their emotional and physical health and practice wellness
B. Collaborate with teachers to promote fair-share responsibilities
C. Avoid burnout by scheduling yearly vacations
D. Maintain a nonaltruistic attitude to be able to focus on their work
(A) is correct. The ASCA Ethical Standards indicate that school counselors are to monitor their emotional and physical health and practice wellness.
Which of the following best describes privileged communication?
A. A condition in effect when a person opts to withhold what is believed to be vital information voluntarily or involuntarily
B. An obligation to notify members involved in a potentially harmful situation
C. A legal rule that protects communications within the counseling relationship from compelled disclosure in a court proceeding
D. Choosing words judiciously in an effort to maintain optimal communication with those who have the need to know
(C) is correct. Protected communication is a legal rule in which communication within certain protected relationships, such as that between a counselor and a client, may not be disclosed in court testimony.
A principal asks the school counselor to supervise lunch duty every day for ninth- and tenth-grade lunch periods. Which of the following best describes the principal’s request?
A. A job requirement
B. An appropriate school counselor activity
C. A one-time favor to assist the school counselor’s colleagues
D. An inappropriate school counselor activity
(D) is correct. ASCA states that lunch duty is an example of a non–school counselor task, or an inappropriate duty.
A school counselor is asked by the administration to coach the school’s volleyball team. Several students on the team are also on the school counselor’s caseload. If the school counselor chooses to accept the coaching position, which of the following is the most appropriate action to take?
A. Accepting the position despite the counseling relationship with the students
B. Obtaining informed consent, consultation, and supervision, and documenting the nature of the interactions that extend the boundaries of the counseling relationship
C. Asking for an assistant to coach the students on the team who are also on the school counselor’s caseload
D. Informing the entire team that the counselor will have dual relationships with some of the players
(B) is correct. While dual relationships should generally be avoided, if one is unavoidable, the school counselor should take appropriate professional precautions, such as obtaining informed consent, consultation, and supervision. Interactions that extend the boundaries of the conventional parameters of the school counselor-student relationship should also be documented per the ASCA Ethical Standards.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to do which of the following?
A. Mandate the caseload for school counselors to be at a student-to-counselor ratio of 250 to 1
B. Prohibit discrimination against all students with disabilities
C. Give all students with disabilities test-taking accommodations
D. Provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for all students
(D) is correct. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to students with disabilities.
Which of the following is the purpose of assessing a school counseling program?
A. To emphasize the importance of the school counseling program
B. To demonstrate the school counselor’s dedication to the school, students, and faculty
C. To determine how to implement the goals of the school counseling program
D. To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the school counseling program and provide direction for program improvement
(D) is correct. A school counseling program assessment is designed to help school counselors identify the strengths and weaknesses of the school counseling program and provide direction for program improvement.
It becomes evident that a student a school counselor is seeing for individual counseling requires long-term therapy. As a result, the school counselor should do which of the following?
A. Provide the student referrals to relevant community resources.
B. Discontinue individual counseling in the school setting.
C. Place the student in small-group counseling.
D. Learn new approaches to working with the student in individual counseling.
(A) is correct. When a student requires intensive therapy, it is often beyond the scope of what can be provided in the school setting. As such, the ASCA recommends that the school counselor provide appropriate referrals to other services.
A school counselor meets with a high school senior for post-secondary planning. The counselor asks the student what she plans to do after high school, and the student says she is looking forward to marrying and becoming a mother. The student states that she will not go to college because she has already met her future husband and they are very excited about starting a family immediately. In this scenario, the school counselor should do which of the following?
A. Insist that the student consider a certificate or associate’s degree at minimum at a nearby community or technical school.
B. Strongly encourage the student to enroll in a post-secondary option related to parenting and being a housewife, such as early childhood education.
C. Respect the student’s autonomous decision and values, but remind her that she has options if she changes her mind later.
D. Tell the student that many married women obtain degrees and seek employment.
(C) is correct. The ASCA Ethical Standards document supports this option in that it encourages school counselors to give students the information and support they need to move toward self-determination, self-development, and affirmation within their group identities and provide a safe school environment that promotes autonomy and justice and is free from abuse, bullying, harassment, and other forms of violence.
Which THREE of the following should a new school counselor include in a professional development plan to be shared with the principal?
A. A schedule of formal and structured weekly supervision sessions with an experienced school counselor
B. A request for funding to attend the ASCA national conference
C. A request for mental health days to prevent burnout
D. A self-assessment related to the professional standards and competencies
E. A request for a subscription to favorite counseling journals
(A), (B), and (D) are correct. Formal and structured weekly supervision with an experienced school counselor, a request for funding to attend the ASCA national conference, and a self-assessment related to the professional standards and competencies are all appropriate requests the school counselor can make in a professional development plan.
A school counselor is aware of a major change to educational law and district policy that will affect families at the school. Which of the following is an ethical action the counselor should be expected to take?
A. Striving to protect and inform students and families regarding their rights
B. Refusing to implement the policy if the counselor believes it is unfair
C. Contacting the state school counseling association and asking it to issue a statement about the new law
D. Presenting concerns about the change in the law to the local school board
(A) is correct. Striving to protect and inform students and families regarding their rights is the course of action recommended by the ASCA Ethical Standards.
A few high school students hang posters to protest a new school policy. The policy states that the school cannot plan field trips until standardized test scores improve. The principal hears about the posters and decides that the students who hung the posters will receive in-school suspension because “they have no right to protest a school policy.” The school counselor advocates that the students do have the constitutional right to free speech at school. The counselor can argue this based on which of the following court cases?
A. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
B. Bethel School District No. 403 v. Fraser (1986)
C. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
D. Shen v. Albany Unified School District (2017)
(A) is correct. Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969) established that students do not leave their constitutional right to free speech “at the schoolhouse gate.”
A high school student presents with suicidal ideation at 2:25 P.M. on Friday afternoon. School dismissal is at 2:30 P.M. The school counselor has not had time to conduct a suicide assessment, and the student normally rides the bus home and is alone for several hours after school. Based on the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, which of the following is the best action for the school counselor to take?
A. Releasing the student if the counselor cannot reach the student’s parent or guardian, because detaining a student after school is illegal
B. Detaining the student at the school, attempting to contact the student’s parent or guardian, and following district policy if the student’s family cannot be reached
C. Detaining the student and calling the police for immediate transportation to the local hospital for an emergency psychological evaluation
D. Releasing the student and following up with a phone call to the student’s parent or guardian the following Monday
(B) is correct. Parents and guardians should be informed when a student poses a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to self or others, and the student should not be released before receiving proper and necessary support.
An elementary school counselor is running a small group for students with incarcerated parents. Students meet for six weeks to make and send cards and pictures to their parents and discuss their feelings. The group promotes a sense that students are not alone in their problems. Irvin Yalom called this phenomenon
A. universality
B. cohesion
C. altruism
D. instillation of hope
(A) is correct. “Universality” refers to the common life circumstances or experiences that members of a counseling group share and that allow them to feel less isolated.
Which of the following research-based classroom management techniques may conflict with the school counselor role?
A. Establishing and teaching rules for whole-class instruction
B. Developing structures and routines
C. Using praise to reinforce positive behavior
D. Disciplining students for misbehavior
(D) is correct. To most effectively promote student achievement and development, school counselors must maintain strength-based relationships with students and therefore are not involved in administering discipline. The school counselor should be, by policy, designated as a neutral and resourceful consultant, mediator, and student advocate.