SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK CONTENT
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
An 18-year-old high school student who has an Individualized Education Program
(IEP) is due for a re-evaluation of special education services. At the special
education conference the previous year, the school notified the student and the
student's parents/guardians of the transfer of rights in writing and provided them with
a Delegation of Rights form. The student has not submitted the Delegation of Rights
form. In addition, the student has indicated that he does not want to participate in the
re-evaluation of special education services. Based on this information, which of the
following statements best describes the student's rights in the re-evaluation process?
A. Input into the re-evaluation will be delegated to outside agencies working with the
student.
B. Responses to re-evaluation notices is the responsibility of the student's
parents/guardians.
C. The decision of whether or not to participate in the re-evaluation - ANSWER-
Correct Response: C.
The re-evaluation process will proceed according to the legal mandate, which is that
the IEP team makes a determination about the continuation of services as well as
any changes to the services provided. Though it is the student's right to participate in
the decision-making process, there is no legal mandate requiring the student's
participation.
A primary purpose of peer mediation programs is to:
A. identify students who may require formal interventions to address conflicts.
B. enable administrators to work directly with students to resolve conflicts.
C. teach students how to resolve conflicts in conjunction with school adults.
D. support students in independently resolving interpersonal conflicts. - ANSWER-
Correct Response: D.
Peer mediation is a form of conflict resolution in which trained student leaders help
their peers work together to resolve everyday disputes. In peer mediation, a trained
student acts as neutral mediator helping parties in conflict to understand the root
causes of their dispute and to ultimately agree on a plan for resolving the conflict.
A middle school team, led by the school social worker, implemented a community
involvement program for students. Students in each grade level choose a community
group or initiative in which to participate throughout the school year. For example,
sixth-grade students chose to participate in activities for the community food bank.
,As the school year draws to a close, the team would like to evaluate the program's
effectiveness. The team can best evaluate the program's effectiveness by gathering
data that focuses primarily on which of the following questions?
A. In what ways did program activities change during the course of the school year?
B. Did student participation levels vary according to grade level?
C. What effects did the program have on the students and on the targeted
community need?
D. Was the program well-accepted by school staff and community partners? -
ANSWER-Correct Response: C.
Judging the effectiveness of a program involves gathering outcome data. Outcome
data reveals changes in program participants and/or recipients of services as a result
of program activities. Positive outcome data generally means that one or more of the
program's activities, services, or areas of focus were effective in promoting desired
results.
A new school social worker who wants to act as an effective change agent in the
school should begin by taking which of the following actions?
A. learning about the roles and functions of school personnel and how the school
currently makes decisions
B. analyzing the results of previous family and staff surveys about current school
programs and services
C. conducting observations in various areas of the school to assess the overall
school climate
D. working with interested staff and other stakeholders to revise the school's vision
and mission statements - ANSWER-Correct Response: A.
A school is a system in which various individuals play different roles and have
different functions in implementing the school's mission and programs. It is important
for the school social worker to know first what these roles and functions are in order
to effectively advocate for and implement changes to the system.
A school social worker can best promote effective utilization of school social work
services by taking which of the following actions?
A. digitizing the process of submitting referrals for and accessing social work
services
B. distributing weekly fact sheets to staff spotlighting a specific social work service
and its role in the school environment
C. working with other social workers to centralize procedures for requesting services
at the district level
,D. ensuring that members of the school community have a clear understanding of
available social work services and how to access them - ANSWER-Correct
Response: D.
School social work services should be tailored to the needs of the specific school
population and community. Members of the school community will be unable to
make effective use of services unless they understand what services are available
and how to request or access the services they need. Needs may go unaddressed
without adequate knowledge in these areas.
A high school junior tells the school social worker that he is feeling stressed by all of
the decisions facing him as he leaves high school and prepares for college. The
student cites college entrance exams, financial worries, upcoming senior projects,
and part-time employment. Which of the following responses to the student's
concerns by the social worker best illustrates the use of empathy?
A. "I'm sorry to hear this. Have you talked to your parents?"
B. "It sounds like you have a lot going on. Is there anything I can do to help?"
C. "Hang in there. I know you'll figure things out."
D. "Sometimes it helps to take a break from worrying and do something fun." -
ANSWER-Correct Response: B.
The dictionary defines empathy as the action of understanding, being aware of,
being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and
experience of another. In this case, the school social worker is acknowledging and
describing the student's situation in an understanding way and offering assistance
without giving advice.
Which of the following roles does a school social worker typically fulfill with regard to
the education of a student who receives services through several outside agencies?
A. acting as a liaison to all relevant collateral contacts to meet the student's
educational needs
B. assembling pertinent information about the school curriculum for the student's
parents/guardians
C. reporting assessment data to the student support team on the student's
educational progress
D. identifying alternative instructional methods and materials to individuals who work
with the student - ANSWER-Correct Response: A.
The school social worker's role in working with outside providers is one of
coordination. The school social worker is usually the primary contact for providers
with the school and the student's educational support team. It is not the school social
worker's role to prescribe specific services or instructional approaches, nor is it the
school social worker's role to simply serve as a conduit for information from one
party to another.
, In an assessment context, the concept of cultural loading refers to the:
A. administration of unique test forms that are responsive to different cultures.
B. extent to which a test requires knowledge of and experience with the dominant
culture.
C. provision of culturally based special accommodations for a test.
D. understanding that individuals view test questions through a personal cultural
lens. - ANSWER-Correct Response: B
Cultural loading is the degree to which a test or item is specific to a particular culture,
usually the dominant culture. A test with greater cultural loading has greater potential
bias when administered to people of diverse cultures.
The mean, median, and mode of the scores on an assessment are all equal. This
characteristic represents a:
A. normal distribution of assessment data.
B positive correlation between validity and reliability.
C. small standard error of measurement.
D. wide confidence interval for a true score on the assessment. - ANSWER-Correct
Response: A
Normal distributions are symmetric, unimodal, and asymptotic, and the mean,
median, and mode are all equal. A normal distribution is perfectly symmetrical
around its center. That is, the right side of the center is a mirror image of the left
side, representing what is generally known as a bell curve.
An educational team has completed a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) for a
five-year-old kindergarten student who is eligible for special education services
under the category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The educational team has
collected information about events that are occurring in the student's educational
environment and identified causes of the student's problem behaviors. Which of the
following steps would be most appropriate to take next in addressing the student's
behavioral needs in school?
A. gathering antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) data
B. completing an adaptive behavior assessment
C. researching Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies
D. developing a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) - ANSWER-Correct Response: D.
A functional behavior assessment (FBA) can help figure out the cause of problem
behaviors. A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that's based on the FBA. A
BIP can help replace problem behaviors with more positive ones. The BIP describes
the problem behavior, the reasons the behavior occurs, and the intervention
strategies that will be used to address the problem behavior.
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE
ANSWERS
An 18-year-old high school student who has an Individualized Education Program
(IEP) is due for a re-evaluation of special education services. At the special
education conference the previous year, the school notified the student and the
student's parents/guardians of the transfer of rights in writing and provided them with
a Delegation of Rights form. The student has not submitted the Delegation of Rights
form. In addition, the student has indicated that he does not want to participate in the
re-evaluation of special education services. Based on this information, which of the
following statements best describes the student's rights in the re-evaluation process?
A. Input into the re-evaluation will be delegated to outside agencies working with the
student.
B. Responses to re-evaluation notices is the responsibility of the student's
parents/guardians.
C. The decision of whether or not to participate in the re-evaluation - ANSWER-
Correct Response: C.
The re-evaluation process will proceed according to the legal mandate, which is that
the IEP team makes a determination about the continuation of services as well as
any changes to the services provided. Though it is the student's right to participate in
the decision-making process, there is no legal mandate requiring the student's
participation.
A primary purpose of peer mediation programs is to:
A. identify students who may require formal interventions to address conflicts.
B. enable administrators to work directly with students to resolve conflicts.
C. teach students how to resolve conflicts in conjunction with school adults.
D. support students in independently resolving interpersonal conflicts. - ANSWER-
Correct Response: D.
Peer mediation is a form of conflict resolution in which trained student leaders help
their peers work together to resolve everyday disputes. In peer mediation, a trained
student acts as neutral mediator helping parties in conflict to understand the root
causes of their dispute and to ultimately agree on a plan for resolving the conflict.
A middle school team, led by the school social worker, implemented a community
involvement program for students. Students in each grade level choose a community
group or initiative in which to participate throughout the school year. For example,
sixth-grade students chose to participate in activities for the community food bank.
,As the school year draws to a close, the team would like to evaluate the program's
effectiveness. The team can best evaluate the program's effectiveness by gathering
data that focuses primarily on which of the following questions?
A. In what ways did program activities change during the course of the school year?
B. Did student participation levels vary according to grade level?
C. What effects did the program have on the students and on the targeted
community need?
D. Was the program well-accepted by school staff and community partners? -
ANSWER-Correct Response: C.
Judging the effectiveness of a program involves gathering outcome data. Outcome
data reveals changes in program participants and/or recipients of services as a result
of program activities. Positive outcome data generally means that one or more of the
program's activities, services, or areas of focus were effective in promoting desired
results.
A new school social worker who wants to act as an effective change agent in the
school should begin by taking which of the following actions?
A. learning about the roles and functions of school personnel and how the school
currently makes decisions
B. analyzing the results of previous family and staff surveys about current school
programs and services
C. conducting observations in various areas of the school to assess the overall
school climate
D. working with interested staff and other stakeholders to revise the school's vision
and mission statements - ANSWER-Correct Response: A.
A school is a system in which various individuals play different roles and have
different functions in implementing the school's mission and programs. It is important
for the school social worker to know first what these roles and functions are in order
to effectively advocate for and implement changes to the system.
A school social worker can best promote effective utilization of school social work
services by taking which of the following actions?
A. digitizing the process of submitting referrals for and accessing social work
services
B. distributing weekly fact sheets to staff spotlighting a specific social work service
and its role in the school environment
C. working with other social workers to centralize procedures for requesting services
at the district level
,D. ensuring that members of the school community have a clear understanding of
available social work services and how to access them - ANSWER-Correct
Response: D.
School social work services should be tailored to the needs of the specific school
population and community. Members of the school community will be unable to
make effective use of services unless they understand what services are available
and how to request or access the services they need. Needs may go unaddressed
without adequate knowledge in these areas.
A high school junior tells the school social worker that he is feeling stressed by all of
the decisions facing him as he leaves high school and prepares for college. The
student cites college entrance exams, financial worries, upcoming senior projects,
and part-time employment. Which of the following responses to the student's
concerns by the social worker best illustrates the use of empathy?
A. "I'm sorry to hear this. Have you talked to your parents?"
B. "It sounds like you have a lot going on. Is there anything I can do to help?"
C. "Hang in there. I know you'll figure things out."
D. "Sometimes it helps to take a break from worrying and do something fun." -
ANSWER-Correct Response: B.
The dictionary defines empathy as the action of understanding, being aware of,
being sensitive to, and vicariously experiencing the feelings, thoughts, and
experience of another. In this case, the school social worker is acknowledging and
describing the student's situation in an understanding way and offering assistance
without giving advice.
Which of the following roles does a school social worker typically fulfill with regard to
the education of a student who receives services through several outside agencies?
A. acting as a liaison to all relevant collateral contacts to meet the student's
educational needs
B. assembling pertinent information about the school curriculum for the student's
parents/guardians
C. reporting assessment data to the student support team on the student's
educational progress
D. identifying alternative instructional methods and materials to individuals who work
with the student - ANSWER-Correct Response: A.
The school social worker's role in working with outside providers is one of
coordination. The school social worker is usually the primary contact for providers
with the school and the student's educational support team. It is not the school social
worker's role to prescribe specific services or instructional approaches, nor is it the
school social worker's role to simply serve as a conduit for information from one
party to another.
, In an assessment context, the concept of cultural loading refers to the:
A. administration of unique test forms that are responsive to different cultures.
B. extent to which a test requires knowledge of and experience with the dominant
culture.
C. provision of culturally based special accommodations for a test.
D. understanding that individuals view test questions through a personal cultural
lens. - ANSWER-Correct Response: B
Cultural loading is the degree to which a test or item is specific to a particular culture,
usually the dominant culture. A test with greater cultural loading has greater potential
bias when administered to people of diverse cultures.
The mean, median, and mode of the scores on an assessment are all equal. This
characteristic represents a:
A. normal distribution of assessment data.
B positive correlation between validity and reliability.
C. small standard error of measurement.
D. wide confidence interval for a true score on the assessment. - ANSWER-Correct
Response: A
Normal distributions are symmetric, unimodal, and asymptotic, and the mean,
median, and mode are all equal. A normal distribution is perfectly symmetrical
around its center. That is, the right side of the center is a mirror image of the left
side, representing what is generally known as a bell curve.
An educational team has completed a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) for a
five-year-old kindergarten student who is eligible for special education services
under the category of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The educational team has
collected information about events that are occurring in the student's educational
environment and identified causes of the student's problem behaviors. Which of the
following steps would be most appropriate to take next in addressing the student's
behavioral needs in school?
A. gathering antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) data
B. completing an adaptive behavior assessment
C. researching Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies
D. developing a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP) - ANSWER-Correct Response: D.
A functional behavior assessment (FBA) can help figure out the cause of problem
behaviors. A behavior intervention plan (BIP) is a plan that's based on the FBA. A
BIP can help replace problem behaviors with more positive ones. The BIP describes
the problem behavior, the reasons the behavior occurs, and the intervention
strategies that will be used to address the problem behavior.
