1
CST SPED Professional Exam|
Questions and Answers| 2025/2026|
Approved 100%
A student with autism has a meltdown during a fire drill. What’s the most appropriate action for
the teacher to take in the moment?
Stay calm, guide the student to a quiet space if possible, and give clear, short instructions.
The noise and chaos might be overwhelming, so reducing sensory input helps.
A parent refuses to allow special education testing for their child. What should the teacher do
next?
Respect the parent’s decision but document the refusal and inform the IEP team. Keep
communication open and provide RTI support in the meantime.
A gen ed teacher complains that inclusion is unfair to other students. What should the SPED
teacher do?
Explain how inclusion benefits everyone and offer support strategies. Try co-teaching or
adapting instruction so all students get what they need.
The school nurse tells you a student with ADHD isn't taking meds today. What’s the best
classroom adjustment?
Be flexible—give the student movement breaks, simplify tasks, and reduce distractions.
Don’t single them out, but quietly support their focus.
, 2
During an IEP meeting, a parent starts crying. What’s the right way to respond?
Pause, offer empathy, and ask if they need a minute. This shows you care—it’s a stressful
process and they need to feel heard.
A student with a reading disability still struggles after tier 2 interventions. What’s the next step?
Move to tier 3 support and probably refer for a formal evaluation. If they’re not responding,
it might be time to dig deeper.
Your paraprofessional keeps doing the student’s work for them. What’s your role here?
Train them on promoting independence—maybe model prompting or fading techniques. We
want support, not replacement.
A student’s behavior plan includes token rewards, but they’ve stopped working. What now?
Review the plan—maybe the rewards aren’t motivating anymore. Ask the student what
they’d prefer and tweak the reinforcers.
The principal asks you to add a student to your caseload without an IEP. What should you say?
That’s not how it works—special ed services require an IEP. Offer to help with pre-referral
supports but set boundaries.
, 3
A parent wants their child in gen ed full-time, but the IEP team disagrees. What should happen?
The team must follow IDEA’s least restrictive environment (LRE) guidelines but also respect
the parent's voice. It might take more meetings to find middle ground.
A student gets an F in gen ed science, even though they have accommodations. What’s the issue?
Check if the accommodations were actually used. If not, it’s a compliance issue. If they
were, maybe the IEP needs tweaking.
A gen ed teacher won’t follow a student's IEP accommodations. What’s your move?
Talk to them privately, explain the legal side and support them with practical ideas. If they
still refuse, involve admin.
A student refuses to attend their IEP meeting. Are they required to go?
Not required, but encouraged at age 14+. If they’re not ready, try other ways to get their
input, like surveys or videos.
You see a gen ed teacher yelling at a student with a disability. What should you do?
Document it and report it—it could be abuse. Also advocate for better training on behavior
support.
Your school just got a new ELL/SPED student with no records. What should happen first?
Start with basic assessments and observations. You can’t delay services while waiting for
records—use what info you can.
CST SPED Professional Exam|
Questions and Answers| 2025/2026|
Approved 100%
A student with autism has a meltdown during a fire drill. What’s the most appropriate action for
the teacher to take in the moment?
Stay calm, guide the student to a quiet space if possible, and give clear, short instructions.
The noise and chaos might be overwhelming, so reducing sensory input helps.
A parent refuses to allow special education testing for their child. What should the teacher do
next?
Respect the parent’s decision but document the refusal and inform the IEP team. Keep
communication open and provide RTI support in the meantime.
A gen ed teacher complains that inclusion is unfair to other students. What should the SPED
teacher do?
Explain how inclusion benefits everyone and offer support strategies. Try co-teaching or
adapting instruction so all students get what they need.
The school nurse tells you a student with ADHD isn't taking meds today. What’s the best
classroom adjustment?
Be flexible—give the student movement breaks, simplify tasks, and reduce distractions.
Don’t single them out, but quietly support their focus.
, 2
During an IEP meeting, a parent starts crying. What’s the right way to respond?
Pause, offer empathy, and ask if they need a minute. This shows you care—it’s a stressful
process and they need to feel heard.
A student with a reading disability still struggles after tier 2 interventions. What’s the next step?
Move to tier 3 support and probably refer for a formal evaluation. If they’re not responding,
it might be time to dig deeper.
Your paraprofessional keeps doing the student’s work for them. What’s your role here?
Train them on promoting independence—maybe model prompting or fading techniques. We
want support, not replacement.
A student’s behavior plan includes token rewards, but they’ve stopped working. What now?
Review the plan—maybe the rewards aren’t motivating anymore. Ask the student what
they’d prefer and tweak the reinforcers.
The principal asks you to add a student to your caseload without an IEP. What should you say?
That’s not how it works—special ed services require an IEP. Offer to help with pre-referral
supports but set boundaries.
, 3
A parent wants their child in gen ed full-time, but the IEP team disagrees. What should happen?
The team must follow IDEA’s least restrictive environment (LRE) guidelines but also respect
the parent's voice. It might take more meetings to find middle ground.
A student gets an F in gen ed science, even though they have accommodations. What’s the issue?
Check if the accommodations were actually used. If not, it’s a compliance issue. If they
were, maybe the IEP needs tweaking.
A gen ed teacher won’t follow a student's IEP accommodations. What’s your move?
Talk to them privately, explain the legal side and support them with practical ideas. If they
still refuse, involve admin.
A student refuses to attend their IEP meeting. Are they required to go?
Not required, but encouraged at age 14+. If they’re not ready, try other ways to get their
input, like surveys or videos.
You see a gen ed teacher yelling at a student with a disability. What should you do?
Document it and report it—it could be abuse. Also advocate for better training on behavior
support.
Your school just got a new ELL/SPED student with no records. What should happen first?
Start with basic assessments and observations. You can’t delay services while waiting for
records—use what info you can.
