PRAXIS 5402 SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST |ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW
2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
A school psychologist has been asked to evaluate a third-grade student for a possible
learning disability. The student's family reports that the native language at home is
Portuguese and that the student is in the process of acquiring English. Best practice
dictates that the minimum standard for classification is a discrepancy between general
intellectual functioning and full-scale achievement found via assessment
(A) in the student's native language only
(B) in English only
(C) in both the student's native language and in English
(D) using standardized nonverbal tests
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (C) is correct. A learning disability must not be explained by contextual or other
environmental factors. A lack of language acquisition would be just such an alternative
hypothesis. Therefore, any hypothesized learning or language disability should be
verified in both the student's primary language and the language of the school setting.
Question 2
Which of the following is a Tier 1 preventive strategy?
(A) Behaviorally focused parent-management training
(B) Environmentally designed crime deterrence
(C) Conflict de-escalation
(D) Student check-in/check-out meetings
CORRECT ANSWER
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@THE STUDY VAULT
, Option (B) is correct. Environmentally designed crime deterrence is a universal
intervention that focuses on the school environment to reduce opportunities for violence
and is implemented at the school level. Therefore, it qualifies as a Tier 1 intervention.
Question 3
Which of the following best describes how a school psychologist can measure interfering
behaviors during a functional behavioral assessment?
(A) The school psychologist receives documentation of the number of discipline referrals
and in-school suspensions a student received.
(B) The school psychologist assumes that variables that are present during the observation
of a problem behavior were also present during previous instances of the behavior.
(C) The school psychologist observes a student committing a problem behavior during
reading instruction and assumes that reading instruction triggers the behavior.
(D) The school psychologist converts the number of physical fights recorded over a
twomonth period to the average number of fights per week.
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (D) is correct. Converting the number of physical fights to a weekly average allows
the school psychologist to quantitatively measure the interfering behavior
Question 4
In which TWO of the following situations is a school psychologist's request to obtain a
student's medical record with parent authorization most appropriate?
(A) The student reports fatigue and irritability that is not clearly related to a health
condition.
(B) The student is newly enrolled in the school after moving to the district from out of state.
(C) The student's classroom teacher notes that the student goes to the school clinic for
medication twice during the school day.
(D) The school psychologist has a personal interest in studying the etiology of autism
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@THE STUDY VAULT
, spectrum disorder (ASD) and is examining the records of students who are receiving
services for ASD.
CORRECT ANSWER
Options (A) and (C) are correct. Reviewing a record of the student's medical history
could, in both cases, shed light on physical or health issues that may affect the student's
learning and behavior.
Question 5
Lenny is a fifth-grade student who receives individual counseling as a related service to
address poor frustration tolerance for challenging academic tasks and verbal and physical
aggression when he is upset. His primary counseling goal is to identify and apply anger
management strategies that are more appropriate and effective. Using a cognitivebehavioral
approach, the school psychologist is most likely to do which of the following?
(A) Determine effective reinforcers to reward Lenny when he engages in alternatives to the
target behaviors.
(B) Discuss the choices Lenny is making with him and help him to identify what he can do
differently to get what he wants.
(C) Help Lenny identify the distortions in thinking that affect how he responds to
challenging academic tasks.
(D) Describe Lenny's behaviors and reflect his feelings while he plays with toys or other
available materials of his choosing.
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (C) is correct. Identifying cognitive distortions that affect how Lenny responds to
challenging academic tasks describes a common technique employed in a cognitive-
behavioral approach.
Question 6
3
@THE STUDY VAULT
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED ANSWERS|BRAND NEW
2026-2027 UPDATE|GRADED A+
Question 1
A school psychologist has been asked to evaluate a third-grade student for a possible
learning disability. The student's family reports that the native language at home is
Portuguese and that the student is in the process of acquiring English. Best practice
dictates that the minimum standard for classification is a discrepancy between general
intellectual functioning and full-scale achievement found via assessment
(A) in the student's native language only
(B) in English only
(C) in both the student's native language and in English
(D) using standardized nonverbal tests
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (C) is correct. A learning disability must not be explained by contextual or other
environmental factors. A lack of language acquisition would be just such an alternative
hypothesis. Therefore, any hypothesized learning or language disability should be
verified in both the student's primary language and the language of the school setting.
Question 2
Which of the following is a Tier 1 preventive strategy?
(A) Behaviorally focused parent-management training
(B) Environmentally designed crime deterrence
(C) Conflict de-escalation
(D) Student check-in/check-out meetings
CORRECT ANSWER
1
@THE STUDY VAULT
, Option (B) is correct. Environmentally designed crime deterrence is a universal
intervention that focuses on the school environment to reduce opportunities for violence
and is implemented at the school level. Therefore, it qualifies as a Tier 1 intervention.
Question 3
Which of the following best describes how a school psychologist can measure interfering
behaviors during a functional behavioral assessment?
(A) The school psychologist receives documentation of the number of discipline referrals
and in-school suspensions a student received.
(B) The school psychologist assumes that variables that are present during the observation
of a problem behavior were also present during previous instances of the behavior.
(C) The school psychologist observes a student committing a problem behavior during
reading instruction and assumes that reading instruction triggers the behavior.
(D) The school psychologist converts the number of physical fights recorded over a
twomonth period to the average number of fights per week.
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (D) is correct. Converting the number of physical fights to a weekly average allows
the school psychologist to quantitatively measure the interfering behavior
Question 4
In which TWO of the following situations is a school psychologist's request to obtain a
student's medical record with parent authorization most appropriate?
(A) The student reports fatigue and irritability that is not clearly related to a health
condition.
(B) The student is newly enrolled in the school after moving to the district from out of state.
(C) The student's classroom teacher notes that the student goes to the school clinic for
medication twice during the school day.
(D) The school psychologist has a personal interest in studying the etiology of autism
2
@THE STUDY VAULT
, spectrum disorder (ASD) and is examining the records of students who are receiving
services for ASD.
CORRECT ANSWER
Options (A) and (C) are correct. Reviewing a record of the student's medical history
could, in both cases, shed light on physical or health issues that may affect the student's
learning and behavior.
Question 5
Lenny is a fifth-grade student who receives individual counseling as a related service to
address poor frustration tolerance for challenging academic tasks and verbal and physical
aggression when he is upset. His primary counseling goal is to identify and apply anger
management strategies that are more appropriate and effective. Using a cognitivebehavioral
approach, the school psychologist is most likely to do which of the following?
(A) Determine effective reinforcers to reward Lenny when he engages in alternatives to the
target behaviors.
(B) Discuss the choices Lenny is making with him and help him to identify what he can do
differently to get what he wants.
(C) Help Lenny identify the distortions in thinking that affect how he responds to
challenging academic tasks.
(D) Describe Lenny's behaviors and reflect his feelings while he plays with toys or other
available materials of his choosing.
CORRECT ANSWER
Option (C) is correct. Identifying cognitive distortions that affect how Lenny responds to
challenging academic tasks describes a common technique employed in a cognitive-
behavioral approach.
Question 6
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@THE STUDY VAULT
