ILTS 155: LEARNING BEHAVIOR
SPECIALIST EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Standard scores - Answer- raw scored with the same mean (average) and standard
deviation
-68% will fall between one standard deviation above/below
-96% will fall between two standard deviations above/below
most common standard scores are t-scores, z-scores, stanines, and scaled scores
-allow for direct comparisons of raw scores from different people
Criterion Referenced and curriculum-based assessments - Answer- -Interpreted on
basis of performance on objectives being measured
-may be commercially-prepared or teacher-made
-can be designed for a particular curriculum or scope and sequence
-made by selecting objective, analyzing those objectives, and selecting measures to test
the skills necessary to complete them
-Useful for gaining insight into types of error patterns students make
==> can be used to writing IEP and decide what to teach because performance is not
compared to others
Norm-Refrenced assessments - Answer- -used to classify students into groups based
on ability levels
-often used to categorize AP, honors, regular and remedial
---> this significantly effects future educational opportunities and success
-sometimes used to test a national sample of students against standard test takers
-designed to highlight the achievment differences between students to rank a continuum
of achievement from high to low achievers
-ranks from 1-99, 25% in lowest and 25% in highest
Criterion-referenced assessments - Answer- -look at specific learning goals and
performance compared to norm group of student learners
-helps educators assess how well a student has learned the knowledge and skills they
are expected to have mastered
-used to see if schools are meeting standards
-used to reflect effectiveness of curriculum implementation and learning outcomes
Perfomance-based assessments - Answer- -measure the learning outcomes of
individual students in subject content area
,-in classrooms these assessments must have established performance criteria that start
with pre-testing in a subject area and maintain daily or weekly testing assess student
learning goals and objective
-Effective assessments show holes in student learning which helps teacher to provide
fillers to bridge the gaps
-Usually in the form of research papers, oral presentations, class projects, portfolios,
community service projects
In order to determine which assessment is best, states, districts, and schools must
determine... - Answer- -testing outcome expectation
-content learning outcome
-effectiveness of the assessment in meeting the learning goals and objectives of
students
Informal assessments - Answer- Checklists, observations, performance
assessment/tasks
-some checklists are more narrowly defined than others;the broader ones are better for
IEPs
-should run multiple of those before listing something as a strength or weakness in an
IEP--- look at 3 measures
-the reason behind the needs for individualized strategies, the nature of them and the
scope should always be clearly explained
-regular progress monitoring with assessment measures specifically designed for
progress monitoring is the best way to evaluate success of instruciton
-set realistic goals and aims based on normative data for the rates of growth in specific
skills
Direct observation - Answer- need to be involved inconstant assessment to ensure
students are making progress related to their IEP goals and objectives across different
learning environments
-trained personnel observe and record possible causes of behavior and the
consequence of that behavior over a period of time
-data is analyzed to develop a hypothesis statement and strategies to decrease bad and
increase good behaviors
indirect methods - Answer- interviews and checklists
Functional behavior assessment - Answer- combination for direct.indirect observation,
data analysis and development of hypothesis
-regular occurrence when students are struggling within school environment
-helps develop plan of action to help improve behavioral skills
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) - Answer- after the functional behavioral assessment
(FBA) is complete
-specific plan of action with strategies, accomodations, modifications, supplementary
aids, support systems, program, and positive behavioral strategies
,-becomes part of the IEP
-general and special ed teachers must be present and actively participate in the
development of the BIP
how to diagnose abilities and assess them - Answer- -Data and Ongoing reading
assessment is used to adjust instruction to meet students reading needs
-assessment allows students to take ownership of their own learning and become
partners in their ongoing development as readers and writers
Informal way of diagnosing - Answer- uses observations and non0standardized
procedures to compile anecdotal and observational evidence of progress
Formal way to assess - Answer- uses standardized tests and procedures carried out
under circumscribed conditions
Effective assessments - Answer- -are an ongoing provess;not obtrusive but rather a
natural part of instruction
-integrated into ongoing instruction
-reflect the actually reading and writing experience classroom learning has prepared the
student for
-should be a collaborative and reflective process: teachers should be informed by own
observations and children's comments
-are multidimensional
-take children's age, ethnic and cultural background into account
-assess to teach children from strengths, not weaknesses
-should be done WITH children not ON them
Key criterion tests measuring performance agaisnt a standard - Answer- -Degrees of
Reading Power (DRP_: assess the process of the child's reading
-CTPIII: measures verbal and quantitative reasoning to separate highest performing
students; emphasizes higher order thinking skill and proecss-related reading
comprehension
Comcepts of validity, reliabilty and bias in testing - Answer- Validity: does it measure
what its supposed to
Reliabilty: is it consistent in its findings
Bias: are the questions/answers unavailable to some doe to race, age, gender, etc.
Rubric for constructing meaning through writing - Answer- 0: it does not accomplish
task; is illegible
4: it has exemplary detail, organization, and presents a well expressed reaction
miscue analysis - Answer- looks at reading process by studying students miscues from
an oral reading sample; which cues are they correctly/incorrectly using?
Informal reading inventories - Answer- -group vs. individual reading assessments
, how to teach phonological awareness - Answer- -separate, blend, add, take apart
sounds to form new sounds (words)
-Snap if the words share a sound
-read books that rhyme
-read books with alliteration
How to assess phonological awareness - Answer- are these two words the same or
different?
things from SPED gen curriculum exam that you know
Information gathered those involved in IEP can be used to make instructional decisions
- Answer- classroom organization: vary group arrangments and sizes, and who is
leading the discussion
Classroom management: very grading, reinfrcement and rules systems
Methods presentation: content= amount to be learned, time to learn, concept level.
General structure= advance organizers, immediate feedback, memory devices, active
student involvement. Type of presentation: verbal or written, transparancies, audiovisual
methods of practice - Answer- General Structure: amount to be practiced, time to finsih,
group student or teach led, varied difficulty levles
-level of response: copying, recognition, recall with or without cues
-Types of material: worksheets, audiovisual, text
Methods of testing - Answer- Type: verbal, written, deminstrative
General structure: time to complete, amount to complete, group or individual
Level of response: multiple choice, essay, recall of facts
advance organizers encourage students to... - Answer- -comnect information to what
they already know
-make abstract ideas more concrete
-capture students' interest
-help students organzie the info and visualize relationships
-these can be: visual aids, verbal cures, question and graphic-oriented study guides,
concept diagramming, semantic feature analysis: table with concept in one column and
feature in the other. Semantic webbing: concept is placed in middle of chard with
relevant details surrounded. Mneumonic devices
Can be used... - Answer- -before lesson to alert students of main point
-during lesson to help organize information
-at close to summarzie and remember main points
Explaining results: Serve as resource for rest of teachers by... - Answer- -working with
teachers in classroom to organize setting
-work with small groups of students in classroom
-prepare IEP for students needing extra assistance
SPECIALIST EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS
Standard scores - Answer- raw scored with the same mean (average) and standard
deviation
-68% will fall between one standard deviation above/below
-96% will fall between two standard deviations above/below
most common standard scores are t-scores, z-scores, stanines, and scaled scores
-allow for direct comparisons of raw scores from different people
Criterion Referenced and curriculum-based assessments - Answer- -Interpreted on
basis of performance on objectives being measured
-may be commercially-prepared or teacher-made
-can be designed for a particular curriculum or scope and sequence
-made by selecting objective, analyzing those objectives, and selecting measures to test
the skills necessary to complete them
-Useful for gaining insight into types of error patterns students make
==> can be used to writing IEP and decide what to teach because performance is not
compared to others
Norm-Refrenced assessments - Answer- -used to classify students into groups based
on ability levels
-often used to categorize AP, honors, regular and remedial
---> this significantly effects future educational opportunities and success
-sometimes used to test a national sample of students against standard test takers
-designed to highlight the achievment differences between students to rank a continuum
of achievement from high to low achievers
-ranks from 1-99, 25% in lowest and 25% in highest
Criterion-referenced assessments - Answer- -look at specific learning goals and
performance compared to norm group of student learners
-helps educators assess how well a student has learned the knowledge and skills they
are expected to have mastered
-used to see if schools are meeting standards
-used to reflect effectiveness of curriculum implementation and learning outcomes
Perfomance-based assessments - Answer- -measure the learning outcomes of
individual students in subject content area
,-in classrooms these assessments must have established performance criteria that start
with pre-testing in a subject area and maintain daily or weekly testing assess student
learning goals and objective
-Effective assessments show holes in student learning which helps teacher to provide
fillers to bridge the gaps
-Usually in the form of research papers, oral presentations, class projects, portfolios,
community service projects
In order to determine which assessment is best, states, districts, and schools must
determine... - Answer- -testing outcome expectation
-content learning outcome
-effectiveness of the assessment in meeting the learning goals and objectives of
students
Informal assessments - Answer- Checklists, observations, performance
assessment/tasks
-some checklists are more narrowly defined than others;the broader ones are better for
IEPs
-should run multiple of those before listing something as a strength or weakness in an
IEP--- look at 3 measures
-the reason behind the needs for individualized strategies, the nature of them and the
scope should always be clearly explained
-regular progress monitoring with assessment measures specifically designed for
progress monitoring is the best way to evaluate success of instruciton
-set realistic goals and aims based on normative data for the rates of growth in specific
skills
Direct observation - Answer- need to be involved inconstant assessment to ensure
students are making progress related to their IEP goals and objectives across different
learning environments
-trained personnel observe and record possible causes of behavior and the
consequence of that behavior over a period of time
-data is analyzed to develop a hypothesis statement and strategies to decrease bad and
increase good behaviors
indirect methods - Answer- interviews and checklists
Functional behavior assessment - Answer- combination for direct.indirect observation,
data analysis and development of hypothesis
-regular occurrence when students are struggling within school environment
-helps develop plan of action to help improve behavioral skills
Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP) - Answer- after the functional behavioral assessment
(FBA) is complete
-specific plan of action with strategies, accomodations, modifications, supplementary
aids, support systems, program, and positive behavioral strategies
,-becomes part of the IEP
-general and special ed teachers must be present and actively participate in the
development of the BIP
how to diagnose abilities and assess them - Answer- -Data and Ongoing reading
assessment is used to adjust instruction to meet students reading needs
-assessment allows students to take ownership of their own learning and become
partners in their ongoing development as readers and writers
Informal way of diagnosing - Answer- uses observations and non0standardized
procedures to compile anecdotal and observational evidence of progress
Formal way to assess - Answer- uses standardized tests and procedures carried out
under circumscribed conditions
Effective assessments - Answer- -are an ongoing provess;not obtrusive but rather a
natural part of instruction
-integrated into ongoing instruction
-reflect the actually reading and writing experience classroom learning has prepared the
student for
-should be a collaborative and reflective process: teachers should be informed by own
observations and children's comments
-are multidimensional
-take children's age, ethnic and cultural background into account
-assess to teach children from strengths, not weaknesses
-should be done WITH children not ON them
Key criterion tests measuring performance agaisnt a standard - Answer- -Degrees of
Reading Power (DRP_: assess the process of the child's reading
-CTPIII: measures verbal and quantitative reasoning to separate highest performing
students; emphasizes higher order thinking skill and proecss-related reading
comprehension
Comcepts of validity, reliabilty and bias in testing - Answer- Validity: does it measure
what its supposed to
Reliabilty: is it consistent in its findings
Bias: are the questions/answers unavailable to some doe to race, age, gender, etc.
Rubric for constructing meaning through writing - Answer- 0: it does not accomplish
task; is illegible
4: it has exemplary detail, organization, and presents a well expressed reaction
miscue analysis - Answer- looks at reading process by studying students miscues from
an oral reading sample; which cues are they correctly/incorrectly using?
Informal reading inventories - Answer- -group vs. individual reading assessments
, how to teach phonological awareness - Answer- -separate, blend, add, take apart
sounds to form new sounds (words)
-Snap if the words share a sound
-read books that rhyme
-read books with alliteration
How to assess phonological awareness - Answer- are these two words the same or
different?
things from SPED gen curriculum exam that you know
Information gathered those involved in IEP can be used to make instructional decisions
- Answer- classroom organization: vary group arrangments and sizes, and who is
leading the discussion
Classroom management: very grading, reinfrcement and rules systems
Methods presentation: content= amount to be learned, time to learn, concept level.
General structure= advance organizers, immediate feedback, memory devices, active
student involvement. Type of presentation: verbal or written, transparancies, audiovisual
methods of practice - Answer- General Structure: amount to be practiced, time to finsih,
group student or teach led, varied difficulty levles
-level of response: copying, recognition, recall with or without cues
-Types of material: worksheets, audiovisual, text
Methods of testing - Answer- Type: verbal, written, deminstrative
General structure: time to complete, amount to complete, group or individual
Level of response: multiple choice, essay, recall of facts
advance organizers encourage students to... - Answer- -comnect information to what
they already know
-make abstract ideas more concrete
-capture students' interest
-help students organzie the info and visualize relationships
-these can be: visual aids, verbal cures, question and graphic-oriented study guides,
concept diagramming, semantic feature analysis: table with concept in one column and
feature in the other. Semantic webbing: concept is placed in middle of chard with
relevant details surrounded. Mneumonic devices
Can be used... - Answer- -before lesson to alert students of main point
-during lesson to help organize information
-at close to summarzie and remember main points
Explaining results: Serve as resource for rest of teachers by... - Answer- -working with
teachers in classroom to organize setting
-work with small groups of students in classroom
-prepare IEP for students needing extra assistance
