Chapter 4 Assessing Student Needs
Multiple Choice
1. The process of gathering information to monitor student progress and make educational decisions if
necessary is ____.
a. program evaluation
b. diagnosis
c. screening
d. assessment
2. Two common methods of assessment for administrative decision making are ____.
a. standardized and high stakes
b. screening and diagnosis
c. whole group and select group
d. timed and untimed
3. This decision involves whether or not a particular student’s performance is different enough from peers to
require further, more in-depth assessments.
a. program placement
b. program evaluation
c. screening
d. diagnosis
4. Miss Littlefield is wondering if her third-grade student, Laura, meets established federal guidelines for
being classified as having a disability, and if so, what is the nature/extent of Laura’s disability? These
questions most closely concern ____.
a. diagnosis
b. screening
c. instructional evaluation
d. program evaluation
5. Scottie’s IEP team has decided that Scottie’s special education services will take place in a full time general
education classroom. This decision mainly concerns Scottie’s ____.
a. program evaluation
b. program placement
c. curriculum placement
d. diagnosis
6. Decisions that involve the initial instructional level for students are ____.
a. instructional evaluation
b. program placement
c. diagnosis
d. curriculum placement
7. Decisions in instructional evaluation involve ____.
a. where to begin instruction
b. where a student’s special education instruction will take place
c. whether to continue or change instructional procedures
d. whether the special education program should be terminated, kept the same or modified
8. ____decisions involve whether the special education program should be terminated, kept the same or
modified
a. Program placement
b. Instructional evaluation
c. Curriculum diagnosis
d. Program evaluation
9. High-stakes tests ____.
a. are criterion-referenced
b. are norm-referenced
c. compare growth between individuals
d. are teacher-made
10. Standardized achievement tests ____.
a. measure the level of achievement in terms of what students have been taught in the classroom
b. compare students to other students within the same classroom only
c. measure the level of achievement from the standpoint of mastery
d. are norm-referenced
11. Group-administered standardized tests ____.
a. are usually administered by the special education teacher
b. assess many academic skills in depth
c. are intended to be used solely as screening measures
d. are usually untimed
12. One reason information obtained from group-administered standardized achievement tests may be
inappropriate for making screening decisions is that ____.
a. students who ask the teacher to clarify test questions may have an unfair advantage over quieter
students who do not
b. the content of a standardized achievement test might not match what is taught in a particular
classroom
c. most of the tests are untimed and accurate statistics are difficult to generate
d. standardized achievement tests are administered so frequently that test accuracy is questionable
13. Darrell’s scores on his group-administered standardized achievement test indicate he is two years below
grade level in reading. However, Darrell’s teacher is having difficulty using the achievement test data to
help Darrell learn because the test contains too few items to determine Darrell’s area of difficulty. This
scenario refers most closely to _____.
a. administration in a group does not allow student questions
b. standardized achievement tests may be culturally biased
c. the results of the standardized test provide little data to guide instruction
d. national and local norms may not match the distribution of this classroom
14. Which of the following statements is true regarding group-administered standardized and high stakes
achievement tests?
a. Group-administered and high stakes tests are often used in making administrative decisions at the
school district level.
b. Most group-administered standardized tests are untimed, allowing for a more complete profile of
student ability.
c. Because group-administered standardized tests are administered frequently, they have great utility
as a tool for evaluation of day-to-day classroom instruction.
d. Group administered standardized tests are usually administered by special education teachers and
school psychologists.
15. The average score on most psychological tests is ____.
a. 10
b. 50
c. 100
d. 1000
16. Which of the following is often assessed on psychological tests?
a. math computation
b. comprehension
c. emotional stability
d. writing skills
17. Of abilities commonly assessed by psychological tests, which describes the ability to recognize similarities
across objects, events and settings?
a. generalization
b. abstract reasoning
c. induction
d. memory
18. The primary purpose of psychological tests is to ____.
a. determine whether a student has an intellectual or a particular learning problem
b. find out what modifications or supports are needed to increase the participation of students with
moderate to severe disabilities in the classroom
c. assess students’ academic skills across many areas of curriculum, but none in much depth
d. establish whether or not a particular student’s performance is different from his/her peers to merit
further, more in-depth assessments
19. Accurate assessment of diverse students can be difficult because ____.
a. they always work at a slower pace
b. they prefer being assessed by their parents
c. they lack motivation to perform well
d. they may lack exposure to test content
20. Under NCLB requirements, ____ must be included in district or statewide assessments.
a. all students
b. all students except those with academic disabilities
c. all students except those with physical disabilities
d. all student except for English language speakers
21. Many students with disabilities are able to participate in district and statewide assessments when provided
with appropriate accommodations. However, some students are not required to meet the same standards
and are allowed to use ____ to provide evidence that they meet the same broad standards as other students.
a. psychological tests
b. alternate assessments
c. individually administered tests
d. teacher-made tests
22. Alternate assessments should ____.
a. align with state standards
b. be derived from high-stakes tests
c. focus on conceptual skills
d. reflect grade-level expectations
23. Which of the following is not true about constructing alternate assessments?
a. Alternate assessments focus on authentic skills.
b. Alternate assessments measure skills that are integrated across many areas.
c. Alternate assessments must be measured at the beginning and end of the school year.
d. Alternate assessments measure district accountability.
24. Curriculum-based assessment measures the student’s level of achievement related to ____.
a. national norms
b. what is taught in the classroom
c. students in state schools
d. students in nearby school districts
25. A method for measuring the level of achievement of students in terms of what they are taught in the
classroom is ____.
a. curriculum-based assessment
b. standardized assessment
c. functional assessment
d. psychological assessment
26. Probes of basic academic skills ____.
a. are most appropriate for middle and senior high school teachers
b. consist of samples of prerequisite skills, note taking and time management skills
c. consist of untimed samples of academic behaviors
d. consist of timed samples of academic behaviors
27. Mr. Boggs reads aloud the spelling words for his fourth-grade class and his students spell out the words on
their papers. This is an example of which of the following probe classifications?
a. think-write
b. see-write
c. hear-write
d. see-say
28. Teachers should assess student accuracy and rate on basic academic skills because ____.
a. students are more motivated when they think a test is a race
b. students who are proficient in a basic skill are better able to master advanced skills
c. rate is easier to teach within the context of a general education classroom
d. most parents demand that rate be stressed by teacher
29. Jacob wants to take calculus during his sophomore high school year. His guidance counselor looks at the
math courses Jacob has completed to see if he has the necessary academic background. Jacob’s guidance
counselor understands that in order for Jacob to be successful in calculus, he must ____.
a. have the necessary prerequisites skills
b. score above the 85th percentile on his math achievement tests
c. get recommendations from his previous math teachers
d. have the grade equivalent of a high school senior on math achievement tests
30. Skills such as note taking, time management and test-taking are ____.
a. too unique to each student to be adequately assessed
b. important, but do not influence student ability to successfully complete a course
c. mnemonic devices stressed in secondary-level classes
d. independent learning skills stressed in secondary-level classes
31. Student self-evaluations ____.
a. provide information about strategy behaviors that cannot be directly observed
b. tend to decrease student self-monitoring in academic areas
c. are too difficult to teach to students with special needs
d. are one of the probes of basic academic skills
32. The peer comparison method of screening through probes uses the ____ to summarize the scores because it
is affected less by extreme scores.
a. mean
b. median
c. average
d. mode
33. The ____ typically identifies 6 to 12 percent of a class or grade level who may be experiencing difficulty
on particular skill.
a. median x 2
b. mode
c. median
d. median /2
34. How quickly a student is able to perform a skill or recall academic material is called student ____.
a. fluency
b. accuracy
c. potential
d. response
35. Charmaine’s teacher sampled her reading from a passage at the fifth-grade level and found that she read at
a correct rate of 43 words per minute with no errors. What is Charmaine’s teacher most likely to conclude
based on this information?
a. Charmaine is a careless reader.
b. Charmaine cannot read grade level material.
c. Charmaine has a problem with reading rate.
d. Charmaine has a problem with reading accuracy.
True/False
1. Standardized achievement tests are designed to measure what students have retained in the curriculum
2. In a norm-referenced test, the performance of one student is compared to the average performance of other
students in the country who are the same age or grade level.
3. Group-administered standardized achievement tests assess skills across many areas of the curriculum, many
in great depth.
4. Because it is not possible to administer standardized tests frequently, their utility as a tool for evaluating
day-to-day instruction is limited
5. Group-administered standardized achievement tests are intended to be used solely as screening measures.
6. Individually administered diagnostic tests are usually given to students by a special education teacher or a
school psychologist.
7. Curriculum-based assessments are most appropriate for assessing problem solving skills in real-world
contexts.
8. When administering probes of basic academic skills, teachers should select a representative sample of the
skills that are taught, not necessarily very skill.
9. Story grammar analyzes whether the characters in a story use proper English grammar or some alternate
dialect.
10. Teachers must be careful to include skills that students can bypass when designing probes of prerequisite
skills.
11. Tasks used to assess independent learning should directly parallel the tasks students are faced with in the
classroom
12. Tony read a third grade passage at the rate of 70 works per minute with 15 errors. Tony has a problem with
reading accuracy.
13. The IEP team will make the decision for program placement.
14. Research shows that not all Universal Screening measures are created equal.
15. Universal Screening measures cannot be used for progress monitoring in the RtI process.
16. Information collected from progress monitoring assessments is used to assign students to their instructional
tiers.
17. Psychological tests can be used as the single measure to establish eligibility for special education services.
18. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2002 requires that at least 75% of students with
disabilities take high-stakes tests.
19. An appropriate accommodation during a standardized test for a student with a disability could be to
administer the test over several days.
20. A student with a disability is expected to meet the same broad standards as your other students, but may
meet them in more basic ways.
Short Answer
1. Explain ‘diagnosis’ as it relates to student placement.
2. Explain ‘program placement’ as it relates a student with special needs.
3. Explain one possible outcome of a ‘program evaluation.’
4. Explain why ‘screening’ would be utilized in special education.
5. Explain ‘curriculum placement.’
6. Explain the possible outcomes of ‘instructional evaluation’ for a student with special needs.
7. Explain the relationship between ‘universal screening’ and the RtI process.
8. Four assessment batteries are most commonly used for reading within RtI programs. Provide two examples
of reading assessments.
9. A key requirement of IDEA is that students with disabilities have maximum access to the general education
curriculum. Explain how this requirement differs from the past.
10. Students with disabilities are entitled to a range of accommodations during high-stakes testing. Provide
two examples of common testing accommodations.
11. Discuss one reason why the issue of high-stakes testing is important to you as a teacher of students with
disabilities in your classroom.
12. Explain two qualities of ‘universal design’ included in your textbook.
13. Assessing diverse students can be problematic. Give two examples of the problems you may encounter
according to your textbook.
14. Explain ‘alternate assessments.’ Include in your response the percentage of students with disabilities that
would be included in this type of assessment.
15. Alternate assessments can be collected in a number of ways. Give two examples according to your
textbook.
16. Explain ‘authentic skill assessment.’
17. Your school utilizes the ‘Maze’ for word recognition and comprehension assessment. Explain how this
assessment is administered.
18. Discuss the three components to the ‘think–write’ probe.
19. Your school has instituted RtI for all classrooms and you have been informed you will provide the first step
of the ‘prerequisite skills assessment’ process. Explain the expectation for the teacher in the first step.
20. Despite accommodations you have made for a student, including attempts in the classroom to remediate,
the difference between the student and his/her peers continues to worsen. Explain the next step in the RtI
process.
Essay
1. General education teachers contribute assessment information in six important decision making areas
according to your textbook. Describe four of the six decision-making areas. Provide an example for each
of your responses.
2. Your school participates in group-administered standardized achievement tests. Explain four reasons why
the information from group-administered tests may not help you when making decisions about instruction
for a particular student.
3. Psychological tests are used to evaluate students with special needs. What is the purpose of using
psychological tests? Explain four important guidelines for interpreting the results of psychological test
reports.
4. What are probes of basic academic skills designed to assess? Provide in your discussion examples of four
major types of probe classifications, including how probes are generally administered and scored.
5. Describe the following probes and provide an example of each probe: direct observation, analysis of
student products and student self-evaluation.
6. Explain ‘universal screening.’ Include in your explanation a discussion of three suggestions for choosing a
universal screening measure.
7. Your textbook provides six categories of testing accommodations. As a teacher, you will be expected to
implement accommodations for students with special needs. Explain three of the six categories. Provide a
minimum of three examples in your explanation of each category.
8. Your textbook provides ten recommendations for providing a fair assessment of diverse students. Discuss
5 strategies you could incorporate into your classroom practices that will assist you in interpreting the
performance of diverse students more accurately.
9. Inclusive education encourages a variety of instructional grouping arrangements. Explain the purpose and
advantages of CBA probes. How is the information used to group students?
10. RtI schools subscribe to a tiered approach for educating all students. Mrs. Edgar teaches 3rd grade. She
has determined a student should move from Tier 1 to Tier 2 in the RtI process. The child’s parent has
asked Mrs. Edgar to provide a rationale for this decision. Discuss the information Mrs. Edgar would most
likely share with the child’s parents.
Chapter 4
Multiple Choice
True/False
Short Answer
Essay
