Praxis Special Education: Core Knowledge & Mild to Moderate Applications (5543)

Under IDEA, which federal disability category is most commonly associated with the largest share of students receiving special education services in U.S. public schools?

• ASpecific learning disability
• BIntellectual disability
• CVisual impairment
• DTraumatic brain injury

A 9-year-old has average cognitive ability but reads two grade levels below peers despite strong instruction, and shows weak phonological processing. These data most strongly indicate which condition?

• AAn intellectual disability
• BA specific learning disability in basic reading skills
• CAn emotional disturbance
• DA speech or language impairment limited to articulation

Which characteristic is most consistent with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), predominantly inattentive presentation, in a student with a mild-to-moderate profile?

• APervasive deficits in social communication and restricted interests
• BSignificantly below-average adaptive behavior across all domains
• CDifficulty sustaining attention and frequent careless errors, with minimal overt hyperact…
• DLoss of previously acquired motor and language skills

Under IDEA, a student with a chronic health condition such as ADHD that limits alertness and adversely affects educational performance is most often served under which category?

• ASpecific Learning Disability
• BMultiple Disabilities
• CDevelopmental Delay
• DOther Health Impairment

A student diagnosed with mild intellectual disability is most accurately described by which combination of features?

• ASignificantly subaverage intellectual functioning with concurrent deficits in adaptive be…
• BAverage IQ with an isolated deficit in reading fluency only
• CNormal cognition with a primary disturbance of mood and conduct
• DA medical condition affecting only physical mobility

Which set of features best characterizes emotional disturbance (ED) under IDEA when it adversely affects educational performance?

• ABelow-average IQ with adaptive deficits across all domains
• BAn inability to build relationships, inappropriate behaviors or feelings, or pervasive un…
• CA processing deficit affecting written expression only
• DReduced strength and vitality from a chronic illness

A student with mild autism in a general education classroom is most likely to need targeted support in which area?

• ADecoding single words at the kindergarten level
• BGross motor mobility requiring a wheelchair
• CSocial communication, flexibility, and interpreting nonliteral language
• DBasic survival vocabulary in a non-English language

A speech-language impairment that primarily affects a student's ability to produce age-appropriate speech sounds is best described as a disorder of:

• AReceptive vocabulary only
• BReading comprehension
• CMathematical reasoning
• DArticulation or phonology

Which statement about the typical co-occurrence of high-incidence disabilities is most accurate?

• AStudents with SLD frequently also show attention difficulties, so comorbidity should be c…
• BHigh-incidence disabilities never co-occur with one another
• CADHD and SLD are the same disability with different names
• DEmotional disturbance cannot occur alongside a learning disability

Which describes a likely effect of a mild-to-moderate disability on a student's academic self-concept and motivation?

• ADisabilities have no measurable effect on motivation
• BRepeated academic failure can contribute to learned helplessness and lowered effort over…
• CStudents with mild disabilities are uniformly more motivated than peers
• DMotivation is fixed at birth and unaffected by experience

Which factor must a team rule out before identifying a student as having a specific learning disability under IDEA?

• AAbove-average performance on a standardized achievement test
• BParental request for enrichment services
• CLack of appropriate instruction in reading or math and limited English proficiency
• DA documented gifted identification

Which environmental or contextual factor is most likely to influence the educational performance of a student with an emotional or behavioral disorder?

• AThe brand of curriculum textbooks used
• BThe color of the classroom walls only
• CWhether the school uses block or period scheduling exclusively
• DThe predictability and consistency of classroom routines and adult responses

A 7-year-old with mild language impairment frequently struggles to follow multi-step oral directions. This most directly reflects a weakness in:

• AReceptive language and working memory for verbal information
• BFine motor coordination
• CVisual acuity
• DGross motor planning

Which statement best reflects the relationship between cognitive development and instruction for students with mild intellectual disability?

• AThey learn best exclusively through abstract verbal lecture
• BThey often benefit from concrete examples, repetition, and explicit connections to prior…
• CThey cannot acquire functional academic skills
• DRepetition interferes with their learning and should be avoided

Which is an example of typical language development that should NOT, by itself, trigger a special education referral in a 5-year-old?

• ANo expressive language and no response to name
• BComplete absence of joint attention and gestures
• COccasional grammatical errors such as overregularized past tense (for example, 'goed')
• DLoss of all previously used words over one month

Why is understanding a student's cultural and linguistic background essential when characterizing a suspected mild-to-moderate disability?

• AIt allows the teacher to lower expectations for the student
• BIt replaces the need for any formal assessment data
• CIt is required only for students with physical disabilities
• DIt helps distinguish a true disability from differences related to language acquisition o…

A middle schooler with a mild-to-moderate disability shows strong oral comprehension but very slow, labored reading and poor spelling. This dissociation is most consistent with:

• AA word-level reading disability (dyslexia profile) with intact listening comprehension
• BAn intellectual disability affecting all cognitive domains
• CA primary mathematics computation disorder
• DA purely behavioral noncompliance issue

Which component is legally required in every IEP under IDEA?

• AA copy of the student's birth certificate
• BA statement of measurable annual goals based on the student's present levels of performan…
• CA list of every teacher's home address
• DThe principal's personal evaluation of the family

Under IDEA, the requirement to educate students with disabilities with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate is known as:

• AFree appropriate public education (FAPE)
• BProcedural safeguards
• CLeast restrictive environment (LRE)
• DChild find

A teacher writes the goal: 'The student will be better at reading.' What is the primary weakness of this annual goal?

• AIt includes too many specific benchmarks
• BIt is written in the past tense
• CIt names the wrong content area
• DIt is not measurable and lacks observable criteria and conditions

Which is the best example of a measurable IEP annual goal for a student with an SLD in reading fluency?

• AGiven a grade-level passage, the student will read aloud at 90 correct words per minute o…
• BThe student will enjoy reading more this year
• CThe student will try hard during reading class
• DThe student will read like other students

On the continuum of placement options, which setting is generally considered LESS restrictive than a separate special education classroom?

• AResidential school placement
• BGeneral education classroom with co-teaching and accommodations
• CHomebound instruction
• DSeparate special school

Within Universal Design for Learning (UDL), providing options for how students access content (for example, text, audio, and visuals) primarily addresses which principle?

• AMultiple means of action and expression
• BMultiple means of engagement
• CMultiple means of representation
• DA single fixed method for all learners

Which is the clearest example of an accommodation rather than a modification?

• AReducing the number of standards a student is expected to master
• BGrading a student on a different, lower-level curriculum
• CReplacing the general curriculum with a functional life-skills curriculum
• DExtended time on a grade-level test that measures the same standards

Which classroom arrangement best promotes a safe, organized environment that reduces behavior problems for students with mild-to-moderate disabilities?

• AClear physical pathways, posted routines, and predictable transitions taught and practice…
• BUnstructured free time for most of the day with few stated expectations
• CFrequently rearranged seating with no notice
• DRules that change daily based on the teacher's mood

When planning instruction for a student with a mild disability included in general education, the special and general educators should first:

• AAssign the student only to a separate worksheet packet
• BIdentify the grade-level standards and the student's IEP goals, then align supports to bo…
• CWait until the student fails before planning supports
• DLower all expectations to avoid any frustration

Which is a legally required consideration when an IEP team determines a student's placement?

• APlacement is automatically a separate special class for all students with disabilities
• BPlacement is decided solely by the building principal
• CPlacement is based on the IEP and made as close as possible to the least restrictive appr…
• DPlacement must always be the most restrictive option to ensure intensive support

A transition plan in the IEP must begin no later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns what age, under IDEA's federal floor?

• A10
• B21
• C25
• D16

Which is the most appropriate proactive seating decision for a student with ADHD, inattentive presentation, in a general education class?

• ASeat the student near the point of instruction with reduced visual and auditory distracti…
• BSeat the student near a window and a high-traffic doorway
• CPlace the student in the back corner away from the teacher
• DRotate the student to a new random seat every day without warning

Backward design for a unit serving students with mild-to-moderate disabilities begins with:

• ASelecting fun activities first and finding standards later
• BIdentifying desired learning outcomes and how they will be assessed
• CChoosing the textbook chapter to cover
• DListing the materials needed for the first day

Which scheduling support best helps a student with a mild-to-moderate disability who struggles with task initiation and organization?

• ANo schedule, allowing the student to decide each task spontaneously
• BA schedule the teacher keeps private from the student
• CA visual schedule and an organized materials system taught and reinforced daily
• DChanging the schedule order every day without informing the student

When designing an inclusive lesson, which is the best application of differentiation for content?

• ATeaching different standards to different students at random
• BGiving advanced students less feedback than struggling students
• CEliminating all grade-level vocabulary for students with disabilities
• DProviding the same essential standard through varied texts at different readability levels

Which is a required IEP element that specifically addresses participation with nondisabled peers?

• AAn explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with nond…
• BA guarantee that the student will never attend general education
• CA list of the parents' employment history
• DThe names of every district board member

A teacher wants to maximize learning time for a class that includes several students with mild disabilities. Which practice best increases academic engaged time?

• ALengthening transitions to give students more rest
• BEstablishing efficient routines for transitions, materials, and entry tasks to minimize l…
• CBeginning class with extended free conversation each day
• DFrequently stopping instruction for unplanned announcements

In planning, which statement reflects the correct relationship between present levels of performance (PLAAFP) and annual goals?

• AGoals should be unrelated to present performance to avoid bias
• BPresent levels are optional if goals are written well
• CAnnual goals must be directly tied to the needs identified in the present levels statement
• DGoals are written first and present levels are added later for paperwork

Which is the strongest example of explicit, systematic instruction for teaching a new decoding skill to a student with an SLD?

• AAssign independent silent reading and hope the skill develops incidentally
• BBriefly mention the rule once and move on to a new topic
• CHave the student discover the phonics rule with no instruction or feedback
• DModel the skill, provide guided practice with immediate corrective feedback, then indepen…

Which set of components is most essential for evidence-based beginning reading instruction?

• APhonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension
• BSilent sustained reading only
• CMemorizing the dictionary alphabetically
• DCopying spelling lists without instruction

A student with a math disability struggles with multi-step word problems. Which strategy instruction approach is most appropriate?

• ATell the student to read the problem again and try harder
• BTeach an explicit problem-solving strategy with a mnemonic and modeled think-alouds, then…
• CProvide only the answer key for self-checking
• DSkip word problems entirely for the rest of the year

Which best describes scaffolding in instruction for students with mild-to-moderate disabilities?

• APermanently doing the task for the student
• BRemoving all supports immediately to build resilience
• CProviding temporary supports that are gradually withdrawn as the student gains independen…
• DGiving the same fixed level of help to every student forever

A teacher uses the gradual release of responsibility model. Which sequence reflects it correctly?

• AIndependent work, then a quiz, then a lecture
• BHomework first, then modeling, then a test
• CFree exploration, then a worksheet, then silence
• DFocused instruction (I do), guided instruction (we do), collaborative (you do together),…

Which assistive technology is most appropriate for a high school student with an SLD whose decoding is weak but listening comprehension is strong?

• AText-to-speech software to access grade-level content
• BA motorized wheelchair
• CA hearing aid
• DA communication board for nonverbal students

Which is the best example of using the concrete-representational-abstract (CRA) sequence in math for a student with a math disability?

• AStart with abstract algorithms and skip manipulatives entirely
• BUse base-ten blocks, then drawings, then numerals and symbols to teach regrouping
• CUse only worksheets with no models or visuals
• DHave the student memorize procedures without understanding

A teacher wants to improve writing for students with mild-to-moderate disabilities. Which is the strongest evidence-based approach?

• AAssign daily free writing with no instruction or feedback
• BOnly correct spelling errors on final drafts
• CTeach a writing strategy explicitly using Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) with…
• DHave students copy published essays repeatedly

Which instructional adjustment best increases active student responding for a class including students with mild disabilities?

• ACalling on one volunteer per class period
• BLong teacher monologues with no student responses
• CIndependent silent seatwork for the entire lesson
• DFrequent opportunities to respond using choral responses, response cards, or whiteboards

Which is the best way to promote generalization of a newly learned social skill for a student with mild autism?

• ATeach the skill across multiple settings, people, and natural contexts with reinforcement
• BPractice the skill only once in a single isolated session
• CTeach the skill only in a quiet pull-out room and never elsewhere
• DAssume generalization will occur automatically without planning

Which describes effective use of corrective feedback during guided practice?

• AWait until the next week to mention the error
• BProvide immediate, specific feedback that models the correct response and has the student…
• COnly say 'no' without showing the correct response
• DIgnore errors so the student does not feel discouraged

Which is an appropriate use of peer-mediated instruction such as classwide peer tutoring for students with mild disabilities?

• ALetting a peer do the student's work for them
• BUnstructured social time labeled as tutoring
• CStructured, reciprocal practice with trained procedures, scripts, and teacher monitoring
• DReplacing all teacher instruction permanently with peer instruction

A student with EBD becomes frustrated and shuts down during long writing assignments. Which instructional support best addresses this proactively?

• AIncrease the length of the assignment to build endurance
• BRemove the student from class whenever frustration appears
• CProvide the assignment with no structure and let the student manage alone
• DChunk the assignment into smaller steps with brief breaks and a clear completion checklist