TExES Special Ed 161 Practice
Questions with Certified Solutions
A new high school student is being assessed. He reads a 500 word text. He misreads 35 words.
At what level is he reading?
a. Instructional level.
b. Independent level.
c. Unsatisfactory level.
d. Merit level. ✔✔A: Instructional level. In one minute, a student who reads with 95-100%
accuracy is at an independent reading level. A student who reads with 90-95% accuracy is at an
Instructional level. A student who reads with less than 90%accuracy is at a frustration level.
According to the Assistive Technology Act, assistive devices are:
a. Electronic devices that support learning such as computers, calculators, student responders,
electronic self-teaching books and electronic reading devices.
b. Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device that helps teachers streamline efficiency.
c. Any device that could help a disabled student in school or life functions.
d. Experimental, high-tech teaching tools that teachers can obtain by participating in one of 67
government funded research projects. ✔✔C: Any device that could help a disabled student in
education or life functioning. The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 is the primary legislation
,regarding assistive technology for disabled students and adults. The act funds 56 state programs
concerned with the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities. Assistive devices
include wheelchairs, hearing aids, glare-reduction screens, Braille devices, voice-recognition
software, screen magnifiers and a wealth of other tools.
In the first week of school, a resource teacher asks her high school students to make lists of
things they know how to do well. How is this activity most useful to the teacher?
a. It establishes a feeling of success in her students from the start.
b. It is an informal assessment of their writing skills and gives the teacher an idea of each
student's interests and abilities.
c. It is a formal assessment of prior knowledge.
d. It invites further discussion of each student's unique contributions and will help the class bond
with mutual respect. ✔✔B: It is an informal assessment of their writing and also gives the
teacher an idea of each student's interests, abilities and skills. This assignment gives the teacher
an idea of her students' writing abilities at the beginning of the year. She can return to this piece
of writing during the school year to assess progress.
In the above example, how could the teacher use the students' lists in her lesson planning?
a. On the last day of school, she can return the lists and ask the students to add the new skills
they've learned, so they can see how far they've come.
,b. She can have the students exchange lists so they can find other students who share the same
interests.
c. She can use the lists when planning independent reading and research projects for each
student.
d. All of the above. ✔✔D: All of the above. The writing prompt is multipurpose. The teacher can
use it in a number of ways, including planning independent reading and research projects for
each student, inviting students to share their writing to find others with the same interests and as
a way of demonstrating to each student their academic growth at the end of the school year.
A seventh grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with algebra.
His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the boy, the less he seems to understand.
The teacher suggests:
a. He continues drilling and enhances with pop quizzes. It may take the student longer to
understand algebraic terms, expressions and equations, but with hard work he will eventually
learn them.
b. He calls a moratorium on at-home algebra work. The student is becoming less willing to work
at school and the teacher is concerned he is losing confidence due to failure at home.
c. He continues drilling but breaks the study sessions into no more than 3 five-minute periods per
day.
d. He substitutes fun activities for math drills. Incorporating algebra blocks, math games, and
applications of algebra to real-life situations will make math more fun and more relevant. ✔✔D:
, He substitutes more enjoyable algebra activities for math drills. Incorporating manipulatives such
as algebra blocks, math games and applications of algebra to real-life situations, will make math
both more fun and more relevant. When both parent and child are enjoying the work, they will
accomplish morein a shorter period of time and the child will feel happy and successful, which
encourages her to embrace further learning opportunities.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, forearm crutches and a head
pointer are assistive devices that might be used by a student with:
a. Severe intellectual disabilities.
b. Cerebral palsy.
c. Tourette syndrome.
d. Minor skeletal birth defects. ✔✔B: Cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that
groups neurological childhood disorders that affect muscular control. It does not worsen over
time and the cause is located in damaged areas of the brain that control muscle movement.
Depending upon the severity of the disorder, a child with cerebral palsy might benefit from an
AAC device to help in speaking, forearm crutches to assist in walking or a head pointer for a
child whose best motor control is his head.
A four year old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color and shape,
doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the relationship between little/big,
Questions with Certified Solutions
A new high school student is being assessed. He reads a 500 word text. He misreads 35 words.
At what level is he reading?
a. Instructional level.
b. Independent level.
c. Unsatisfactory level.
d. Merit level. ✔✔A: Instructional level. In one minute, a student who reads with 95-100%
accuracy is at an independent reading level. A student who reads with 90-95% accuracy is at an
Instructional level. A student who reads with less than 90%accuracy is at a frustration level.
According to the Assistive Technology Act, assistive devices are:
a. Electronic devices that support learning such as computers, calculators, student responders,
electronic self-teaching books and electronic reading devices.
b. Any mechanical, electrical or electronic device that helps teachers streamline efficiency.
c. Any device that could help a disabled student in school or life functions.
d. Experimental, high-tech teaching tools that teachers can obtain by participating in one of 67
government funded research projects. ✔✔C: Any device that could help a disabled student in
education or life functioning. The Assistive Technology Act of 1998 is the primary legislation
,regarding assistive technology for disabled students and adults. The act funds 56 state programs
concerned with the assistive technology needs of individuals with disabilities. Assistive devices
include wheelchairs, hearing aids, glare-reduction screens, Braille devices, voice-recognition
software, screen magnifiers and a wealth of other tools.
In the first week of school, a resource teacher asks her high school students to make lists of
things they know how to do well. How is this activity most useful to the teacher?
a. It establishes a feeling of success in her students from the start.
b. It is an informal assessment of their writing skills and gives the teacher an idea of each
student's interests and abilities.
c. It is a formal assessment of prior knowledge.
d. It invites further discussion of each student's unique contributions and will help the class bond
with mutual respect. ✔✔B: It is an informal assessment of their writing and also gives the
teacher an idea of each student's interests, abilities and skills. This assignment gives the teacher
an idea of her students' writing abilities at the beginning of the year. She can return to this piece
of writing during the school year to assess progress.
In the above example, how could the teacher use the students' lists in her lesson planning?
a. On the last day of school, she can return the lists and ask the students to add the new skills
they've learned, so they can see how far they've come.
,b. She can have the students exchange lists so they can find other students who share the same
interests.
c. She can use the lists when planning independent reading and research projects for each
student.
d. All of the above. ✔✔D: All of the above. The writing prompt is multipurpose. The teacher can
use it in a number of ways, including planning independent reading and research projects for
each student, inviting students to share their writing to find others with the same interests and as
a way of demonstrating to each student their academic growth at the end of the school year.
A seventh grader with mild intellectual disabilities is having considerable trouble with algebra.
His stepfather is trying to help, but the more he drills the boy, the less he seems to understand.
The teacher suggests:
a. He continues drilling and enhances with pop quizzes. It may take the student longer to
understand algebraic terms, expressions and equations, but with hard work he will eventually
learn them.
b. He calls a moratorium on at-home algebra work. The student is becoming less willing to work
at school and the teacher is concerned he is losing confidence due to failure at home.
c. He continues drilling but breaks the study sessions into no more than 3 five-minute periods per
day.
d. He substitutes fun activities for math drills. Incorporating algebra blocks, math games, and
applications of algebra to real-life situations will make math more fun and more relevant. ✔✔D:
, He substitutes more enjoyable algebra activities for math drills. Incorporating manipulatives such
as algebra blocks, math games and applications of algebra to real-life situations, will make math
both more fun and more relevant. When both parent and child are enjoying the work, they will
accomplish morein a shorter period of time and the child will feel happy and successful, which
encourages her to embrace further learning opportunities.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, forearm crutches and a head
pointer are assistive devices that might be used by a student with:
a. Severe intellectual disabilities.
b. Cerebral palsy.
c. Tourette syndrome.
d. Minor skeletal birth defects. ✔✔B: Cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term that
groups neurological childhood disorders that affect muscular control. It does not worsen over
time and the cause is located in damaged areas of the brain that control muscle movement.
Depending upon the severity of the disorder, a child with cerebral palsy might benefit from an
AAC device to help in speaking, forearm crutches to assist in walking or a head pointer for a
child whose best motor control is his head.
A four year old child has difficulty sorting plastic cubes, circles and triangles by color and shape,
doesn't recognize patterns or groups and doesn't understand the relationship between little/big,
