GACE Special Education General Curriculum–Elementary Education (703) is a trademark of its owner, which is not affiliated with and does not endorse Test Treasure Publication or TTP Prep.
10 sample questions for the GACE Special Education General Curriculum–Elementary Education (703), with the correct answer and an explanation for each. No account needed. Try each one before you open the answer.
Sections covered on the exam: Assessment and The Learning Environment, Specialized Instruction For The General Curriculum, Language Arts and Social Studies, Mathematics, Education, Special Education.
Question 1 · Assessment and The Learning Environment
In early September, a first-grade team gives every student a brief one-minute letter-sound fluency measure. What is the PRIMARY purpose of this assessment?
Answer: A. To identify students who may be at risk and need closer monitoring or support
A brief measure given to all students at the start of the year is universal screening, whose purpose is to identify students who may be at risk and need closer monitoring or support. Pinpointing specific skill gaps is the job of a diagnostic assessment, which is given after screening flags a student; screening alone never establishes eligibility.
Question 2 · Assessment and The Learning Environment
A fourth grader begins pacing, muttering, and clenching his fists after a disagreement at recess. He is not yet aggressive. Which teacher response is MOST appropriate?
Answer: A. Speak calmly, offer a quiet space or brief choice, and reduce demands for the moment
In the agitation phase, de-escalation means lowering demands and arousal: a calm voice, space, and a simple choice help the student regain control. Firm reminders of consequences are tempting because they feel proactive, but threats at this stage tend to escalate the student rather than calm him.
Question 3 · Language Arts and Social Studies
Measure Result Words correct per minute 62 (grade benchmark 90) Accuracy 98% Prosody rubric 1 of 4 (word-by-word, little expression) A third-grade student with ADHD has the oral reading fluency results shown. Which intervention is MOST appropriate?
Answer: D. Repeated readings of short passages with modeling of phrasing and expression
The student reads accurately (98%) but slowly and word by word, so repeated readings of short passages with modeling of phrasing and expression target both rate and prosody. Decoding instruction is the tempting choice, but high accuracy shows decoding is not the barrier. Isolated word drills do not build phrasing in connected text, and silent independent reading gives no modeling or feedback.
Question 4 · Mathematics
A growing pattern of square tiles is shown in the table. Figure Number of tiles 1 4 2 7 3 10 4 13 If the pattern continues, how many tiles will be in Figure 10?
Answer: B. 31
The pattern starts at 4 and adds 3 each time, so Figure n has 3n + 1 tiles and Figure 10 has 3(10) + 1 = 31 tiles. The answer 28 results from adding 3 only eight times after Figure 1 (an off-by-one error), and 40 comes from wrongly multiplying the first term by 10.
Question 5 · Education
A parent signs consent for an initial special education evaluation. Under IDEA, when must the evaluation be completed?
Answer: A. Within 60 days of receiving consent, unless the state sets its own timeline
IDEA requires the initial evaluation to be completed within 60 days of receiving parental consent, or within the timeframe the state establishes. The clock starts with consent, not with the teacher's referral. The 30-day period in IDEA applies to holding the initial IEP meeting after eligibility is determined, not to the evaluation.
Question 6 · Assessment and The Learning Environment
A teacher wants to check every week whether a first grader is responding to a small-group phonics intervention. Which tool is MOST appropriate for this purpose?
Answer: D. Brief, equivalent nonsense-word fluency probes graphed weekly
Progress monitoring requires short, equivalent forms that are sensitive to small changes and can be graphed against a goal, which describes curriculum-based nonsense-word fluency probes. A norm-referenced battery is tempting because it is thorough, but it is too long and not designed for frequent repeated use.
Question 7 · Assessment and The Learning Environment
After a fifth grader's verbal outburst has ended and he has calmed down, what is the MOST appropriate next step in the escalation cycle?
Answer: B. Debrief privately to identify triggers and plan what he can do next time
In the recovery phase, a private debriefing helps the student identify triggers and rehearse an alternative response, which reduces future episodes. Assigning the task immediately is tempting to avoid reinforcing escape, but demands placed before the student is fully calm can restart the cycle; the task can be returned to after the debrief.
Question 8 · Language Arts and Social Studies
A second-grade student read a passage aloud for one minute, attempting 125 words and making 10 errors. Using common accuracy criteria (95% or above independent, 90 to 94% instructional, below 90% frustration), which statement is accurate?
Answer: C. 115 words correct per minute; instructional level
Words correct per minute equals words attempted minus errors, so 125 minus 10 gives 115, and accuracy is 115 divided by 125, or 92%, which falls in the instructional range. Reporting 125 words correct per minute is the tempting error, but that figure ignores the 10 errors. An accuracy of 92% is below the independent cutoff and above the frustration level.
Question 9 · Mathematics
A fourth grader was asked to round 2,749 to the nearest hundred. Student work 2,749 -> 2,750 -> 2,800 Which misconception does the student's work show?
Answer: D. The student rounded in steps, letting the ones digit change the tens digit first.
Rounding 2,749 to the nearest hundred depends only on the tens digit, 4, so the correct answer is 2,700; the student first rounded to 2,750 and then to 2,800, which is chain rounding. Rounding to the nearest ten is tempting, but the student's final answer of 2,800 is a hundred, so the student did aim for the hundreds place.
Question 10 · Education
During an annual review, the team notes that a second grader's frequent outbursts are interfering with his learning and that of his classmates. What does IDEA require the team to do?
Answer: C. Consider positive behavioral interventions, supports, and other strategies
When a child's behavior impedes his learning or that of others, IDEA requires the IEP team to consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports and other strategies to address it. A more restrictive placement is not the required first response. Adding a disability category would require an evaluation, not just a team note.
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