Jamal, a grade 4 student with a learning disability, makes steady progress in a general education class with consultant teacher services, but his reading goals show he now needs more direct support. The Committee on Special Education (CSE) is discussing options. Which recommendation best reflects the least restrictive environment requirement?

Add integrated co-teaching for reading while he stays in his current class

Keep current services unchanged because any change would make his placement more restrictive

Place him in a resource room for the full day until his reading reaches grade level

Move him to a 12:1:1 special class for all subjects to intensify instruction

Ms. Bernstein notices that Kiara, a grade 3 student, often stares blankly for a few seconds, flutters her eyelids, and then resumes work without knowing what she missed. This happens many times a day. Which action is most appropriate?

Record the episodes and share them with the school nurse and Kiara's family

Refer Kiara for a reading evaluation because she misses parts of lessons

Move Kiara closer to the teacher's desk so that she daydreams less often

Call out Kiara's name each time to refocus her attention on the lesson

A CSE is deciding whether Omar, a grade 4 student with autism, should take the New York State Alternate Assessment instead of the general state tests. Which factor should drive this decision?

whether he has a significant cognitive disability that requires highly modified, individualized instruction

whether his disability classification is autism, since students in that category qualify for the NYSAA

whether his parents would prefer that he take a shorter assessment with fewer reading passages on it

whether his scores on last year's state tests were in the lowest performance level for his grade group

Which of the following is prohibited in New York schools as a way to reduce a student's behavior?

applying a noxious taste or smell to the student after the behavior

ignoring minor attention-seeking behavior as part of a written BIP

removing a token the student earned, under a written response cost plan

having the student briefly sit away from an activity within the room

Ms. Iwu has taught Devon, a grade 2 student with a learning disability, to solve two-digit addition with regrouping using base-ten blocks, and he is now consistently accurate with the blocks. When she shows him the written algorithm, he cannot solve the problems. According to the concrete-representational-abstract sequence, what should she do next?

Have him draw quick sketches of tens and ones to solve problems before using only numerals

Teach the written algorithm as a list of memorized steps without referring to the blocks again

Give him a calculator for regrouping problems so that he can keep up with the grade 2 class

Continue using base-ten blocks for several more months until he can solve problems mentally

Before federal special education law, court cases such as PARC v. Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education were significant mainly because they established which principle?

Children with disabilities have a right to a free public education

Schools must place every student with a disability in general classes

States may exclude children whose disabilities are judged too severe

Parents must pay part of the extra cost of special education services

During math, Terrell, a grade 6 student with type 1 diabetes, becomes shaky, sweaty and confused. His health plan lists these as signs of low blood sugar. What should the teacher do first?

Follow his plan by having him take fast-acting sugar and call for the nurse

Let him rest his head on the desk until the symptoms pass on their own

Have him drink water and finish the math task before he leaves the room

Send him to the nurse's office alone so he can check his own blood sugar

Mr. Sandoval is writing the present levels of performance for Chloe, a grade 9 student with a traumatic brain injury in general education classes. Which information is most important to include?

how her memory and processing difficulties affect her progress in grade 9 coursework

a comparison of her current grades with those of her siblings at the same age

a full medical history of the accident and each surgery she had in the hospital

the special class ratio and number of sessions she will receive during the year

Ms. Duarte has just begun teaching a grade 7 special class. Several students are withdrawn and resist her directions. Which strategy is most likely to build positive relationships with them?

Spend a few minutes daily in personal conversation with each student about his or her interests.

Offer rewards to students who comply quickly, and remove privileges from those who resist.

Keep all interactions formal so students learn to respect her authority before trusting her.

Wait until students show they can follow the rules before getting to know them personally.

Kwame, a grade 5 student with a learning disability, writes in short, choppy sentences such as "The storm was big. The storm was loud. It knocked down trees." Which instruction would best improve his sentence construction?

Sentence-combining lessons in which he joins short sentences using conjunctions and describing words

Correcting each choppy sentence on his drafts and having him recopy the corrected version neatly

Requiring him to write longer essays every week so that he gains more practice composing sentences

Teaching him to identify nouns and verbs on grammar worksheets before he writes his next paragraph

NYSTCE Students with Disabilities (060) Test

Free NYSTCE SWD (060) Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the NYSTCE Students with Disabilities (060) Test, 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: Foundations of Special Education, Instructional Planning and Delivery in the General Curriculum, Communication, Social Skills and Functional Living Skills, Knowledge of Students with Disabilities.

Question 1 · Foundations of Special Education
Jamal, a grade 4 student with a learning disability, makes steady progress in a general education class with consultant teacher services, but his reading goals show he now needs more direct support. The Committee on Special Education (CSE) is discussing options. Which recommendation best reflects the least restrictive environment requirement?
- A.Keep current services unchanged because any change would make his placement more restrictive
- B.Add integrated co-teaching for reading while he stays in his current class
- C.Place him in a resource room for the full day until his reading reaches grade level
- D.Move him to a 12:1:1 special class for all subjects to intensify instruction
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Add integrated co-teaching for reading while he stays in his current class
Least restrictive environment means a student is removed from general education only to the extent that supplementary aids and services there cannot meet the need. Adding integrated co-teaching intensifies reading support while keeping Jamal with nondisabled peers. A full-time special class jumps to a far more restrictive setting without showing that less restrictive options failed, and refusing to change services ignores the data.
Question 2 · Instructional Planning and Delivery in the General Curriculum
Ms. Bernstein notices that Kiara, a grade 3 student, often stares blankly for a few seconds, flutters her eyelids, and then resumes work without knowing what she missed. This happens many times a day. Which action is most appropriate?
- A.Record the episodes and share them with the school nurse and Kiara's family
- B.Refer Kiara for a reading evaluation because she misses parts of lessons
- C.Move Kiara closer to the teacher's desk so that she daydreams less often
- D.Call out Kiara's name each time to refocus her attention on the lesson
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Record the episodes and share them with the school nurse and Kiara's family
Brief staring spells with eyelid fluttering and no memory of the episode are consistent with absence seizures, which are often mistaken for daydreaming. Documenting the frequency and duration and sharing it with the nurse and family supports medical evaluation. Seating changes and verbal cues treat the behavior as inattention and will not help.
Question 3 · Communication, Social Skills and Functional Living Skills
A CSE is deciding whether Omar, a grade 4 student with autism, should take the New York State Alternate Assessment instead of the general state tests. Which factor should drive this decision?
- A.whether his disability classification is autism, since students in that category qualify for the NYSAA
- B.whether his parents would prefer that he take a shorter assessment with fewer reading passages on it
- C.whether his scores on last year's state tests were in the lowest performance level for his grade group
- D.whether he has a significant cognitive disability that requires highly modified, individualized instruction
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. whether he has a significant cognitive disability that requires highly modified, individualized instruction
The NYSAA is for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities whose instruction is based on alternate achievement standards. A disability category alone, such as autism, does not determine participation. Low scores or a family's preference for a shorter test are not the criteria.
Question 4 · Knowledge of Students with Disabilities
Which of the following is prohibited in New York schools as a way to reduce a student's behavior?
- A.ignoring minor attention-seeking behavior as part of a written BIP
- B.removing a token the student earned, under a written response cost plan
- C.having the student briefly sit away from an activity within the room
- D.applying a noxious taste or smell to the student after the behavior
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. applying a noxious taste or smell to the student after the behavior
New York regulations prohibit aversive interventions, which are designed to reduce behavior by applying unpleasant stimuli such as noxious tastes, smells or sprays. Response cost, brief in-room time out from an activity and planned ignoring are not aversive interventions when used as part of a positive, function-based plan.
Question 5 · Instructional Planning and Delivery in the General Curriculum
Ms. Iwu has taught Devon, a grade 2 student with a learning disability, to solve two-digit addition with regrouping using base-ten blocks, and he is now consistently accurate with the blocks. When she shows him the written algorithm, he cannot solve the problems. According to the concrete-representational-abstract sequence, what should she do next?
- A.Have him draw quick sketches of tens and ones to solve problems before using only numerals
- B.Teach the written algorithm as a list of memorized steps without referring to the blocks again
- C.Give him a calculator for regrouping problems so that he can keep up with the grade 2 class
- D.Continue using base-ten blocks for several more months until he can solve problems mentally
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Have him draw quick sketches of tens and ones to solve problems before using only numerals
The representational stage bridges concrete objects and abstract symbols, so drawings of tens and ones help Devon connect the blocks to the written algorithm. Staying with blocks indefinitely delays the transition he is ready for. Teaching memorized steps without the connection ignores the sequence, and a calculator removes the skill being taught.
Question 6 · Foundations of Special Education
Before federal special education law, court cases such as PARC v. Pennsylvania and Mills v. Board of Education were significant mainly because they established which principle?
- A.Schools must place every student with a disability in general classes
- B.States may exclude children whose disabilities are judged too severe
- C.Children with disabilities have a right to a free public education
- D.Parents must pay part of the extra cost of special education services
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Children with disabilities have a right to a free public education
PARC and Mills established that children with disabilities could not be excluded from public education and were entitled to a free public education with due process protections. These cases laid the groundwork for the federal law that became IDEA. They did not require full inclusion for every student, and they rejected both cost-based and severity-based exclusion.
Question 7 · Instructional Planning and Delivery in the General Curriculum
During math, Terrell, a grade 6 student with type 1 diabetes, becomes shaky, sweaty and confused. His health plan lists these as signs of low blood sugar. What should the teacher do first?
- A.Let him rest his head on the desk until the symptoms pass on their own
- B.Have him drink water and finish the math task before he leaves the room
- C.Send him to the nurse's office alone so he can check his own blood sugar
- D.Follow his plan by having him take fast-acting sugar and call for the nurse
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Follow his plan by having him take fast-acting sugar and call for the nurse
Low blood sugar can worsen quickly, so the teacher should follow the individualized health plan, which typically calls for fast-acting sugar, and summon the nurse. A confused student should never be sent alone. Waiting, resting or giving water does not treat hypoglycemia.
Question 8 · Communication, Social Skills and Functional Living Skills
Mr. Sandoval is writing the present levels of performance for Chloe, a grade 9 student with a traumatic brain injury in general education classes. Which information is most important to include?
- A.a comparison of her current grades with those of her siblings at the same age
- B.a full medical history of the accident and each surgery she had in the hospital
- C.how her memory and processing difficulties affect her progress in grade 9 coursework
- D.the special class ratio and number of sessions she will receive during the year
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. how her memory and processing difficulties affect her progress in grade 9 coursework
Present levels must describe the student's current academic and functional performance and how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum. Detailed medical history is not the focus, and the service and ratio details belong in other IEP sections. Comparisons with siblings are not relevant to planning.
Question 9 · Knowledge of Students with Disabilities
Ms. Duarte has just begun teaching a grade 7 special class. Several students are withdrawn and resist her directions. Which strategy is most likely to build positive relationships with them?
- A.Offer rewards to students who comply quickly, and remove privileges from those who resist.
- B.Keep all interactions formal so students learn to respect her authority before trusting her.
- C.Spend a few minutes daily in personal conversation with each student about his or her interests.
- D.Wait until students show they can follow the rules before getting to know them personally.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Spend a few minutes daily in personal conversation with each student about his or her interests.
Brief, regular, noncontingent personal conversations show interest in students as individuals and are a well-supported way to build rapport, which in turn improves cooperation. Strict formality, reward-and-punishment systems alone or waiting for compliance first can delay the trust that makes directions effective.
Question 10 · Instructional Planning and Delivery in the General Curriculum
Kwame, a grade 5 student with a learning disability, writes in short, choppy sentences such as "The storm was big. The storm was loud. It knocked down trees." Which instruction would best improve his sentence construction?
- A.Sentence-combining lessons in which he joins short sentences using conjunctions and describing words
- B.Correcting each choppy sentence on his drafts and having him recopy the corrected version neatly
- C.Requiring him to write longer essays every week so that he gains more practice composing sentences
- D.Teaching him to identify nouns and verbs on grammar worksheets before he writes his next paragraph
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. Sentence-combining lessons in which he joins short sentences using conjunctions and describing words
Sentence combining is an evidence-based practice that teaches students to produce more complex, varied sentences by joining simple ones. More writing alone does not teach new sentence structures. Recopying teacher corrections and isolated grammar worksheets show weak transfer to students' own writing.

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