A first grader reads chapter books written for fifth graders and explains how black holes form, yet her handwriting is labored and she sobs when she loses a simple board game. Which explanation BEST accounts for this pattern?

Asynchronous development across cognitive, motor and emotional domains

An emerging emotional disorder that requires immediate referral for testing

A reading score inflated by memorization of familiar books

A regression in skills caused by academic pressure at home

"Our son is in second grade and is obsessed with volcanoes and maps. He reads everything he can find about them and asks questions we cannot answer. We want to help him at home but do not want to push too hard. What should we be doing?" A gifted-education teacher receives the email shown. Which response BEST reflects the parents' role in supporting their child's development?

Follow his interests with books and outings, and share observations with the school

Avoid discussing his abilities so that he does not feel different from his peers

Drill grade-level skills nightly so that he earns the highest possible test scores

Enroll him in as many structured lessons and activities as the schedule allows

A fourth-grade teacher finishes a math lesson on multiplying two-digit numbers. Three students who completed the practice set quickly receive twenty more problems of the same type. Which change would BEST increase the depth and rigor of their work?

Ask them to find and justify a general rule for a pattern in the products

Give them the same twenty problems again but with a much shorter time limit

Ask them to check their classmates' answers once they finish

Assign a second set of similar problems as optional homework

A gifted fifth grader who arrived from Brazil a year ago reasons at an advanced level in math and science but is still developing academic English. Which approach is MOST appropriate?

Teach advanced content with visuals, vocabulary previews, and reasoning in Portuguese

Pause gifted services until the student's English test scores reach the grade-level range

Provide the grade-level content rewritten at a simpler reading level for the student

Delay advanced content until the student reaches full proficiency in academic English

A district finds that most gifted referrals come from teachers in two of its eight elementary schools. Which change would MOST likely broaden the pool of students considered?

Screen all second graders with a group ability test and review all high scorers

Accept referrals from parents only, since parents know their children best

Raise the referral cutoff so that only the strongest candidates are tested

Require two separate teacher nominations before any student can be tested

"Our daughter is in third grade in your gifted program. Lately she cries over small mistakes on homework and says 'I'm stupid' whenever something is hard. She never used to do this. Is this normal, and what can we do?" A gifted-education teacher receives the email shown. What is the MOST appropriate first step?

Share classroom observations with the parent and involve the school counselor

Reassure the parent that this behavior is typical for gifted children and will soon pass

Recommend that the parent stop praising the child's effort

Remove the child from the gifted program to reduce the pressure

A gifted coordinator learns that students in the elementary pull-out program completed nearly the same research-skills unit in grades 3, 4, and 5. Which action BEST addresses the problem?

Develop a K–12 scope and sequence for gifted services

Shorten the research unit so that it takes less time in each grade

Replace the research unit with test preparation in all three grades

Let each pull-out teacher choose units based on personal interest

A teacher wants a lesson that is both rigorous and culturally responsive, following Ford's Bloom-Banks Matrix. Which activity combines the highest levels of both frameworks?

Students evaluate a local issue from several cultural viewpoints and carry out a plan

Students read an added chapter on a cultural holiday and summarize its main traditions

Students list the contributions of famous inventors from a range of cultural groups

Students compare two cultural celebrations using a Venn diagram of their similarities

A district's identification matrix adds points for an ability test, an achievement test, a teacher rating, and report card grades. A student at the 99th percentile in ability with C grades falls short of the required total. What is the MAIN weakness this case reveals?

Low points on one measure can cancel an exceptional score on another

Ability test scores should never be included in a gifted matrix at all

Report card grades are norm-referenced and cannot be given points

The matrix uses too few measures to be considered multiple criteria

Praxis Gifted Education (5358)

Free Praxis Gifted Education (5358) Practice Questions

10 sample questions for the Praxis Gifted Education (5358), 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: Development and Characteristics of Gifted Students, Learning Environment for Gifted Students, Instruction of Gifted Students, Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students, Professionalism.

Question 1 · Development and Characteristics of Gifted Students
A first grader reads chapter books written for fifth graders and explains how black holes form, yet her handwriting is labored and she sobs when she loses a simple board game. Which explanation BEST accounts for this pattern?
- A.An emerging emotional disorder that requires immediate referral for testing
- B.A reading score inflated by memorization of familiar books
- C.A regression in skills caused by academic pressure at home
- D.Asynchronous development across cognitive, motor and emotional domains
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Asynchronous development across cognitive, motor and emotional domains
Her reasoning and language are years ahead while fine-motor skill and emotional regulation match or trail her age, which is "Asynchronous development across cognitive, motor and emotional domains." Age-typical emotional reactions in a gifted child are not by themselves evidence of a disorder, and nothing suggests her advanced reading is invalid.
Question 2 · Development and Characteristics of Gifted Students
"Our son is in second grade and is obsessed with volcanoes and maps. He reads everything he can find about them and asks questions we cannot answer. We want to help him at home but do not want to push too hard. What should we be doing?"
A gifted-education teacher receives the email shown. Which response BEST reflects the parents' role in supporting their child's development?
- A.Avoid discussing his abilities so that he does not feel different from his peers
- B.Drill grade-level skills nightly so that he earns the highest possible test scores
- C.Follow his interests with books and outings, and share observations with the school
- D.Enroll him in as many structured lessons and activities as the schedule allows
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Follow his interests with books and outings, and share observations with the school
Parents support talent by providing stimulation that follows the child's interests and by sharing what they see at home, so "Follow his interests with books and outings, and share observations with the school" is best. Drilling grade-level skills he has mastered adds no challenge, refusing to talk about ability leaves the child without understanding, and overscheduling can crowd out the self-directed exploration that develops talent.
Question 3 · Instruction of Gifted Students
A fourth-grade teacher finishes a math lesson on multiplying two-digit numbers. Three students who completed the practice set quickly receive twenty more problems of the same type. Which change would BEST increase the depth and rigor of their work?
- A.Give them the same twenty problems again but with a much shorter time limit
- B.Ask them to find and justify a general rule for a pattern in the products
- C.Ask them to check their classmates' answers once they finish
- D.Assign a second set of similar problems as optional homework
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Ask them to find and justify a general rule for a pattern in the products
Depth and rigor come from more demanding thinking, so "Ask them to find and justify a general rule for a pattern in the products" moves students from practice to generalization and proof. A shorter time limit changes speed but not the level of thinking, and more problems of the same type only add quantity, which is the classic "more of the same" mistake.
Question 4 · Instruction of Gifted Students
A gifted fifth grader who arrived from Brazil a year ago reasons at an advanced level in math and science but is still developing academic English. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
- A.Pause gifted services until the student's English test scores reach the grade-level range
- B.Teach advanced content with visuals, vocabulary previews, and reasoning in Portuguese
- C.Provide the grade-level content rewritten at a simpler reading level for the student
- D.Delay advanced content until the student reaches full proficiency in academic English
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Teach advanced content with visuals, vocabulary previews, and reasoning in Portuguese
English learners who are gifted need high cognitive demand with language supports, which "Teach advanced content with visuals, vocabulary previews, and reasoning in Portuguese" provides. Delaying or pausing services confuses language proficiency with ability, and simplifying content lowers the challenge instead of supporting access to it.
Question 5 · Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students
A district finds that most gifted referrals come from teachers in two of its eight elementary schools. Which change would MOST likely broaden the pool of students considered?
- A.Accept referrals from parents only, since parents know their children best
- B.Screen all second graders with a group ability test and review all high scorers
- C.Raise the referral cutoff so that only the strongest candidates are tested
- D.Require two separate teacher nominations before any student can be tested
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Screen all second graders with a group ability test and review all high scorers
Referral-only systems depend on who notices and who asks. "Screen all second graders with a group ability test and review all high scorers" gives every student an equal chance to be considered. Requiring more nominations, relying only on parents, or raising the cutoff would narrow the pool further and favor families and schools that already refer.
Question 6 · Development and Characteristics of Gifted Students
A nine-year-old working on algebra feels out of place among the nine-year-olds in his class, yet he is not ready socially to spend the day with ninth graders. This mismatch between the child and an age-based school setting is BEST described as:
- A.a social skills delay
- B.internal asynchrony
- C.a curriculum ceiling effect
- D.external asynchrony
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. external asynchrony
A mismatch between the child's uneven development and an environment organized by age is "external asynchrony." Internal asynchrony refers to unevenness among domains within the child, such as reasoning far ahead of handwriting. Nothing indicates a true social delay; his social development is simply closer to his age than his math is.
Question 7 · Development and Characteristics of Gifted Students
"Our daughter is in third grade in your gifted program. Lately she cries over small mistakes on homework and says 'I'm stupid' whenever something is hard. She never used to do this. Is this normal, and what can we do?"
A gifted-education teacher receives the email shown. What is the MOST appropriate first step?
- A.Reassure the parent that this behavior is typical for gifted children and will soon pass
- B.Recommend that the parent stop praising the child's effort
- C.Share classroom observations with the parent and involve the school counselor
- D.Remove the child from the gifted program to reduce the pressure
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Share classroom observations with the parent and involve the school counselor
The child's distress over small mistakes suggests unhealthy perfectionism, and the counselor's role among stakeholders is to address social-emotional needs, so the teacher should "Share classroom observations with the parent and involve the school counselor" to plan consistent support. Dismissing the concern ignores a real need, removing services treats challenge as the problem, and praising effort is a helpful practice that should continue.
Question 8 · Instruction of Gifted Students
A gifted coordinator learns that students in the elementary pull-out program completed nearly the same research-skills unit in grades 3, 4, and 5. Which action BEST addresses the problem?
- A.Shorten the research unit so that it takes less time in each grade
- B.Develop a K–12 scope and sequence for gifted services
- C.Replace the research unit with test preparation in all three grades
- D.Let each pull-out teacher choose units based on personal interest
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. Develop a K–12 scope and sequence for gifted services
Repetition across grades is a sequencing failure, and "Develop a K–12 scope and sequence for gifted services" sets out what is taught at each level so skills build rather than repeat. Leaving unit choice to individual teachers caused the overlap, and shortening the unit still repeats the same content.
Question 9 · Instruction of Gifted Students
A teacher wants a lesson that is both rigorous and culturally responsive, following Ford's Bloom-Banks Matrix. Which activity combines the highest levels of both frameworks?
- A.Students read an added chapter on a cultural holiday and summarize its main traditions
- B.Students list the contributions of famous inventors from a range of cultural groups
- C.Students compare two cultural celebrations using a Venn diagram of their similarities
- D.Students evaluate a local issue from several cultural viewpoints and carry out a plan
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. Students evaluate a local issue from several cultural viewpoints and carry out a plan
"Students evaluate a local issue from several cultural viewpoints and carry out a plan" pairs higher Bloom levels (evaluate, create) with Banks's social action level, where students act on an issue. Listing inventors is the contributions level with recall, and summarizing or comparing an added chapter stays at the additive level of multicultural content.
Question 10 · Identification and Assessment of Gifted Students
A district's identification matrix adds points for an ability test, an achievement test, a teacher rating, and report card grades. A student at the 99th percentile in ability with C grades falls short of the required total. What is the MAIN weakness this case reveals?
- A.Ability test scores should never be included in a gifted matrix at all
- B.Report card grades are norm-referenced and cannot be given points
- C.Low points on one measure can cancel an exceptional score on another
- D.The matrix uses too few measures to be considered multiple criteria
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Low points on one measure can cancel an exceptional score on another
Summing unlike measures means "Low points on one measure can cancel an exceptional score on another," which hides gifted underachievers. Four measures is enough to be multiple criteria; the problem is how they are combined. Ability tests are an accepted measure, and grades are teacher judgments, not norm-referenced scores.

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