TExES Educational Diagnostician (253)

1. Question 1 · Evaluation Planning, Selection and Administration

   Ms. Delgado is an educational diagnostician in a district that has a small private religious school inside its boundaries. A grade 2 student at that school lives in a neighboring district, and his parents placed him there by choice. His teacher reports serious reading difficulties. Under IDEA, which district is responsible for Child Find, including evaluation, for this student?
   • A.whichever district the private school selects in its annual services contract
   • B.neither district, because parents chose the private placement on their own
   • C.Ms. Delgado's district, because it is where the private school is located
   • D.the neighboring district, because the student and his parents live there
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Ms. Delgado's district, because it is where the private school is located

   For children whose parents place them in private schools, IDEA assigns Child Find, including locating, identifying and evaluating, to the district where the private school is located. Residence matters for other questions, such as which district must offer FAPE if the parents ask for it, but not for this private school Child Find duty. A parent's choice of private placement does not remove the Child Find obligation.

2. Question 2 · Evaluation Planning, Selection and Administration

   The district received written consent to evaluate Keisha, a grade 6 student. During the evaluation period she is absent 4 school days because of illness. Under Texas rules, how many school days does the district have to complete the FIIE report?
   • A.41 school days, because her absences shorten the period
   • B.49 school days from the day consent was received
   • C.45 school days, because absences do not affect the timeline
   • D.45 calendar days, plus the 4 days she was absent
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. 49 school days from the day consent was received

   The FIIE must be completed within 45 school days of receiving written consent, and if the student is absent three or more school days during that period, the timeline is extended by the number of absences. Keisha missed 4 days, so the period is 45 + 4 = 49 school days. The timeline is counted in school days, not calendar days.

3. Question 3 · Interpretation and Reporting of Evaluation Results

   During a REED for Camila, a grade 8 student with a learning disability in reading, the team reviews STAAR results, progress-monitoring data, teacher reports, and parent input. The team agrees that no additional data are needed to confirm continued eligibility and needs. What must the district do next?
   • A.administer a full cognitive and achievement battery anyway, since every reevaluation requires new testing
   • B.ask the parents to sign consent for testing, since a REED can be held only after new tests are completed
   • C.dismiss Camila from special education services, since no new testing was completed for the reevaluation
   • D.notify the parents of that determination and the reasons for it, and of their right to request an assessment
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. notify the parents of that determination and the reasons for it, and of their right to request an assessment

   When a review of existing evaluation data shows that no additional data are needed, the district must notify the parents of that determination, the reasons for it, and their right to request an assessment. New testing is not automatically required for every reevaluation. The REED itself is the reevaluation's first step, and it does not end eligibility.

4. Question 4 · Functional Skill Instruction and Behavior

   Rosa, a kindergarten student, frequently puts her hands in her mouth during circle time. Her teacher plans to reinforce Rosa whenever she holds a fidget toy in both hands, a behavior that cannot occur at the same moment as hand mouthing. Which procedure is the teacher using?
   • A.extinction of the behavior combined with response cost
   • B.differential reinforcement of other behavior
   • C.differential reinforcement of lower rates of behavior
   • D.differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior

   Differential reinforcement of incompatible behavior reinforces a response that physically cannot occur at the same time as the problem behavior, such as holding a toy with both hands instead of mouthing. Differential reinforcement of other behavior reinforces the absence of the problem behavior for a set interval, regardless of what else the student does. Lower-rate reinforcement accepts the behavior at reduced levels.

5. Question 5 · Consultation and Collaboration

   During a review of evaluation results for Amira, a grade 4 student, her mother, Mrs. Hassan, who comes from a culture in which disability carries strong stigma, becomes quiet and says that her family does not use the word "disability." How should the educational diagnostician, Ms. Rivera, best respond?
   • A.Move quickly through the results and ask Mrs. Hassan to sign the paperwork so that the meeting does not upset her further.
   • B.Acknowledge her concern, ask how her family views Amira's learning, and describe results as specific strengths and needs.
   • C.Tell Mrs. Hassan that her cultural beliefs are outdated and that accepting the label is necessary to help her daughter.
   • D.Repeat the eligibility category several more times so that Mrs. Hassan gradually becomes used to the term before the meeting moves on.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Acknowledge her concern, ask how her family views Amira's learning, and describe results as specific strengths and needs.

   Culturally responsive communication starts by listening to the family's perspective and explaining results in plain, respectful language focused on what the child can do and what she needs. Inviting Mrs. Hassan to share her family's view builds trust and supports meaningful participation. Repeating the label, rushing to signatures, or dismissing her beliefs all damage the partnership.

6. Question 6 · Evaluation Planning, Selection and Administration

   Mr. Ibarra, an educational diagnostician, is reviewing his district's Child Find plan for students whose parents have placed them in local private schools. Which practice best meets IDEA requirements?
   • A.Evaluate private school students only after all public school referrals for the year have been completed.
   • B.Wait for private school parents to contact the district, since public outreach to those families is not allowed.
   • C.Carry out Child Find activities and evaluations that are comparable to those used for public school students.
   • D.Locate private school students with disabilities but leave all evaluations to the private schools themselves.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. Carry out Child Find activities and evaluations that are comparable to those used for public school students.

   IDEA requires Child Find activities for parentally placed private school children to be similar to those for public school children and completed in a comparable time period. Putting these students last, leaving evaluation to the private school, or waiting for parents to call would not meet that standard. Consultation with private school officials and parents is part of the process.

7. Question 7 · Evaluation Planning, Selection and Administration

   The district has sent prior written notice proposing an initial evaluation for Elijah, a grade 1 student, but the district has not yet received his parents' written consent. Which activity can the educational diagnostician, Ms. Morales, carry out now?
   • A.Give the achievement subtests but wait for consent before writing the report.
   • B.Begin the full evaluation after the parents give consent over the telephone.
   • C.Give the planned cognitive battery, since the parents have already received the notice.
   • D.Review existing records and classroom data that are already available for Elijah.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: D. Review existing records and classroom data that are already available for Elijah.

   Written informed consent is required before conducting an initial evaluation, which includes administering individual tests. Reviewing existing data is not an evaluation that requires consent. Giving tests before consent, even without writing a report, is noncompliant, and spoken permission by telephone is not written consent.

8. Question 8 · Interpretation and Reporting of Evaluation Results

   During a REED for Marcus, a grade 9 student with a learning disability in math, teachers and his mother report new anxiety, frequent school avoidance, and declining grades. The team agrees that an emotional and behavioral assessment by the LSSP is needed. What should the district do next?
   • A.postpone any new assessment until his next annual ARD meeting, since a REED cannot add new assessment areas
   • B.begin the new assessments right away, since the parent's consent for the initial evaluation still applies now
   • C.provide prior written notice and obtain the parent's informed consent before conducting the new assessments
   • D.change Marcus's eligibility to emotional disturbance at the REED meeting, based on the teacher reports alone
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: C. provide prior written notice and obtain the parent's informed consent before conducting the new assessments

   When a REED shows that additional data are needed, the district must give prior written notice and obtain informed parental consent before conducting the new assessments. Consent for the initial evaluation does not cover reevaluation assessments. Eligibility cannot be changed on teacher reports alone, and delaying a needed assessment would leave Marcus's emerging needs unaddressed.

9. Question 9 · Functional Skill Instruction and Behavior

   The table shows daily counts of calling out for a grade 3 student. Starting on Day 6, the teacher stopped responding to call-outs and praised hand raising.

   Day	Call-outs
   Day 1	9
   Day 2	8
   Day 3	10
   Day 4	9
   Day 5	8
   Day 6	14
   Day 7	16
   Day 8	11
   Day 9	7
   Day 10	5

   The teacher is discouraged by the data for Mason and asks the educational diagnostician whether to stop the plan. Which response is best supported by the data?
   • A.Stop the plan, since calling out on Day 10 still has not dropped all the way to zero.
   • B.Continue the plan consistently, since the rise on Days 6 and 7 fits an extinction burst.
   • C.Stop the plan, since the rise on Days 6 and 7 shows ignoring the behavior makes it worse.
   • D.Continue the plan only on some days, since a mixed schedule ends call-outs more quickly.
   Show answer and explanation

   Answer: B. Continue the plan consistently, since the rise on Days 6 and 7 fits an extinction burst.

   When reinforcement for a behavior is withheld, the behavior often increases briefly before it declines, a pattern called an extinction burst. Mason's call-outs rose to 14 and 16 and then fell to 5, below the baseline range of 8 to 10, so the plan is working. Responding to call-outs only some of the time would place them on intermittent reinforcement and make them harder to reduce.

10. Question 10 · Consultation and Collaboration

    Amara, age 2 years 6 months, receives Early Childhood Intervention services with an Individualized Family Service Plan. Her ECI service coordinator contacts the district to plan her transition. What role should the educational diagnostician take?
    • A.Join the transition planning so that the district's evaluation and ARD meeting can be finished by Amara's third birthday.
    • B.Tell the family to keep the IFSP in place through kindergarten, since ECI continues until a child starts school.
    • C.Wait until Amara turns 3 and enrolls in school, since the district has no responsibility for children younger than 3.
    • D.Ask the family to request a private evaluation, since the district cannot use ECI data when planning its evaluation.
    Show answer and explanation

    Answer: A. Join the transition planning so that the district's evaluation and ARD meeting can be finished by Amara's third birthday.

    Children leave ECI at age 3, and the district must take part in transition planning so that, if the child is eligible, an IEP is in place by the third birthday. The diagnostician can review ECI records and plan the evaluation so services start on time. Waiting until the child turns 3 delays services, ECI does not continue through kindergarten, and existing ECI data can inform the district's evaluation.

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