School Psychology Comprehensive Review: Units 1 to 8

A comprehensive set of 400 practice flashcards reviewing all eight units of the School Psychology Praxis lecture curriculum, covering data-based decision making, psychometrics, learning theory, behavior interventions, MTSS, mental health, crisis postvention, statistics, legal mandates, and ethical standards.

Data-Based Decision Making

The systematic use of formal and informal information to identify a problem, select an intervention, monitor implementation, evaluate results, and determine next steps.

DBDM Purpose: Problem Identification

Using systematic formal and informal data to identify the specific academic, behavioral, or emotional problem a student is experiencing.

DBDM Purpose: Intervention Development

Using objective assessment and baseline data to design or select an appropriate evidence-based intervention.

DBDM Purpose: Implementation Monitoring

Collecting data to determine whether an intervention was implemented with fidelity and as intended.

DBDM Purpose: Evaluating Results

Using progress-monitoring data to evaluate whether an intervention worked and produced meaningful change.

DBDM Purpose: Individualized Instruction

Using student-specific performance data to plan and adapt individualized instructional strategies.

DBDM Purpose: Long-Term Educational Planning

Using cumulative performance and intervention data to guide long-term educational decisions and placements.

Basic Problem-Solving Cycle

The five-step sequence used in school psychology: Identify $\rightarrow$ Analyze $\rightarrow$ Intervene $\rightarrow$ Monitor $\rightarrow$ Evaluate.

Problem-Solving Cycle: Identify

The first step of the problem-solving cycle, focusing on detecting and defining the student's problem using objective data.

Problem-Solving Cycle: Analyze

The second step of the problem-solving cycle, examining why the problem is occurring and identifying variables maintaining it.

Problem-Solving Cycle: Intervene

The third step of the problem-solving cycle, selecting and implementing an evidence-based intervention to address the identified need.

Problem-Solving Cycle: Monitor

The fourth step of the problem-solving cycle, collecting ongoing progress-monitoring data while the intervention is in place.

Problem-Solving Cycle: Evaluate

The final step of the problem-solving cycle, assessing student outcomes and data to decide whether to maintain, modify, or fade support.

Praxis Clue: Objective Data Collection

When several answer choices appear reasonable, the strongest response often involves gathering objective data before making a major educational or placement decision.

Record Review

An examination of cumulative school files, historical attendance, report cards, discipline logs, and previous records to establish context.

Teacher or Staff Interviews

Direct consultations with educators and school staff to gather qualitative and descriptive information regarding student academic and behavioral concerns.

Parent Information

Information gathered directly from parents or guardians concerning the child's home behavior, family background, and developmental history.

Medical Records and Reports

Health-related documentation examined during assessment to identify physical conditions, medications, or sensory impairments that could impact learning.

Developmental History

A background record of developmental milestones, physical growth, and early language acquisition used to understand present functioning.

Previous Interventions Review

Examining past instructional or behavioral strategies and the student's response to determine what has or has not been effective.

Previous Assessment Results Review

Reviewing historical psychoeducational, standardized, or classroom testing data to identify trends in performance over time.

Multi-Source Integration Best Practice

The professional standard to integrate information across records, observations, interviews, assessment data, and intervention history.

Single Test Score Best Practice

A foundational rule of assessment stating that a school psychologist must never rely on a single test score to make high-stakes educational decisions.

Structured Interview

An interview method that uses predetermined questions presented in a fixed order.

Structured Interview: When Useful

Most useful when seeking consistency across respondents and standardized comparison of responses.

Semi-Structured Interview

An interview method that uses planned questions while allowing the interviewer flexibility to ask follow-up questions.

Semi-Structured Interview: When Useful

Most useful when a school psychologist needs to balance consistency across topics with the flexibility to explore unique details.

Unstructured Interview

An open conversational interview format without a predetermined script or fixed questioning sequence.

Unstructured Interview: When Useful

Most useful for exploring concerns broadly and building initial rapport with a respondent.

Frequency / Event Recording

An observation method that measures the number of times a specific behavior occurs during an observation session.

Frequency Recording: Best For

Best for discrete behaviors that have a clear beginning and end, such as calling out in class.

Duration Recording

An observation method that measures how long a target behavior lasts from onset to completion.

Duration Recording: Best For

Best for behaviors that occur for extended lengths of time, such as tantrums, off-task behavior, or crying.

Latency Recording

An observation method that measures the amount of time that elapses between a direction or stimulus and the initiation of the behavior.

Latency Recording: Best For

Best for determining how long it takes a student to begin work or follow a teacher prompt.

Whole Interval Recording

An observation method where the behavior must occur throughout the entire interval to be scored.

Whole Interval Recording: Best For

Best for tracking continuous behaviors that you want to increase, such as on-task behavior.

Whole Interval Recording: Example

Scoring positive behavior only if the student remains continuously on task for the whole 30-second interval.

Partial Interval Recording

An observation method where a behavior is scored if it occurs at any point or at least once during the interval.

Partial Interval Recording: Best For

Best for tracking discrete or fleeting behaviors that you want to reduce, such as calling out or aggression.

Partial Interval Recording: Example

Scoring a behavior as occurring if the student calls out at any point during a 30-second interval.

Momentary Time Sampling

An observation method where behavior is checked and scored only at a specific designated moment at the end of an interval.

Momentary Time Sampling: Best For

Best for efficient observation across longer periods when an observer cannot watch continuously.

Time Sampling Recording

An observation method in which the total observation period is divided into equal intervals of time.

Time Sampling: Best For

Best for estimating patterns of behavior across time without requiring continuous second-by-second tracking.

Memory Trick: Frequency

Frequency = HOW MANY.

Memory Trick: Duration

Duration = HOW LONG.

Memory Trick: Latency

Latency = HOW LONG UNTIL IT STARTS.

Whole Interval vs. Partial Interval Distinction

Whole interval requires the behavior to occur for the ENTIRE interval, whereas partial interval requires the behavior to occur only ONCE at any point.

Universal Screening

A brief, systematic assessment administered broadly to identify students who may need additional support.

Universal Screening: Target Group

Conducted with all students across a class, grade, or school population.

Universal Screening: Primary Goal

Helps detect academic or behavioral risk early before deficits become severe.

Universal Screening: Assessment Pipeline Role

Serves as an initial intake filter that can lead to additional assessment or targeted intervention.

Universal Screening Examples

Tools include CBM, DIBELS, fluency indicators, group-administered tests, CogAT, and STEEP.

Least Dangerous Assumption

The principle that when uncertain, educators should choose the decision that minimizes the risk of denying needed support to a student.

Least Dangerous Assumption: Cut-Score Example

If two students fall slightly below a screening cut score, providing short-term supplemental support while gathering more data is safer than withholding support from a student who truly needs it.

Response to Intervention (RTI)

A problem-solving framework in which student performance is monitored while increasingly intensive evidence-based interventions are provided.

Evidence-Based Interventions in RTI

Instructional or behavioral strategies validated by peer-reviewed empirical research provided with escalating intensity.

RTI Process Sequence

Concern $\rightarrow$ Gather Data $\rightarrow$ Baseline $\rightarrow$ Intervention $\rightarrow$ Monitor $\rightarrow$ Decision.

RTI Step 1: Concern

An initial academic or behavioral difficulty is identified by a teacher, parent, or screening system.

RTI Step 2: Gather Data

Collecting relevant background records, work samples, and initial observations regarding the stated concern.

RTI Step 3: Baseline

Measuring pre-intervention student performance repeatedly to establish a standard comparison point.

RTI Step 4: Intervention

Delivering an evidence-based, targeted intervention designed to remediate the identified deficit.

RTI Step 5: Monitor

Collecting ongoing, repeated progress-monitoring data points during intervention implementation.

RTI Step 6: Decision

Using progress-monitoring trend and level data to decide whether to continue, fade, modify, or intensify the intervention.

Subskill Mastery Measurement (SMM)

A progress-monitoring approach that measures student progress on a specific, narrow skill being taught.

SMM Example

Assessing single-digit multiplication facts weekly during a math computation unit.

General Outcome Measurement (GOM)

A progress-monitoring approach that measures broader progress toward a long-term, comprehensive outcome.

GOM Example

Oral reading fluency passages administered repeatedly throughout the school year.

SMM vs. GOM Distinction

SMM focuses narrowly on immediate mastery of a targeted subskill, while GOM tracks broad, long-term proficiency across a general curriculum domain.

Level (Progress Monitoring)

The average amount of student performance within a given condition or phase.

Level: Question to Ask

How high or low is performance?

Trend (Progress Monitoring)

The direction of student performance across time (e.g., increasing, decreasing, or flat).

Trend: Question to Ask

Is performance improving, declining, or flat?

Variability (Progress Monitoring)

The amount of fluctuation or bounce across data points within a condition.

Variability: Question to Ask

How stable or inconsistent is performance?

Must Know: Treatment Effects on Data

A treatment may raise the overall level of performance, produce an improving trend, reduce variability, or do all three.

Baseline

Performance measured before an intervention begins, providing the comparison point for judging whether change occurred.

Baseline Stability Requirement

The necessity of establishing a stable, non-variable pattern of data points before implementing an intervention.

Distortions to Baseline Data

Environmental or measurement factors that create false variability or misrepresent a student's true pre-intervention functioning.

Praxis Clue: Variable Baseline Data

If data are extremely variable, be cautious about concluding that an intervention caused a change.

Quick Check: Increasing Trend Identification

Given the scores $42, 44, 46, 48, 51, 54$, the feature that stands out most is an increasing trend.

Comprehensive Assessment

An evaluation that integrates multiple relevant areas of functioning rather than relying on one test or one score.

Cognitive Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines thinking, reasoning, memory, and cognitive processing.

Achievement Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines acquired academic skills in reading, writing, and mathematics.

Communication Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines receptive and expressive speech and language abilities.

Motor Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines fine and gross motor functioning.

Adaptive Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines everyday independence and practical functional behavior.

Social / Emotional / Behavioral Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines behavior, emotional adjustment, and interpersonal relationships.

Sensory Domain (Assessment)

An evaluation domain that examines responses to sensory input across visual, auditory, and tactile modalities.

WISC

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children; a standardized norm-referenced test used to assess cognitive abilities in school-aged children.

DAS-II

Differential Ability Scales, Second Edition; a comprehensive standardized cognitive battery.

Stanford-Binet

A standardized cognitive assessment tool used to evaluate general intelligence and specific cognitive factors across ages.

WPPSI

Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence; a cognitive assessment designed for early childhood.

WAIS

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale; a standardized cognitive battery designed for older adolescents and adults.

Woodcock-Johnson Cognitive

A comprehensive assessment battery evaluating general intellectual ability and specific CHC cognitive factors.

WJ Achievement

Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement; a norm-referenced assessment evaluating academic skills in reading, math, and writing.

WRAT

Wide Range Achievement Test; a brief norm-referenced academic screening test.

KTEA

Kaufman Test of Educational Achievement; an individualized academic achievement battery.

WIAT

Wechsler Individual Achievement Test; a comprehensive, norm-referenced assessment of academic skills.