Study Guide

Field 023: Exceptional Needs—Deaf or Hard of Hearing
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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The following reference material will be available to you during the test:

Objective 0001
Foundations of Deaf Education (Standard 1)

1. Which of the following best describes the primary goal of the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Act of 2010?

  1. expanding the scope of the federal public health law to improve audiological diagnostic services for infants and children
  2. increasing general awareness in public schools about hearing disorders and other audiological conditions
  3. creating a federal database of students with audiological conditions to better focus public health efforts
  4. requiring new students receiving special education services in public schools to undergo audiological screening
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of state and federal laws and policies related to the field of deaf education, including Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) laws. EHDI refers to the practice of screening every newborn for hearing loss prior to hospital discharge. The EHDI Act of 2010 amends the federal Public Health Services Act to expand the newborns and infants hearing loss program to include diagnostic services among the services provided.
Objective 0002
Professional Roles and Responsibilities (Standard 10)

2. Mr. Field is a new teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing who is working with a small group of elementary students who are profoundly deaf. The students have been doing well with addition concepts but are having difficulty understanding subtraction. Mr. Field's mentor has suggested that Mr. Field self-assess his strengths and weaknesses to help the students improve their understanding of subtraction. Which of the following activities would be most effective for this purpose?

  1. researching the latest instructional strategies for teaching subtraction to students who are deaf/hard of hearing and implementing them in the classroom
  2. asking a more experienced teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing to teach subtraction to the students and observing these lessons to gain new instructional ideas
  3. keeping a journal of results after teaching a variety of subtraction lessons and noting which instructional strategies were most helpful to the students
  4. obtaining additional math manipulatives related to subtraction and showing the students how to use these manipulatives during instruction
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply strategies for engaging in reflection and self-assessment activities to address one's own strengths and weaknesses to improve instruction. Self-assessment strategies involve direct review and analysis of one's own instruction. One method with demonstrated effectiveness is to keep a journal of results after implementing a variety of lessons and documenting which instructional strategies were most effective in supporting learner outcomes.
Objective 0003
Development and Characteristics of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (Standard 2)

3. Which of the following factors is likely to have the most influence on the future professional success of a twelfth-grade student with a severe-to-profound hearing loss?

  1. whether the student received early intervention services for the hearing loss
  2. whether the student attended general education classes during elementary school and middle school
  3. whether the student participated in recreational activities after school with hearing peers
  4. whether the student attended vocational classes during high school
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge of the factors that may affect individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, including the age at which hearing loss is identified and services are initiated. The early months of life are sensitive periods for learning to communicate and interact socially. The earlier a child's hearing loss is identified and appropriate services initiated, the sooner a solid groundwork can be laid for the development of the language and interpersonal skills that are key contributors to future professional success.
Objective 0004
Assessment (Standard 3)

4. A teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing is administering a picture word test to a second-grade student with a mild bilateral hearing loss. The teacher names an object and asks the student to point to a picture of the object named. Results from this assessment would be most useful to the teacher in assessing the student's skills in which of the following areas?

  1. phonological awareness
  2. expressive language
  3. reading comprehension
  4. receptive vocabulary
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, uses, and limitations of various formal and informal assessments. Receptive vocabulary refers to all of the words that can be understood by a person, including spoken, written, or manually signed words. One common method of assessing a student's receptive vocabulary skills is to use a picture word assessment. Picture word assessments are typically one-word vocabulary assessments in which the examiner names a word (e.g., the name of an object, action, or concept) and the student selects the picture that matches the word.
Objective 0004
Assessment (Standard 3)

5. A CCC is reviewing the results of a pure tone audiometry test of a second-grade student with a moderate hearing loss. These results would be most appropriately used for which of the following purposes?

  1. to assess the student's functional hearing ability
  2. to determine the student's sound localization capacities
  3. to evaluate the student's current speech development
  4. to measure the student's hearing threshold levels
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics, uses, and limitations of various formal and informal assessments. The term hearing threshold refers to the level below which an individual is unable to detect a sound or tone. Pure tone audiometry (PTA) is an assessment that uses pure tones to determine an individual's hearing threshold levels for sounds at different frequencies and intensities.
Objective 0005
Individualized Program Planning and Implementation (Standard 4)

6. A CCC is reviewing the results from an individual achievement test administered to a student with a profound bilateral hearing loss who is entering middle school. Information gathered from this assessment would be most useful to the CCC for which of the following purposes?

  1. confirming eligibility for the student to receive continued special education services
  2. developing academic goals to include on the student's IEP
  3. determining accommodations for the student to be given during statewide testing
  4. identifying supports to include on the student's transition plan
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to use assessment information to make eligibility, program, and placement decisions for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, including students from culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds. An individual achievement test is designed to measure a student's achievement in a broad range of academic areas. The results of individual achievement tests, used in conjunction with other types of evaluation data, may be instrumental in identifying a student's educational strengths and needs and facilitating the development of individualized academic goals to include in the student's IEP.
Objective 0005
Individualized Program Planning and Implementation (Standard 4)

7. Kara is a third-grade student with a mild bilateral hearing loss who uses spoken English as her primary mode of communication. She has been repeatedly disruptive in her general education class and her behavior is impeding the learning of other students in class. Kara's general education teacher has unsuccessfully tried to address her behavior and consults the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing for suggestions. Which of the following suggestions would be most appropriate for the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing to give first?

  1. "Remove Kara from class each time she exhibits disruptive behavior."
  2. "Suggest a change to a more supportive program placement on Kara's IEP."
  3. "Assign Kara a paraprofessional to assist her in completing class activities."
  4. "Request an FBA to determine the motivation of Kara's disruptive behavior."
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of roles and responsibilities of multidisciplinary team members and case conference committee (CCC) members in developing, implementing, monitoring, and amending individualized programs, including behavioral intervention plans. In the scenario described, a general education teacher has been unable to address a student's problematic behavior using informal methods and has turned to the student's teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing for advice. In this situation, more information needs to be gathered in order to determine how best to meet the student's needs. The best initial step to take would therefore be to request the development of a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA), which would yield key information on what is motivating the student to engage in the disruptive behavior.
Objective 0006
Learning Environments (Standard 5)

8. Which of the following teacher practices best exemplifies principles of universal design for learning (UDL) as related to the inclusion of students who are deaf/hard of hearing?

  1. providing students who are deaf/hard of hearing with a variety of instructional accommodations
  2. focusing classroom instruction on techniques proven to be effective with students who are deaf/hard of hearing
  3. using a variety of materials, media, language structures, and symbols to represent target concepts
  4. designing individualized lessons and materials that students can work on independently
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply the principles of universal design for learning (UDL) in regard to planning learning environments to support the inclusion of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. UDL provides a framework for ensuring that educational practices and materials guarantee all students full access to the curriculum. By routinely using a wide range of formats, activities, and instructional approaches, teachers can create a classroom environment that addresses the learning needs of all students, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Objective 0006
Learning Environments (Standard 5)

9. Martin is a ninth-grade student who has a severe hearing loss and communicates in class through an ASL interpreter. He has recently been working with the speech-language pathologist on increasing his ability to use speechreading. The speech-language pathologist has given data to the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing that show that Martin has made significant progress in this area. Which of the following environmental modifications should the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing make to facilitate speechreading for Martin?

  1. providing Martin with an amplification device to use during class
  2. ensuring that Martin is seated close to the teacher and the room is well lit
  3. pairing Martin with a classmate who can take notes on the class for him
  4. having Martin's interpreter available to sign and explain the lesson
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to adapt the physical environment to maximize opportunities for visual and auditory learning and to meet individual needs of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the situation described, a teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing wants to support a student's growing proficiency in speechreading. To speechread effectively in his general education classes, the student must be able not only to perceive speech by watching the movements of a speaker's mouth, but also to observe visible cues (e.g., gestures and facial expressions), as well as to derive meaning from context. Seating the student in proximity to the teacher and maintaining adequate classroom lighting would be two effective ways to support this ability.
Objective 0007
Instructional Planning and Delivery (Standard 6)

10. Oliver is a seventh-grade student with a moderate hearing loss who uses spoken English as his primary mode of communication. He has been having difficulty participating in his general social studies class due to difficulty following classroom discussions. Which of the following strategies would be most effective in promoting Oliver's ability to follow class discussions?

  1. providing Oliver with an outline of topics to be discussed to refer to during class
  2. assigning Oliver a peer partner to take notes during the discussion to document major points about the topic
  3. having Oliver write a paragraph about what he knows about the topic before discussion begins
  4. offering Oliver supplemental homework to complete to support his understanding of the topics that were discussed
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply research-based strategies for selecting, adapting, and applying instructional strategies and materials according to the characteristics of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. In the scenario described, a student with hearing loss who uses spoken English to communicate is having difficulty following discussions in his social studies class. An outline of the day's discussion topics would be helpful to the student because it would serve as a kind of roadmap, identifying the discussion's initial point of departure and providing guideposts along the way. By providing an overview of the subject being discussed and laying out the sequence of subtopics, an outline would organize the information in a way that would establish a context for understanding. An outline would thus facilitate the student's ability to process the information and to make connections between ideas during class discussions.
Objective 0007
Instructional Planning and Delivery (Standard 6)

11. Heather is a second-grade student with a mild bilateral hearing loss. Her itinerant teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing is teaching Heather to ask herself, "Do the words make sense?" while she reads independently. This type of self-questioning promotes reading comprehension by supporting Heather's development of which of the following skills?

  1. fluency during oral reading
  2. recognition of sight words
  3. understanding of a text's context
  4. knowledge of letter-sound correspondences
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply research-supported strategies for providing reading instruction to students who are deaf or hard of hearing, including strategies for providing explicit and systematic instruction. Teaching self-questioning has been shown to be an effective way to promote students' ability to monitor their own skill development in certain areas. In the scenario, teaching the student to ask herself, "Do the words make sense?" will prompt her to consider how the words she has identified while reading relate to the context of the text. Developing the habit of checking for meaning as she reads will help build her reading skills in several key areas, including reading comprehension and self-correction of misidentified words.
Objective 0008
Language and Communication Skills (Standard 7)

12. Jameel is a fifth-grade student with a cochlear implant who uses spoken English as his primary mode of communication. Mrs. Clary, Jameel's itinerant teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing, often gives Jameel verbal two-step directions such as "Take out your social studies book and turn to page 10." Mrs. Clary gives these directions without the use of visual cues. Which of the following describes the primary rationale for this practice?

  1. It facilitates Jameel's understanding of unfamiliar vocabulary.
  2. It promotes Jameel's auditory skill development.
  3. It assists Jameel's processing of new concepts and information.
  4. It encourages Jameel's expressive communication abilities.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply research-based methods, resources, and technologies to promote students' development of spoken and/or sign language. By giving Jameel two-step directions without providing him with any visual cues, his teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing is requiring him to rely solely on verbal cues. This practice would be especially effective for promoting his auditory skill development, because Jameel would need to listen very carefully to the verbal cues in order to understand and comply with the directions.
Objective 0008
Language and Communication Skills (Standard 7)

13. A teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing teaches in a first-grade class in which cued speech is the primary mode of communication. The teacher would like to support students' receptive language comprehension. Which of the following practices would be most effective for the teacher to use for this purpose?

  1. restating students' questions and providing sufficient wait time before asking students to respond
  2. displaying a bank of related content-area vocabulary on a classroom bulletin board
  3. asking students to repeat the appropriate word pronunciation of content-area vocabulary
  4. maintaining a consistent volume of voice and moving around the classroom while speaking
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to apply research-based communication practices for instructing students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Cued speech is a visual communication mode in which the mouth movements of spoken language are combined with manual cues that represent the phonemes of spoken language. Cued speech can thus promote the receptive language comprehension of students who are deaf or hard of hearing by helping them differentiate between sounds that look the same visually on the mouth. In addition to using cued speech, the teacher in the scenario could further support the students' receptive language comprehension through strategies such as repeating or rephrasing questions, as well as giving students adequate wait time to process information before expecting them to answer questions.
Objective 0009
Social Skills and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (Standard 8)

14. Bina is a fifth grader with a profound hearing loss who uses ASL as her primary mode of communication. She will be transitioning to a general education classroom for most of her academic classes and will be provided with a full-time ASL interpreter. The teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing will continue to provide Bina with English language arts instruction in the resource room. Which of the following should be the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing's first priority to make sure this is a successful transition for Bina?

  1. monitoring whether Bina and the ASL interpreter are compatible and are able to develop a good rapport with the classroom teacher
  2. modifying the physical environment of the fifth-grade classroom so that both Bina and the ASL interpreter have enough space to work
  3. explaining to Bina that the ASL interpreter's primary duty is facilitating communication between the classroom teacher and Bina
  4. collaborating with the teachers to establish a means of consistent communication with the ASL interpreter and Bina
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to facilitate students' use of educational interpreters and/or language facilitators in various academic situations. In a situation in which multiple educators and support personnel will be working with the same student, ongoing communication and coordination among those involved is essential. It would be incumbent upon Bina's teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing to take a leading role in ensuring the establishment of an effective, consistent communication system that includes Bina, her ASL interpreter, her classroom teachers, and the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing.
Objective 0010
Transitions (Standard 9)

15. Richard is a high school student with a moderate hearing loss and a mild cognitive disability. He wears hearing aids and communicates using speech. The teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing is planning instruction for Richard in daily living skills (e.g., purchasing items, going to the movies, using public transportation). Which of the following teacher strategies would likely be most effective in helping Richard generalize these independent living skills?

  1. arranging for Richard to take a field trip that is related to each of these skills
  2. providing Richard with regular opportunities to practice these skills in community-based settings
  3. scheduling time for Richard to work on these skills at least once a week throughout the school year
  4. having Richard practice these skills by role-playing scenarios with classmates
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate the ability to plan and provide instruction in daily living skills for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. In order for a student's independent living skills to be considered generalized, they must be used by the student across a variety of settings and stimuli, and with different people over time. Planning regular opportunities for Richard to apply the independent living skills in a wide range of authentic and relevant settings would best support his generalization of the skills.