School Psychology
KSDE Assessment # 7
Knowledge Examinations Procedures
Wichita State University
The program leading to the EdS degree in School Psychology requires successful completion of a written examination of
knowledge of school psychology content.
Purpose of Examinations
The Knowledge Examination is based on MEd in Educational Psychology course work that is part of the school psychology
training. Candidates may take the Knowledge Examination when they are in either the MEd in Educational Psychology degree
program or the EdS in School Psychology degree program, but they must pass the Knowledge Exam prior to filing their EdS Plan
of Study.
Timing of Examinations
The Knowledge Examination is typically scheduled for a four-hour block between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. on weekdays during the
fall or spring semesters. Approval of requests to schedule the examination during the summer semester or between semesters is
contingent upon the availability of faculty to prepare and administer the examination. Application to take the examination should
be submitted three (3) weeks in advance of the exam date. Application forms are available in the department office.
Components of the Examination
The Knowledge Exam consists of 100 multiple-choice items. The items are based on the content of the MEd courses, but are not
specific to texts or instructors. Items are selected from an item pool such that 10 items to assess each of the 11 standards
(except Standard 2) are included. (The Standards are those established by the Kansas State Department of Education for the
licensure of school psychologists.) Candidates may have up to three hours to complete the Knowledge Exam.
Example item for the Knowledge Exam, designed to assess Standard 9:
Among school-aged children, as age increases, so do reading skills.
This is an example of
a positive correlation.
a negative correlation.
a zero correlation.
cannot be determined based on information presented.
Evaluation of Examination Responses
An overall 75% or higher accuracy level is required to pass the Knowledge Exam. Additionally, at least 70% of the items
associated with each standard must be answered correctly.
All candidate responses are graded anonymously.
Student Preparation
To prepare for the multiple choice items on the Knowledge Examination candidates are encouraged to consult the Roadmap to
School Psychology Exams: Assessment of Knowledge Indicators document to see the relationship between specific knowledge
indicators and WSU courses.
Notification of Performance
Grading of the examination will be completed no later than ten (10) working days after the date of administration and notification
letters to candidates will be mailed no later than the next day.
When the candidate fails one or more standards, the examination coordinator will identify study materials specific to the failed
standard(s). Candidates failing all or part of the examination are expected to arrange a meeting with the examination coordinator to
discuss the exam. In the meeting the examination coordinator will share with the candidate the graders’ specific suggestions and
study materials.
Policy on Retaking the Knowledge Examination
Candidates may retake the Knowledge Examination a maximum of two times. Candidates who score below 70% on no more than
three of the ten assessed standards may retake only those deficit standards. If scores on four or more standards are below 70%, or
if the overall exam score is below 75%, the candidate must retake the entire Knowledge Examination. Questions on retake exams
will be different from those given to the student on the original examination. The candidate must submit an application to retake
all or parts of the Knowledge Examination. Candidates are expected to pass all areas of the examination no later than two (2) years
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School Psychology
from the date on which the candidate initially took the Knowledge Examination.
KSDE Assessment # 7
Candidates Who Cannot be Present at WSU for the Exam
If a candidate has relocated and cannot be present at WSU to take the exam, it is the candidate’s responsibility to arrange an
alternative site for the administration of the exam. The candidate must arrange for a proctor and those arrangements must be
approved at least two weeks in advance of the exam date by the examination coordinator. If the examination coordinator has
concerns about the arrangements, CESP faculty decide if the arrangements are suitable. The exam will be mailed to the proctor
administering the exam with instructions on how to return the exam to the examination coordinator.
The specific multiple-choice items and essay question on each administration of the Knowledge Examination are selected
from an item bank created from items contributed by faculty who teach courses in the school psychology training program.
The keys for three multiple choice items for each standard assessed on the Knowledge Examination are presented below as
representative examples of the content of the examination.
Standard 1
Performance tests can normally be distinguished by their ____________.
a. total nonreliance on language
b. emphasis on object manipulation
c. nonverbal characteristics
d. unbiased nature
A test designed to yield information about whether or not a student has mastered the ability to multiply two-digit numbers
would be referred to as
a. norm-referenced
b. criterion-referenced
c. standardized
d. all of the above
Which of the following is the most important reason why translating a test into another language is not recommended?
a. It can be extremely costly.
b. It can be extremely time-consuming
c. Meanings and difficulty levels of the items may change
d. Precise translation is never possible
Standard 3
Which of the following accurately describes long-term memory within the information processing system?
A.
It holds five to seven bits of information that have experienced limited analysis and processing.
B.
It holds an unlimited amount of information that has experienced limited analysis and processing.
C.
It holds about five to seven bits of information that have experienced thorough processing and is
organized.
D.
It holds an unlimited amount of information that has experienced thorough processing and are
organized.
What have studies examining transfer of strategies shown increases the likelihood that the learners will transfer a taught
strategy?
A.
teaching them to decide how much fun it was to use the strategy, teaching them to assess how effective
the strategy was, and teaching them to recognize the conditions under which the strategy is to be used
B.
teaching them to assess how effective the strategy was, teaching them to recognize the conditions under
which the strategy is to be used, and teaching them how to use the strategy
C.
teaching them to recognize the conditions under which the strategy is to be used, teaching them how to
use the strategy, and teaching them to decide how much fun it was to use the strategy
D.
teaching them how to use the strategy, teaching them to decide how much fun it was to use the strategy,
and teaching them to assess how effective the strategy was
Maria’s grandmother called to speak to Maria on the phone. When she asked if Maria was having a good time, Maria
nodded. When she asked if Maria was a good girl, Maria nodded. Using Piaget’s perspective, Maria doesn’t understand
that her grandmother cannot see her nod over the phone. Maria is limited by her
a. egocentrism.
b. symbolic thought.
c. lack of centration.
d. domain-specific knowledge.
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KSDE Assessment # 7
Standard 4
Paul believes that he scored well on his math test because he got lucky and that he scored poorly on his history test
because the teacher doesn’t like him. Paul has a sense of
a. imminent justice.
b. competence monitoring.
c. learned helplessness.
d. social comparison.
A mother wants her child always to lock the door when she is alone in the house. The best reinforcement schedule for
teaching door locking under these circumstances is likely
a. continuous reinforcement.
b. intermittent reinforcement.
c. punishment rather than reinforcement.
d. actually, extinction would probably work better in these circumstances.
According to Kohlberg, socialization is based on the ability of the individual to structure meaning from the environment,
and requires both
a. the ability to make judgments and to take the perspective of others.
b. the ability to imitate and empathize.
c. motivation and experiences.
d. defense mechanisms and good-enough parenting.
Standard #5
Which of the following is most affected by maturation?
a. the time at which a young adolescent girl first menstruates
b. the child can tell time
c. a child understands that mother does not want her to take a cookie from the cookie jar
d. the child’s ability to count
Difficulties in conducting research on students with learning disabilities have been caused by:
a. an insufficient number of test subjects
b. parental refusal to allow research on children with learning disabilities
c. the wide range of characteristics displayed by students with learning disabilities
d. the reluctance of administrators to allow research on students with a learning disability
Which disability would be immediately recognized at birth?
a. a learning disability
b. a communication disorder
c. spina bifida
d. mental retardation
Standard 6
David has auditory-memory difficulties. Strategies that David’s teacher could use to help David’s academic achievement
include:
a. writing notes on the board
b. seating David near the front of the room to facilitate David’s hearing
c. recommending a hearing examination
d. assigning a peer tutor to read David’s assignment to him
Educators using the cross-categorical approach would find the following description the most beneficial in educational
planning:
a. Tyler has a perceptual problem.
b. Tyler has a learning disability.
c. Tyler has deficits in reading comprehension.
d. Tyler has a poor home life.
The curriculum for a child with a vision impairment may differ from the educational program for a child who has sight by
a strong emphasis on:
a. receptive and expressive language skills
b. mobility and orientation training
c. social skills
d. academic skills
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KSDE Assessment # 7
Standard #7
According to current knowledge, which of the following statements concerning heredity and environment is correct?
a. Most characteristics are determined by heredity with environment playing only a supporting role.
b. Most characteristics are determined by the environment with genetics playing only a small, supporting role.
c. Heredity and environment interact and complement one another.
d. Heredity is more important in early development whereas environment plays a more important role in later
development.
Your 13-month-old is still not walking; researchers using a maturational (or biological) model would most likely advise
you to
a. provide intensive training for the toddler.
b. get some kind of intensive intervention because the child is not showing normative behavior.
c. provide verbal instructions for the child to enable him to understand the process.
d. leave him alone; he’ll walk when he’s ready.
If a researcher were interested in looking at intraindividual change over time, which of the following approaches would he
or she be interested in?
a. Do aggressive children become aggressive adults?
b. Do children who are abused abuse their own children?
c. Do child who are obese remain obese throughout life?
d. All of these questions would address intraindividual change over time.
Standard #8
Children in single-parent families tend to have more problems because
a. single parents cannot raise a child properly.
b. most single parents are in minority groups.
c. there is a lower intellectual level in single-parent homes.
d. single-parent families are more likely to be poor.
Which of the parenting styles (Baumrind’s classifications) has been associated with the most consistently positive
outcomes for children?
a. indulgent
b. indifferent
c. authoritarian
d. authoritative
The disruptive effects of subtracting an adult from the family due to divorce are greater
a. 5 to 10 years after the divorce than in the short term.
b. for boys than for girls in childhood.
c. for boys than for girls at adolescence.
d. in preschool children than in elementary school children or adolescents.
Standard 9
The main goal of the present study was to investigate the possibility that direct instruction in story structure could
enhance fourth-grade children’s organization in story writing. We also investigated whether this special instruction might
affect quality, coherence, use of temporal and causal relations, and creativity in writing. Ten fourth graders were
randomly assigned to one of two treatments, instruction in knowledge of story structure or instruction in dictionary-word
study. Instruction in narrative structure had a strong positive effect on organization in story writing and also enhanced
quality. There were no differential effects of the two treatments on coherence, use of temporal or causal links in writing,
or creativity. What is the independent variable?
a. story structure
b. dictionary word study
c. type of instruction
d. organization of story writing
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KSDE Assessment # 7
Imagine that you want to determine if smiling at youngsters when they engage in prosocial behavior will increase the
frequency of their prosocial behavior. You decide you will focus on Jimmy and Joan individually. First, you define what
you mean by prosocial behavior. The second step is to record the frequency of their prosocial behavior for weeks one
through three. The third step is to start smiling when they engage in prosocial behavior. You continue to record their
behavior and provide smiling for weeks four through six. Finally, for the ultimate test, you stop smiling when they
engage in prosocial behavior. You continue to record their behavior and avoid smiling for weeks seven through ten.
What is the design of this study?
a. Pre-operational
b. True Experimental
c. Single Subject Design
d. Correlational Design
__________ is a tool used to estimate or infer how far an observed score deviates from a true score.
a. The standard deviation
b. A measure of central tendency
c. The variance
d. A standard error of measurement
Standard 10
The case of Diana v. State Board of Education established which precedent that is very prominent in the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (I.D.E.A.)?
a. Only psychologists from culturally divergent backgrounds should test minority youngsters.
b. Although culturally biased, IQ tests can determine placement of minority youngsters in special education.
c. Children tested for potential placement must be assessed in their native or primary language.
d. Students from culturally divergent backgrounds are not eligible for special education services.
The Family Rights and Privacy Act mandates that
a. parents and students have an opportunity to review their school records
b. all children, regardless of disabling condition, have a right to a public education
c. parents and students have a right to challenge the contents of school records
d. A and C
Which of the following is NOT included in the precautions for safeguarding test records?
a. determining when records will be found outdated
b. determining when records will be used only for educational purposes
c. locking the file cabinet
d. arranging for the storage of records in perpetuity
Standard 11
Which of the following refers to the application of empirically demonstrated statistical rules and probabilities as a
determining factor in clinical judgment and actions?
a. actuarial assessment
b. computerized assessment
c. empirical assessment
d. probabilistic assessment
A research article published in a referred journal
a. has multiple authors
b. has been reviewed by other researchers
c. costs more to publish
d. will later be edited for Wikipedia
When Assistive Technology is used by students with disabilities in high-stakes testing, the Assistive Technology
constitutes
a. alternative assessment
b. functional assessment
c. testing accommodations
d. unethical practice
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