Study Guide

Field 044: Special Education Specialist: Deaf/Hard of Hearing
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Competency 0001
Understand human growth and development and factors that affect development and learning.

Danielle is a Deaf infant whose Deaf parents have been communicating with her in American Sign Language (ASL) since birth. Autumn is a hearing infant whose hearing parents have been communicating with her using spoken language since birth. According to research, which of the following statements best characterizes how Danielle's language development will likely compare with Autumn's language development?

  1. Autumn will develop receptive vocabulary at a faster pace than Danielle because Autumn's parents are using spoken language with her.
  2. Danielle will be less likely than Autumn to use facial expressions to show emotions.
  3. Danielle will learn language more rapidly because her parents will interact with her more often than Autumn's parents will interact with her.
  4. Danielle will demonstrate manual babbling, similar to the vocal babbling demonstrated by Autumn.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to understand similarities and differences between individuals with and without disabilities in regard to growth and development. Research has shown that in the absence of delays or disabilities, babies generally follow the same pattern of language and communication development whether they are deaf or hearing. Infants who are exposed to language go through a babbling stage (whether vocally or manually) between approximately 7 and 10 months of age, and then proceed on to vocal or manual gesture (prelinguistic communication), early lexical development, and ultimately to mature language.
Competency 0002
Understand the processes involved in hearing and the types and degrees of hearing loss.

Which of the following first-grade students should be referred for an evaluation for a possible hearing loss?

  1. a child who taps her pencil loudly on her desk to get her teacher's attention, often leaves her seat, and requires frequent reminders to stay on task during small-group instruction
  2. a child who seldom makes eye contact with others, often repeats phrases from movies in response to questions, and has not established friendships with peers
  3. a child who often refuses to answer questions when called upon during large-group instruction, forgets to hand in homework assignments, and is frequently late for school
  4. a child who does not respond when spoken to, often has a confused expression on his face, and is frequently absent from school due to colds
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of indicators that may suggest the presence of a hearing loss. The child described in the correct response demonstrates three common indicators associated with hearing loss: lack of responsiveness to speech; nonverbal signs of a lack of understanding of auditory information; and recurrent colds, which are well documented contributors to hearing problems caused by middle ear involvement.
Competency 0004
Understand the development of language and cognition in children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Use the information below to answer the question that follows.

Mr. Lee is a teacher in a classroom of seven students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The students use Total Communication, and the classroom is equipped with an FM system. When Mr. Lee presents new concepts to the students, he often uses the following format:

  1. Sign the concept and say it aloud.
  2. Write the name of the concept on the board.
  3. Provide various examples of the concept (e.g., show objects, pictures and/or actions representing the concept).
  4. Discuss the concept with students.
  5. Ask students to convey their understanding of the concept individually in various forms (e.g., written, oral, demonstrative).
  6. Review the concept.

The best rationale for presenting new information in this format is that it:

  1. addresses the students' various learning styles.
  2. provides a predictable way for students to learn.
  3. increases students' motivation to learn.
  4. encourages meaningful communication among students
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of various learning styles (e.g., visual, spatial, tactile, auditory) of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing and ways of supporting these styles to enhance development. A key feature of the presentation format used by the teacher is its inclusion of activities that engage a variety of learning modalities (e.g., the visual, auditory, spatial, and kinesthetic modes). By routinely incorporating multiple methods of presentation, the teacher is helping to ensure that learning is accessible to all students, no matter what their preferred learning style(s) may be.
Competency 0005
Understand types, characteristics, and procedures for conducting assessments that address the individual needs of children and youth.

Carla is a high school student with a severe hearing loss and a mild cognitive impairment. Carla's teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing wishes to assess her progress toward meeting her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) goals related to life skills and social skills. Which of the following types of assessment would likely be most effective and appropriate?

  1. anecdotal record
  2. norm-referenced test
  3. student interview
  4. criterion-referenced checklist
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to understand uses and limitations of various formal and informal assessments. Each goal in Carla's IEP is individualized for her and includes specific benchmarks and/or objectives. By creating and using a checklist of Carla's criterion-referenced goals (e.g., "Carla will appropriately greet her teacher and classmates in four out of five trials"), the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing will be able to evaluate Carla's progress toward each goal. Setting a criterion is key to determining a student's progress toward a specific goal.
Competency 0006
Understand and apply procedures for assessing the receptive and expressive spoken language skills of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Use the audiogram below to answer the question that follows.

This audiogram indicates the presence of which of the following degrees of hearing loss?

  1. mild loss
  2. moderate loss
  3. severe loss
  4. profound loss
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to understand how to interpret results of formal and informal assessments of audition (e.g., audiograms). On a pure-tone audiogram, X represents the left ear and O represents the right ear; sounds below the lines can be heard. In the audiogram shown, although the individual's hearing is within the range of conversational speech, it is close to the bottom of that range. The results indicate that while low and/or loud speech sounds may be audible to the individual, high and/or soft speech sounds may be inaudible. A hearing loss at this level is typically categorized as a moderate loss.
Competency 0008
Understand and apply procedures for assessing reading and writing skills of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

A high school teacher provides writing instruction to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The teacher has several students who are writing at the fourth- and fifth-grade levels. The teacher decides to have each of these students develop a writing portfolio. Such a portfolio would likely be most useful for:

  1. preparing students to take statewide achievement tests in writing.
  2. helping students understand the importance of developing writing skills for their future academic goals.
  3. enhancing students' motivation to develop their writing skills.
  4. documenting students' progress in writing during the course of the school year.
Answer
Correct Response: D.
This question requires the examinee to understand various types and characteristics of informal and formal assessments of the writing of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. In a writing portfolio, samples of a student's writing are collected over a period of time, often over the course of a year. Periodically reviewing these samples permits comparisons between a students' earlier and later writing performance. Such comparisons provide clear documentation, not only for teachers but for students and their families, of the progress in writing made by students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Competency 0010
Understand strategies for planning and managing the learning environment for children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Which of the following students with a hearing loss would most likely be provided with speech-to-text translation services?

  1. a high school student with a moderate hearing loss who is being educated according to the oral-aural approach and is having difficulty understanding history lessons
  2. a middle school student with a profound hearing loss whose primary language is American Sign Language and who will be attending a school play
  3. a high school student with a severe hearing loss who is being educated according to the Total Communication approach and will be taking a biology class
  4. an elementary student with a moderate hearing loss who uses speech and speech-reading and is having difficulty communicating during cooperative-learning activities
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to understand strategies for designing and modifying learning environments (e.g., teaching methods, acoustic and visual environments, appropriate technologies) to meet the cognitive and communication needs of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. Speech-to-text translation services involves translating a lesson into written language. A student being educated according to the oral-aural approach, which is a solely speech-and-hearing approach, would be expected to listen and understand while seated in the classroom. A student with a moderate hearing loss would probably get most of the content, but would be likely to miss some of the spoken words. Speech-to-text translation services would help ensure that the student received all of the content.
Competency 0012
Understand the development of language and literacy skills in children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Use the information below to answer the two questions that follow.

Chris is a fourth-grade student who has a moderate to severe bilateral hearing loss. He wears behind-the-ear hearing aids and uses an FM system at school. Chris is also an English Language Learner (ELL) whose primary language is Spanish. He experiences great difficulty learning in school. Chris has a very low retention rate for new vocabulary words in both Spanish and English. His instructional reading level in English and his written English language skills are at the second-grade level.

To improve Chris's retention of new English vocabulary words, his teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing decides to have him practice reading his new words in phrases and sentences. Each phrase or sentence is based on one of Chris's favorite leisure activities. This strategy is likely to be effective primarily because it:

  1. promotes Chris's use of phonics skills to sound out the new words.
  2. helps Chris access his long-term memory when learning new words.
  3. provides Chris with context clues to determine the meaning of the new words.
  4. uses Chris's favorite activities as a means to motivate him to learn the new words.
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of first- and second-language teaching strategies appropriate to the needs of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. The teacher's strategy of teaching Chris new words in context (rather than in isolation) and of choosing contexts of great interest to Chris (i.e., his favorite leisure activities) offers two significant advantages. First, the new words will appear in a context of known words that provide clues to the new words' meaning. Second, Chris's interest in and enjoyment of the topics will motivate him to want to read and understand the phrases and sentences. Especially for students like Chris, new words need to be personally meaningful in order for him to be able to learn them.

Chris's teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing creates the following table for him to use during a writing lesson.

This table would likely be most helpful for teaching Chris how to:

  1. use basic sentence structures.
  2. organize information into paragraphs.
  3. categorize new information.
  4. learn new vocabulary words.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of first- and second-language teaching strategies appropriate to the needs of children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. The teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing has provided Chris with a visual illustration of the word order in a standard English sentence: first a noun (e.g., "The plane"), then a verb (e.g., "flew"), then a modifier that tells how or when (e.g., "yesterday"). The table would therefore be especially helpful for developing Chris's knowledge of basic sentence structures used in English.
Competency 0015
Understand how to promote positive social interactions and self-advocacy skills in children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

A teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing would like to increase students' awareness of American Deaf Culture, including its traditions. Which of the following would likely be the most effective way for the teacher to accomplish this goal?

  1. having students watch a video about changes in American Sign Language (ASL) over the years
  2. arranging for students to visit a school for the Deaf
  3. incorporating Deaf Studies units into the curriculum
  4. assigning students to write a report on Deaf Culture
Answer
Correct Response: C.
This question requires the examinee to understand strategies for enhancing the self-awareness and independence of children and youth are deaf or hard of hearing. Incorporating Deaf Studies units into the curriculum (e.g., into the history, literature, mathematics, science, and art curricula) would build students' understanding of American Deaf Culture in depth and breadth. Unlike a brief, one-time assignment or outing, this type of immersion strategy would promote students' self-awareness and independence through ongoing opportunities for meaningful learning and personal connection.
Competency 0017
Understand how to establish partnerships with professionals, organizations, and community agencies to enhance learning opportunities for children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing.

A fifth-grade student with a hearing loss will begin receiving instruction in a general education classroom for the first time. As specified in the student's Individualized Education Plan (IEP), the student will be using a sign language interpreter. In coaching the general education teacher in the most effective use of the interpreter's services, the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing should take which of the following steps first?

  1. Provide the general education teacher with professional literature on interpreting services.
  2. Meet with the general education teacher and the interpreter together to discuss the interpreter's role as a communication facilitator.
  3. Ask the general education teacher to provide the interpreter with lesson plans for each subject area.
  4. Arrange for the general education teacher to observe the interpreter assisting in another general education classroom.
Answer
Correct Response: B.
This question requires the examinee to understand strategies for coaching general education teachers in the use of instructional methods, technologies, and accommodations for children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. The role of a sign language interpreter in the classroom is to translate the information conveyed by the teacher. Classroom teachers often mistakenly assume that an interpreter will monitor the student's understanding and/or explain information to the student. The student's teacher of the deaf should therefore begin by setting up a three-way meeting to discuss the nature of the collaboration and clarify the specific roles of the professionals involved.
Competency 0019
Understand the professional, ethical, and legal roles and responsibilities of the teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing.

A middle school teacher of the deaf/ hard of hearing reads an article in a professional journal about a promising new strategy for increasing the expressive written vocabulary of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The teacher decides to conduct an action research project in her own school for one month to determine the effectiveness of this new strategy. The decision to conduct this project best demonstrates the teacher's understanding of the importance of:

  1. evaluating how well potential instructional methods address students' needs before implementing permanent changes.
  2. fostering student engagement in learning by providing innovative instructional activities.
  3. expanding her repertoire of instructional techniques to meet students' diverse learning styles and needs.
  4. engaging in ongoing reflection with regard to the effectiveness of instruction.
Answer
Correct Response: A.
This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of upholding high standards for professional practice by participating in professional activities that benefit children and youth who are deaf or hard of hearing. The key criterion for deciding whether to implement a new instructional strategy is whether the strategy meets the students' needs. Establishing a time frame within which to try out a new method will enable the teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing to collect the information necessary to determine the strategy's effectiveness with his or her students. Without gathering evidence in a systematic and controlled way, the teacher will be unable to answer the central question: Does this method meet the needs of my students? Only if the evidence-based answer to that question is "yes" should the teacher implement permanent changes in instruction.