152 TExES School Counselor Exam Practice Questions
1. Developmental psychology studies:
A. Emotional and behavioral growth
B. Physical changes
C. The aging process
D. All of the above
2. Cognitive skills include:
A. Verbalizing
B. Reasoning
C. Rational thinking
D. All of the above
3. Ignoring cultural influences in the classroom causes:
A. Communication issues
B. Inhibits learning
C. Increases behavior problems
D. All of the above
4. Behavior patterns that might lead to problems include:
A. Regular participation in dangerous activities
B. "Trying on" different personalities
C. Pushing boundaries
D. All of the above
5. The Individualized Educational Program (IEP) includes:
A. Written evaluation
B. Medical history
C. Interviews
D. All of the above
6. People with learning disabilities:
A. Cannot learn to function in society
B. May be athletically gifted
C. Can be cured
D. All of the above
7. Students should be classified as learning disabled when the following is present:
A. Poor spelling
B. The student has been tested for disabilities
C. Difficulty adjusting to new situations
D. All of the above
8. Which of the following is not influenced by parenting styles?
A. Behavior
B. Reading skills
C. Academic performance
D. Social interactions
9. Parental involvement levels may include:
A. Eagerness to participate
B. Participate only when required
C. Avoid all involvement
D. All of the above
10. Benefits of a sound guidance and counseling program include:
A. Stakeholders have a better understanding of goals
B. Children will get better grades
C. Behavior problems will be eradicated
D. No benefits
ANSWER KEY EXAM 152
1. Answer: A
Human development or developmental psychology is the scientific study of the emotional and behavioral growth of human beings from birth to death. This branch of psychology studies the development of motor and language skills, problem-solving abilities, conceptual and moral understanding and the formation of a unique identity. A major research focus is how children are different from adults. Are they qualitatively different or do they merely lack experience because they haven't lived as long? Another question explored: Do human beings accumulate knowledge or move from one way of thinking to another as they age? Are babies born with certain information imprinted in their brains or do they learn how to figure things out as they learn life lessons; the nature versus nurture debate?
2. Answer: B
The American Heritage College Dictionary defines cognition as the "mental process or faculty of knowing, including aspects such as awareness, perception, reasoning and judgment." The dictionary defines cognitive science as "the study of the nature of various mental tasks and the processes that enable them to be performed." Using these dictionary definitions, cognitive development is the acquisition of and mental processes for knowing, awareness, perception, reasoning and judgment. The study of cognitive development is observing, analyzing and predicting how individuals acquire and perform various mental tasks. Early theories of cognitive development believed the individual progresses through various stages from infancy to adulthood and growth stops at a certain point or after a goal have been attained. Later theories suggest that acquisition of these complex mental processes is a lifelong learning process that starts in infancy and continues until death. Studies proceeding from the latter premise investigate both innate and environmental influences on the growth of cognitive development.
3. Answer: D
Studies have shown that a student's culture has a direct impact on learning. Since most educational standards are based on white, middle class cultural identification, students who don't fall into that demographic face challenges. It's not that these students are incapable of learning; they just judge what's important and how they express that importance differently. Sometimes it is difficult for them to understand and relate to curriculum content, teaching methods and social skills required because their culture does things differently, emphasizes different choices and rewards different behavior. If teachers ignore cultural differences, it causes communication issues, inhibits learning and increases the potential for behavior problems. As long as an adolescent has no physical or mental health issues, he is capable of learning. He just needs information presented and examples used that are relevant to his life experiences. That is the only way it makes sense to him.
4. Answer: A
One of the developmental goals in adolescence is learning to behave in an appropriate manner in different situations. As a result, an adolescent tries on different personalities and experiments with various behaviors. He/she gradually learns to use newly acquired decision-making skills to assess him/her self and abilities. All adolescents engage in risky behavior. It's a normal part of development; but for some risk-taking becomes problematic and goes beyond the norm. Red flags include regular instead of occasional incidents and involvement with peers who participate in the same dangerous activities. Parents and other responsible adults must explain the possible consequences of these actions, make rules and enforce them. Caring adults should channel that drive into more acceptable pursuits; like taking up a sport, trying out for the school play, learning to play an instrument or a myriad of other choices which challenges the mind, stretches the abilities and keeps them out of potentially troublesome situations.
5. Answer: D
The Individualized Educational Program (IEP) is a comprehensive written document mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Schools are required to conduct an evaluation that includes various assessment tests to determine the child's strengths and weaknesses; results of interviews with the child, his parents, teachers and other significant adults; and notes from conferences with professionals familiar with the child. IEP provides a review of his medical history and current educational performance and comments from direct observation in various settings. It lays out annual goals and sets short-term objectives. The IEP spells out the type and length of special services required and establishes methods for evaluating progress. Beginning at sixteen it must also include a plan to move him/her out of school into the real world.
6. Answer: B
People with learning disabilities frequently are very intelligent and have strong leadership skills. They often show amazing abilities in the creative areas or are athletically gifted. These folks just process information differently. People with learning disabilities are never "cured." They learn ways to cope with and work around whatever problems they have and many function very well in later life; especially if they receive help in the early years. Learning disabilities are complex. Scientists think the causes may be as complicated as the problems themselves and may be different for each person. They may be caused by: Heredity (runs in families), teratogenic elements (develops in the womb because the mother is addicted to alcohol or cocaine or ingested lead), medical reasons (premature birth, diabetes,) and societal influences (malnutrition, poor prenatal healthcare). Since the causes haven't been pinpointed, it is more important to focus on developing educational tools to help the child maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses in order to function in the world.
7. Answer: B
Attention disorders and learning disabilities, although frequently seen in the same student, are not the same problem and should not be treated as such. Student immigrants who are learning English should not be considered learning disabled until they are given ample time to learn the language and acquire the necessary social and communication skills. Characteristics of a learning disability that may be present in students who are not learning disabled:
- Poor spelling
- Avoidance of reading and writing tasks
- Handwriting nearly illegible
- Trouble remembering facts, dates and assignments; difficulty summarizing data
- Works slowly, misreads and misinterprets information and has a hard time understanding and retaining abstract concepts
- Either pays too little or too much attention to details
- Difficulty adjusting to new people, new situations and new settings
8. Answer: B
Counselors need to understand the impact of various parenting styles and be aware of how different approaches influence student behavior, academic performance and social interactions. Authoritarian Parents are controlling, demanding, cold, hostile and uncommunicative. This style of parenting produces children who have difficulty making decisions, often develop antisocial tendencies and frequently have trouble making and sustaining relationships. Permissive Parents tend to be loving, but distant and usually establish few guidelines about anything. They want to communicate with their children, but frequently don't do an effective job with it. Their children have difficulty developing self-regulating skills and seem to flounder when confronted with too many choices. Authoritative Parents are loving, controlling, communicate effectively and set high expectations. This parenting style produces positive children with higher moral reasoning ability, who are able to form stronger relationships.
9. Answer: D
Some parents are eager to participate in their child's education, some do so only when required and others avoid involvement of any kind. All three approaches can be a challenge. Eager parents may bombard the teacher with notes, phone calls and emails. Setting reasonable, well-defined limits may be necessary. Parents who only show up when specifically requested may be incapable of or don't really care to address underlying issues. They show up because they have to. Parents who are never available and impossible to contact provide no help or insight and offer no support. No matter what level of parental involvement is encountered, counselors should use parent/teacher conferences and periodic communiqués to convey expected behavior, explain classroom rules and present a general picture of material to be covered, project assignments and homework requirements.
10. Answer: A
According to the Guide for Program Development provided by the Texas Education Agency, everyone benefits from a "high quality, comprehensive, developmental guidance and counseling program." It gives stakeholders a clear picture of the goals of the program and the means to achieve them. Parents are better informed. They are able to be more involved with their children's education and understand both short and long-term goals. Students have counselors available to assist with educational goals and career planning as well as personal, family and social issues. Teachers have partners to help with the educational, cognitive and social development of their students. Administrators understand and recognize the program's importance, which leads to planning for adequate staff and necessary funding, evaluating the program's effectiveness and making adjustments when needed. The Board of Education understands the need for and the importance of guidance and counseling programs at all levels. Counselors have clearly defined responsibilities and guidelines with which to provide a well-designed, effective developmental program for all students.