Study Guide

Field 229: Teacher of Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing 
Sample Multiple-Choice Questions

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Each multiple-choise question has four answer choices. Read each question and answer choices carefully and choose the ONE best answer.

Objective 0001 
Understand the auditory system and the significance of hearing loss for human development and learning.

1. Which of the following etiologies can be described as involving fluctuating hearing loss?

  1. spinal meningitis
  2. Treacher Collins syndrome
  3. Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder
  4. Usher's syndrome
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Auditory Neuropathy Spectrum Disorder is a hearing disorder that affects how the brain receives and interprets sounds. In individuals who have this disorder, there is a disruption of the nerve impulses traveling from the inner ear to the brain. Symptoms of the disorder can vary, and fluctuating hearing loss is one of the symptoms that individuals with this disorder may experience.
Objective 0002 
Understand the historical and legal foundations of education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

2. Language acquisition research suggests that there is a critical period during which young children are especially receptive to developing certain types of linguistic knowledge, such as knowledge of syntax. Which of the following conclusions about caregiver interactions with a child who is deaf or hard of hearing is most warranted based on this information?

  1. An effective form of linguistic communication should be established between the caregiver and the child as early as possible.
  2. The caregiver should avoid use of idioms and figurative language during communication with the child.
  3. When beginning to communicate with the child, the caregiver should use sentences with simple syntactic structures.
  4. Communication attempts by the child should be followed by clear positive and negative reinforcement by the caregiver.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
An individual's nervous system needs interpersonal and environmental stimuli to acquire speech and language skills. The critical period for caregivers to provide the linguistic communication interactions necessary to develop early communication skills is between birth and three years old. During this time period, there is rapid brain growth and intensive absorption and acquisition of speech and language skills. Children who are deaf or hard of hearing often benefit from specific linguistic interactions to develop communication most effectively. As children spend a great deal of time with their caregivers, establishing an effective form of linguistic communication between the caregiver and child as early as possible will support the child's optimal development of linguistic knowledge.
Objective 0002 
Understand the historical and legal foundations of education for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

3. Which of the following actions is an important component for developing speech skills in children who are deaf or hard of hearing?

  1. instruction based upon a sequence of phonetic and phonologic skills
  2. daily drill and practice using specialized software programs
  3. instruction using speech and manually coded English (M C E) simultaneously
  4. weekly group therapy sessions emphasizing using functional speech through role-playing
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Children who are deaf or hard of hearing often learn speech skills, including phonetic and phonological skills, best through direct instruction. The focus of the instruction should be to develop the ability to hear and manipulate sounds in spoken words and to also understand that spoken words and syllables follow a variety of sequences of speech sounds. Through instruction in a logical and meaningful sequence, children can build upon the phonetic and phonological skills they have already developed to develop new skills.
Objective 0003 
Understand assessment instruments and procedures used for screening, evaluating, and identifying students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

4. A first-grade teacher wants to monitor the sign language development of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing over time. Which of the following types of informal assessment is most appropriate for this purpose?

  1. recording the student's response to a structured language prompt
  2. obtaining communication samples from the student in various environments
  3. rating the student's performance of classroom tasks on a scale
  4. maintaining a running list of the student's sign vocabulary
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Informal assessments used to monitor and document a student's learning of sign language should be performed on a regular basis to capture language levels and growth over time. Collecting language samples of a first grader communicating in their classroom, in other school settings, and at home as well as in their community allows for authentic assessment of ability and also assessment of how the student independently uses functional language skills in real-world settings.
Objective 0003 
Understand assessment instruments and procedures used for screening, evaluating, and identifying students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

5. When a multidisciplinary team is evaluating a student who is deaf or hard of hearing to determine eligibility for additional special education services, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I D E A) mandates that the team include:

  1. an audiologist who is qualified to confirm the status of the student's hearing.
  2. an individual who is able to provide advocacy and support services for the family.
  3. a teacher who is able to recommend placement options that will address the student's needs.
  4. an individual who is familiar with the student's cultural and linguistic background.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (I D E A) is a federal law that ensures students with a disability are provided with free appropriate public education (F A P E) that is tailored to their individual needs. The law states that when students who are deaf or hard of hearing are considered for eligibility for additional special education services, factors such as communication needs and the child's and family's preferred mode of communication; linguistic needs; severity of hearing loss and potential for using residual hearing; academic level; and social, emotional, and cultural needs including opportunities for peer interactions and communication must be taken into consideration. In addition, evaluators who are knowledgeable about these specific factors for the individual student should be included as part of the multidisciplinary team to ensure that the student's needs are accurately identified.
Objective 0004 
Understand procedures for interpreting assessments and communicating assessment results to design instruction for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

6. When evaluating the needs of a high school student who is deaf or hard of hearing for computer aided real-time transcription (C A R T), the Individualized Education Program (I E P) team's primary concern should be:

  1. how often the student will require the support service.
  2. whether the school district is able to obtain funding for the support service.
  3. how long it will take the student to learn how to use the support service.
  4. whether the support service will enable the student to be successful in the classroom.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
Computer aided real-time transcription (C A R T) is a speech-to-text service that displays a complete transcription of all spoken words and environmental sounds in an educational setting. C A R T automatically transcribes and types all words into text, which is efficient and comprehensive, but it also cannot recognize contexts, and therefore cannot make corrections on the text and may need to be edited. Since every student has individual strengths and needs, the team's evaluation of whether C A R T is appropriate for a particular student should be evaluated to determine how the support will affect the individual student's ability to be successful in the classroom.
Objective 0005 
Understand the process and procedures for the development and implementation of individualized services and programming, ranging from pre-intervention initiatives through individual interventions for students who are deaf or hard of hearing (documented through Individualized Family Service Plans [I F S Pees], Individualized Education Programs [I E Pees], behavior intervention plans [B I Pees], transition plans, and Section 5 0 4 plans).

7. In implementing a behavior intervention plan (B I P) for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, which of the following actions would be most appropriate to provide structure for the student?

  1. designing an individualized visual schedule
  2. providing the student frequent choices for activities
  3. using positive facial expressions and body language with the student
  4. maintaining close physical proximity to the student
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
When supporting a student who is deaf or hard of hearing who has a behavior intervention plan (B I P), structure and consistency are key to success in implementation. Providing visual cues is an important accommodation for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing to support understanding of the daily routines and expectations. Visual schedules can enhance receptive language acquisition and assist in providing meaning for all students.
Objective 0006 
Understand language and communication principles and theories related to students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

8. To help a high school student who is deaf or hard of hearing with a mild intellectual disability learn to generalize skills, which of the following instructional techniques would be most effective for a teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing to use?

  1. teaching the student tasks in multiple environments
  2. breaking down tasks for the student into a series of steps
  3. assigning the student to learn tasks with a cooperative learning group
  4. training the student in tasks through direct instruction
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Generalization is a student's ability to use skills that they have learned in one environment in new and different environments. To begin teaching a student to generalize learning, skills should first be taught in the settings in which the student will be asked to apply the skills. Once the student has mastered the skills in the primary environment, then additional environments can be added to work toward generalization of the skills. Generalizing skills requires students to have multiple opportunities to practice skills in a number of different settings.
Objective 0006 
Understand language and communication principles and theories related to students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

9. A teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing often asks students open-ended questions. The most important benefit of asking these types of questions is that they allow the teacher to:

  1. convey the correct answer to a question.
  2. share expertise on a given topic.
  3. check for student understanding.
  4. ensure inclusion of multiple students' perspectives.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Open-ended questions encourage more than a "yes" or "no" response and more than one-word answers from students. A student's response to an open-ended question can provide teachers with a wide range of information about the student's understanding and knowledge about a topic. Open-ended questions encourage students to elaborate on details, express thoughts, and offer opinions, and can inform teachers of students' strengths, interests, questions, and misconceptions about a topic.
Objective 0007 
Understand methods for promoting the language and communication skills of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

10. When reading an illustrated story about cats, which of the following prompts would be presented to students who are deaf or hard of hearing earliest when considering the progression of language development?

  1. "What does a cat say?"
  2. "Count the cats in the picture."
  3. "What color fur does the cat have?"
  4. "Point to the picture of the cat."
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
In typical development, students are able to understand language (i.e., receptive language) before they are able to produce it (i.e., expressive language). The ability to identify an object in an illustrated book by pointing at a named picture takes place early in the progression of the development of receptive language. Additionally, before a teacher can ask more detailed questions about a topic, the teacher would need to establish that the student understands the topic that will be discussed, in this case a cat.
Objective 0007 
Understand methods for promoting the language and communication skills of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

11. A high school teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing is planning a unit on Deaf culture. The teacher plans to invite professional d/Deaf adult volunteers from the local community to talk to students about academics, careers, and the future. These discussions are likely to promote students' understanding of Deaf culture primarily by supporting their abilities to:

  1. determine goals for their transition Individualized Education Programs (I E Pees).
  2. interact with individuals with whom they can identify.
  3. develop an interest in a specific career path.
  4. communicate in a natural context.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Culture defines people and gives them a sense of identity. Culture provides a community for individuals with similar beliefs and values to communicate with one another using a shared language. Deaf culture is distinguished through the understanding and promotion of Deaf cultural and linguistic identity. Deaf people often feel a sense of connection and a shared understanding of what it means to be a Deaf person when meeting others who can share their experiences with school, careers, and their social life.
Objective 0008 
Understand methods for creating learning experiences and environments that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

12. Which of the following situations best illustrates the concept of learned helplessness by a student who is deaf or hard of hearing?

  1. The speech-language pathologist reminds the student that it is time to go to speech class.
  2. The student assumes that their interpreter will inform their classroom teacher about their closed-captioning needs.
  3. The student asks the teacher to provide clarification of directions for an assignment.
  4. The student works toward specific Individualized Education Program (I E P) goals for self-advocacy and self-determination.
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
Learned helplessness occurs when a person believes that they do not have control over a situation that they could have control over, or that their needs could be better met by someone else when they in fact could meet the needs themselves. Learned helplessness often occurs when over time, caregivers and/or teachers don't teach students self-advocacy and self-empowerment skills. When a student assumes that someone else will advocate for their needs (in this case, their interpreter) instead of doing it themselves, they are demonstrating learned helplessness.
Objective 0008 
Understand methods for creating learning experiences and environments that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

13. A teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing and a general education teacher who co-teach in an elementary school classroom communicate an attitude of high expectations for all students. In which of the following ways would these expectations most likely affect the students who are deaf or hard of hearing in their class?

  1. increasing students' reliance on peers when completing academic tasks
  2. enhancing students' academic performance and classroom behavior
  3. improving students' organizational and study skills
  4. expanding students' expressive and receptive communication in spoken language
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
The expectations that teachers convey to their students have been shown to impact students' performance. Communicating an attitude of high expectations to students has been proven to have a substantial positive impact on their learning and progress. When students feel that teachers have confidence in their abilities, they are more likely to demonstrate confidence in their abilities to succeed, as well.
Objective 0008 
Understand methods for creating learning experiences and environments that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self-motivation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

14. Which of the following features of an inclusive classroom environment would best support the development of inclusion of students who are deaf or hard of hearing?

  1. carpeting and acoustic tile to mute extraneous sounds
  2. a teacher who moves intermittently through the classroom to maintain students' interest
  3. bright lighting that originates from the center of the classroom ceiling to increase visibility
  4. placing desks in pairs to promote partner work among students
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: A.
Accommodations often must be put into place to provide successful integration and participation for students who are deaf or hard of hearing in all of their learning environments. One example of an accommodation that can best support successful inclusion of students who are deaf or hard of hearing is to install carpeting and acoustic tiles to minimize the background noise in the classroom. Background noise can be distracting and can interfere with a student's ability to focus on people who are speaking in the classroom and on classroom lessons and activities. Taking steps to minimize this background noise supports students' learning.
Objective 0009 
Understand principles and methods for preparing, selecting, using, and adapting specialized materials, equipment, and assistive technology for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

15. Students in a first-grade class are utilizing a computer-based reading program that involves a listening component. In which of the following ways could a teacher most effectively make the program accessible to a student with a cochlear implant?

  1. pairing the student with a hearing peer
  2. connecting the student's device directly to the computer
  3. providing the student with noise-canceling headphones
  4. repeating the auditory information to the student
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
A cochlear implant is an electronic device that partially restores hearing. Cochlear implants use a microphone to transmit speech and sound directly to a sound processor. Students have the capability to access the auditory output of a computer or other electronic devices by connecting to an audio jack.
Objective 0009 
Understand principles and methods for preparing, selecting, using, and adapting specialized materials, equipment, and assistive technology for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

16. A high school teacher observes that a student who is deaf or hard of hearing frequently has difficulty keeping up and following along during class lectures. Based on the teacher's observations, the student would likely benefit most from which of the following supports?

  1. simulation software
  2. captioning for recorded content
  3. notetaking on a laptop
  4. videoconferencing
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing are often unable to take notes easily and accurately due to their need to lip-read or watch an interpreter and write simultaneously. Teachers are strongly urged to support their students who are deaf or hard of hearing in methods that will foster their acquisition of information from classroom lessons. Having a note-taker present for classroom lectures to take notes on a laptop computer and provide them to the student can provide equal access to classroom lectures for the student.
Objective 0010 
Understand principles and methods of individualizing instruction for students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

17. A fifth-grade general education teacher is planning to read aloud a text to the class as part of a literacy lesson. In which of the following ways could a teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing most effectively collaborate with the general education teacher to ensure the successful participation of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing in the classroom?

  1. arranging for the student to go to the resource room during the read aloud
  2. providing the general education teacher with alternate texts that the student can read independently
  3. discussing ways for the general education teacher to provide the student with visual access to the text
  4. reviewing the student's Individualized Education Program (I E P) goals with the general education teacher and changing the lesson to accommodate the student
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Visual supports that reflect the auditory information presented during a read aloud should be implemented to support the participation of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing. Visual aids during a read aloud can provide the student access to the content of the read aloud, and can also provide the student with definitions of words and concepts that may not be a part of their receptive vocabulary.
Objective 0011 
Understand how to promote and develop communicative and collaborative partnerships to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

18. The parents/guardians of a preschooler who is deaf or hard of hearing have expressed concern about their child's transition to kindergarten. They are uncertain which communication modalities would be best for their child. Which of the following suggestions by the teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing would be most effective in supporting the parents/guardians to make an informed decision?

  1. reading scholarly literature about children who are deaf or hard of hearing
  2. visiting their child's preschool to observe
  3. reviewing their child's most recent assessment results
  4. participating in a support group for parents/guardians of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: D.
One of the earliest decisions that parents/guardians of a child who is deaf or hard of hearing must make is the choice of what communication modality their child and family will use. Families should be encouraged to meet and talk with other families of deaf or hard of hearing children to learn about their experiences with different communication modalities and to receive support and vital information in making this choice for their child and family.
Objective 0011 
Understand how to promote and develop communicative and collaborative partnerships to support students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

19. A teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing is collaborating with a second-grade general education teacher who has one deaf student in the general education classroom who uses sign language to create an effective learning environment that contributes to the student's self-concept. Which of the following types of activities would be most effective for this purpose?

  1. celebrating Deaf awareness week
  2. assigning a project instead of a test at the end of a unit
  3. incorporating basic signs into daily classroom activities
  4. providing weekly journal prompts
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: C.
Incorporating the use of basic signs into the daily activities of a classroom that a student who is deaf or hard of hearing attends can contribute to the student's development of self-concept. Self-concept can be defined as the beliefs that one holds about oneself, and how one perceives one's own behavior, abilities, and characteristics. Introducing all members of a class to the language the student who is deaf or hard of hearing uses and integrating this language daily makes it an expected and understood part of the classroom routine. This action can maximize the academic and social self-concepts of the student who is deaf or hard of hearing.
Objective 0012 
Understand the professional roles and responsibilities of teachers of students who are deaf or hard of hearing.

20. A ninth-grade student who is deaf or hard of hearing has lost both hearing aids. In which of the following ways can the teacher of students who are deaf or hard of hearing best support the student in the general education classroom until the devices are replaced?

  1. providing instruction to the student in the resource room setting
  2. ensuring that accommodations are in place in the general education classroom
  3. working with the student's family to fill out insurance paperwork to replace the hearing aids
  4. providing the student with alternative classwork to be completed independently
Answer. Enter to expand or collapse. Answer expanded
Correct Response: B.
When the hearing equipment of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing is unavailable, priority should be placed on providing all necessary accommodations to support the student's auditory access to the classroom. A student without their hearing equipment might not have incidental and direct access to auditory information.