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Study Guide

Test Design and Test Objectives
Field 83: Special Education: Early Childhood

Test Overview

Format Computer-based test (CBT) and online-proctored test
Number of Questions 100 selected-response questions
Time 2 hours and 30 minutes (does not include 15-minute tutorial)
Passing Score 240

Pie chart of approximate test weighting outlined in the table below.

Test Objectives

Table outlining test content and subject weighting by sub area and objective
Subareas Range of Objectives Approximate Test Proportions
I Understanding Young Children with Special Needs 01–06 27%
II Promoting Young Children's Growth and Development 07–19 59%
III Working in a Collaborative Learning Community 20–24 14%
Total Proportion 100%

 

Subarea I–Understanding Young Children with Special Needs

Objective 0001: Understand typical processes of human growth and development.
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Objective 0002: Analyze the developmental significance of disabilities.
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Objective 0003: Understand learning processes.
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Objective 0004: Analyze the significance of disabilities for learning.
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Objective 0005: Understand assessment procedures for evaluating individual differences and making placement and programming decisions for young children with disabilities.
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Objective 0006: Understand medical aspects and physical management implications of disabilities.
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Subarea II–Promoting Young Children's Growth and Development

Objective 0007: Apply procedures for structuring space and time to create safe, stimulating, and developmentally appropriate learning environments for children with disabilities.
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Objective 0008: Apply procedures for using developmentally appropriate individual and group management strategies to provide an atmosphere that enhances young children's learning.
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Objective 0009: Apply procedures for establishing a positive and supportive classroom climate that promotes all children's self-esteem and sense of competence.
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Objective 0010: Understand how to promote young children's self-regulation and autonomy.
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Objective 0011: Understand how to promote young children's social development.
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Objective 0012: Understand how to promote young children's receptive language development.
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Objective 0013: Understand how to promote young children's expressive language development.
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Objective 0014: Understand emergent literacy and how to encourage the emergence of literacy in young children.
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Objective 0015: Understand how to promote young children's cognitive development.
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Objective 0016: Understand how to promote young children's daily living skills.
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Objective 0017: Understand how to promote young children's understanding of their world through exploration of content-area skills and concepts.
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Objective 0018: Understand aesthetic development and the role of the arts in young children's overall development.
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Objective 0019: Understand how to promote young children's physical development.
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Subarea III–Working in a Collaborative Learning Community

Objective 0020: Understand how to establish partnerships with other members of the school community to enhance learning opportunities for young children with disabilities.
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Objective 0021: Understand how to foster strong school-home partnerships.
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Objective 0022: Understand how to encourage school-community interactions that enhance young children's opportunities for learning and development.
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Objective 0023: Understand requirements, responsibilities, and constraints associated with teaching young children with disabilities.
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Objective 0024: Understand the history and philosophy of early childhood special education and key issues, trends, practices, and research relating to the education of young children with disabilities.
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