College outcomes evaluation is discussed in two papers. In "The Political Economy of Assessment," Joseph P. O'Neill considers standards of accountability, American reliance on faculty to assess, and the danger of validating quality by external examination. By using the credit-hour system, a quantity indicator (time), is used as a…

The transition from high school to college can be challenging and stressful for any student; it can prove to be an overwhelming experience for disabled students. Among major problems disabled students experience are: the perception that disabled persons are passive and need assistance in all areas; a lack of awareness of their rights and…

Student retention at Roberts Wesleyan College, a four-year liberal arts college in New York State, is discussed, and an overview of the college is presented. Consideration is given to changes that were made on the campus starting during fall 1983 that may have promoted student development and retention. These developments include: an innovative…

This paper begins by discussing a National Institute of Education report (NIE, 1984) which was compiled by the study group on the conditions of excellence in American higher education and which focused on student involvement, higher expectations, and assessment and feedback. The NIE report is presented as a framework which academic professionals…

The provision of developmental education to the academically underprepared student in colleges and universities in the United States is traced historically. U.S. colleges admitted underprepared students before the advent of open admissions and equal opportunity policies. In fact, the presence of underprepared students in American colleges has been…

This handbook on guidance is one of several subject-area curriculum guides resulting from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction's efforts to revise the "North Carolina Standard Course of Study" and to develop the "Teacher Handbook" for the competency-based curriculum. The background, overview, philosophy, and…

Group counseling has been shown to be an efficient use of a school counselor's time and an effective tool for working with students. In process groups, the emphasis is on the process of growth and interaction. Counselors face obstacles they must overcome in order to organize effective group counseling programs in secondary schools. Gaining staff…

Results of an evaluation of a college honors program are presented. Honors students at the State University of New York at Oswego were compared to four other student samples attending the same college: (1) nonhonors students matched on sex, major, and grade point average; (2) students who had dropped out of the honors program; (3) students invited…

The purpose of this report is to describe, evaluate, and validate a pilot assessment center (AC) established in the Center for Leadership and Personal Development at the U.S. Military Academy to develop cadets on job skills needed by newly commissioned officers in the U.S. Army. The AC programs employ a leadership evaluation development method…

This document contains a proposal developed by a task force of counseling and guidance leaders to provide a common base from which to affect a reform in counseling and guidance in California. The proposal emphasizes the importance of comprehensive counseling and guidance planning. Sections on introduction, history, statement of purpose, and…

Three major national longitudinal studies have been conducted in Great Britain, each based on a week's births in, respectively, 1946, 1958, and 1970. This paper focuses on the implications for educators of the findings of the 1958 study, which examined the development, over 23 years, of approximately 5,000 children born in Britain in one week of…

The reflective judgment (RJ) model is described, along with research findings based on the model and contributions to understanding student intellectual development in higher education. The RJ model (Kitchener & King, 1981) describes a series of changes that occur in the ways adults/young adults understand the process of knowing, and…

A guide to implement, expand, or improve an extended college orientation course on campus is presented. Student success courses and extended orientation programs help students learn to be more effective in school and improve student performance and retention. These courses are sometimes designed for honors students, returning adults, athletes,…

Concerns about college fraternities and sororities and student values are identified for student personnel administrators. It is noted that fraternities and sororities are exclusionary by practice, sexist in nature, and gender specific by design. They reinforce, without reexamining, the values that their members possess upon entering. Attention is…

St. Petersburg Junior College's Project Success provides mentoring and other special support services to students with low placement test scores. Teachers, librarians, counselors, and other staff members meet, usually on a weekly basis, with five students per semester to provide support and assistance with problems. The mentors receive reports on…