Since 1970, quality assurance, or outcomes assessment, has provided guidance for improving pedagogy, curricula and student support programmes in the US. But evidence that student learning has improved remains elusive. Large-scale long-term studies are needed to demonstrate the effects of outcomes assessment on learning.

This paper describes the implementation of a university-wide initiative aimed at providing a holistic view of a student's academic standing by conducting early, formative assessment for all first-year students. It tracks the Early Assessment System as a student support intervention at Stellenbosch University and suggests that the system has been…

Background: This study examined the narrative skills of Cantonese-speaking school-age children to fill a need for a normative language test for school-age children. Purpose: To provide a benchmark of the narrative skills of Cantonese-speaking children; to identify which of the microstructure components was the best predictor of age; and to…

Student engagement is an essential part of the many transitions adolescents must make on their way to self-sufficient adulthood. Motivating students to learn at pivotal points in their school careers, especially as they transition into high school, is sometimes difficult. The Freshman Transition Initiative (FTI) at The George Washington University…

A large body of research has indicated that rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT) is highly effective for treating many chief complaints. Because of the neurological and developmental limitations of young children, a counselor is required to use concrete and stimulating ways to treat young children. By incorporating art, color, and texture to…

States require a measure of poverty that captures all family resources net of taxes and nondiscretionary expenses and uses thresholds reflecting current needs in the state to assess the well-being of families under current and alternative policies. This paper describes the implementation of a poverty measure for the State of Connecticut based on…

Thousands of teachers across the nation have sought and achieved National Board Certification, which expires after 10 years. Prior to the expiration of the certification, teachers must decide whether they plan to renew. Many teachers choose to renew their certification. The intent of this research was to examine the data regarding why some…

College algebra is a required course for most majors, but is viewed by many as a gatekeeper course for degree completion by students. With almost half a million students taking college algebra each year, faculty are experimenting with new course lengths of time that might result in higher success, completion, and retention rates for college…

Persons with developmental disabilities are at an increased risk for becoming victims of sexual abuse. Research has revealed that the largest group of identified perpetrators of sexual abuse is developmental disability service providers. The purpose of the present study was to develop, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of a sexual abuse…

Two experiments tested whether differences in problem-solving strategies influence the ability of people to monitor their problem-solving effectiveness as measured by confidence judgments. On multiple choice problems, people tend to use either a constructive matching strategy, whereby they attempt to solve a problem before looking at the response…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience sexuality issues, but there are very few studies looking at sexuality and autism. The present study aims to examine teachers' perceptions of sexual behaviors of 56 children with low functioning autism (LFA) and 20 children with high functioning autism (HFA) or Asperger Syndrome (AS).…

Objective: Continuous performance tests are known to typically measure sustained attention but usually also yield parameters that potentially measure other subprocesses of attention. The aim of the present study was to test the factor structure of the Conners's Continuous Performance Test (CCPT) in a heterogeneous clinical sample consisting of…

Background: A complementary ecological model of the coordinated school health program (CSHP) reflecting 20 years of evolved changes is proposed. Ecology refers to the complex interrelationship between intrapersonal factors, interpersonal processes and primary groups, institutional factors, community factors, and public policy. Methods: Public…

In the San Fernando Valley of Southern California, the entire community participates in Youth Art Month through the Annual Valley Wide Student Art Show. The mission of the show is to provide students with an opportunity to exhibit their work publicly and to promote school arts programs during Youth Art Month. Apart from promoting arts education…

Objective: The authors examine the current place of personal therapy for residents in U.S. training programs. Methods: All U.S. training directors were provided an anonymous survey assessing current attitudes and practices with regard to personal therapy and training director perception of their residents' use of therapy. Results: Training…