The goal of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and impact of brief school-nurse-administered interventions for reducing anxiety. Thirty school nurses in Connecticut and Maryland were randomly assigned to deliver the Child Anxiety Learning Modules (CALM; n= 14) or CALM--Relaxation only (CALM-R; n= 16). Students (N= 54) were ages 5-12 (M age…

Information literacy instruction presents a difficult balance between quantity and quality, particularly for large-scale general education courses. This paper discusses the overhaul of the freshman composition instruction program at the University of Maryland Libraries, focusing on the transition from survey assessments to a student-centered and…

The purpose of this article is to describe preliminary psychometric characteristics of a student self-report measure of self-determination, the "Self-Determination Inventory: Student Report" version (SDI-SR), designed for youth with and without disabilities. We administered the draft assessment to 311 youth and examined item functioning…

The Office of Shared Accountability (OSA) joined with the Office of Special Education and Student Services (OSESS) to gather feedback from parents of students who receive special education services. The goal was to use the information to improve services and implement staff development. This brief concerns a pilot study for gathering parent…

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to examine the impact of a school health module on the breastfeeding knowledge and attitudes of middle school students. Method: A convenience sample of 39 middle school students received education related to breastfeeding and completed a pre-test and a post-test. The School Survey on Breastfeeding…

Since 2001, the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) Graduate School has been conducting outcomes assessment of student learning. The current 3-3-3 Model of assessment has been used at the program and school levels providing results that assist refinement of programs and courses. Though effective, this model employs multiple rubrics to…

In 2008, the U.S. Department of Education (the Department) launched a differentiated accountability pilot to allow states to distinguish between those schools identified for improvement in need of substantial help and those closer to meeting achievement goals. In July 2008 and January 2009, the Department approved waivers to give nine states the…

As new technologies emerge that can bring older adults together with children, little has been discussed by researchers concerning the design methods used to create these new technologies. Giving both children and older adults a voice in a shared design process comes with many challenges. This paper details an exploratory study focusing on…

The Office of Special Education and Student Services asked the Office of Shared Accountability to evaluate the "Facilitated Communication Pilot." In facilitated communication (FC), people with communication impairments express themselves by typing with the aid of a communication partner, called a facilitator, who provides physical (and…

This series of papers was originally presented as a symposium at the annual meetings of the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME) held between April 9, 2007, and April 13, 2007, in Chicago, IL. The authors represent school districts and departments of education across the…

The report covers evaluation activities of Audo-Read Systems during the final year of the Maryland Career Development Project, a project which provided several programs or activities of an exemplary nature designed to facilitate career development. Its objectives were to help students: (1) develop a positive self-concept and greater…

The Maryland Career Development Project, a three-year model implemented in Baltimore City with information dissemination and provision of services to the entire State, presents in its final report descriptions of the project's seven components and the major results or accomplishments of the project, supported where possible by evaluative data…