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Self-assessment is an often-overlooked alternative to external assessment. Program staff can use self-assessment processes to systematically review the quality of their afterschool programming and to facilitate discussions on ways to enhance it. Self-assessment of point-of-service activities, which can provide a wealth of valuable information regarding program quality, should be used regularly to enable ongoing program improvement. Despite the fact that researchers have reached some consensus regarding point-of-service elements that support student academic gains, most self-assessment tools for afterschool programs still do not consistently include these elements. This article reviews program elements shown to effect academic growth and examines the extent to which available self-assessment tools measure these practices. None of the available self-assessment tools measures the extent to which programs include all of the point-of-service elements that support academic enrichment. Therefore, standardized self-assessment tools for afterschool programs should be enhanced or developed to include evidence-based practices known to be effective in improving academic achievement. (Contains 1 table.)

This study examined academic differences between students who attended 21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) programs frequently (60 or more days) and matched nonattendees during the 2008-2009 school year. Schools included in the study represented only those centers found to be implementing high-quality programming, as measured by a strenuous site visit process in Indiana. Significant interactions between program attendance and fall academic achievement predicted performance on the spring tests in both math and reading. Simple effects were only shown for math, in which program attendees who failed the test in the fall scored higher than non-participants. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. (Contains 7 tables and 2 figures.)