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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present a public university's design and implementation of an assessment approach that measures the change in undergraduate students' environmental stewardship reasoning and knowledge abilities over time. Design/methodology/approach: In support of a university's strategic emphasis on environmental stewardship, members of a university committee developed environmental stewardship learning outcomes for undergraduate students. The learning outcomes were not required in specific academic courses or in general education. Subsequently, volunteers from a variety of roles, in cooperation with committee members, developed a corresponding assessment test that focused on reasoning and knowledge. The instrument was revised between Spring 2011 and Spring 2014, and its validity was evaluated. An exploratory analysis of student learning over time was conducted using 22 items shared by different test forms. Findings: A series of implementations and revisions resulted in a 50-question test, the Environmental Stewardship Reasoning and Knowledge Assessment (ESRKA), which showed good reliability (0.83). A comparative analysis provided evidence of the validity of the instrument. Results from a small sample of students showed that second-year students generally performed better on the 22 items than incoming first-year students. Those taking the assessment as second-year students, 18 months after their initial assessment, scored significantly higher on the 22 items by about 10.4 percentage points (0.61 standard deviation units, t[subscript 68] = 6.23, p < 0.0001). Research limitations/implications: Because of the small sample size and revision of the items, the analysis of student learning is only exploratory. Originality/value: The learning outcomes and validated assessment instrument may be used either in whole or part by other institutions. The approach to measure changes in students' environmental stewardship reasoning and knowledge abilities as cohorts over time could assist universities in tracking environmental stewardship learning and could inform strategic implementation of learning opportunities through the curriculum, as well as through other student learning experiences.

The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and dose-response relationship of a school-based treatment program for high school students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Two paraprofessionals provided interventions to 24 students with ADHD randomly assigned to the treatment condition at two public high schools. They met in dyadic coaching sessions during one school year. In addition, parents attended weekly parent meetings and adolescents attended group sessions targeting social functioning in the evenings for 10 weeks in the fall semester. Intent-to-treat analyses showed little statistically significant benefit for the participants; however, effect sizes indicated moderate improvements in parent ratings of inattention, relationships with peers, academic impairment, and family functioning. There was large variability in the dosage of services received across participants, and an analysis of outcomes by dosage suggests large differences in response based on the number of sessions attended. This school-based intervention provides a viable option for educators and school mental health professionals who wish to provide interventions for high school students with ADHD, but further development and evaluation are needed.

Standards were set on three technology tests at James Madison University. The standard setting process elicited active discussion among faculty as they debated the technology knowledge and skills students need to succeed in their subsequent college courses. The standards which emerged were challenging. While only about 30% of incoming freshmen could meet the standards set, an additional 50–60% learned the skills by the end of the year. Recommendations are provided for standard setting in a general education context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]