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This study examines transfer students in our teacher education programs and their comparative success on the Educative Teacher Performance Assessment (edTPA®), a content pedagogy assessment currently required by many states for professional educator licensure and program completion. A two-sample t-test using edTPA scores from 2015 to 2019 revealed no statistically significant difference between the mean total scores of transfer students and non-transfer students on the assessments completed by candidates seeking certification in middle and secondary grade subjects. However, the difference between the mean total scores on the elementary education assessment was significant. A chi-square test of independence also revealed a statistically significant relationship between transfer student status and achieving a passing score on edTPA. Transfer students face unique challenges when attempting licensure exams, including differential preparation in their pre-transfer coursework, as well as nonacademic factors, such as employment and family obligations, that may contribute to their differential success. A more thorough identification of the academic and nonacademic challenges experienced by transfer students may reveal the need for and form of additional assistance with the skills required to successfully complete licensure exams in any field.

Given the federal cost-containment policy to rebalance long-term care away from nursing homes to home- and community-based services, it is the position of the American Dietetic Association, the American Society for Nutrition, and the Society for Nutrition Education that all older adults should have access to food and nutrition programs that ensure the availability of safe, adequate food to promote optimal nutritional status. Appropriate food and nutrition programs include adequately funded food assistance and meal programs, nutrition education, screening, assessment, counseling, therapy, monitoring, evaluation, and outcomes documentation to ensure more healthful aging. The growing number of older adults, the health care focus on prevention, and the global economic situation accentuate the fundamental need for these programs. Yet far too often food and nutrition programs are disregarded or taken for granted. Growing older generally increases nutritional risk. Illnesses and chronic diseases; physical, cognitive, and social challenges; racial, ethnic, and linguistic differences; and low socioeconomic status can further complicate a situation. The beneficial effects of nutrition for health promotion, risk reduction, and disease management need emphasis. Although many older adults are enjoying longer and more healthful lives in their own homes, others, especially those with health disparities and poor nutritional status, would benefit from greater access to food and nutrition programs and services. Food and nutrition practitioners can play a major role in promoting universal access and integrating food and nutrition programs and nutrition services into home- and community-based services.