For most students assessment guides their study and learning practice. Yet in the literature associated with the first year of study at university, few have mobilised the power of assessment to develop and engage first year undergraduate students. This paper presents a model of assessment for first year students which separates the semester into…

Describes the author's personal experience as a blind student at the Living Skills Center for the Visually Impaired, a transition program in San Pablo, California, and at college. Also describes a curriculum developed to help students with visual impairments make the transition to college. (DB)

To help transfer students adjust more readily to new schools, several activities are advised, including a guided buddy system, a counseling plan, and teacher introductions--all based on information gleaned from a new student checklist. (MLH)

Children's learning involves, in the simplest terms, assimilating knowledge and understanding and acquiring skills though being, doing and feeling. This requires a connection at a personal level. Furthermore, learning is given to fluctuation determined by the needs of the individual and the requirements of the educational system. This research…

The Starting School Research Project in Australia collected data from children, parents, and teachers to find out what they consider important as students start school--and how transition programs can help. A set of guidelines is provided for school programs that promote effective transition. (Author/MLF)

Notes that student affairs and academic affairs work closely together through the services of the CAPS (Counseling, Advising, and Placement Services) Center at Kennesaw State College (Georgia) for benefit of students. Describes New Student Experience, aimed at easing new students' transition into college, as one of CAPS programs that very…

Notes that, for college students, first year is sometimes a hard transition for young adults to make. Suggests, therefore, that college admission officers' duty should not end when student returns his or her acceptance and deposit. Encourages officers to keep tabs on first-year students and help to make transition more successful with year-round…

Describes the Kindergarten Transition Project at the National Center for Early Development and Learning, a school-based program designed to enhance connections among children, teachers, families and peers during kindergarten transition. Discusses program activities intended to increase familiarity with elementary school, provide consistent…

Highlights the ways in which immigrant children from the Chinese mainland are helped to assimilate into Hong Kong society. Discusses programs to meet the challenges of securing age-appropriate school placements; adjusting to a new education system and curricula; adapting to a new school and social environment; facing segregation, prejudice, and…

Noting the disconnect between what is known about the crucial role that transition plays in ensuring educational continuity and what is currently available in schools, the Harvard Family Research Project conducted a review of current research on the transition to kindergarten, focusing on promising transition practices and the role that schools…

Examined effects of using peer helpers to ease students in their transition to an overseas school and their functioning in that environment. Participants were 84 high school students enrolled at the American Community Schools of Athens, Greece. Results indicated some positive changes, suggesting that students can benefit from peer interaction and…

Studied whether adolescents viewed transition to junior high school as stressful or desirable, whether teacher-student teams in junior high affected transition, and whether perceptions affected school adjustment or vice versa. Found that transition was viewed as more desirable than stressful. Results suggest that educators identify adolescents…

Describes a comprehensive summer program for freshmen at a large research university. Freshmen enroll in common courses, are housed together, attend workshops on using university resources, and receive the assistance of an upper-division mentor. Evaluation suggests that freshmen who participate in transitional programs are significantly more…

Describes strategies to smooth students' transition to middle school, listing programs and activities prior to the school year, during the summer, and during the school year. Considers adolescents' changing developmental needs. (JPB)

Middle schoolers move into high school with mixed feelings of apprehension and excitement, but generally hopeful of graduating in four years. Transition programs that support students most effectively provide different activities that help students to start on the road to high school success.