Standardized testing tools to support quality educational outcomes.

Student success or failure in nursing education, and perhaps subsequent professional practice, can be difficult to predict and likely depends on complex relationships between several variables. Identifying and controlling for these variables is a continuing challenge for college faculty and administrators. Many colleges of nursing across the United States now use standardized, external assessment programs to help students prepare for professional licensure examinations (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses [NCLEX-RN]), as one means of predicting academic success in a particular nursing program, and as a component of continuous quality improvement efforts within a school. This article reviews recent literature related to NCLEX-RN success and discusses several commercially available testing and remediation programs used today. In addition, the authors discuss the ways in which a testing program supports the college's mission and goals and efforts to continuously evaluate and improve the quality of the program.

Adolescent asthma education programs for teens: review and summary.

The purpose of this review is to describe and evaluate education programs for teens with asthma. Although asthma educational programs for children are plentiful, this is not the case for adolescents. The developmental tasks of adolescence require asthma education programs that are uniquely tailored to this age group. Although several well-designed studies appear in the literature, further research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of asthma education programs among teens. Although the quality of research varies, demonstrated program benefits include improved asthma self-management, self-efficacy, family support mechanisms, and quality of life. Practice implications point to the need for education programs in schools and camp settings that are consistent with national asthma guidelines.