The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of using a rubric to monitor and evaluate school health services programs. The rubric, The Report Card for School Health Services, was developed based on school nursing practice and national health education standards. One hundred ninety-seven schools in upstate New York were asked to participate in the pilot project; 164 participated giving a response rate of 83%. The final stratified sample consisted of: 16 urban/suburban high need schools, 23 rural high need schools, 92 average need schools, and 33 low need schools. Based on specific criteria in the rubric, the schools were rated as below standard, standard, proficient, or distinguished regarding policies and practices in eight key areas: immunizations; infectious and communicable disease control; special health care needs; emergency procedures; administration of medications; vision, scoliosis, and hearing screening procedures; health appraisal procedures; health offices; and health services personnel. To minimize bias, a questionnaire was developed to measure each criterion in the rubric. The questionnaire was distributed to each school to be completed by the school nurse. The questionnaire was scored in each key area, and an overall score was computed. An educational intervention with participating schools was then conducted using the rubric to assist schools in identifying deficient areas and developing action plans to make improvements in school health services. School health services programs were re-evaluated using the same questionnaire. This presentation reports the findings of this pilot project.
Learning Objectives: 1. Describe the use of a rubric based on school nursing practice and national health education standards to monitor and evaluate school health services programs. 2. Discuss challenges in research design and issues surrounding implementation of a statewide report card for school health services. 3. Analyze the effectiveness of the Report Card for improving school health services
Keywords: School Health, School-Based Health Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.