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The JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER (JRC)

Psychology/Counseling Majors Only

Letter to the Senator 100 points
“The JUDGE ROTENBERG CENTER (JRC) is a special needs day, respite, and residential school located in Canton, Massachusetts licensed to serve ages 3‐‐‐adult. Since 1971, JRC has provided very effective education and treatment to both emotionally disturbed students with conduct, behavior, emotional, and/or psychiatric problems and developmentally delayed students with autistic‐‐‐like behaviors. Our specific goal is to provide each individual with the least intrusive most effective form of treatment to insure his/her safety, the safety of others, and promote healthy growth and development. JRC is committed to providing the most effective educational program possible. Our specialized education programs offer: near zero rejection policy…, ABA based treatment plan…, elimination or minimization of psychotropic medications…, state of the art educational software…, [and a] powerful and varied reward program.” – Judge Rotenberg Center website
However, much controversy surrounds JRC’s use of shock devices to punish misbehaviors in the school. Students wear a backpack or fanny‐‐‐pack device attached to electrodes that deliver a shock whenever a staff member presses a button on a remote control carried on their belt. One student told reporters at CBS News, “I felt like I was being punished for being born. Because I was disabled, I was being punished. It’s not humane, you don’t even feel like a person, you have wires all over your body. I would get five or ten shocks for doing just one thing. [It’s like] being underground in Hell.”
Your job is to write a letter to your Senator in which you describe: what is the school doing well regarding antecedent and consequent variables, what is the school not doing well regarding antecedent and consequent variables, and what you would do as a BCBA entering into that program to improve the situation. You must reference each of the 10 guidelines in some way throughout the paper. Include each guideline in brackets to draw my attention to its use (i.e. [Guideline 4]). Remember that consequent variables include both reinforcement and punishment and antecedents may include stimulus events and environmental conditions.
Respond to the practices of JRC from both an ethical and educational standpoint. Not everything about the school is deplorable. In your response, discuss a minimum of 3 antecedent and consequent variables that are appropriate. Then, discuss a minimum of 3 antecedent and consequent variables that are not ideal or unethical. Make sure you again cite your sources in‐‐‐text as you make your point and include a reference page at the end of your paper. Finally, explain what you would do if you were hired as a BCBA to best serve the students at that school, their families, and the reputation of the school. Everything you state must be grounded in research and/or supported by the ethical guidelines for behavior analysts.
Your response should be typed, double‐‐‐spaced, 12‐‐‐point font, with correct grammar and spelling. Cite a minimum of three scholarly sources using APA format. There is a two‐page limit for this assignment
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Child Growth and Cognitive Development Program Evaluation Analysis

Child Growth and Cognitive Development Program Evaluation Analysis

Running head: Milestone One 1
Milestone One 3

2-2 Final Project Milestone One: Draft of Introduction
Kevin Menard
Southern New Hampshire University
2-2 Final Project Milestone One: Draft of Introduction
Introduction
Evaluation is a critical and essential aspect of any activity because it tries to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program. The main purpose of this evaluation is to try and decide if the program is effective and according to the targeted population. The establishment of any given program is accompanied with a huge responsibility to make sure that the goals are achieved. It would, therefore, be not logical to establish a program and lack to evaluate its effectiveness (Anderson et al. 2003). The report will examine if the program reaches the targeted population and if the services that are provided to the targeted population are of help to them or not.
Program Identification and Targeted Age Group
Citizens for Citizens Head Start is a school based program which is located in Southeastern Massachusetts. The program targets children in their early childhood age; 3-5 years old. The age bracket is in line with the children who are supposed to gather knowledge before they begin their primary school journey.
Developmental Needs and Risk Factors
Development needs
The development needs which are identified in the program and which are also in line with the targeted group know shapes, colors, and letters (Rolnick & Grunewald, 2003). The reason why these needs are essential is associated with the fact that the program is in place to make sure that the children who go through the program are equipped to take on the primary school challenges. Therefore, making sure that they are ready for their primary school education is meeting their needs.
Risk factors
Risk factors are poor parenting, lack of parents’ and elder siblings’ attention, incompetent teachers, and availability of materials. Poor parenting affects especially for a child who is developing. Parents have a significant role when it comes to providing a peaceful learning environment; therefore when parents are not supportive, they expose the child to a risk of not grasping what he or she is supposed to grasp (Rolnick & Grunewald, 2003). Teachers also have a role to play when it comes to preparing a child for primary school. When they are incompetent, they affect the development process of the child negatively. Availability of learning materials is also an aspect that promotes the development of the child. Therefore, if materials are not available, the child might not gain the knowledge he or she needs.
Resiliency factors
The resiliency factors are safe and effective school systems, availability of programs, and positive parenting skills. The program goes a long way in equipping the children and preparing them for the next stage in their lives. A reliable school system also has a positive effect because they make the learning process enjoyable and effective. Positive parenting keeps the focus on connection, cooperation, learning and growing together in these early years. There is so much happening between the third and fifth year of a child’s life. Preschoolers benefit from a lot of play, discovery, and kind, respectful guidance. Discipline for three to five year olds can be positive and effective (Positive Parenting Connection, 2018).
Program Description
Head Start is a free child development program which provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition and social services to pre-school children from income eligible families. The overall goal of Head Start is to increase the child’s effectiveness in dealing with everyday life and later responsibilities in school and life. Because parents are the most important influence in their child’s development, Head Start provides many opportunities for parents to become involved in the program, and to improve their own education and employment potential (Citizens for Citizens, Inc., 2008).
References
Anderson, L. M., Shinn, C., Fullilove, M. T., Scrimshaw, S. C., Fielding, J. E., Normand, J., & Task Force on Community Preventive Services. (2003). The effectiveness of early childhood development programs: A systematic review. American journal of preventive medicine, 24(3), 32-46.
Citizens for Citizens, Inc. (2008). Retrieved January 03, 2018, from http://cfcinc.org/about-us/programs/head-start-programs/head-start/
Positive Parenting Connection. (2018). Retrieved January 03, 2018, from https://www.positiveparentingconnection.net/preschoolers-3-5-years/
Rolnick, A., & Grunewald, R. (2003). Early childhood development: Economic development with a high public return. The Region, 17(4), 6-12.

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methods of data collection

Specific methods of data collection (e.g., surveys, interviews, observations) produce specific types of data that will answer particular research questions, but not others; so here too, as covered in previous weeks, the research questions inform how the data will be obtained.  Furthermore, the method used to collect the data may impact the reliability and the validity of that data.
For this Discussion, you will first consider sampling strategies. Then, you will turn your attention to data collection methods, including their strengths, limitations, and ethical implications. Last, you will consider measurement reliability and validity in the context of your discipline.
Position A: Probability sampling represents the best strategy for selecting research participants.
Post a restatement of your assigned position on sampling strategies. Defend your position with examples and support from the scholarly literature. Next, select a data collection method and briefly explain its strengths and limitations. Then, identify a potential ethical issue with this method and describe a strategy to address it. Last, explain the relationship between measurement reliability and measurement validity using an example from your discipline.

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Health Issues, Lifestyle Choice, and Social Justice

Health Issues, Lifestyle Choice, and Social Justice
Consider general access to care, wellness practices, maintenance of health and prevention of illness, and treatment of illness (disease management). Briefly compare differences in scope (the extent and relevance to the issue of social justice) of two health conditions facing Americans today (obesity, chronic pain, tobacco use, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, HIV/AIDS, et cetera). Be sure to describe the demographics of the two populations you choose. Cite readings to support your claims.
•What kinds of early intervene strategies might social workers employ in their engagement with the two populations you chose to analyze, particularly in the context of social justice?
•What are the American mindsets about the two issues you identified?
•How can social workers influence these mindsets?

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Landfill Harmonics And 21st-Century Skills

As educators, knowing about the 21st-century skills is important and being able to recognize the skills within specific examples is an indicator that you truly understand them and how they work in application. In Week One, we discussed the story of Caine and his arcade as a way to explore how culture influences creativity, imagination, and inventiveness. In this discussion, we go a step further by considering 21st-century skills in relation to another inspiring story of creativity, imagination, and inventiveness.
The Landfill Harmonic project showcases the story of a garbage picker, a music teacher, and a group of children from a Paraguayan slum that, out of necessity, started creating instruments entirely out of garbage found in a landfill.
Your reflections on this story will provide a rich backdrop for learning more about the impact that social and cross-cultural skills have on the more academic pursuit of keeping children engaged in learning 21st-century skills. After reviewing this week’s Instructor Guidance material, you will have a good working knowledge of social and cross-cultural skills and will be able to recognize how they might support the learning of 21st-century skills, especially within the Landfill Harmonic project.
Initial Post: View the Landfill Harmonic Amazing and Inspirational (link is below)video about the Landfill Harmonic project, and then view more specific information about the project on the Landfill Harmonic (link is below)website. Next, review the Framework for 21st Century Learning (link is below)web page. Then, create an initial post that addresses the following in at least one paragraph for each:

http://www.landfillharmonicmovie.com
http://www.p21.org/our-work/p21-framework

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Global organizations-IT Support for Virtual Teams

IT Support for Virtual Teams
Global organizations have branches that are located in multiple countries. Some of these organizations develop software and take advantage of the global talent pool of software developers while others have global technical support teams, customer service, and so on. Virtual teams are created when two or more people work together from different locations, organizations, times zone, and / or time shifts. Global organizations use virtual teams in order to provide global support, reduce travel costs, reduce training costs, and take advantage of local cultural knowledge that may impact the organization’s operations.
Write a two to three (2-3) page paper in which you:
1. Examine five (5) issues that the IT department is likely to face when it comes to supporting virtual teams.
2. Create an architectural diagram that shows how the virtual teams would collaborate and access common repositories for documents, software, development, and testing facilities. Use Visio or an equivalent such as Dia. Note: The graphically depicted solution is not included in the required page length.
3. Describe five (5) advantages and five (5) disadvantages of using virtual teams for the organizations described in the scenario.
4. Describe challenges imposed by:
a.
a. IT / IS national standards and propose how they could be handled or resolved.
b. Protocols and propose how they could be handled or resolved.
c. Procedures on virtual teams and propose how they could be handled or resolved.
5. Compare and contrast virtual teams and traditional teams with respect to communications, technology use, and team diversity.
6. Use at least three (3) quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as quality resources.
Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:
· Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
· Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.
· Include charts or diagrams created in Visio or an equivalent such as Dia. The completed diagrams / charts must be imported into the Word document before the paper is submitted.
The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:
· Describe the process of administering enterprise systems, including the use of virtualization and monitoring, power and cooling issues.
· Use technology and information resources to research issues in enterprise architecture.
· Write clearly and concisely about enterprise architecture topics using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.
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Cultural Competence in the Classroom

Cultural Competence in the Classroom

Nikhil Goyal is a successful high school student who, like many students his age, hates school. But unlike most students his age, Nikhil wrote a speech about it and delivered it to a global audience his presentation Why Kids Hate School?: Nikhil Goyal at TEDxYouth@BFS (link below) The central theme of the presentation is relevance and, specifically, how schools often lack relevance to the lives of their learners.
In this assignment, you will reflect on the story of Nick Perez and analyze it based on what might have happened differently if Nick’s education targeted the learning of 21st century skills through culturally relevant learning opportunities. Additionally, you will recommend a culturally relevant learning experience that might have been able to meet Nick’s needs in high school. Review the Instructor Guidance for this week for additional information and use the Ladson-Billing (1995; summarized in the Instructor Guidance) resource and Chapters 4 and 8 of Wardle (2013) to define a culturally relevant learning experience; apply this framework to the creation of solutions. Then, create your paper to meet the content and written communication expectations stated below.
In your paper, include the following: (3 points)

  • Address the following three guiding statements:
    • Discuss the learning experiences and cultural competencies that you believe were valued at Nick’s school, based on the information presented in the video. According to Nick, “I was denied the right to exist normally. My school had wasted my time until there was no time left.”
    • Discuss the cultural competencies and learning experiences that would be most applicable and interesting to Nick using his interest in computers as a form of his cultural identity (think about the way that he described his life at home and at computer camp).
    • Determine which of the 4C skills (i.e.,creativity and innovation, critical thinking and problem solving, communication, and collaboration that are presented in The 4Cs Research Series (link below)  Break down which you perceive are most likely relevant to Nick’s current position as a programmer in an advertising firm and which of these skills you perceive are not adequately addressed in typical classroom environments today.
    • Summarize how the acquisition of learning and innovation skills through culturally relevant learning opportunities can lead to greater student success in the classroom and in the real world.
  •  (1.5 points): Summarizes cultural competencies in your response to the Video Analysis guiding statements. Include examples using at least one of the following four characteristics:
    • Awareness of one’s own cultural worldview (including biases)
    • Knowledge of different cultural practices and worldviews
    • Positive attitudes and open-mindedness toward cultural differences
    • Ability to work successfully with others from different cultures
  • References (1.5 points): Summarize culturally relevant instruction in your response to the Video Analysis guiding statements. Propose strategies that align with this approach and include at least one of the following nine areas:
    • Maximizing academic success through relevant instructional experiences
    • Addressing cultural competence through reinforcing students’ cultural integrity
    • Involving students in the construction of knowledge
    • Building on students’ interests and linguistic resources
    • Tapping home and community resources
    • Understanding students’ cultural knowledge
    • Using interactive and constructivist teaching strategies
    • Examining the curriculum from multiple perspectives
    • Promoting critical consciousness through opportunities to challenge predominant elements of the students’ social norms
  •  (1 point): Summarize 21st century skills in your response to the Video Analysis items to reflect the Framework for 21st Century Learning  (link below)
  • Must be two  double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center 
  • Must include a separate title page with the following:
    • Title of paper
    • Student’s name
    • Course name and number
    • Instructor’s name
    • Date submitted
    • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEvg2zBYWtU&t=295s​
  • http://www.p21.org/our-work/4cs-research-series
  • http://www.p21.org/about-us/p21-framework
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Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom (w3)

Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom (w3)

· Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom

In this discussion, you will apply your knowledge of culturally relevant pedagogy to examine the degree to which a specific place-based experience implements culturally relevant strategies. Please review this week’s Instructor Guidance for detailed assistance on preparing for and completing this discussion.
Initial Post: For this post, you will complete a rubric to determine the degree to which an instructional experience incorporates culturally relevant pedagogical principles. Based on your knowledge about culturally relevant teaching, you will add two more criteria to the rubric below and then use it to evaluate one of the place-based lesson stories shared on the Case Studies: Shared Stories on Place-Based Education. http://semiscoalition.org/shared-stories/ web page. Then, using the rubric below, with your results from your evaluation, summarize how well you think your selected place-based experience addresses cultural relevance.
You can copy the rubric below into a Word document, complete the rubric, and then copy and paste it into the discussion forum along with your summary. You can also save your Word document with your completed rubric to your computer and attach it into the discussion forum.

Culturally Relevant Practices Basic Proficient Advanced
Exudes high expectations      
Connected to students’ existing mental schemes, prior knowledge, and cultural perspectives      
Connected to learning standards (state or national)      
Based on issues and ideas that the students find meaningful      
       
       

This the Instructor Guidance
Discussion 1: The first discussion this week; Creating an Evaluation Instrument for Cultural Relevance in the Classroom involves developing an instrument that you will use to evaluate the quality of culturally relevant approaches observed within place-based educational programs.  Reflect on the readings for this week, including Wardle (2013) Chapter 4, and the Ladson-Billings (1995) article, the  video overview of culturally relevant pedagogy. https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/an-introduction-to-culturally-relevant-pedagogy (Tolerance.Org, 2010), and the Irvine (2009) Relevant: Beyond the Basics Preview the document View in a new window article from this week’s required resources list.  In Wardle (2013), pay particular attention to the Analyzing Curriculum and Pedagogy for Cultural Responsivenesssuggestions included near the end of the chapter prior to the chapter summary.  Next, recall that an effective example of culturally relevant approaches to instructional experiences can be found in place-based education, which is grounded in structuring learning experiences designed to actually help communities by using students and school staff to identify solutions to community problems.  Place-based education recognizes that local communities are one of the primary resources for learning. If needed, review Promise of Place’s (n.d.) overview of place-based education  For example, one evaluation question might address equity: “How well does the lesson implement strategies to promote equitable experiences for a diverse population of students?”  Three criteria that might be used as possible answers to this question might include the following:
· Advanced: The approach supports multiple learning styles, a combination of cooperative group and individual activities, and multiple means of expressing learning within the assessments.
· Proficient: The approach does allow for some individual choices and/or means of assessment, but more could be done to support individual learning styles.
· Basic: The approach is homogenous, expecting all students to experience the same instructional material without personal input in the experience from start to finish (including assessment).

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 SQL Concepts and Database Design 

Assignment 6: SQL Concepts and Database Design
The  Strayer Oracle Server may be used to test and compile the SQL Queries  developed for this assignment. Your instructor will provide you with  login credentials to a Strayer University maintained Oracle server.
Imagine  that you work for a finance industry-based organization. Your  organization is looking to submit its database design documentation to  an evaluation team in order to meet Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) compliance. You  have been assigned to assist in preparing the documentation of the  organization’s sales database. You are asked to propose a data  dictionary that can be used to document the following:

  • Employee (EmpNumber, EmpFirstName, EmpLastName, CommissionRate, YrlySalary, DepartmentID, JobID)
  • Invoice (InvNumber, InvDate, EmpNumber,  InvAmount, CustomerID)
  • InvoiceLine (InvLineNumber, InvNumber,  ProductNumber, Quantity)
  • Product (ProductNumber, ProductDescription, ProductCost)
  • Department (DepartmentID, DepartmentDescription)
  • Job (JobID, JobDescription)
  • Customer (CustomerID, CustomerName, CustomerAddress, CustomerPhone)

Write a three to four (3-4) page paper in which you:

  1. Create a data dictionary that includes the following: 
    1. A description of the content for each field
    2. The data type of each field
    3. The format the data will be stored as in the field
    4. The range of value for the field
    5. A label, as required, if the attribute is a primary key or foreign key

Note: An example is shown in Table 7.3 in chapter 7 of the textbook.

  1. Imagine  that you are asked to identify the number of days that exist between  the first invoice and last invoice for each month and complete the  following:
    1. Construct  a query that will show the number of days that exist between the first  invoice and last invoice, for each month, for each employee, using the  DATEDIFF function. Be sure to provide the SQL script that will carry out  this function.
    2. Construct a query to show the expected payment date if invoices are due within 30 days of transaction.
    3. Construct a query that will show distinct area codes of the customers.
  2. Create  a plan of the necessary activities that would be required to implement a  valid database design process by including the following:
    1. Steps in the conceptual design stage
    2. Steps in DBMS selection stage
    3. Steps in logical design stage
    4. Steps in physical design stage
    5. Task details of each activity within each stage

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • Be  typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with  one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA  or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional  instructions.
  • Include  a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s  name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover  page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment  page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

  • Design a relational database so that it is at least in 3NF.
  • Prepare  database design documents using the data definition, data manipulation,  and data control language components of the SQL language.
  • Explain the key principles of data security and identify data security risk and violations in data management system design.
  • Use technology and information resources to research issues in the strategic implications and management of database systems.
  • Write  clearly and concisely about topics related to the strategic planning  for database systems using proper writing mechanics and technical style  conventions.