No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Yes / Assuring safety and thereby certifying is a key challenge of many kinds of Machine Learning (ML) Models. ML is one of the most widely used technological solutions to automate complex tasks such as autonomous driving, traffic sign recognition, lane keep assist etc. The application of ML is making a significant contributions in the automotive industry, it introduces concerns related to the safety and security of these systems. ML models should be robust and reliable throughout and prove their trustworthiness in all use cases associated with vehicle operation. Proving confidence in the safety and security of ML-based systems and there by giving assurance to regulators, the certification authorities, and other stakeholders is an important task. This paper proposes a framework to handle uncertainties of ML model to improve the safety level and thereby certify the ML Models in the automotive industry.

The cross-case analysis described in this study explores the patterns of practice that support the induction needs of Alternatively Certified Teachers (ACTs) in the high school educational environment of a large suburban school district. Bronfenbrenner's (1976) systemic model of the educational environment that envisions a series of nested, interacting sub-systems is utilized as a roadmap for exploration. Data were collected beginning in the macro-system and continuing through the exo-system, meso-system, and micro-system of the educational environment. Interviews with teacher educators at the macro-system level, with central office staff at the exo-system level, with school administrators at the meso-system level, and with ACTs at the micro-system level were the primary means of data collection. Case study schools included three "high-ACT schools" with the largest number of ACTs in the district and two "norm-ACT schools" that reflected the average number of ACTs in the remaining five high schools in the district. Observations at teacher induction activities and mentor training sessions and analysis of relevant documents, including mentor program evaluation responses, were used to triangulate the data. Evolving display matrices were the primary strategy for data analysis. Themes were identified at each level of the educational environment. Differences among the sub-systems and between the "high-ACT" and "norm-ACT" schools were described. Findings revealed the following consistent themes within the levels of the high school environment: (a) the use of creative recruitment practices that include recognition of the value of ACTs as an important resource for finding new teachers; (b) emphasis on the role of personal qualities and teacher beliefs in equipping an individual to make a successful transition to teaching; (c) the pervasive sense of culture shock that ACTs experience; (d) the emphasis on establishing a wide network of formal and informal mentors; and (e) the emphasis on learning the connection between classroom management and good instruction. The study concluded that the general patterns of practice supporting ACTs in the high school educational environment can be organized into the following categories: (a) blending theory and practice by infusing university expertise into the schoolhouse; (b) promoting formal and informal mentoring; and (c) differentiating support to meet the special needs of ACTs. / Ed. D.

Hundreds of thousands of organizations have chosen to boost their competitive position by demonstrating compliance to the ISO 14001 Environmental Management System standard. In order for these standards to become credible policy options, they must ensure the capacity to build an industrial morality and to institutionalize responsibility. Relying on a series of in-depth interviews with environmental auditors, this dissertation contributes to a deeper empirical understanding of these regulatory instruments by, first, exploring how the adoption of an EMS promotes self-regulatory capacity and contributes toward effective environmental protection, and second, discussing the limitations of its accountability structure and the threats to the credibility of the standard. This project highlights several misconceptions associated with the role of ISO 14001, and explains why both public and private sectors hold conflicting and inappropriate expectations regarding the certification process. According to the environmental auditors interviewed, the standard has helped thousands of committed organizations to effectively improve their self-regulatory capacity as well as their environmental performance. Yet, organizations with no intrinsic motivation can take advantage of the flexibility granted by the standard and the limitations of the conformity assessment process, to obtain an empty environmental certificate. ISO 14001 is a process standard that can help both "environmental leaders and laggards / Ph. D.

This study examines the impact of selected structures of the Virginia Preschool Initiative on reading readiness in at-risk preschool students in the state of Virginia. The Virginia Preschool Initiative is designed to prepare at-risk four-year-olds for success in kindergarten. According to the Virginia Department of Education, "The purpose of the grants is to reduce disparities among young children upon formal school entry and to reduce or eliminate those risk factors that lead to early academic failure." (Virginia Department of Education, 2005) The independent variables are the specific curriculum models used by the school division, length of program day, teacher certification, and program sponsoring agency. The dependent variables are the pre and post assessment scores on the eight subtests of the PALS-PreK assessment. A paired sample t-test and one-way ANOVA were conducted using Fall and Spring 2006 PALS-PreK student assessment scores from school divisions that participated in the Virginia Preschool Initiative during the 2005-06 school year to determine the relationship between the curriculum implemented and PALS-PreK Fall and Spring student assessment scores. The findings in this study indicate a statistically significant difference between the Fall and Spring student assessment scores for each of the curriculum models analyzed and at least one curriculum model consistently underperforms the other three curriculum models. There were no differences in three variables (length of school day, teacher certification, and program sponsoring agency) and were therefore, not subject to analysis. / Ph. D.

The rationale for a historical study is to record facts from documents and events in an organized manner, so that people of the future may have a better understanding of past events. The Problem The purpose of this research project was to trace the legal and historical development of licensing and certification of public school teachers in the State of Virginia. The main research question investigated: What is the legal history of teacher certification in Virginia? The secondary question investigated: What were the historical events that may have influenced changes in teacher certification in Virginia? Procedures This research was structured within ten time periods beginning with the colonial period of Virginia through the present. An organized search was conducted to locate and analyze the historical documents that pertained to the topic. Conclusions From this study, the following conclusions were drawn as based on this research: 1. The requirement of a license and/or certificate to teach in the State of Virginia can be traced historically to the State’s English heritage and its colonial period. 2. Virginia’s teacher certification has progressed through ten distinct periods. 3. The certification regulations in the State have been influenced directly or indirectly by various political offices both State and national as well as by various domestic and international events. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to report the status of alternative teacher certification in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia and to provide a descriptive analysis of alternative certification programs and participants. Descriptive survey research was used in this study. state Offices of Teacher Education and Certification in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia were contacted and surveyed to obtain the data. It was determined that 30 states had enacted alternative certification provisions and were implementing alternative certification programs. Eleven additional states and the District of Columbia were found to be considering or having proposed provisions for alternative certification. The majority of alternative certification programs in operation were established during the 1980s, and over 50% of the states implementing alternative certification programs cited a shortage of teachers as a rationale for the programs' establishment. An analysis of the characteristics of alternative certification programs revealed that all programs required a bachelor's degree for admission into the program. Formal instruction often required some type of prescribed coursework, and field experience in the majority of programs allowed participants to assume full time teaching responsibilities prior to completing the program. The length of alternative certification programs ranged from 1 to 5 years. Data on alternative certification program participants were limited. From the demographic data obtained, it was determined that most participants were Caucasian and were female. Based upon data received from ten states, it was further determined that 3,249 participants had achieved regular certification after completing an alternative certification program. The provider of an alternative certification program was identified as either a local school district, an institution of higher education, a state education agency, or a collaboration of these entities. No differences were found in the programs' characteristics or the gender and the ethnicity of the participants, based on the provider. / Ed. D.