Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Between 2010 and 2015, the High School classroom version of Positive Prevention PLUS Sexual Health Education was the focus of federally-funded Office of Adolescent Health (OAH) Tier II evaluation. Final peer-reviewed findings published in 2016 demonstrate a statistically-significant delay in the onset of sexual activity, plus statistically-significant increases in student-parent communication around sexual health issues.
Yes. Positive Prevention PLUS has undergone two biomedical reviews (in 2012, 2014 & 2016) by the federal Office of Adolescent Health (OAH).
No. Per California State Law, Positive Prevention PLUS emphasizes sexual abstinence as the only 100% sure method for avoiding STDs or an unplanned pregnancy. However, to prepare students for their future lives as sexually healthy and responsible young adults, the Positive Prevention PLUS curriculum also provides information on contraception and access to community reproductive health services.
Yes. Positive Prevention PLUS Sexual Health Education for Special Populations is a 13-lesson sexual health education curriculum designed for moderate-to-high functioning special education students and developmentally-disabled adults in community settings. Each lesson features simplified content, worksheets, and visuals, plus suggested adaptations and materials for lower-functioning students. For more information, click here.
The middle school curricula (incl. HIV/STD) are more concrete and in-the-now, with class activities and group discussions that are more regulated, and with a greater emphasis on sexual abstinence as the only 100% sure method for avoiding STDs or an unplanned pregnancy.
The high school curricula emphasize life planning and long-term-consequences of sexual choices, with class activities and group discussions that depend on a higher level of student critical thinking and self-regulation, and provide an equal emphasis on sexual abstinence and the responsibility to use both contraception and communication as methods for avoiding STDs or an unplanned pregnancy.
Each Positive Prevention PLUS on-line lesson is designed for a 30- to 45-minute student-directed session.
Research indicates that for the greatest impact, all Positive Prevention PLUS lessons must be taught with fidelity. Fidelity is best assured when teachers/instructors attend a Positive Prevention PLUS curriculum training facilitated by an experienced and authorized trainer.
Some states require teachers to be trained to deliver curriculum that is sexual in nature, and must attend an authorized training before implementing classroom instruction. Please check with your school administration to determine if your state requires training.
For information regarding teacher and staff trainings, please contact Cardea Services or visit our Partners and Trainings page.
While the research on the effectiveness of the Positive Prevention curricula is based on the delivery of daily lessons, it may be possible to modify this sequence to accommodate (1) one lesson per week over an extended period of time, e.g., one lesson every Friday; or (2) blending multiple lessons together for a multi-day workshop or retreat experience for your students.
This is not recommended. Presenting both the content and the associated learning activities featured in each lesson is critical to accomplishing the intended impact of the Positive Prevention curriculum, per its Logic Model. Skipping portions of any lessons compromises the impact of the curriculum.
Example of a modification- I have other favorite activities and videos I would like to use instead of those featured in the Positive Prevention curriculum?
Some adjustments may be appropriate, others not. Adjustments outside our curriculum lessons will need to be included to your 14 day opt out parent/guardian curriculum information letter.
Becoming an authorized Positive Prevention trainer (one who trains other teachers/instructors in the implementation of the Positive Prevention curriculum) is a multi-step process paid for by the sponsoring institution. Only persons with both classroom teaching experience and adult staff development experience should be nominated to become an authorized Positive Prevention trainer. For more information, please contact Cardea Services.
It is highly recommended that each student has her or his own intact (bound or stapled) set of lesson worksheets and informational handouts. If your school or agency does not have the ability to duplicate and bind these materials, please consider purchasing Student Workbooks. See our online store for details.
Yes! Our 2018 and 2021 student workbooks are available in English and Spanish. See our online store for details.
Our 2016 edition middle and high school curriculum is no longer supported on our website. If you are using the 2016 edition, please consider purchasing the updated 2021 edition which is aligned with current California laws and standards.
Our 2018 and newer editions are written in compliance with the updated California Education Code including “The California Healthy Youth Act” (AB 329) and “Sexual Harassment and Violence Instruction“ (SB 695) and the National Health Education Standards. Please visit our 2017-2020 curriculum support webpage for teacher support materials. You will need the access code located on page i. of the teacher binder to access the online teacher materials.
When you receive your 2021 edition teacher curriculum binder, you will also receive an invitation code printed on a cover sheet. Use that one time invitation code to register your account. The invitation code included with your teacher curriculum binder will grant you access to the respective curriculum’s Teacher Support Materials webpage (either high school or middle school). If you loose the invitation code or need to change the email associated with your teacher account, please reach out to email@example.com for assistance.
Once you register, an email will be sent to the email address that was entered in the registration process. Open the email (sent from firstname.lastname@example.org) and click on the link to activate your account. (example shown below)
If you loose the invitation code or need to change the email associated with your teacher account, please reach out to email@example.com for assistance.
If you need to reset your user password, please use this link: https://positivepreventionplus.com/login-page/and click on “Forgot your password?”. An email will be sent to your email address if you are a registered user. The email will be sent from firstname.lastname@example.org and look like this:
Every Positive Prevention curriculum binder comes with lesson-by-lesson masters for student worksheets, activities, and overheads, plus downloadable materials containing all student worksheets in both Spanish and English, teacher lesson presentation slides, STD photos, and (for the Sexual Health curriculum) a set of Safe Surrender video clips.
Teachers/instructors will need to duplicate student worksheets (if Student Workbooks are not purchased), as well as the learning activity cards (on color cardstock) for each lesson.
Several lessons require specific supplies (e.g., index cards, chemicals for the It’s All Relative activity, or contraceptive products). General instructional supplies will also be needed (e.g., poster paper, masking tape, markers). See each lesson for a list of materials needed.
Independent Study (IS) Questions
Our Branch Support page explains the timeline. Our most frequently asked questions and answers are found on that page.
Yes! Our Independent Study program is web based. As long as you have an internet connected device you should be good to go. Please see our know issues for Mac and iPad users found on our Branch Support webpage.
Please contact Positive Prevention PLUS support team by using our Contact Us page here, or you may use your branch URL and click on the “Forgot your password” link (shown below). An email will be sent to the email used to register your account.
Yes. Each user license (learner or instructor) will be able to download a fillable PDF formatted workbook. Students can save the workbook to their device, fill in answers for each lesson and turn it in as instructed by their instructor. Please note that the user will need to save the workbook each time they have added to it. It does not save automatically and is only saved to the device that was used to download it.
Although Worksheet PDFs are available for download for each learner account, it is sometimes necessary that each student has her or his own intact (bound or stapled) set of lesson worksheets and informational handouts. Student Workbooks may be purchased separately via our online store.