using your school counselor to impact student achievement

Using Your School Counselor to Impact Student

Achievement

Gail M. Smith and Dr. Julie Hartline

Georgia School Counselors Association

Yesterday’s Services vs. Today’s Program

Guidance Counselor Professional School Counselor

Reactive Proactive/Data-driven

Services provided to a few students

Services Provided to ALL students

Impact measured via feelings and perception

Impact measured via achievement data

Ancillary role to school improvement process

Essential role in the school improvement process

School counselors in isolation

School counselors as school leaders

GSCA Advocacy Committee (2010)

School Counselor Training Master’s level preparation in school counseling • Career awareness and development • Group and individual counseling • Delivery of classroom guidance curriculum • Legal and ethical standards • Multi-cultural counseling • Methods of research in education • Assessment interpretation • Data-based decision making • Collaboration, Advocacy, and Leadership • Completion of practicum and internship in school

settings Hartline, J. & Smith, G. (2012)

School counselors are uniquely qualified to address the academic, career, and

personal/social developmental needs of students from Pre-K to 12th grade.

Academic: Study skills, time management, test-taking skills, organizational skills, learning styles, etc.

Career: Awareness, Exploration, Development, College and Workforce Readiness, etc.

Personal/Social (Soft skills): Working in groups, following rules, goal-setting, work ethic, decision-making skills, etc.

Hartline, J. & Smith, G. (2012)

Recommended

Direct Services to Students (Face to Face Interactions with Students)

School Counseling Core Curriculum

Provides developmental curriculum content in a systematic way to all students

80% or more

Individual Student Planning Assists students in the development of educational, career and personal plans

Responsive Services Addresses the immediate concerns of students

Indirect Services for Students (Communications on behalf of students)

Referrals, Consultation and Collaboration

Interacts with others to provide support for student achievement

Program Planning and School Support

Foundation, management and accountability of the program and school support

Includes planning and evaluating the school counseling program and school support activities

20% or less

How school counselors address student needs within comprehensive programs

ASCA. (2012)

Curriculum (Classroom Lessons/Advisement)

Small Group & Closing the Gap

Individual Support

Specialized Interventions

Equity and Access for ALL Students

School Improvement Gail M. Smith (2009)

Delivery of Core Curriculum

Delivery of Individual Student Planning

Delivery of Responsive

Services

Core Curriculum • Standards based

– Academic Achievement

– Career Exploration

– Personal/Social Growth

• Developmentally appropriate for Pre K-12

• Tied to the school improvement plan

• Can be cross-walked with teacher standards

• Delivered through – Classroom Guidance Lessons

– Group Activities


Individual Student Planning

Ongoing systemic activities to assist students individually in establishing personal goals and developing future plans

Examples: • Advisement

• Annual Parent Conferences

• Portfolios


Responsive Services

Activities to meet students’ immediate needs:

– Individual Counseling

– Small Group Counseling

– Crisis Intervention

– Agency Referrals

– Consultation

– Peer Facilitation


Specialized Interventions

Individual Support

Guidance Curriculum

Intentional Guidance

Responding to the needs of a few

Julie Hartline (2011)

Use of Counselors in the Absence of a Comprehensive Program

What is the reality for Georgia’s students?

Outcomes for students within comprehensive school counseling programs

More likely to

• Stay in school

• Apply to college

• Enter the workforce with the necessary skills to succeed

Less likely to

• Drop out

• Fail

• Misbehave Hartline, J. & Smith, G. (2012)

Georgia’s school counselors are ready

Since 2004, 84 Georgia school counseling programs have received national recognition from the American School Counselor Association for being exemplary programs, which represents 17% of the schools recognized in the nation.

Since 2008, Georgia has had seven

top 10 finalists and two National

School Counselors of the Year.


Elementary Middle High

2013 (School Counselors earned based on FTE excluding SWD, ESOL, Remedial, and Gifted segments.)

462 624 400

2014 (School Counselors earned based on FTE excluding SWD, ESOL, Remedial, and Gifted segments.)

450

450

450

2015 (School Counselors earned based on FTE excluding Remedial and Gifted segments.)

450 (Includes SWD & ESOL)



2016 (School Counselors earned based on FTE for ALL populations.)

450 (Includes ALL students)



Georgia’s Funding and Ratios

RECOMMENDED BY EDUCATION FINANCE COMMISSION AND MANDATED BY HB283


Georgia’s Support for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

• HB 1187 (A+ Reform Act)

• State Board Rule 160-4-8-.05

• Georgia Code 20-2-182

• HB 283 (Title 20 Clean-up Act)

• Senate Resolution 617

• House Resolution 552


Why would your school want a comprehensive school counseling program?

Increased Student

Achievement

Higher Graduation

Rates

Reduced Discipline Referrals

Improved Attendance

Lower Retention

Rates


Process (Numbers Impacted)

Perception (Pre/Post &

Surveys)

Outcomes (Achievement,

Attendance, or Behavior)

School Counseling Program Data Collection

ASCA (2012)

Examples of Perception Data What do students think they know, believe or can do?

• 100% of eighth-graders can identify three career

interests

• 89% of students demonstrate knowledge of promotion/

retention criteria

• 92% can identify early warning signs of violence

• 93 % of fourth-graders believe fighting is not an

appropriate method of solving problems

• 69 % of all students report feeling safe at school

ASCA (2012)

Examples of Outcome Data - THE ULTIMATE GOAL

Achievement Promotion rate increased from 88 to 94%

Attendance Attendance increased from 91 to 95%

Behavioral Discipline referrals decreased by 30%

ASCA (2012)

Setting School Counseling Program Goals

1. SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-Oriented, and Time Bound)

2. Reflect school data

3. Align with SSP

Example: By the end of the year, the number of discipline referrals will decrease by 20%.

ASCA (2012)

90% of the failing seniors who attend a conference in the spring of 2010-11

will pass all required classes.

3129

5

25

2 13

1 0 10 0

5 5

02

000

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

Passed Failed Passed

& Failed

P/T/S

T/S

P/S

S

P

P/T

Total 93 85%

Total 5 6%

Total 10 9%

108 Conferences 92 students (84%) implemented the intervention plan designed at the conference. 88 students (81%) believed the conference helped them to pass. 95 students (87%) would recommend having a conference for to others.

CHS School Counseling Program (2011-2012)

80% of the students in the Why Try Groups will be on track to graduate in

4 years by the end of the year

9 students (100%) were able to identify barriers to learning 8 students (89%) indicated their behavior or performance changed because of the group. 9 students (100%) would recommend participation in a Why Try Group for their peers.

0

5

6

5

3

2

4

0

1

0

1

00

1

2

3

4

5

6

Passing

4

Passing

3

Passing

2

Passing

1

9 Weeks

1st Semester

2nd Semester

All nine students were promoted to senior status and were on-track to graduate at the end of the year.


99% of the first time freshmen will have a 4 year plan and be informed

about graduation requirements.

517(98%)

9 (2%)

Completed Plan

Incomplete Plan

2010-11 Four Year Plan Outcomes


Decrease freshman discipline referrals related to conflict by 50% for the year

Pre/Post Surveys for Conflict Resolution, I-Messages, & Problem Solving Lessons

33% Increase

94% Increase


Freshmen Use of Peer Mediation from 2007 to 2011

0

10

20

30

40

50

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

20

34

4750

23

Nu

mb

er o

f F

resh

man

Med

iati

on

s

Year

70% Increase

38% Increase

59% Decrease

Intervention implemented

6% Increase

43

19

89

9

14

41

2

1

1

5

8

21

4

7

6

1

8

27

11

2

7

3

9

21

12

6

10

7

15

31

0 50 100

Threat/ Intimidation

Aggression

Profanity at student

Harrass-ment

Verbal altercation

Fighting 2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Discipline Referrals related to Conflict for Freshmen from 2007 to 2011

Decrease freshman discipline referrals related to conflict by 50% for the year

Overall 466%

increase from 2010

to 2011


What can you expect from the 21st century

professional school counselor in a comprehensive, data-driven

school counseling program?

Julie Hartline & Gail M. Smith (2011)

ADVOCACY LEADERSHIP

COLLABORATION SYSTEMIC CHANGE


Campbell Career Center Usage 2005 - 2011

501

761906

1628

2238

2496 2577

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007 2007-2008 2008-2009 2009-2010 2010-2011

Full Implementation of

Comprehensive Program


CHS School Counseling Program (2011)

Instructional Leaders are

Essential to the Success of

Comprehensive School

Counseling Programs

“Without you,

school counselors

may strive,

but they will not thrive.” ASCA (2005)

Questions

using your school counselor to impact student achievement

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