School Counselors: Partners in Student Achievement Recommended handouts to accompany this PowerPoint presentation include: A printout of this presentation in the “handout” format using three slides per page. The articles “Brainstorm” from the Sept./Oct. 2001, issue of the ASCA School Counselor, and the article “The Block to Build On” from the May/June 2002, issue of the ASCA School Counselor. Both articles can be downloaded from the “National Model” link on the home page of ASCA’s website, www.schoolcounselor.org. The National Model can be downloaded from ASCA’s website as well.

Overview The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has collaborated to create a National Model for School Counseling Programs to connect school counseling with current educational reform movements that emphasize student achievement and success. ASCA saw a need to develop a standardized framework for school counseling programs. In the spring of 2001, ASCA gathered the leaders in the field of school counseling in Tucson Arizona to collaborate and create a National Model for School Counseling Programs. Using the National Standards for School Counseling as a foundation, ASCA developed the model after extensive review and synthesis of guidelines from states, districts and individual school sites. The ASCA National Model for School Counseling Programs provides a framework to organize school counseling programs, with the school counselor serving as the program leader. School counselors switch their emphasis from service-centered for some of the students to program-centered for every student.

“We need to be the change we want to see happen. We are the leaders we have been waiting for.” – Gandhi Gandhi's words are well taken here – no longer can counselors wait for others to to lead us – WE are the leader WE have been waiting for – it is time for school counselors to demonstrate their effectiveness and to use their skills to become integral partners in the overall programs for student success.

What do school counselors DO? People have wondered…      What do school counselors DO? Throughout history people HAVE wondered…what just is it that school counselors DO? There has not been consensus on this issue.

“What do counselors do?” The old question was… “What do counselors do?” The new question is… “How are students different because of the school counseling program? The adjustment then is not just providing an answer to “What do counselors do?” but to answering the new and most important question, “How are students different because of what school counselors do?”

From Entitlement… to Performance From a program that: Focuses generally on the number of activities Measures the amount of effort Attends to the process of doing work Works to maintain the existing system To a program that: Focuses on outcomes and improved results Measures impact related to goals Attends to goals, objectives, and outcomes Changes and adapts to be more responsive This means moving from a culture of entitlement to a culture of performance, as mentioned earlier. The National School Boards Association published an article that addressed the need for education to move from a entitlement culture to a performance culture. We have taken this article and instead of reading through the administrators mind, or the school board members lens, or the teachers lens (which many have done) we have revised it to read through the school counselor and the school counseling programs’ lens. For school counseling programs, this means moving from programs that focus on the number of activities we perform to focusing on the outcomes and results of these activities. OK, so you held 10 guidance lessons this week, eight groups and saw 15 individual students… SO WHAT?? Programs that focus on performance indicate the results of these activities. Collecting process data is important so that programs can see what they are doing and for whom, but the outcomes of these programs are what stakeholders want to see; its what funding is based on. Performance cultures focus on adapting and changing as the demographics change, as student needs change, instead of doing what we have always done. Source: McGowen, P. & Miller, J., “Changing the Entitlement Culture,” The American School Board Journal, August 1999, p.43

From Entitlement… to Performance From counselors who: Focus on good intentions Talk about how hard they work Generally feel little need to change their behavior or approach To counselors who: Focus on accomplishments Talk about effectiveness Know their future rests on accomplishments Communicate goals and objective We know that school counselors work very hard, and are very well intentioned, but intentions are not accomplishments. I’d like to share an example. Recently, an ASCA Board member was interviewing a candidate for a school counseling position. One of the questions in the interview was “How will you know if your school counseling program is working? How will you measure results?” The candidates answer was (after a long pause) “Well, I guess, that if I feel good a the end of the day…..Then that’s results.” Certainly we know there are times when we are faced with crisis on our worst day (students death) but that is also our best day because we “feel good” that we were able to assist in time of crisis. Our skill was necessary and utilized. Certainly, these are sad but professionally fulfilling moments. But feeling “good” will not cut it with school boards. They want to know the “so what?” of your program, the effects. Effort may not equal success and when it does not, do we do the same thing again? Or change and revise our programs to improve? School counselors in a performance culture share effectiveness, communicate their goals to others and know that the future of the programs depends on their ability to accomplish their goal of improving academic success or students. Source: McGowen, P. & Miller, J., “Changing the Entitlement Culture,” The American School Board Journal, August 1999, p.43

Implications What is the purpose of the school counseling program? What are the desired outcomes or results? What is being done to achieve results? What evidence is there that the objectives have been met? Is the program making a difference? READ SLIDE

School Counseling Programs Are About RESULTS. How are students different as a result of the school counseling program? The focus then is on …….Results

We Exist To Effect Change In Students: Acquire Improve Knowledge Skills Positive Attitude Attendance Behavior Academic Achievement If we are to effect change, it will be done through helping students to acquire Knowledge Skills and Positive Attitudes In important areas that impact students success in school Attendance Behavior and Academic achievement These are the big three that everyone looks to. These are the areas that effective school counseling programs can and do improve.

Paradigm Shift From: To: Not only monitoring process and measuring services delivered Focusing also on and measuring the results of our programs and services The paradigm shift is therefore one that takes us form monitoring ONLY the process (how may times you hold a group or teach a guidance lesson) and measuring or listing the amount of services counselors provide. To focusing on the RESULTS of these activities and measuring their outcomes so that the data can be used for program improvement. If you hold a group for students with behavior problems, can you show that discipline referrals decrease among students in the group. If you teach lessons on study skills, can you show that student performance improved?

Academic Development Guidance Curriculum (HS) Developing Academic 4/6 year Plans Promotion/Retention Criteria Organization, Study and Testing Taking Skills Registration, College and High School Graduation Requirements Post High School Options Transition into the Real World The next few slides are samples taken from a School Board presentation done in Moreno Valley Unified School District in Southern California. This first slide shows a sample of the high school guidance curriculum topics in the academic domain. School Counselors used district wide and school site data and needs assessments to select these topic areas, aligned them with ASCA National Standards, presented them to students, and collected results of their lessons.

Academic Results Goal Setting (K-5) After classroom guidance lessons pre-post tests indicated… student knowledge of goal setting increased from 10% to 98% 90% achieved their identified goal This slide shows how school counselors measured the results of their programs at one elementary school site. School counselors prepared the lessons, gave pre-post tests, and READ SLIDE

Personal/Social Results Conflict Resolution (K-5) Number of students who could peacefully resolve a conflict increased from 55% to 88% Following implementation of a Conflict Manager program the number of suspended students was reduced from 13% in 97/98 to 3% in 01/02. Conflict resolution became a site goal one year at this elementary and as you can see, the number of students who could peacefully resolve a conflict increased from 55% to 88%. Following implementation of a Conflict Manager program, the number of suspended students was reduced from 13% in 97/98 to 3% in 01/02. As statistic that would impress any school board member, reduce administrative time managing discipline and hopefully improve student learning as well.

Academic Results Interventions (6-8) After Academic Counseling Groups: 37% of 6th graders (64) 24% of 7th graders (47) 72% of 8th graders (46) Demonstrated GPA improvement At one middle school site, after identifying students in need of academic assistance through a student data base query, school counselors met with teachers, students, parents and held skill building sessions in the areas of student skills and attitude. As you can see, was quite effective, specifically at 8th grade where 72% of the students demonstrated GPA improvement.

Academic Results Interventions (6-8) Pre: Post: Students on retention list: 6th - 81 7th - 73 8th - 103 Students who came off retention list: 6th - 27 7th - 22 8th - 23 At this school site, school counselors presented guidance lessons of promotion retention criteria. The pre-post test had indicated that only 15% of student understood the promotion retention criteria before the lessons, 100% did following. Additionally, school counselors met individually and in small groups with students who were identified as retention candidates. As this slide indicates, 72 students avoided retention as a results of this intervention. Now, while school counselors can’t take all the credit, they certainly know they were contributing to the academic achievement of students. 72 students avoided retention

Personal/Social Results Conflict Resolution (6-8) At one site the number of students resolving conflicts with the help of peer mediators increased from 0 to 346 At another site, the number who took advantage of peer mediation increased from 47 to 149 Sometimes data indicate that new programs and services are needed. At this school site, a peer mediation program was started and the results are clearly positive: the number of students resolving conflicts with the help of peer mediators increased from 0 to 346. At another site, a lesson on the importance of seeking peer assistance and greater marketing of an existing program led to an increase in the number of students who took advantage of peer mediation, from 47 to 149.

Career Development Canyon Springs High School In the last three years the number of students visiting the career center has increased from 30 to over 200 students per day. Parent attendance at evening guidance events has increased from 150 to 500 parents Scholarship dollars for students increased from $750,000 to $825, 000 Finally, graduation rates have improved from 84 % to 89% One year, one high school focused on improving student use of the career center. A new guidance assistant was hired to help the school counselors with clerical responsibilities related to the career center and with organizing speakers and the details of the evening guidance presentations provided by the school counselors for parents and students. As you can see, it was quite effective. In three years, the number of students visiting the career center increased from 30 to over 200 students per day. Parent attendance at evening guidance events increased from 150 to 500 parents. Scholarship dollars for students increased from $750,000 to $825, 000 and finally, graduation rates improved from 84 % to 89%.

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first thousand days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. – John F. Kennedy But let us begin. READ SLIDE Perhaps you are already on the road. You might audit your programs and see where improvements are needed. Others need to start from scratch. ASCA is here to help you in this process. This model will guide you.