SCHOOL COUNSELING INTERVENTIONS Adrienne WatkinsBall State University

Student Data  Current trend:  According to the State of Alaska, Department of Education standardized writing scores for Alaskan Native/Native American students has decreased 12% in the past 3 years.  scores were proficiency  scores decreased to proficiency

Goal  Increase standardized test writing scores for Alaskan Native/Native American students by 4% by the end of the school year.

Intervention 1: HOPS  Langberg, J., Epstein, J., & Becker, S. (2012). Evaluation of the homework, organization, and planning skills (hops) intervention for middle school students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder as implemented by school mental health providers. School Psychology Review, 41:3,  HOPS is an 8 week intervention focused on the development of homework, organizational and planning skills.

Summary  17 SMH providers (7 psychologists and 10 school counselors) from 5 school districts and 12 distinct schools participated in the study.  School districts were diverse with urban, suburban, and rural districts represented.  All 47 student participants were in grades 6-8 with an age range of

7 Domains  Measurement  Strong evidence was found using pre- and post test, homework problem checklist, the children’s organizational skills scale (validated through factor analysis).  The COSS generated raw scores for each subscale converted to T scores, internal consistency was high for the parent version (.98) and teacher version (.97). Test-retest reliability was high for parent ( ) and teacher ( ).  Utilized Parent and SMH provider satisfaction questionnaire, parent skills implementation questionnaire

7 Domains continued…  Comparison Group  Strong Evidence was found between the control and waitlist comparison groups showing the control group benefited from the program  Statistical Analyses of Outcome Variables  Showed strong evidence of statistically significant findings using appropriate test

7 Domains continued…  Implementation Fidelity  Strong evidence that the intervention can be delivered with fidelity across contexts. Fidelity was examined with 2 measures; organizational skills checklist and the HOPS component checklist. Fidelity was high.  Replication  Strong evidence of replication based on checklists and guidelines for implementing of program. Program has already been implemented in other studies.

7 Domains continued…  Ecological Validity  Strong evidence as the study was broad and diverse.  Persistent Effect  Promising evidence. Intervention participants demonstrated significant improvements relative to the comparison group across several domains including the parent-rated organization and planning skills, life interference from organizational skills problems, and homework problem outcomes. The effects were maintained at a 3 month follow- up assessment. Participants had significantly higher GPA’s than the comparison group during the intervention period and the GPA’s did not decline during post-intervention period. Parent ratings were significant for organizational skills but not for teachers.

Intervention 2: KiVa Anti-bullying Program  Williford, A., Boulton, A., Noland, B., Little, T., Karna, A., & Salmivalli, C. ( 2012). Effects of the kiva anti- bullying program on adolescents’ depression, anxiety, and perception of peers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 40:  KiVa is an anti-bullying program designed to educate students on the importance of peer involvement in stopping bullying as well as specific behavioral strategies to defend victims.

Summary  The KiVa Program focuses on bullying as a group process in which the bully behaves aggressively to get higher peer-group status and is reinforced by onlookers.  Comprised of 20 hours of curriculum designed to increase anti-bullying attitudes in schools, increase defending behaviors and self-efficacy among bystanders.  Lessons are comprised of class discussions, group work, short films, role-playing exercises, and a 5 level interactive computer game.

7 Domains  Domain 1. Measurement  Peer-Reported Victimization Scale (adequate internal consistency)  Generalized Perception of Peers Questionnaire  Beck Depression Inventory  2 Anxiety Scales- Fear of Negative Evaluation and Social Avoidance and Distress Scales  Strong Evidence was shown for the measures used  Domain 2. Comparison Groups  Participants were children in elementary schools in Finland. 7,741 participants (3,685 in the control group and 4,056 in intervention group) Average age was years old.

7 Domains continued…  Domain 3. Statistical Analyses of Outcome Variables  Strong evidence demonstrated. Small effect size  Adequate N  Domain 4. Implementation Fidelity  Promising evidence of Fidelity.

7 Domains continued…  Domain 5. Replication  Strong evidence for replication as KiVa has already been used with equivalent populations with similar outcomes.  Domain 6. Ecological Validity  Strong evidence as the study was conducted in a diverse public school and outcomes are assessed across different subgroups of students.  Domain 7. Persistence of Effect  Lasting effects were not measured, however, this would be a good direction for future research.

Results  KiVa is affective in reducing victimization in designated classrooms. Rates of victimization remained stable in the control groups and declined significantly among intervention participants.  KiVa may also positively influence students’ levels of anxiety/perceptions of peer climate. Social anxiety may be reduced once victimization has been reduced.  Students involved in KiVa reported less depression but the difference from the control group was not statistically significant.  Peer perceptions became more negative in both groups.

HOPS Intervention  Students in this particular school are struggling with homework skills.  School already utilizes the PATHS curriculum, which focuses on SES skills.  HOPS can be used for all ages.

HOPS Pre/Post Test