1. School counselors are part of the educational community focusing on academic achievement by helping students develop the academic, social, and self management skills they need to succeed.

2. Student Success Skills
Overview of key components
Research base supporting development of the program
Research results reflecting outcomes of using the program
Key components and tools embedded in the program
Program implementation
The presentation that follows will provide an overview of an evidenced based program that has been successful in improving the academic and social competence of students. Relevant research supporting the program will be shared followed by a look at the tools embedded in the SSS program that help students achieve success. Finally, some ideas about program implementation will be presented.

3. The Student Success Skills (SSS) Program focuses on developing key skills in an environment of caring, support, and encouragement that increases student confidence and effort contributing to student success.

4. Fundamentals and Teamwork
“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do”
John Wooden, UCLA
John Wooden, winningest coach in men’s NCAA basketball was known as a great motivator who stressed two important principles every practice—Fundamentals and teamwork–
In order to execute the playbook and win players must be fundamentally sound and work together. Then putting the playbook into effective use goes much better.
In education, the playbook is the curriculum. Students who do not master certain fundamental learning, social and self-management skills do not perform up to their true ability.
In the Student Success Skills program, students are taught crucial fundamentals and encouraged to help each other master these pre-requisite learning skills. They work as a team to insure that each player (student) can master the playbook (curriculum).
So what are these crucial fundamental skills that must be mastered?

5. THREE KEY SKILL SETS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS
I. Learning Skills
II. Social Skills
III. Self-Management Skills
The SSS program focuses on three key skill sets.

6. Research Base for Student Success Skills: Five Key Reviews Of Research
Wang, et al. (1994)
·        Reviewed 50 years of research on “What helps students learn”.
Hattie, et al. (1996)
·        Reviewed 10 years of research on “The effects of learning skills interventions on student learning”.
Masten & Coatsworth (1998)
·        Reviewed 25 years of research and identified “The most critical factors associated with academic and social competence”.
Marzano, et al. (2001).
·        Reviewed 10 years of research on “Classroom instruction and
summarized research-based strategies for increasing student achievement “.
Zins, et al. (2004).
·        Reviewed 10 years of research on “The relationship of social and emotional learning to academic success.”
The skills and strategies highlighted in the Student Success Skills program were selected based upon the recurring dominant themes that emerged from the following five extensive reviews of research:

7. All five extensive reviews found similar sets of skills contributing to academic success. These fundamental skills are the foundation for the Student Success Skills Program.
These include: Cognitive and meta-cognitive skills such as goal setting, progress monitoring, and memory skills; Social skills such as interpersonal skills, social problem solving, listening, and team-work skills; Self management skills such as managing attention, motivation, and anger. All three skill sets work in concert and each requires systematic teaching.

8. What happens when you teach these fundamental skills to students?
Very encouraging results
Rigorous research design gives us a high level of confidence in results

9. SSS Research Multiple Studies & Multiple Sites
Four studies
50 school counselors
36 schools in two counties
Over 800 students
Included grades 5,6,8,9
Key findings of four recent research studies involving school counselor led groups and classroom guidance focused on the Student Success Skills (SSS) approach.

10. Strong Evidence of Effectiveness
US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Evaluation includes the following criteria in establishing strong evidence of programs effectiveness:
Random assignment of treatment and comparison students
Effectiveness at multiple sites
Measures with high reliability and validity such as standardized tests
The US Department of Education provides guidelines for evaluating this type of research and establishing what works in education. (see slide) Randomized controlled trials in four studies involving two counties with diverse student populations were used to evaluate the effect of the Student Success Skills approach on student performance.

11. Consistent Findings:
FCAT math scores improved for approximately 86% of SSS students. Average increase was 30 points.
FCAT reading scores improved for approximately 78% of SSS students. Average increase was 25 points.
Follow-up study shows SSS students continue to make similar gains two years after participating in the program.

12. Here are a few additional examples of “closing the achievement gap” (review slide).
Note the Consistent positive slope of improvement for the Students using the SSS skills vs the relatively flat line of improvement for other students.

13. Outcomes showed similar achievement gaps beginning to close at other levels as well (review slide).

14. SSS and Student Behavior
Teacher Ratings
Nationally normed rating scale targeting skill areas involved in the SSS program
70% of students improved
Average improvement of 20 percentile points
Teachers reported improved behavior for students participating in the SSS intervention. As students begin to acquire the skills and confidence necessary for academic success their behavior also improves.

15. Time & Cost Effective:
The SSS students had gains comparable to an intensive FCAT tutoring program. The tutoring program: 44 hours led by certified teachers.
The SSS program: 12 hours (5 weekly classroom lessons followed by 8 weekly small group lessons) by school counselors.
The cost of the tutoring program: $272 per student. The recurring cost: $272 per student each year.
The cost of the SSS program: $5 per student. No recurring costs in subsequent years.

16. Support for SSS program strong:
  Over 97% of teachers rated the program as helpful or very helpful in meeting student academic and classroom management needs
Over 90% of principals surveyed support implementing the SSS program.

17. SSS Implementation (cont.)
Percent of teachers rating the seven items below on their degree of helpfulness:
Lesson addresses need 100%
Students enjoyed 98%
Students understood/applied 93%
Develops learning/social skills 93%
Involved all students 98%
Age appropriate 98%
Classroom management skills 100%
(Based on 45 teachers responding)
Teachers who have experienced/observed the facilitation of the SSS program have shown support. A group of 45 teachers were asked to rate teach of the items on a one to five “Likert” type scale with 1 being low and 5 being high. The percentages represent teacher ratings of 4 or 5.

18. Research Summary
School counselor led classroom and group lessons focused on Student Success Skills help students to improve academic achievement and behavior
Four studies with consistent findings
Significant gains in reading, math, and behavior
Randomized controlled trials
Multiple settings/grade levels
There is strong evidence to support the Student Success Skills program as an evidence based intervention improving the academic and social competence of students.

19. Student Success Skills: Strategies and Skills
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
The Student Success Skills approach is based on five key skill building areas. Embedded within each of these are specific skills and strategies students can learn to use to help them achieve academic success. The following slides highlight some of these key skills and strategies.

20. Goal setting and progress monitoring (cont.)
Goal setting and progress monitoring are also used to monitor daily life skills. Students learn how each of the life skills relates to increased energy and positive mood and note their efforts in each of these areas weekly. Students are taught to look for patterns in their behavior and to make changes as needed.

21. 4 Steps for Life Skills & 7 Keys
As students to look at first item on their Life Skills or 7 Keys goal sheet. Ask volunteer to read.
Next ask “Who has improved even a little during the past week?”
Ask for examples from 1-2 students. “Tell us what you did to improve”
Next, ask “Who else has tried this or something similar?
Ask volunteer to read next item and continue pattern for rest of items

22. Goal Set Sequence
THINK
WRITE
PAIR SHARE
VOLUNTEER SHARE

23. Creating a caring, supportive, encouraging classroom community
What do you think each of the three words (eyes, ears, heart) mean when related to good listening? Review and provide examples of each.
Ask students to share their “Safe Place” drawings with a partner while practicing these new listening skills – listening with eyes, ears, and heart.

24. Four Key Skills Embedded into Pair Share
Attending
Listening
Empathy
Encouragement

25. Performing Under Pressure
Managing Anxiety
Safe Place
Breath, Picture, Focus
Positive Self Talk*
Keep Kool Tunes
Students participate in an activity using their imagination to create a “safe place” to go to when under pressure. Students practice slow breathing while picturing themselves in their safe place. As anxiety is reduced, students can begin to focus on the task at hand. Students learn and practice positive self talk statements *(next slide) to increase self-confidence in being able to accomplish the task. Keep Kool Tunes are another fun and motivating way for students to surround themselves with positive messages.

26. Safe Place Use your imagination to create a safe place.
The first step in becoming skilled at performing under pressure is using your imagination to create a safe place.
Guide students through Safe Place activity.
After the activity ask students to draw their Safe Place (provide paper and colored markers).
When students have completed their drawing then say – In just a moment you will be able to share your picture with a partner. When you share you will also be practicing some very important skills. Next slide.

27. Breathe, Picture, Focus
Breathe in slowly to count of 5, hold for count of 5, exhale to count of 5
Picture yourself in your “Safe Place”
Focus on your strategy for the task at hand
Introduce breathe, picture, focus sequence. Breathe - take slow deep breaths. Sometimes it helps to count. Count to five on the inhale. Hold for a count of five. Exhale to the count of five. Have students practice.
Picture yourself in your safe place, It only takes a split second to visit your safe place to get you out of a negative self-talk loop that often goes along with rising anxiety.
Tell your self to focus on the strategies that you have pre-determined to use for this task. For example, if the task is taking a test, then you have several strategies to focus on. Additional strategies on next two slides.

28. Goal setting and progress monitoring
The research supported “Seven Keys to Mastering Any Course” are introduced. Students identify strengths and areas for improvement each week. Students learn how to set goals and develop action plans. It is most effective when teachers utilize the SSS skills and strategies as ongoing academic supports in the classroom.

29. Student Success Skills: Strategies and Skills
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
The Student Success Skills approach is based on five key skill building areas. Embedded within each of these are specific skills and strategies students can learn to use to help them achieve academic success. The following slides highlight some of these key skills and strategies.

30. Study Break – Brain Gym
Another use of positive message tunes is to combine them with movement and use them for a break from studying. Let’s try this out while I show you a few movements that can help you get your circulation going and send oxygen rich blood to your brain. While playing a positive message tune, demonstrate a few “Brain Gym” movements and ask students to follow your lead.

31. Keep Kool Tune Shields
Introduce Keep Kool Tune Shields. We can use music to create shields to help us cope with pressure situations. Under pressure we sometimes start negative tapes playing in our mind. For example, “this test is way too hard, how do they expect anybody to pass this thing, or I’m never going to get my license, everybody will think I am a loser, I won’t have any friends.” There is a simple technique that lots of people your age use to cut this negative message tape off. It involves three easy steps. Next slide.

32. “Keep Kool” Tune Shields
Your own positive music mental shields against negative self-talk
3 easy steps
Pay attention and label what is happening: “Ah Ha-there’s my negative self-talk again”.
Start your “Keep Kool” tune playing in your head. This will shift you away from your negative message which robs you of confidence and give you back control of your thinking.
Now that you are back in control decide the best thing to do next.
First, notice when the negative message tape is starting up.
Next, use the awareness of the negative message to trigger your positive message. “Time to hit my Keep Kool Tune”. This reminds you to start singing (silently if people are around you) the positive phrase from the song you have already picked out. For example, you start singing, “I feel good, like I know that I would…..” This is switching attention from an automatic negative message to a positive one.
Last, decide what is the best thing for you to do next to handle the current situation instead of letting the negative tape rob you of your confidence. Next slide.

33. Creating a caring, supportive, encouraging classroom community
Students participate in several activities geared towards enhancing support and encouragement within the classroom. In this exercise students work in small groups and share their ideas with the larger group. When used at the beginning of the year or semester it can help set the tone for academic success.

34. Optimism
If what you are currently doing is not getting you what you want:
Try Something Different!!

35. Optimism
One of the greatest predictors of student academic success is their level of healthy optimistic thinking. Seligman (1995).

36. The Optimistic Child Seligman (1995)
We can teach students the tools they need to persist optimistically through failure and frustration until they succeed.
Do not question ability, question the strategy used. The strategy can be improved.
Failure is a temporary setback

37. Optimism Can Be Learned
We can help students learn optimism by teaching them to:
To use cognitive, social and self-management strategies
To set realistic goals
To notice even small improvements.
Then they see that what they do makes a difference and they become more optimistic and resilient

38. Optimism: 3 Questions
Is it personal
Is it pervasive
Is it permanent

39. Pessimist: Upon getting back a bad test score
It’s me. I can’t learn this math. (it’s personal)
I’m stupid. I’m not good at learning. (it’s pervasive)
I’m never going to get this stuff. (it’s permanent)

40. Optimist Upon getting back a bad test score
It’s not my ability, its my strategy, my study plan, ect. (not personal)
It’s just one test, I’ll bring it up on the next one. ( not pervasive)
It’s just a temporary setback
( not permanent)

41. Kaizen Japanese Small, seemingly insignificant improvement
Continuous and never ending improvement
The ability to notice even very small improvements in ourselves and also in others
The Japanese concept of “Kaizen” is a key to the Student Success Skills approach as they set goals, develop plans, and monitor progress towards improved academic and social competence.

42. Kaizen Little by little, Bit by bit, I’m improving, Everyday
Have students stand and participate in Kaizen hand play.

43. Cognitive Reframing Be the Boss of your Brain
“My brain doesn’t do what I want it to
It does what I tell it to”
Marcus Conyers—BrainSmart

44. Up until now I lose my keys on a regular basis
I forget names that I should easily know
I have trouble remembering a list of things in order

45. From Now On I am going to put my keys in the same place every time
I am going to associate the name with something to help me remember
I am going to use my ten peg body location memory system

46. Body Location Memory Pegs
Ten top foods for health:
Blueberries
Nuts
Salmon
Broccoli
Bananas
Frozen Yogurt
Olive Oil
Brown Bread
Spinach
Tomatoes

47. Summarizing and Memory
Every minutes stop and have students summarize
Think, write, pair share, volunteer share
Small group discuss “Most Important Ideas”
At the end of the lesson or unit:
Work in pairs or small groups to create graphic organizer of “Most Important Ideas”

48. Summarizing and Memory: Index Cards
Give students time in class to create index cards using their “Most Important Ideas”
Provide a few examples of effective index cards related to the upcoming test.
Encourage students to review their cards six times before the test.
Give students 3-5 minutes to review their cards one last time just before the test.

49. SSS Implementation School Counselor Training Teacher Training/Workshop
Classroom Guidance
Small Group Counseling
Effective implementation of the SSS approach requires some training and preparation. Current models involve five days of training for school counselors spread out over a period of several months to allow for practice and feedback about initial implementation on school sites. School counselors can also be trained to provide an overview at the school level to introduce teachers to SSS strategies for classroom use. Skills can be introduced to students in large classroom groups. Counselors can use this opportunity to model each strategy for teachers as well. Teachers follow-up with SSS language and skills helps to create a supportive, caring classroom giving students the confidence they need to achieve. Students who need additional support and practice can be targeted for small group intervention with increased emphasis on skills such as managing anger.

50. SSS Group Counseling 8 Weekly 45 minute sessions
Monthly booster sessions
Bookends for each meeting:
Life Skills & 7 Keys
Goal report, progress monitor, share success stories, goal set

51. SSS Group Counseling Predictable Format Each Week: Begin—Life skills
Middle-Social Problem Solve
End-Seven Keys

52. We focus on five keys:
1.     Setting goals and making plans to help us reach our goals (academic, social, self-management).
        2. Building on our strengths, practicing new skills and giving and getting good coaching feedback.
        Sharing successes and improvements, even if small (Kaizen) and being encouraging to ourselves and others.
4.    Getting better at brainstorming how to solve problems/blocks that keep us from our goals
       Stretching/challenging ourselves to reach higher/further and working on our balance so we will have the energy and positive attitudes/feelings to keep us motivated and going forward.

53. SSS Implementation (cont.)
Commitment for Implementation
Five days of counselor training over several months (classroom, group, teacher workshop delivery)
Minimum of one hour per day of counselor time to facilitate SSS (classroom guidance or group counseling)
To achieve the expected results, schools must make a commitment to the SSS approach beginning with training. Faculty participation in a brief workshop highlighting key components of the program is suggested. Administrators must be committed to work with counselors to redirect at least one hour of counselor time per day to the implementation of classroom guidance (with teachers present) and small group counseling focused on SSS.

54. If what you’re doing isn’t working – pick a new strategy
Share example of the maze.

55. Funding Sources Title I Funds SIP Funds SAI Funds
Staff development aimed at instructional strategies
SIP Funds
Improving achievement & insuring a safe & healthy school environment
SAI Funds
Supplemental instruction to improve academic achievement

56. Student Success Skills
Try something proven to set students up for success.
Try something that helps students develop life long skills
Try Student Success Skills

57. Optimism Do not question your ability. Question the strategy used.
The strategy can be improved.

58. Next Steps
Think about what you most want to take away form this presentation.
What are your first steps to using what you have learned?

59. The End
School counselors can be part of the educational community focusing on academic achievement by helping students develop the academic, social, and self management skills they need to succeed. Thank you.