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Counseling in the Schools: Practical Wisdom Meets ASCA · PDF file ·...
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Counseling in the Schools: Practical Wisdom Meets ASCA Trends Whitney McMillan Leslie Ann Moore Kelsey Poe Rachel Richards Amy Sutter with thanks to contributions by Lissett Bohannon and Garisa Spikes Counselor Education The University of Texas at Austin
Transcript of Counseling in the Schools: Practical Wisdom Meets ASCA · PDF file ·...
Counseling in the Schools:
Practical Wisdom Meets
ASCA Trends
Whitney McMillan
Leslie Ann Moore
Kelsey Poe
Rachel Richards
Amy Sutterwith thanks to contributions by
Lissett Bohannon and Garisa Spikes
Counselor Education
The University of Texas at Austin
Emergence of ASCA Standards
Early 1900’s Industrial revolution leads to Progressive
Movement
1918 WWI – vocational assessment & counseling
Leads to legislation to get counselors in schools
Counseling is directive
1950’s Sputnik and the rise of the National Education Defense Act
1950’s – 1960’s (Carl Rogers – Non-directive counseling)
1970’s Comprehensive Guidance Programs
2001 No Child Left Behind – emphasis on achievement and accountability
2005 ASCA Standards Published - Accountability
Benefits of the Data-Driven Models
Outlined in ASCA
o Matches standards-based education.o Convinces principals to prioritize counseling.o Helps with selection and evaluation of interventions.o Allows for the analysis of effectiveness for
subgroups of students.o Facilitates future programming decisions.o Justifies time on counseling activities /limit non-
counselor related assignments. o Invites support from stakeholders.
(Bacon, 2008)
Challenges of ASCA Implementation
o Counselors have limited time.
o Budget and resources are limited.
o Requires support from staff and other stakeholders.
o Counselors are diverted from counseling duties.
o Counselors have not been trained in program
evaluation.
o Numbers can be scary.
Crunching Numbers:
What Are We Afraid Of?
o A lack of knowledge and training in how to easily collect,
analyze, and interpret data
o A fear of the amount of time it may take to analyze data
and interpret results
o A fear that, regardless, numbers won't make a
difference
(Hatch & Chen-Hayes, 2008)
A Real-Life Example
Sheila is a counselor at Longhorn Middle School in a low-income, urban school district. She has recently noticed that there have been a high number of detentions occurring in the eighth grade. How should Sheila proceed?
(Dimmit, Carey & Hatch, 2007, p.15)
Option #1:
• implements intervention program to help with student behavior in class
• pretest and posttest data indicate students learned the concepts
Option #2:
• analyzes the reasons for detentions
• changes school policy to ensure only conduct problems result in detentions
• institutes a peer mediation program
(Dimmit, Carey & Hatch, 2007, p.15)
Two Approaches
Data-Driven Practices in Action
o How do you identify problem areas in your school?
o How do you know if these programs are successful? To what extent?
Implementing Data-Driven Practices
Let's examine the steps for implement data-driven practices
in your counseling program. Chances are, you're already
doing more than you think!
1. Conduct a needs assessment.
2. Set goals.
3. Measure your program's progress.
Step 1: Conduct a Needs
Assessment
A formal process of gathering information from a range of stake-holders about their perceptions of the needs of the student population and the
importance of particular curricular foci or specific interventions.
Benefits of conducting a needs assessment:
o Identify current needs
o academic
o behavioral
o population-specific
o Prioritize needs based on findings
o Identify existing and needed resources
(Dimmit, Carey & Hatch, 2008)
Who Gets the Needs Assessment?
Who has a stake in or benefits from an effective counseling program in a
school?
o Students
o Parents
o Teachers
o Administration
o Community Leaders
o Local Universities
o City Officials
Benefits of using multiple stakeholders:
o Have assistance
o Develop buy-in
o Increased awareness of multiple perspectives
(Dimmit, Carey & Hatch, 2008)
Creating a Needs Assessment
Should assess functioning across multiple areas, including:
o Academic achievement
o Curriculum and instruction
o Environmental stressors
o Professional development
o Student-Staff relations
o Parent-School relations
o Functionality of counseling department
o Family and community involvement
o Multicultural awareness
Item format may include free-form response, Likert scale, etc.
(Dimmit, Carey, & Hatch, 2008)
Demographic
information should
be included
Sample Needs Assessment:
Longhorn Middle School Parent SurveyPlease ‘x’ if this is a
concern
Please rank checked items
Bullying
Drug use
Parent-school relations
Peer pressure
Conflict resolution
Adjustment to high school
Peer pressure
I think my child would benefit most from being part of a group about:
I would like a counselor to meet with my child’s class about:
Other suggestions:
Disaggregation of Data in
Needs Assessment
o Helps determine how certain subgroups are doing
relative to the general student population
o Reveals inequities that exist in schools, which is
necessary to school improvement
(Dimmit, Carey, & Hatch, 2008, p. 35)
Data can be disaggregated according to:
o English Language Learner (ELL) status
o grade level
o achievement quartile
o teacher/classroom
o gender
o race/ethnicity
o socioeconomic status
o language
o special education placement
Disaggregation:
Identifying Groups
Sample Disaggregation of Data
In our initial needs assessment we determined that bullying is a
major concern among our school population.
When the data is disaggregated, we see how to better serve the
following subgroups:
• 64% of students who identified themselves as a racial or ethnic
minority indicated that bullying is a concern for them
• 51% of boys indicated bullying is a concern, as opposed to 28% of
girls
• 67% of English Language Learners indicated bullying is a
problem64% of students who identified themselves as a racial or
ethnic minority indicated that bullying is a concern for them
Step 2: Setting Goals
Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals:
o Specific
o Measurable
o Attainable
o Relevant
o Time Bound
SMART Goal ExampleSchool-wide goal
o Bullying behaviors will be reduced as measured by a 20% reduction in
disciplinary referrals for interpersonal conflict from the fall semester to
the spring. semester.
ASCA National Standards
PS:A2.1 Recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities
PS:A2.3 Recognize, accept, respect and appreciate individual differences
PS:A2.4 Recognize, accept and appreciate ethnic and cultural diversity
PS:B1.6 Know how to apply conflict resolution skills
PS:C1.4 Demonstrate the ability to set boundaries, rights and personal privacy PS:C1.6 Identify resource people in the school and community, and know how to seek their help
Examples of Modalities for
Intervention to Accomplish Goals
Law of Parsimony
Guidance Activities: Reach all
of the students
Small Group Activities
Individual
Intervention
Goals for Guidance LessonsGuidance Curriculum
o Preventive program for all students
o Competency-driven
o Prioritize based on needs assessment data
Sample goal: Following the lesson, all students
will demonstrate understanding of Longhorn High
School's anti-bullying policy.
Using Your Disaggregated Data
o Identify "at risk" population
o Lead "Intentional Guidance" sessions with this group
Ex. If 10th grade boys have the most bullying-related referrals, the counselor might schedule an extra lesson during one of their gym class periods.
Sample Goal: By the end of the lesson, students will be able
to articulate strategies for acting as an ally upon witnessing
bullying.
PS:C1.2 Learn about the relationship between rules, laws, safety and the protection of rights of the individual
PS:C1.5 Differentiate between situations requiring peer support and situations requiring adult professional help
Goals for GroupsDetermine group membership, either as indicated on a
needs assessment or self-referred
For example, create a group for racial/ethnic
minorities and English Language Learners and invite
students to participate.
Plan ahead for and teach ASCA competencies
PS:B1.5 "Demonstrate when, where and how to seek
help for solving problems and making decisions"
PS:B1.6 "Know how to apply conflict resolution skills"
American School Counselor Association (2004). ASCA
National Standards for Students. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Step 3: Measuring Your
Program's Progress
o Collecting and using data helps measure the
goals you have set
o After writing a goal, consider how it would best
be measured
Existing Data
o Attendance records
o Discipline referrals
o Other discipline records (in school suspension,
suspensions, detentions)
o Grades
o Standardized test scores
o Receiving services
o Reduced lunch
o Ethnicity
Easily Obtained DataSurveys
o How is the problem perceived by stakeholders before
and after the intervention?
Pre and post tests
o What did students learn in the guidance
lesson/group/individual session?
Dimmit, Carey & Hatch (2008)
Pre/Post Test EvaluationHow will you know if your students learned anything from your lesson?
• Make sure you have an equal number of Pre and Post-tests
• Do not use tests that are unmatched or incomplete
• Grade all the tests (both pre and post)
• Add up the total number correct for all students’ Post-tests
• Add up total number correct for all students’ Pre-tests
Total Number of Students 20
Number of questions on each test 5
Total number correct answers among all students on PRE-TEST
70
Total number correct answers among all students on POST-TEST
90
Use the sums of the Pre and Post tests to compute increase in
knowledge with this formula:
Then multiply that decimal by 100 to get a percent:
You will then have percent increase in knowledge.
Finding Percent Increase in Knowledge
(Adapted from Dimmit, Carey, Hatch, 2007)
This number represents how
many this student got
correct on his/her pre-test
Total Number of Students 25
Number of questions on each test 4
Total number correct answers among all students on PRE-TEST
60
Total number correct answers among all students on POST-TEST
90
Calculate Percent Change
Total Number of Students 25
Number of questions on each test 4
Total number correct answers among all students on PRE-TEST
60
Total number correct answers among all students on POST-TEST
90
0.50.50.50.5
50% increase in knowledge50% increase in knowledge50% increase in knowledge50% increase in knowledge
Sample Pre & Post-Test Data
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Absences Suspensions TeacherReferrals
ParentComplaints
Intervention Outcomes: Pre-Existing Data
Pre Intervention
Post Intervention
N=350
Sample Pre & Post-Test Data:
Intervention-Specific Goal Outcomes
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
"I feel safe atschool"
"I know whereto go for helpif I am being
bullied"
"I understandwhat it means
to be abystander"
Ability toname fourkinds ofbullying
Pre Intervention
Post Intervention
N=350
In Conclusion
Bits of Advice for ASCA National Model
Implementation
• Remember, the purpose of the ASCA National
Model is to do more school counseling.
• Keep it simple.
• The ASCA National Model is even more
important when you have a large caseload so
things don't fall through the cracks.
(adapted from www.ascanationalmodel.org)
References
American School Counselor Association (2004). ASCA National Standards for Students. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Bacon, V. L. (2008). A new vision for school counseling: Evidence-based practice. PsycCRITIQUES 53(9), 1554-0138.
Dimmit, C., Carey, J. C., & Hatch, T. (2007). Evidence-Based school counseling: Making a difference with data-driven practices. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Dollarhide, C. T. & Saginak, K. A. (2102). Comprehensive schoolcounseling programs: K-12 delivery systems in action (2ndEd.). Boston: Pearson.
Schmidt, J. J. (1999). Counseling in schools: Essential services and comprehensive programs (3rd Ed.) Needham Heights, MA:
Allyn & Bacon.Whiston, S., Tai, W. L., Rahardya, D., & Eder, L. (2011). School-
counseling outcome: A meta-analytic evaluation of Interventions. Journal of Counseling and Development, 89 ,37-55.
