1. Monroe Clark Middle School
School Counseling & Guidance Program
Classroom Guidance Results
Danielle Duarte
San Diego State University Field Work Student

2. Classroom Guidance Delivery Plan
Presented lesson in all three 8th grade House B English classes
(approximately 100 students)
50 minute lesson on helpful teen habits and setting goals
Lessons were delivered in September 2008

3. Guidance Curriculum Topics
Helpful Teen Habits
Defined ‘habit’ and brainstormed good and bad habits
Students filled out a worksheet based on their important and unimportant activities and discussed ways to prioritize.
Goal Setting
Used Goal Setting Section in Student Agenda to read examples of short- and long-term goals.
Students created their own goals and wrote them in their agenda.

4. Goals of the Lesson Goals Included:
To help students identify their productive and non-productive habits and understand the importance of prioritizing.
To teach students to differentiate between a short- and long-term goal and apply the principles of goal setting to create their own goals.

5. American School Counselor Association National Standards
Academic Standard A
Students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
Career Development Standard A
Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.
Personal/Social Standard B
Students will make decisions, set goals and take necessary action to achieve goals.

6. American School Counselor Association Student Competencies
A:A2.1 Apply time management and task management skills
C:A1.6 Learn how to set goals
PS:B1.9 Identify long- and short-term goals
PS:B1.12 Develop an action plan to set and achieve realistic goals

7. Why Goals? Research tells us…
Goal setting is one critical component of school success.1
Setting goals helps students develop responsibility for their learning and helps them gain an internal sense of control.2
Brigman & Campbell, 2003
Educational Research Service, 2004

8. Results from California Healthy Kids Survey 2007
Why Goals?
Achievement Data
Results from California Healthy Kids Survey 2007
7th Grade students who reported they have goals and aspirations
San Diego Unified California
California healthy kids survey: Technical report for San Diego Unified School District & California (Spring 2007). WestEd.

9. Why Goals? Achievement-Related Data
Results from California Health Kids Survey 2007
7th Grade students’ reported level of self-efficacy (believe in their abilities to succeed)
Low Moderate High
California healthy kids survey: Technical report for San Diego Unified School District (Spring 2007). WestEd.

10. Based on first quarter progress report
Why Goals?
Clark’s Achievement Data
Percent of 8th Grade students receiving F’s in their core classes:
12% with F’s in English
20% with F’s in Math
Based on first quarter progress report
Reminder – only students with no F’s on their last semester report card can participate in promotion activities!

11. What Do the Students BELIEVE?
Students who believe their habits can be changed
Number of students who strongly
agree increased by 181%!
Students who believe their habits can be changed

12. What Do the Students KNOW?
Percentage of students who understood the definition of prioritize
Pre-Test Post-Test
The percent of students nearly doubled

13. What Do the Students KNOW?
Percentage of students who could differentiate between short- and long-term goals
Pre-Test Post-Test
That’s a 194% Increase!

14. What SKILL Did They Learn?
91% of the students created short- and long-term goals and wrote them in their student agenda.

15. Types of Goals Students Created
Most students created goals based on grades and/or promoting from 8th grade

16. Achievement-Related Results
Six months later, 76% of students reported they were halfway to their goal or further.

17. Achievement-Related Results
Six months later, 94% agreed or strongly agreed that completing their goal for the year would help them reach other goals in the future.

18. Implications & Limitations
Students showed they already knew some of the material presented
A few students looked at their pre-test answers when completing the post-test
Results data was not measured for this lesson
Some of the pre/post test questions were confusing
The prioritizing activity was a bit complex and should be more developmentally appropriate

19. Recommendations
Give pre-test to a sample of students and adapt the lesson based on their responses, prior to administering lesson to entire House
Use different scantrons for pre and post tests
Accommodate for different academic and developmental levels when designing the lesson
Consider visiting the classrooms for a follow-up lesson to see where students are at in their goal-setting process and provide further support

20. Next Steps
Analyze this year’s CHKS data for the percentage of students who reported having goals and aspirations
Speak with teachers about conducting a short follow-up lesson to reinforce the lesson concepts
Work with students individually and in small groups for more support of developing and maintaining goals (intentional guidance)
Analyze academic data to analyze any improvements

21. Thank You
Monroe Clark’s Counseling Department is striving to guide all students to achieve their full potential in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development.
Thank you for your support!

22. References
Brigman, G. &Campbell, C. (2003). Helping students improve academic achievement and school success behavior. Professional School Counseling 7(2), Retrieved December 5, 2008 from
Educational Research Service (2004). Motivating reluctant learners. Retrieved December 5, 2008 from
Hatch, T. (2007). Using the FLASHLIGHT BUILDER © approach to measuring and sharing results! The Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership. Retrieved December 15, 2008 from