Amy W. Upton, Ph.D. Emily Goodman-Scott, Ph.D. Rebecca Pierre-Louis, M.S.Ed. Tim Grothaus, Ph.D.

So what does data mean for a school counselor? Emily

 Process Data: ◦ Number of participants ◦ Details on the intervention  10 students completed a study skills group led by the school counselor ASCA, 2012

 Perception Data ◦ Participant’s thoughts, reactions, knowledge  50% of participants reported feeling safer in school after the bullying prevention intervention  75% of students could name one or more study skills strategies for SOL preparation  Pre and post tests, needs assessments, surveys, etc. ASCA, 2012

 Outcome Data ◦ Shows the impact/result of an intervention  Office discipline referrals & suspensions  Attendance  Standardized test results  Counseling/bullying referrals  Homework completion  GPA, graduation, drop-out  Course enrollment  (PBIS implemented? PBIS-related assessments: i.e., SET, BoQ) ASCA, 2012

 What is working well at this school?  What concerns you about this data?  Does an achievement gap exist? Where?  What additional information do you need?  What should you focus on? What data should you collect?  What Goals should you set? (Adapted from Carol Kaffenberger & Tim Grothaus’ VSCA presentation – March, 2013)

Annual program goals are based upon data and determine the focus for the school counseling program  They promote positive achievement, attendance, behavior and school safety  Address academic, career & personal/social development  Are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, time bound) Amy

Review the school data profile to identify achievement and behavioral data, especially academic gaps between groups (race/ethnicity, gender, SES, English proficiency, and/or grade level). Review current academic, career and personal/social domain activities and interventions provided to all students. This activity can help school counselors review their comprehensive services and consider gaps in their program delivery. Engage in a reflective process – consider what is working and not working for students. Review the school improvement plan (SIP) goal and consider the school counseling program activities that align with the school’s instructional accountability goals. Your school administrators and other stakeholders have areas of concern. Why might it be SMART to align your program goals with these?

 Dissatisfaction with status quo  Goal acceptance and commitment  Goal specificity- clearly articulates who, what, why, when, where, and how  Conceivable and clearly understood  Believable – I/We have what we need to succeed (

 Achievable  Degree of difficulty – high enough to encourage high performance yet still attainable  Lack of conflict with other important goals  Considering different ways to accomplish the goal  Persistence (despite demands and distractions)  Feedback about progress/effectiveness (

 How do you create goals for your program that will address school/student/program needs AND be effective?  Developing SMART goals is one way to address your program’s needs.  But…what is a SMART goal?

 S = Specific Issue What is the specific issue based on our school’s data?  M = Measurable How will we measure the effectiveness of our interventions?  A = Attainable What outcome would stretch us but is still attainable?  R = Results-Oriented Is the goal reported in results-oriented data (process, perception and outcome)?  T = Time Bound When will our goal be accomplished?

“Research findings indicate educators are beginning to understand that an unequal distribution of power and cultural capitol may very well result in some of the identified gaps” (Santamaria & Santamaria, 2012, p.152) “Practitioners need to examine how their work can inadvertently support the status quo. Given the responsibility counselors have to engage in social action and address inequity in society, counselors need to be proactive” (Sampson, Dozier, & Colvin, 2011). Tim

School counselors strive for exemplary cultural competence… develop competencies in how prejudice, power, and various forms of oppression… affect self, students, and all stakeholders. Acquire educational, consultation, and training experiences to improve awareness, knowledge, skills, and effectiveness in working with diverse populations… Affirm the multiple cultural and linguistic identities of every student and all stakeholders… use inclusive and culturally responsible language… increase understanding, collaborative two-way communication and a welcoming school climate between families and the school to promote increased student achievement. Work as advocates and leaders in the school to create equity-based school counseling programs that help close any achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps… (American School Counselor Association, 2010, pp. 5-6)

“Ensuring that every child has the right to a quality and equitable education is every school counselor’s ethical responsibility” (Stone & Dahir, 2011, p. 19)

“Advocacy comprises attitudes and actions that facilitate the empowerment of individuals or groups by enhancing self-efficacy, removing barriers to needed services, and promoting access to resources and power” (Grothaus, McAuliffe, Danner, & Doyle, 2012). “Fix the system, not the student” (Erford, House, & Martin, 2007)

In addition to the clear gaps in achievement, might there be achievement related data that indicates a need for advocacy and culturally responsive interventions? For example, if you were to explore the 82% increase in ‘offenses against students’ in the last two years and found that more than 50% of these involved harassment about sexual orientation or gender identity, how might you construct a SMART goal and action plan to address this? Share your SMART goals and action plans and assist each other in sharpening these with questions and feedback.

Thoughts? Questions? Comments? Thank You!