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James W. Robinson, Jr. Secondary School (2017)

Fairfax, VA

Academic Achievement
Transitions

Small Group Responsive Services

At our annual Student Services planning retreat, we were advised Administration had opened the door for more student availability for small group counseling; we decided to expand our group offerings in the following year. Using our goals as the guide, counselors were offered the opportunity to facilitate groups closest to their area of interest.



Peers Opting to Improve Social Engagement (POISE) is a group which provides peer support to eighth grade students struggling with academic and/or social issues as identified by middle school counselors. It is a two year commitment of these students who are paired with an eleventh grade mentor; the pairs continue through the younger students’ ninth grade year. The group was initiated over six years ago by counselor Kirsten Wiley who saw the need for a transition support group and employed superior junior volunteers selected by interviews. The group has grown over the years; counselors Jenna Jablonski and Cijlvere Nute volunteered to be facilitators. Survey and attendance/discipline data indicated the value of this group. It has become a well-known and praised effort within the school which we will continue.



Hispanic College Applications is a group whose purpose is to increase awareness of four year college opportunities and rate of college applications of Hispanic students. The rate at which our Hispanic students applied to four year colleges was approximately 15% lower than every other ethnic or racial groups. The College Applications group was composed of seniors and began early in the year; it was co-led by counselor Enrique Fernandez who is Hispanic, and Eileen Doyle, our College and Career Center Specialist. This group was advertised to all Hispanic seniors; ten opted to attend. Student perception data indicated the group was positively received and we intend to continue it.



Freshmen Study Skills is a group we designed to support our freshmen promotion goal for students who failed an academic course in eighth grade and received Special Education Services. The purpose was to instill and confirm the presence of basic time management and study skills in these students while making the transition from middle to high school. Counselors Brianne Slizofski, Lacey Jacobsen and Megan Adkins expressed interest in working with younger high school students and co-led this group. While we believe this was good information, we hope to aim it at the freshman population outside of Special Education as well. Further data analysis will assist us in determining a target group having that specific need within that population.



Senior Graduation is a group intervention supporting our senior graduation goal. We initiated the group in the third quarter after targeting seniors who were at risk of not graduating; the initial criteria was 10 or more full day first semester absences and a list of these seniors was reviewed by counselors who analyzed grade progressions and invited seniors considered at risk of not graduating to attend. Counselors co-leading the group were Jenna Jablonski, Mark Gomperts and Joanie Murphy, all of whom expressed a preference to work with older students and help them toward graduation. They were assisted by our Spring Semester counseling intern, Gina Hafez. All students who participated in the group graduated in June and their attendance improved in the quarter in which the group was held. Because graduation is a continuing concern in education and attendance issues are increasingly prevalent, the results affirmed the value of this group and we will continue to offer it to students at risk of not graduating.



“Good Vibes” is a self-esteem and social skills group whose purpose is to help students feeling isolated to connect with others more easily. The concept was presented to a counselor by students with the initial proposal to help new Robinson students to assimilate. Counselors decided to expand the concept to include students who appeared isolated due to difficulty in social interactions. Each counselor nominated students whom they believed could benefit from the group. Additionally, the group was made available to all students; it was advertised as a friendship group to avoid any perceived stigma. Because her students initially approached her with the idea, Counselor Kirsten Wiley assisted by counseling interns Lindsey Bauer and Gina Hafez co-led the group. Students were very positive about the group; one even wrote a song about it and performed it in the group. Based on the positive perception data, we plan to offer this group in the future.

Group Name: Senior Graduation Group

Goal: By the end of the 2015-16 school year, 100% of seniors identified at the end of the 1st semester as having 10 or more full day absences will graduate on time by August 2016.

Target Group: Seniors having 10 or more full day absences in the first semester who are also at risk of not graduating due to concerns in classes and grades.

Data Used to Identify Students: Attendance data (10 or more full day absences) at the end of the 1st semester and grades in classes needed for graduation at the end of the 1st semester.

School Counselor(s): Jablonski, Gomperts, Murphy, Hafez (intern)

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M-2 B-LS 1, B-LS 2, B-LS 7 B-SM 3 B-SS 2, B-SS 3, B-SS 6

Outline of Group Sessions Delivered: 1.Setting Goals 2.Mind Maps 3.Goal Setting Skills 4.Obstacles to Reaching Goals 5.Mental Contrasting 6.Visualization of Graduation, Reflection, and Closing

Process Data (Number of students affected): 6 seniors who had 10 or more full-day absences in the first semester of their senior year, and are considered at-risk of not graduating due to various concerns(four students participated regularly in the group).

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): Students who participated in the small group were given a paper based pre and post-survey. Group members indicated on the pre-survey that they were motivated, yet anxious about the group and they were all interested in making sure that they graduate on time. The students also answered the questions on the Trait Hope Scale (or Adult Hope Scale), created to measure the cognitive model of hope within Snyder’s Hope Theory. Three of the four group members improved in their HOPE scale. High HOPE scales are associated with positive outcomes including academic achievement and indicate that these students made positive progress and felt more hopeful at the end of the group versus the beginning.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): Achievement and attendance were both analyzed at the end of this group. Of the six seniors who had 10 or more full-day absences in the first semester of their senior year and were considered at-risk of not graduating, all six students graduated in June of 2016. This means there was a 100% successful graduation rate for members of this group. In addition, attendance improved for all students who participated in this group during the quarter in which the group was held. Student 1, who had the highest number of absences (12) in the quarter prior to the group, decreased to 8 absences during the quarter the group was held (a 33% decrease). Student 3 had an 83% decrease in number of full-day absences (from 6 to 1). In addition, 3 of the 4 students maintained or improved their attendance habits during the quarter after the group was held.

Implications: The perception data indicated this group was helpful in supporting students with their hopeful thinking, as shown in the increase of HOPE scores for three out of the four participants. The one student that decreased in their hope score actually had a hope score that was above average to begin with. Although it is difficult to say the specific reason for the decrease without further questioning the student, the decrease in hope score could have been due to a variety of factors as speculated by the group members, including the end of the group (which means a lack of a support system from group members at a specific time), the future after high school drawing near, or continued confusion as to next steps. It is clear that this group was helpful as a support group for our at-risk seniors who participated, as evidenced by the 100% on-time graduation rate from the participants and improvement in attendance during and after the group.

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