RATIONALE

At Miles Elementary, the school counseling team acknowledges that identifying and closing achievement gaps are an integral part of helping every student be successful. An achievement gap was identified after reviewing Fall 2015 Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Reading scores. During this review of MAP standardized test score data, the counselors and administration noticed that 5th grade students who were scoring below the 35th percentile were predominately male students with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). After discussing this concern with the administration team, it was determined that this group of students should become the target of Goal 3, the Closing the Gap Goal. The counselors selected the Why Try (WT) small group curriculum as the intervention to be used to close the gap because research from Moore (2001) indicated that WT contributes to increases in confidence, motivation, and test scores for students who participate in the program. Therefore, Miles’ Goal 3 was developed to foster expected growth in the target group of students as mandated by the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) by the Spring 2016 Reading MAP test.



All students, K-5, at Miles Elementary take the NWEA MAP assessment. Review of the Fall 2015 MAP data revealed that 7 male students in the 5th grade with an IEP had scored at or below the 35th percentile (below proficiency). The goal of raising MAP reading scores was set at 6 points as this was the average/typical growth for the norm group of 5th graders. At the onset of the school year, the Student Success Skills (SSS) curriculum was implemented as a Tier 1 intervention by counselors and teachers in all K-5 classrooms. However, this gap group was still evidencing that they needed more supplemental support so they were targeted for the Tier 2 WT small group program. All 7 students returned permission slips to participate. Additionally, each student included in the WT group received Tier 3 intervention via a daily Check-in/Check-out system. Mr. Dollins provided these interventions.



PROCESS DATA

Seven (7) male students in the 5th grade who had IEPs participated in the intervention. Services were delivered on a weekly basis for a total of 6 sessions lasting 30-45 minutes each. Services were delivered from 2/24/2016 to 3/30/2016. In addition, during this time frame, students participated in a daily Check-In/Check-Out system which consisted of morning and afternoon quick checks (5-10 minutes) with the counselor. During these meetings, students received reminders, coaching, and encouragement, and monitoring of their grades and behavior.



PERCEPTION DATA

All 7 students in the group completed a 10 question pre/post-test (see attached) what they knew before and after regarding the ten topics covered in WT: Reality Ride (Q1) Positive & Negative Labels (Q2) Tearing off your label (Q3) Defense Mechanisms (Q4) Positive Self-Talk (Q5) Peer Pressure (Q6) Jumping Your Hurdles (Q7) Lifting the Weight (Q8) Positive Relationships or Connections (Q9) and Dreams/Goals (10). The pre-tests took place on 2/24/16 before the first lesson and the post-tests on 3/30/16 after the lessons ended. As a whole, students increased in their overall knowledge of the WT skills from 49.5% at pre-test to 92.5% at post-test.



OUTCOME DATA

Outcome data results revealed that 5 out of 7 students (71%) who participated in the WT small group and Check-In/Check-Out system, met their expected growth goals as set forth by NWEA. Individual growth ranged from 3 to 36 RIT points with an average gain of 18.5 points. As the goal was to increase their scores on the MAP reading assessment by 6 points, this group, as a whole, far exceeded this goal. Full explanation of the perception and outcome data results, tables, and figures can be found in the Closing the Gap Results Report.



NEXT STEPS BASED ON RESULTS

The counselors at Miles are firmly committed to identifying and assisting in closing achievement gaps for students. Careful examination of data indicates possible target groups who need services. Given that the results of this small group and the Check-In/Check-Out support were so positive, the counselors will continue to use the WT evidence-based program with students in this grade level who struggle academically, as well as expand this program with additional grades in the 2016-2017 school year. In addition, the Check-In/Check-Out system which offers constant, ongoing contact with students proved useful in helping these struggling students remain accountable and connected. Miles counselors collaborate with administration and teachers to prioritize strategies that will accelerate the achievement of targeted students, maximize their effect, and continuously monitor the impact of these strategies on student outcomes.

Goal: Fifth grade boys with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and identified as scoring below the 35th percentile on the Fall 2015 Reading MAP assessment will receive Tier 2 small group counseling and Tier 3 individualized intervention to their Reading MAP scores by 6 Rasch Unit (RIT) values (typical growth in the norm group of 5th graders) by the Spring 2016 Reading MAP assessment.

Target Group: 5th grade students on an IEP who scored below the 35% on reading MAP

Data Used to Identify Students: Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) reading scores

School Counselor(s): Craig Dollins

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): WT- M2-6 & B:LS 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9 & B:SM 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 10 & BS: SS 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 10.

Type of Activities to be Delivered in What Manner?: 6 consecutive weekly meetings for 30-45 minutes of the Why Try (WT) small group intervention (Tier 2) and individual counseling-Check-In/Check-Out support (Tier 3)

Process Data (Number of students affected): 7, 5th grade students

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): Each student completed a pre/post-test to determine what they knew before and what they knew after regarding the ten topics including the Reality Ride (Q1) Positive & Negative Labels (Q2) Tearing off your label (Q3) Defense Mechanisms (Q4) Positive Self-Talk (Q5) Peer Pressure (Q6) Jumping Your Hurdles (Q7) Lifting the Weight (Q8) Positive Relationships or Connections (Q9) and Dreams/Goals (10). The pre-tests took place on 2/24/16, prior to the first lesson. The post-tests took place 3/30/16 after the final lesson. The percentages below (see Table 1 and Figure 1) indicate what students reported knowing before the lessons and what students knew after the lessons (Q1-Q10). As a whole, students increased in their overall knowledge of the WT skills from 49.5% at pre-test to 92.5% at post-test.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): Data gathered from the Fall 2015 Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Reading assessment indicated that 7 male students in the 5th grade scored at the 35th percentile or below. This correlated to 14% of the 5th grade population (7 out of the 50). Due to the high number of low test scores, this group was constructed through consultation with 5th grade teachers, special education teachers, and administration. A goal of raising Reading MAP scores by 6 RIT points was set for the 7 students included in the group. The average normed growth for 5th grade students’ MAP scores in Reading is 6.0 points. The evidenced based Why Try (WT) curriculum was selected because research has been linked teaching vital behavioral and social skills that can impact student achievement. After implementation of the WT curriculum 71% (5 out of 7) of the students met their goal of raising their Reading MAP score by 6 RIT points on the Spring 2016 Reading MAP test. The group’s MAP scores ranged from 3 to 36 RIT points with an average gain of 18.5 points. This group of 5th graders grew 3 times the average 5th grader (6.1 points)! Group’s Average Point Growth = 18.5 Range = 3 to 36 points % of student who met their growth goal = 71% (or 5/7 students) See results and visuals - Table 2 and Figures 2-4.

Implications: Both perceptual and outcome data indicated that students in the 5th grade WT small group improved over time. The perceptual data results suggested that students’ knowledge of the 10 WT areas assessed improved from pre knowledge of The Reality Ride, Positive & Negative Labels, Tearing off your Label, Defense Mechanisms, Positive Self-Talk, Peer Pressure, Jumping Your Hurdles, Lifting the Weight, Positive Relationships or Connections, and their dreams/ goals to the post knowledge of these skills. This is also supported by the outcome data which indicated that the WT curriculum impacted Reading MAP scores from Fall 2015 to Spring 2016. Students who struggle academically can benefit from small group counseling settings where they are able to learn, practice, be coached in new skills in a safer, smaller setting where they might be more apt to take risks. The counselors will continue to identify students in the 5th grade who might benefit from this small group intervention. They might also consider extending this program to earlier grade levels.

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