The core curriculum results report analyzes two coping skills lessons and one study skills lesson. I chose the lessons to address two of my program goals. The lessons are linked to my counseling program’s vision and mission by helping students acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to be become proficient students and responsible citizens that contribute positively in society.
113 third grade students participated in both coping skills lessons. Even though only 7% of the students reported knowing what good coping skills were on the pretest, 84% believed learning good coping skills would help them do better in school. These results led me to believe that the majority of the third graders wanted to be able to appropriately handle their problems in order to succeed in school. At the end of the coping skills unit, 77% of the third grade students reported knowing what good coping skills were and 91% believed knowing the skills would help them achieve in school. My counseling program goal was to reduce the number of office discipline referrals for this particular group of students by 25%. The outcome data revealed the number of referrals decreased by 50.6%. I believe the large decrease in referrals could be attributed to several factors; the coping skills unit, additional counseling services, the Harmony Program and technological changes in reporting behaviors. Due to the past success in helping third graders deal with life’s challenges, the lessons will continue to be taught. After reviewing the office discipline referrals for 2016-17, a third lesson will be added to the unit that addresses conflict resolution skills and ways to de-escalate. The students’ responses on the Clay vs Rock worksheet revealed a more in-depth explanation needs to be given on the two types of problems in order to help second language students understand the analogy better. In addition to these modifications, students who report they do not know what good coping skills are on the posttest will be invited to participate in a small group. Students with multiple office referrals will receive additional counseling services to help them utilize good strategies. After reviewing office discipline data, additional coping skills lessons will be incorporated into my counseling core curriculum for fourth and fifth grade.
116 fifth graders and 110 fourth graders participated in the study skills lesson. The lesson was the second lesson in a three lesson study skills unit. On the study skills pretest, 42% (5th) and 50% (4th) of the students’ total scores placed them in the excellent study habits category. An additional 42% (5th) and 39% (4th) of the students’ total scores placed them in the good study habits category. These results, along with data obtained from the 1st Quarter Progress Reports, led me to believe the students thought they had good study habits but in actuality, they did not know effective ways to study. The decline in the number of students in the good study habits category and an increase in the number of students in the improvement needed category on the posttests, supported my belief. A comparison of the study skills pre/posttest scores and 2nd semester reading grades revealed to me that students became aware of their ineffective study habits and made changes after the study skills lessons to become more proficient in reading. My counseling program goal was to reduce the number of fourth and fifth graders earning an F in reading by 70%. The outcome data revealed the percentage change was 91%. Due to the successful outcome, the lessons will continue to be taught to third graders with fourth and fifth graders receiving modified lessons that include organization and time management skills. In addition, the pre/posttest will be reformatted into the Plickers application and adjusted to reflect the new skills. Utilizing Plickers will allow for better data collection that can be shared with teachers sooner. The addition of skills and technology to the lesson will help me address more of the ASCA Learning Strategies standards.
The outcome data from both the coping skills and study skills units revealed students acquired the attitude, knowledge and skills necessary to succeed. Lessons from both units aligned well with ASCA Mindsets and behaviors. The 45 minute allotted time was appropriate to teach each lesson and answer student questions. The topic of each unit will be continued but lesson activities will be changed so as not to repeat the same lesson in every grade level.