At SGMS our counseling department’s intention is to be proactive in meeting the needs of our students across all grade levels as stated in our vision, mission, and beliefs statements. When preparing the small-group action plan, our team reviewed school-wide and grade level data on achievement, attendance, and behavior from multiple sources to include: student needs assessments, minute meetings, grade reports, and teacher feedback. After reviewing this data, the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors, and having in depth conversations we were able to decide where our student needs were for small groups and complete our Action Plan by implementing:



*6th grade academic success group with the goal to increase achievement

*7th grade academic success group with the goal to increase achievement

*7th/8th grade LGBTQ group with the goal to increase self and social awareness to decrease discipline referrals

*8th grade STEP (students in transition empowerment program) group with the goal to increase achievement, increase attendance, and decrease behavior

*8th grade anxiety group with the goal to decrease missed school days due to illness/somatic symptoms

*8th grade boys group to increase achievement, attendance and to decrease behavior



The group participants were selected from the data sources mentioned above and also through individual student/counselor conversations. For example, the LGBTQ group was formed by students who identified themselves to their counselors during the previous school year. The participants for both of the 6th and 7th grade academic success groups were identified by achievement reports showing students who had two or more grades below a “D” in a core academic class.



Our small group results report shows data from the 7th grade academic success group ran by the 7th grade counselor, Emme Mancuso. This group targeted ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors:

M 2 Self-confidence in ability to succeed, B-LS 3 Use time-management, organizational and study skills, and B-SS 3 Create relationships with adults that support success. The overall goal of this group was for the 13 seventh graders to increase their achievement, specifically their GPA from 1st semester to the end of the 2nd semester.



After reviewing the initial data from grade reports, reviewing ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors, and reviewing the pre-test data, Mrs. Mancuso was able to revise and finalize the content in the lesson plans for the 6 session group.



At the end of the school year, the outcome data showed that 38% of the group members increased their GPA, 46% of the group members saw a decrease in their GPA, and 15% of group members saw no change in their GPA. Overall, the groups GPA decreased by .32 points. The overall implications of the group showed that the group worked really well for the students who had a large amount of failing classes; however, it was not successful in increasing all group member’s grades.



Overall, we were pleased with this small group curriculum and delivery. We learned that we needed to explore more about why students were experiencing low grades, and have our group sessions be more targeted. We are thinking about dividing our groups around needs instead of grade level in the next school year, but we need to consult with teachers and administration to determine if this would be practical and developmentally appropriate. After reviewing this groups data, we have started brainstorming other interventions/supports for students who need to increase their academic performance, such as peer tutoring and/or teacher mentor programs. After discussing the outcomes with our administrative team, we also broke down the data to determine which classes/teachers resulted in more failing grades. This data showed that due to a change in a Language Arts teacher (who was out on maternity leave), affected 9 of our group members. The LA substitute gave 50% more failing grades than the regular teacher, possibly explaining the lower GPA among students. Due to this discovery, we are currently discussing the benefits of a small group aimed towards students that have a difficult time with flexibility and changing expectations. Additionally, we learned that Art and Health classes resulted in a large amount of failing grades (dependent on the teacher). These classes are semester long classes, 6 of our group members changed into these classes during semester 2, possibly resulting in lower grades than their previous first semester electives courses. One final piece of data that we learned from reviewing the group’s outcome data was that students with failing grades who attended the group were more likely (42%) than others with failing grades to have a GPA greater than 2.0 (passing).

Group Name: 7th Grade AcademicAchievement Group

Goal: By May 2017, SGMS 7th graders will decrease the number of students with failing grades, by 10% from 147 (Semester 1) to 132 students (Semester 2).

Target Group: 7th Graders that had 1 or more failing grades.

Data Used to Identify Students: Grade Report

School Counselor(s): Emme Mancuso

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M-2, B-LS 3, B-SS3

Outline of Group Sessions Delivered: Week 1: Identifying self, as a learner Week 2: Cooperative learning Week 3: SMART Goals Week 4: Decision making Week 5: How decisions impact others Week 6: Career goal setting

Process Data (Number of students affected): 13 7th graders for 6 forty-five minute sessions

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): Pre-Post test (T/F) I know how to log in to check my grades and I do so at least once per week. When I check my graded assignments, I read my teachers comments to guide me in how to better on the next assignment (or use for test corrections). I know what my homework and classwork is every day and I ask questions if I do not understand. I have a created a SMART goal for this year and I review it regularly to make sure I am on track to reach my goal.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): Increase in GPA from 1st semester to 2nd semester 38% of group members increased their GPA 46% of group members saw a decrease in GPA 15% of group members saw no change in their GPA Overall, the group saw a decrease of .32 points in GPA The group member with the highest growth saw a .8 point increase in their GPA

Implications: While the academic success group worked really well for the students who had a large amount of failing classes, it was not successful in increasing all group member’s grades. However, students with failing grades who attended the group were more likely (42%) than other peers with failing grades to have a GPA greater than 2.0 (passing) We learned that we needed to explore more about why students were experiencing low grades, and have our group sessions be more targeted. We are thinking about dividing our groups around needs instead of grade level in the next school year, but we need to consult with teachers and administration to determine if this would be practical and developmentally appropriate. We have also began to brainstorm other interventions/supports for these groups of kids, such as peer tutoring or teacher mentor programs. After discussing the outcomes with our administrative team, we also broke down the data to determine which classes/ teachers resulted in more failing grades. We determined that a change in an Language Arts teacher (due to maternity leave), affected 9 of our group members. The LA substitute gave 50% more failing grades than the regular teacher. Possibly explaining the lower GPA. Due to this discovery, we are discussing a small group aimed towards students that have a difficult time with flexibility and changing expectations. Additionally, we learned that Art and Health classes resulted in a large amount of failing grades (dependent on the teacher). These classes are semester long classes, 6 of our group members changed into these classes during semester 2, possibly resulting in lower grades than their previous electives.

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