Kindergarten Lesson Effectiveness:
This lesson introduced 114 scholars to career concepts and helped them identify potential career interests. Mindsets and Behaviors targeted were identifying career goals and using effective communication skills. Prior to the lesson, 52 Kindergarten scholars defined a career and 67 scholars stated an occupation of interest. After implementing the lesson, 93 scholars stated the definition of career and 97 scholars stated a career they were interested in. Based on the increase in knowledge, the perception data shows the lesson was effective. If scholars are invested in their school career, they will likely be engaged during learning and have minimal behavioral problems in school. In the second quarter, 68 scholars earned “Satisfactory” and 46 earned “Needs Improvement” on their report card behavior grades. Third quarter behavior grades were reviewed for outcome data after this lesson and resulted in 87 students receiving a “Satisfactory” while 27 received a “Needs Improvement”.
Inform Future Activities:
Due to the positive data results, we will continue to implement this lesson. While this lesson is typically delivered in December based on its winter theme, we may implement it earlier in the year during the time we are working in the academic domain. This lesson may help scholars build a context for the importance of attending school and how education is connected to their futures. However, we now realize that this lesson could be improved when considering our ELL scholars. They may benefit from concrete examples of colors when scholars are completing the glyph. For example, when stating, “Color the eyes blue if…” hold up a blue piece of paper.
Second Grade Lesson Effectiveness:
Seven second grade classes received two lessons focusing on the Zones of Regulation curriculum. The Mindsets and Behaviors targeted were to demonstrate self-discipline, the ability to overcome barriers, and using coping skills. There were 139 scholars that completed a perception survey in which four questions focused on feeling identification. Scholars made a 26% increase in their knowledge of the four zones and the matching feelings.
Three questions dealt with the vocabulary of the program and included identifying the definitions of “self-regulation”, “triggers”, and “strategy”. The post-test results do not reflect as much growth as anticipated at 9%. While students have a grasp of these terms based on informal conversations and problem-solving, this knowledge was not transferred via a pencil and paper survey. Additionally, many ELL students often struggle with vocabulary terms, so this could be a contributing factor.
In terms of outcome data, one hundred office referrals were received during the 2016-2017 school year. After the implementation of the Zones of Regulation lessons the office received eighty-four office referrals during the 2017-2018 school year – a decrease of 16%.
Inform Future Activities:
An emphasis on vocabulary terms must be increased and infused throughout the lesson. Incorporating the lessons at the beginning of the school year would be beneficial as the concepts and vocabulary could weave in lessons throughout the year. For the 2018-2019 year, teachers will implement this curriculum school-wide and the vocabulary will become common language across all grades.
Third Grade Lesson Effectiveness:
The Mindsets and Behaviors selected were to emphasize a sense of belonging and an ability to demonstrate responsibility. One hundred and nineteen third grade scholars participated in the lesson and provided pre- and post-test data. Before the lesson, 24% of scholars felt they were missed when absent. This statistic increased to 97% on the post test. Initially, 38% of scholars indicated they got themselves up in the morning, while after the lesson, 68% stated they were independent in the morning. Finally, 21% of scholars reported knowing their actual number of absences in the school year. After receiving individualized attendance reports during the lesson, 87% indicated knowing how many days they missed in the school year. Regarding outcome data, 12 scholars missed 10 or more days during the 2016-2017 school year, while 8 scholars missed 10 or more days during the 2017-2018 school year. The attendance lesson was effective in that scholars missing 10 or more days of school was reduced by 4. We believe this reduction is substantial as it occurred during a national flu epidemic.
Inform Future Activities:
In the future, we will deliver this lesson earlier in the school year. We will emphasize the importance of regular attendance as well as increasing morning independence. Additionally, we will provide attendance statistics from the previous year to help our scholars take advantage of the fresh start a new year affords them.