Dancing with Data Making “DATA” Work

Presented byRita Wyatt-Wright

What others are saying

“Most counselors are not used properly. Most are glorified record keepers rather than change agents. Counselors should not only be schedule oriented, but student success oriented. Counselors should be the link between academic success and applying knowledge to real-life experience”.

College Board, 2009

The Old Question

What do counselors do?

The New Question

How are students different BECAUSE of school counseling services?

The New Essential Question

How has student achievement INCREASED as a result of what counselors do?

WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE COUNSELING PROGRAM?

By definition, a comprehensive program is an all-inclusive far-reaching programmatic approach to school counseling. It is designed to assist ALL students in the following three areas:

Academic

Personal/Social

Career Development

Delivery of services

Guidance Curriculum

Individual Planning

Responsive Services

System Support

Guidance curriculum

The Guidance Curriculum is the teaching component of the comprehensive counseling program. It consists of developmentally sequenced activities presented systematically through classroom and small group settings.

Individual Planning

In this component, school counselors coordinate systematic activities that help ALL students plan, monitor and manage their own learning. These activities are generally delivered on an individual basis or by working with individuals in small groups or advisement groups.

Individual Planning topics

Examples of topics within the component are: Test score review, interpretation and analysis Promotion and retention information Career decision making Yearly course selection Financial aid Interest inventories Exit interviews and surveys Four-year or six-year plans Social Skills Test-taking skills College selection

RESPONSIVE SERVICES

The Responsive Services component is designed to meet the immediate needs and concerns of students. The overall focus is prevention/intervention through activities and programs that are developed in response to students’ needs.

System Support

System Support includes activities that maintain and enhance the school counseling program. Counselors use their leadership and advocacy skills to promote systematic change by contributing in the following areas:

1. Professional Development

2. Consultation and Collaboration

3. Program Management and Operation

Making Data Work

Making Data Work(Four Step Process)

Design-What is your question?

Ask-How will you answer your question?

Track-How will you make sense of the data?

Announce-How will you use your findings?

Design(What is your question?)

What do you want to evaluate and why? What do you want to know? Does your question align with the school’s mission statement?

During this process, it is a good idea to look at the data of your school and identify trends. This information will help you design your question.

Suggestions for Clarifying the question

How will the data be used to reduce barriers to learning or increase student achievement?

How does addressing this question or issue relate to the school or school counseling program’s mission statement?

Sample questions

Does group counseling focusing on study skills help students improve standardized test scores?

Does small-group counseling with targeted sixth-graders having three or more discipline incidents reduce referrals?

ASK(How will you answer your question?)

What information or data do you need to answer the question?

Does the data already exist?

What data-collection methods will you use?

Three Types of Data

Process Data

Perception Data

Outcome Data

Process Data

Process data: answers the question, “What did you do and for whom?”

Examples of process data include: Ten sixth-graders participated in a study skills group that met eight times for 50 minutes.

Twenty sixth-graders participated in a conflict

resolution lesson during large group guidance for 50

minutes.

Four Types of Surveys used to collect perception Data

Pre/Post Test: Given before and after an intervention to determine knowledge gained or to measure a change in perspective.

Needs Assessment: Given to students or stakeholders to gather their perception of student or program needs.

Program/Activity Evaluation: Given after an intervention or activity to gather participants’ opinions about the value of the intervention or activity.

Opinion Survey: Given to students or stakeholders to understand their perceptions of the school counseling program or activities.

Perception Data

Perception data: answers the question, “What do people think they know, believe or can do?”

Examples of perception data include:

100 percent of ninth-graders understand graduation requirements and have completed a graduation plan.

69 percent of all students report feeling safe at school.

50 percent of all students know the difference between conflict and bullying.

Outcome Data

Outcome data: shows the impact of an activity or program and answers the question, “So what?”

Examples of outcome data include:

Graduation rate improved from 75 percent to 81 percent.

Average attendance increased from 80 percent to 92 percent.

Bullying referrals decreased from 40 percent to 30 percent.

Track(How will you make sense of the Data?)

Track: What can you learn from the data? How can you organize the data so you can answer your questions and others can understand it? How will you present your data? Would charts or graphs be useful?

The following charts show the knowledge gained after a conflict resolution lesson. Question: Every conflict has some type of resolution.

74%

26%

True

False

Pre-Test

85%

15%

True

False

Post-Test

Announce(how will you use your findings?)

Announce: What do the results mean? What are the recommendations? How will you use your findings? What are the implications?

Use the Data To:

Improve, modify or change services provided to students.

Evaluate existing practices.

Demonstrate school counselor effectiveness.

Implications/Recommendations

The counseling department will implement a school wide anti-bullying prevention/intervention program.

The counselor will conduct follow up lessons to check if students are using the conflict resolution model to resolve daily conflicts.

The counselor will offer parent training between conflict resolution and bullying.

“PEOPLE NOT PROGRAMS”

Remember, as school counselors we are a unique entity within the world of education. We are trained to always be thoughtful and deliberate in what we do. We are taught to evaluate research, examine results, and self-reflect to determine what students need to be successful.

references

American School Counselor Association (2005). The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Young, A., & Kaffenberger, C. (2009). Making Data Work (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: ASCA National Model Publication.

Whitaker, T., (2004). What Great Teachers Do Differently. Larchmont, New York: Eye On Education, Inc. Publisher.

A Closer Look at the Principal-Counselor Relationship. (2009, May). College Board Advocacy. Retrieved from http://nosca.collegeboard.org/research-policies/principal-counselor

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkCFeNeqyHk

Q & A