amy w. upton, ph.d. emily goodman-scott, ph.d. rebecca pierre-louis, m.s.ed. tim grothaus, ph.d
TRANSCRIPT
Culturally Competent Smart Goals
Amy W. Upton, Ph.D.Emily Goodman-Scott, Ph.D.
Rebecca Pierre-Louis, M.S.Ed.Tim Grothaus, Ph.D.
Process Data:◦ Number of participants◦ Details on the intervention
10 students completed a study skills group led by the school counselor
Types of School Counseling Data
ASCA, 2012
Perception Data◦ Participant’s thoughts, reactions, knowledge
50% of participants reported feeling safer in school after the bullying prevention intervention
75% of students could name one or more study skills strategies for SOL preparation
Pre and post tests, needs assessments, surveys, etc.
Types of School Counseling Data
ASCA, 2012
Outcome Data ◦ Shows the impact/result of an intervention
Office discipline referrals & suspensions Attendance Standardized test results Counseling/bullying referrals Homework completion GPA, graduation, drop-out Course enrollment (PBIS implemented? PBIS-related assessments: i.e.,
SET, BoQ)
Types of School Counseling Data
ASCA, 2012
What is working well at this school? What concerns you about this data? Does an achievement gap exist? Where? What additional information do you need? What should you focus on? What data should you
collect? What Goals should you set?
(Adapted from Carol Kaffenberger & Tim Grothaus’ VSCA presentation – March, 2013)
Examine your School’s Data
Annual program goals are based upon data and determine the focus for the school counseling
program
They promote positive achievement, attendance, behavior and school safety
Address academic, career & personal/social development
Are SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results oriented, time bound)
Program Goals
Amy
Review the school data profile to identify achievement and behavioral data, especially academic gaps between groups (race/ethnicity, gender, SES, English proficiency, and/or grade level).
Review current academic, career and personal/social domain activities and interventions provided to all students. This activity can help school counselors review their comprehensive services and consider gaps in their program delivery.
Engage in a reflective process – consider what is working and not working for students.
Review the school improvement plan (SIP) goal and consider the school counseling program activities that align with the school’s instructional accountability goals.
Your school administrators and other stakeholders have areas of concern. Why might it be SMART to align your program goals with these?
Identifying Program Goals
Dissatisfaction with status quo
Goal acceptance and commitment
Goal specificity- clearly articulates who, what, why, when, where, and how
Conceivable and clearly understood
Believable – I/We have what we need to succeed(https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/6.+Goal+Setting+Theory)
Characteristics of Effective Goals
Achievable
Degree of difficulty – high enough to encourage high performance yet still attainable
Lack of conflict with other important goals
Considering different ways to accomplish the goal
Persistence (despite demands and distractions)
Feedback about progress/effectiveness(https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/6.+Goal+Setting+Theory)
Characteristics of Effective Goals, continued
How do you create goals for your program that will address school/student/program needs AND be effective?
Developing SMART goals is one way to address your program’s needs.
But…what is a SMART goal?
Program Goals = Smart Goals
S = Specific IssueWhat is the specific issue based on our school’s data?
M = MeasurableHow will we measure the effectiveness of our interventions?
A = AttainableWhat outcome would stretch us but is still attainable?
R = Results-OrientedIs the goal reported in results-oriented data (process, perception and outcome)?
T = Time BoundWhen will our goal be accomplished?
Smart Goals
“Research findings indicate educators are beginning to understand that an unequal distribution of power and cultural capitol may very well result in some of the identified gaps” (Santamaria & Santamaria, 2012, p.152)
“Practitioners need to examine how their work can inadvertently support the status quo. Given the responsibility counselors have to engage in social action and address inequity in society, counselors need to be proactive” (Sampson, Dozier, & Colvin, 2011).
Culturally Competent Smart Goals?
Tim
School counselors strive for exemplary cultural competence… develop competencies in how prejudice,
power, and various forms of oppression… affect self, students, and all stakeholders. Acquire educational, consultation, and training experiences to improve
awareness, knowledge, skills, and effectiveness in working with diverse populations… Affirm the multiple cultural and linguistic identities of every student and all stakeholders…
use inclusive and culturally responsible language… increase understanding, collaborative two-way
communication and a welcoming school climate between families and the school to promote increased student
achievement. Work as advocates and leaders in the school to create equity-based school counseling programs that
help close any achievement, opportunity, and attainment gaps… (American School Counselor Association, 2010, pp.
5-6)
Guidance from our Ethical Standards
“Ensuring that every child has the right to a quality and equitable
education is every school counselor’s ethical responsibility”
(Stone & Dahir, 2011, p. 19)
“Advocacy comprises attitudes and actions that facilitate the empowerment of individuals or groups
by enhancing self-efficacy, removing barriers to needed services, and promoting access to
resources and power” (Grothaus, McAuliffe, Danner, & Doyle, 2012).
“Fix the system, not the student”(Erford, House, & Martin, 2007)
In addition to the clear gaps in achievement, might there be achievement related data that indicates a
need for advocacy and culturally responsive interventions?
For example, if you were to explore the 82% increase in ‘offenses against students’ in the last two years and found that more than 50% of these involved harassment about sexual orientation or gender
identity, how might you construct a SMART goal and action plan to address this?
Share your SMART goals and action plans and assist each other in sharpening these with questions and
feedback.
Digging Deeper into the Data