The Impact of Comprehensive School Counseling Programs on Student Performance

1
The Impact of Comprehensive School Counseling
Programs on Student Performance

• Greg Brigman, Ph.D.
• Linda Webb, Ph.D.
• Elizabeth Villares, Ph.D.
• Florida Atlantic University

2
Whiston, et al meta-analysis (2010)

• 116 pre-post comparison group studies were
  included in Whistons meta-analysis.
• This is the latest of a series of research
  reviews that have found school counseling to be
  very beneficial to students (Lapan, Gysbers
  Sun, 1997 Sink, et al. 2008 Sink Stroh, 2003)

3
Three types of measures used in the 116 studies
reviewed by Whiston

• Cognitive
• Behavior
• Affective

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Cognitive Measures

• GPA
• Achievement tests

5
Behavior Measures

• Attendance
• Physical altercations
• Disciplinary referrals
• Peer counseling skills
• Problem solving
• Behavior rating scales
• Assess of social skills

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Affective Measures

• Self-esteem
• Personal or social development
• Anxiety
• Depression

7
Results

• Average study 139 participants
• 59 (50) Elementary
• 21 (18) Middle School
• 29 (25) High School
• 7 (6) combined ages

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Average Effect Sizes Found

• Meta-analysis results from116 studies-
• Average Effect Size .45

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Type of Measures and Effect Sizes

• Cognitive Measures
• GPA .15
• Achievement .16
• Behavioral Measures
• Discipline referrals .83
• Student problem solving .96
• Peer Counseling Skills 1.14

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Affective Measures Effect Sizes

• Self-Esteem .19
• Anxiety .40
• Depression .37

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Delivery of interventions

• Classroom Curriculum (51 studies) and Small Group
  Counseling ( 47 studies) had similar ES .36
• Individual Counseling (6 studies)
• ES .07
• Parent Workshops (5 studies)
• ES .94

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School Counselor interventions with largest
Effect Sizes

• Decreasing discipline problems (.83)
• Increasing student problem solving (.96)
• Peer helping skills (1.14)

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Other Effect Sizes for school counselor
interventions

• Social skills (.33)
• Attendance (.30)

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School counselor interventions are effective
across all three levels

• Elementary Average Effect Size
• Guidance Curriculum .31
• Responsive services .40
• Middle Average Effect Size
• Guidance Curriculum .46
• Responsive services .22
• High Average Effect Size
• Guidance Curriculum .39
• Responsive services .35

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Whistons findings support a balanced school
counseling program approach

• The effectiveness of guidance curriculum and
  responsive services were consistent with both
  components having and average ES of .35

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Center for School Counseling Outcome Research
(CSORE)University of Massachusetts, Amherst

• Statewide Evaluations in Utah and Nebraska
  (Carey Harrington, 2010)
• CSORE partnered with State Departments of
  Education
• After controlling for differences in school-level
  demographics, clear and consistent evidence of
  four important sets of results were found

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Four important sets of results were found

• School counseling contributes to important
  student outcomes
• Student to counselor ratios matter
• How the school counseling program is organized
  matters
• What counselors do matters

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School counseling contributes to important
student outcomes

• Increase math and reading proficiency
• Lower suspension rates
• Lower discipline rates
• Increase attendance
• Higher graduation rates

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Student to counselor ratios matter

• In both states, the ratio of students to
  counselors was strongly related to its student
  outcomes.
• More favorable ratios were associated with
  improved attendance, completion rates, and
  decreased discipline rates.

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How the school counseling program is organized
matters

• The longer a school has been implementing a
  comprehensive developmental model (ASCA) the
  better the educational outcomes.
• The more strongly organized programs are better
  able to produce positive outcomes for students.

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What counselors do matters

• Both Nebraska and Utah results indicate that
  career development-focused interventions seem to
  be particularly important in producing positive
  academic outcomes.
• CSORE has reviewed other evidenced-based school
  counseling programs shown to have strong positive
  impact on student performance, i.e. Student
  Success Skills

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Student Success SkillsA Foundational Learning
Skills Approach

• SSS helps students in grades 4-10
• improve math and reading through
• Cognitive Skills
• Social Skills
• Self-Management Skills

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Student Success Skills Key Skill
Areas

• Goal setting and progress
• monitoring
• Creating a caring, supportive
• and encouraging classrooms
• Cognitive/Memory skills
• Performing under pressure
• Managing test anxiety
• Building Healthy Optimism

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Student Success Skills Meta-Analysis

• Five studies
• Brigman and Campbell (2003)
• Brigman, Webb, and Campbell (2007)
• Campbell and Brigman (2005)
• Webb, Brigman and Campbell (2005 )
• León, Villares, Brigman, Webb, and Peluso (2010)

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Effect Size of SSS on Math Scores
Study Study n ES
A Brigman and Campbell, 2003 222 .36
B Campbell and Brigman, 2005 302 .51
C Webb, Brigman, and Campbell, 2005 418 .37
D Brigman, Webb, and Campbell, 2007 220 .45
E León, Villares, Brigman, Webb, and Peluso. 2010 156 .37
Effect Size for Math Effect Size for Math Effect Size for Math .41
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ES of SSS on Reading Scores
Study Study n ES
A Brigman and Campbell, 2003 222 .26
B Campbell and Brigman, 2005 302 .23
C Webb, Brigman, and Campbell, 2005 418 .11
D Brigman, Webb, and Campbell, 2007 220 -.03
E León, Villares, Brigman, Webb, and Peluso. 2010 156 .37
ES for Reading ES for Reading ES for Reading .17
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What kind of gains can we expect in math and
reading?

• Hill, Bloom, Black, and Lipsey (2008) reviewed
  192 meta-analyses of educational interventions to
  evaluate there impact on reading and math
  standardized test scores.

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What kind of gains can we expect in math and
reading?

• Hill, et al (2007) found that for students in
  grades K-12, the overall average effect sizes of
• 0.23 Elementary
• 0.27 Middle
• 0.24 High

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Annual achievement test score gains in reading
and math

• Grades 4-5 Read .40 Math .56
• Grades 6-7 Read .32 Math .41
• Grades 9-10 Read .19 Math.25
• Hill, C., Bloom, H., Black, A. Lipsey, M.
  (2007)

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Practical Impact of Interventions

• If a study of an intervention, say a new math
  curriculum or method of teaching math, found an
  effect size of .10
• Then using Hills benchmark of Average Yearly
  Gains, the impact of this intervention
• In reading would be comparable to one-quarter of
  an additional year of learning for 4th graders.
• For math the .10 effect size would be comparable
  to one-fifth of an additional year for 4th graders

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Practical significance of a Student Success
Skills .41 ES in math

• Grades 4-5 An additional 4/5 of a years growth
• Grades 6-7 An additional 1 years growth
• Grades 9-10 An additional 1 2/3 years growth
• Hill, C., Bloom, H., Black, A. Lipsey, M. (2007)

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Practical significance of Student Success
Skills .17 ES in Reading

• Grades 4-5 An additional 1/3 of a years growth
• Grades 6-7 An additional 1/2 years growth
• Grades 9-10 An additional 1 years growth
• Hill, C., Bloom, H., Black, A. Lipsey, M.
  (2007)

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So What?

• So if the best interventions known average an
  effect size of .25
• And school counselors can delivery interventions
  that focus on foundational learning skills which
  have as large or larger impact as these best
  known interventions,
• Then school counselors have an important seat at
  the school improvement table.
• We cannot afford to throw away such an important
  resource to improving math and reading
  proficiency as well as discipline, attendance and
  graduation rates.

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Data Driven Decision Making

• If one looks at recent reviews of rigorous
  educational research
• Then it is clear that comprehensive school
  counseling programs
• And specific school counselor led classroom
  interventions such as SSS
• Can have a large positive effect on student
  learning.

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Contact information

• Greg Brigman, Ph.D.
• gbrigman_at_fau.edu
• Linda Webb, Ph.D.
• lwebb_at_fau.edu
• Elizabeth Villares, Ph.D.
• evillare_at_fau.edu

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References

• Brigman, G. Campbell, C. (2003). Helping
  student improve academic achievement and school
  success behavior. Professional School
  Counseling, 7.
• Brigman, G., Webb, L. Campbell, C. (2007).
  Building skills for school success
• Improving the academic and social competence of
  students. Professional School Counseling, 10,
  279-288.
• Campbell, C., Brigman, G. (2005). Closing the
  achievement gap A structured approach to group
  counseling. Journal for Specialists in Group
  Work, 30, 67-82

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References

• Carey, J. Harrington, K. (2010). Nebraska
  school counseling evaluation report. Amherst,
  MA Center for School Counseling Outcome Research
  and Evaluation.
• Carey, J. Harrington, K. (2010). Utah school
  counseling evaluation report. Amherst, MA
  Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and
  Evaluation.

38
References

• Hill, C., Bloom, H., Black, A. Lipsey, M.
  (2007). Empirical benchmarks for interpreting
  effect sizes in research, MDRC Working Papers
  Research Methodology, New York, NYMDRC.
  Available at www.mdrc.org/publications/459/full.p
  df
• Leon, A., Villares, E., Brigman, G., Webb, L.,
  Peluso, P.(accepted). Closing the Achievement
  Gap of Hispanic Students A School Counseling
  Response. Counseling Outcome Research and
  Evaluation.

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References

• Webb. L., Brigman, G. Campbell, C. (2005).
  Linking school counselors and student success A
  replication of the Student Success Skills
  approach targeting the academic social
  competence of students. Professional School
  Counseling, 8, 407-411.
• Whiston, S., Tai, W. ,Rahardja, D. Eder, K.
  (2011). School counseling outcome A
  Meta-analytic examination of interventions.
  Journal of Counseling and Development, 89, 37-55.