Day 15 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

I was so excited about today I could hardly sleep last night! This morning I was planning to meet with my Principal and Assistant Principal to discuss the data I had gathered and present them with the goals I am thinking about for next year. But, the end of the year is closing in fast and they were booked with teacher final evaluations all day long. The only time they could squeeze me in was when I had a group. Then, at the end of the day, each had to leave fairly quickly for other appointments.  I was so psyched and ready to share my ideas with my administrators.  It was truly disappointing to realize I would have to wait until Monday to talk about my findings.


Making Lemonade!
Well, just because I didn't get to meet with my administrators and dazzle them with my data findings didn't mean this day had to be a waste.  I figured "stakeholders" are more than my administrators.  I started thinking more about my School Counseling Advisory Council and the who, what, when, where, and how, thanks to my new friend and Counseling Colleague  Dr. Lauren Wynne.  Her personal tutoring, experience, and suggestions for starting an Advisory Council were just what I needed to hear to get me organizing one for my school. So rather than meet with my administrators, I brainstormed a list of possible members, looked at some dates for next year, outlined some ideas Lauren shared with me about meetings, and in the end felt pretty good about the day.

Day 16
Monday will be Day 16 and the challenge is "choose a goal."  This is will be a two for one day  for me as I present my data and discuss my chosen goal with my administrators.  Here's hoping for a great report to share on Monday!

Please feel free to share your 21 Day Daily Data Challenge experiences on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page.  If the idea of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge is interesting to you, please read more about it HERE.  It has been an interesting journey.

Day 14 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

Day 14 and we are talking about Climate Survey data.  I have data from three distinct sources.  These perceptions from my colleagues, students, and parents are both surprising. informative, and surprisingly connected.

Data Overload!
I did not realize how much school climate data I had until I sat down to really look it over.  I had the SAC (School Advisory Council) data completed by students, parents, and staff regarding general areas of school climate.  I had data completed by our faculty concerning the success of the implementation of our PBIS program.  I also had survey data from 3rd, 4th and 5th graders on bullying, cyberbullying, and internet usage.  There was much to analyze and review and at first glance it seemed quite overwhelming.

SAC Data
So I started with the SAC data.  Each of the 35 parent items were rated on a 5 point scale (5 being the best)  with no score  lower than a 3.57 and that on a question about the use of financial resources.  No stand out concerns here.  Next I reviewed faculty SAC data. Using the same 5 point scale, teacher's lowest scores were a 3.48 talking about consistent grading practices.  This is something that could bear watching after my review of the large number of D's and F's received by students on the last quarter's report card. The student ratings on the SAC survey were based on a 3 point scale with 3 being the highest. Our lowest score here was a 2.23 for "My family likes to come to my school." This was surprising given our active PTA and the large number of extremely well-attended family events they offer throughout the year.

PBIS Data
The next data to be reviewed was our PBIS/BLT data.  We are a PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) school led by our BLT (Behavior Leadership Team).  The BLT surveyed our faculty to assess their perceptions of how well we were all doing with the implementation of our PBIS behavioral expectations, training, and  rewards systems.  The survey data shows we need to work on clearly defining our consequences for problem behaviors, providing booster training for students based on quarterly ODR data (office discipline referrals), training teachers to actively supervise in non classroom settings, and to positively reinforce student behaviors at a ratio of 5 to 1. The data also indicates a need to provide regular feedback to the staff on students with monitored behavior.  Finally, there was a need indicated for regular training opportunities for families to learn positive behavior and parenting strategies.  This survey will provide a great source of information for our BLT as we plan for next year.  For me personally, it has gotten me thinking about how I can better communicate the progress of my Behavior Support Groups to all stakeholders.

Bully/Cyber-bully/Internet Usage Data
I first started collecting the "Bully Survey" data about 8 years ago when I attended a conference about internet safety and cyber-bullying.  Since then this annual survey of 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders has grown from how safely students use the internet to how safe they feel on-line and on our school campus.

The data shows my students have a lot of "on-line freedom" and spend a crazy amount of time on-line with social networking and gaming.  This is another thing I need to consider when looking at data of students with D's and F's on their report card; how they spend their time. The data generated by this survey has informed my bully program, my digital safety lessons, and our faculty presentations about student safety.  Clearly students feel safest in the classroom and very unsafe and scared on the playground at recess.  And of course, that ties back into the need to train our teachers in active supervision as indicated on the PBIS survey.  WOW!  It is really awesome to see how this all starts fitting together. I am beginning to formulate goals that tie my survey data with student plans for grades and group monitoring.  So many ideas are swirling in my mind right now! It's really exciting!

Day 15
Tomorrow is  for presenting and discussing  goals with stakeholders.  I am planning to meet with my Principal to share my ideas for next year.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Please share your  data journey on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page.  Or, if you would like to learn more about the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge check it out HERE.

Day 13 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

Today is day 13 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge.  I'll admit it has not been easy getting in the data each day and blogging about it each evening.  Students, parents, and teachers all have intensified needs with only 19 days of school left. My time and attention to all the demands has been very divided.  But then, who am I kidding?  You all know, it's like this most every day. I guess there's just more pressure when you know there are so few days left to get it all sorted before the last bell rings.

Early Warning System Data
Today the challenge was to disaggregate your data that identifies your students at risk. In our district it has been called by many names. The current title is Early Warning System Data which I like better than at risk or drop-out prevention.  The criteria are the same, but I just like the idea or identifying early the students who have risk factors that may negatively impact their academic success.  On my list were 11 names, that's 2% of my student population.  Eight of those names were intermediate grade students. Nine were students who had been retained,  9 were ESE, 7 had attendance issues, 7 had scored a 1 on the state standardized test and all but one had multiple referrals.  As I look at these students it is hard to know where to begin.  It is sad to see students with so many factors already stacked against them.  I  can only imagine how disheartening school and all its demands must be.  The solution to this problem is not one to be shouldered by the School Counselor alone.  A brainstorming session with all stakeholders is needed to generate ideas for more support and assistance to each of these students and their families. This has to be a team effort.

Tomorrow
Day 14 is about disaggregating Climate Survey data and boy do I have a lot of that!  I have data from teachers, students and parents regarding our school and bully/cyberbully data from 3rd, 4th and 5th graders.

If you have been following the 21 Day Daily Data  Challenge  and would like to share your experiences, please go to the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page or share in the comment section below.  If you are not familiar with the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge and are interested in learning more, please click HERE.

Day 12 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

We've made it to Day 12 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge. You know, this much gathering and analyzing of data has made me realize, if I am determined to create a data driven school counseling program from this challenge, I should go ahead and pursue RAMP certification. I've got the data, I'm developing goals, I've gotten a commitment from my principal, and I'm now beginning to work through the process.  If you are not familiar with RAMP, check out the ASCA website and find out what it takes for your school counseling program to become a Recognized ASCA Model Program.

Behavior Report Card Data
Now on to Day 12.  Today we are looking at report card data.  In my county that not only means a student's academic grades, but their behavioral grades as well.  We have a behavior rating system with our report cards that asks teachers to rate students on academic skills such as work study skills needed to learn, social skills such as positive interactions with peers and adults, and self control such as demonstrating positive interactions in the school and classroom even in stressful situations.  Students receive a rating of 1, 2, or 3.  Receiving a 1 indicates the student is performing well and there is no problem.  A rating of 2 indicates a student is experiencing some difficulty in this area.  If a student receives a 3, there is evidence of serious behavioral concerns that need to be addressed with interventions.

As I examined the positive interactions data, I found my students were meeting the expectation of 80% across the board. However, 38% of my ESE students were not meeting expectations on academic skills, neither were 32% of my African American students, and 26% of my Hispanic students. I also saw an area of weakness with 29% of my males in grades 1, 3 and 4. Twenty-three percent of students struggling with self-control were 1st graders.

Now that I have some data I have direction. I  think I will survey the teachers in grades 1, 3, and 4 using a Google form to find out which of my students in those grades are struggling with which specific academic skills. The Google form will allow me to sort students by need.  So rather than do a generic study skills/academic skills group, with data from Google forms, I can design something more prescriptive.

Academic Report Card Data
Reviewing report card grades was an eye opener for me.  I did not have the nice graphs I used for disaggregating the Behavioral Report Card data, so I went through page by page.  Looking at names and grades, making note of whether students were ESE or gen ed, I was struck not only by the number of failing grades, but at some of the students whose names I found there. Something more has to be going on when you have students who have passing grades in every subject but one or two.  This will require greater investigation on my part with teachers and with students.  I feel as if I have been missing an important service element to my students and teachers. There is much I can do to help students achieve success. I know I still have data to disaggregate, but I believe the report card is where I will shine my flashlight and focus my goal for this challenge.

The Counselor's Role
 How could I have not examined grades this closely before?  I guess I felt this was the teacher's domain and no place to stick my nose. Besides, I already had enough to do, and some of it not even School Counselor related!  But now I see I was wrong. If we as School Counselors don't get in the data and expose the academic, social, and emotional needs at our schools, that only we can meet, we will continue to be assigned inappropriate roles and duties. Data exposes the needs. School Counselors have to be ready with the solutions to meet those needs. Data driven school counseling is the way to develop a comprehensive school counseling program that fully utilizes the skills of the School Counselor allowing us to meet the needs of all our students.

Lucky 13
Tomorrow is day 13!  We will be disaggregating Early Warning System data (or whatever you call it at your school).  This is the at risk population of students who are over age for their grade, have attendance, academic, or discipline issues, are an ESE or ESOL student, or have a level 1 or 2 on state standardized tests.

Have you been participating in the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge?  If so please share how it is going on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page or below in the comment section.  I would love to hear what is happening with your Data Challenge.  If you are wondering what the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge is all about, you can read more HERE.

Keep disaggregating!

Day 11 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

Day 11 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge and we are more than half way through!  The gathering of the data available in  my school was a fairly easy job compared to the task of disaggregating all of it.  And as we get into some in-depth disaggregation, it is important to remember why we are doing this. This is the foundation for building a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program.  This is the way we  determine the needs of our schools, deliver specifically designed interventions to meet those needs, and show how students are different because of what School Counselors do.  What better way to show the value of School Counselors and the possibilities of what we can accomplish when some of those "un-Counselor like" duties are eliminated.

Today the focus is on discipline data.  As our BLT (Behavior Leadership Team) reviewed our behavior data from the 3rd quarter, we were pleased to see our numbers were down  from the previous quarter. Upon taking a closer look at the data we found 3 outliers.  These 3 students got 43% of the referrals for the previous quarter and will require special attention. After removing them from the mix our team felt we got a better view of overall student behavior.  The remainder of our students are looking at a single infraction. These may have occurred in a moment of weakness or impulse. My next task will be to look more closely at the referrals per grade level and numbers per offense and think if there is a brief intervention that can be helpful to those students.

Tomorrow is Day 12 and we will  be disaggregating report card data. I will be looking at the D's and F's and our "Behavior Report Card" data which looks at how students are rated on academic skills, social skills, and interpersonal skills.

If you are not familiar with the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge and would like to learn more, you can read about it HERE.  For those participating in the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge, be sure to share your data experiences below or on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page.

Until tomorrow...

Welcoming Our Newest Students and Their Families

Kindergarten Orientation is a 90 minute program I present each year in May.  Our school prepares a morning for our newest students to visit a "real" Kindergarten classroom while their parents meet with the myself and other school personnel to hear about their job roles and how as parents they can best prepare their child for Kindergarten. It's a relaxed and friendly way to meet our newest students and their families.

Welcome!
The morning starts with my Leadership Club students waiting in the front office to escort parents and our future Kindergartners to the Media Center to sign in and get name tags. As they are walking from our office to the Media Center, the Leadership Club students chat with our young friends helping them to feel comfortable and offer a  "mini-tour" pointing out various buildings on campus along the way.  Upon reaching the Media Center, students are signed-in and given a color coded animal name tag to wear which determines the class they will visit. Parents are provided a folder of materials (in English and Spanish) about our school including school calendar, summer activity suggestions, our PBIS matrix, websites for kids, and  child information sheet, and 3 QR codes.  One QR code will direct them to
my school website, another to the PowerPoint presentation for the morning, and another to my School Counseling brochure with contact information.  Coffee, doughnuts, and juice are available for parents, but it's usually the kids who end up eating them.  Once everyone is signed-in, the Leadership Club students and adult volunteers take our young visitors to their respective classrooms for center activities, story time, craft, and snack. After a special welcome by our Principal and Assistant Principal the adults get down to business.

Parent Presentation
The parent presentation starts with an introduction of myself and my role as the School Counselor. This is a great opportunity to share the correct name for your job title and a brief explanation of what a School Counselor does.  Next I begin introducing the various staff our parents should know like the cafeteria manager who talks about food allergies and the School Nurse who discusses medication and special needs. Our School Social Worker talks about the importance of regular attendance and the PTA president shares all the great things our PTA does and invites parents to support their child and our school by joining.  The front office receptionist stops in to talk about checking-in when visiting on campus,  how to check your child out of school, and calling in when your child is absent.  We also have the Volunteer Coordinator stop by to encourage parents to fill out volunteer forms.  After introducing our staff, I have a PowerPoint presentation I share with parents about some of the details of our school and Kindergarten program. Topics like curriculum, transportation, lunch procedures, dress code, our parent portal and on line grade book, and after school care are some of the things discussed.  To close we have a brief question and answer time, then the students are returned to the Media Center to their parents. The students have had a great morning, are excited about Kindergarten, and some are ready to come back and join us the next day.

The PowerPoint above is specific for my school and county. However, I hope if you are in need of a presentation you will find it helpful to use as a template in designing one specific for your school.

Do you do a Kindergarten Orientation at your school?  What does your program look like?  I am always looking for ideas to make mine better.  Please feel free to share below.

Day 10 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge

Wow!  Day 10 already!  And now that we have all that data collected, and I have great big stack, it's time to start doing some analyzing.  Today we will disaggregate attendance data.  I have been working with my School Social Worker this year on addressing some of our most serious cases.  So I am proud to say as I look at the list of students who have excessive absences, 30 or more, we have been in contact with these families and in all but one case have gotten feedback on the problem and have offered support for their individual situations.

As I am going over my data I am finding a surprising trend among Hispanic males.  They have the most days tardy.  Not all Hispanic students, just the males.  And we're not just talking a dozen or so, but tardies in the 50's and 60's and one with over 100!  Until I began to look at the attendance data in this way, I was unaware of this trend.  This is an issue I need to discuss with our ESOL teacher, the classroom teachers, and parents. Are there barriers to these students getting to school on time?  Do the parents know the correct time for the start of the school day?  So before I can set a goal I need to do some investigating to learn more about why these boys are frequently tardy.  What interesting trends have you found?  Were you able to set an attendance goal for your students?  Be sure to share your results on the Exploring School Counseling Facebook page!

Monday will be Day 11 of the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge.  It will be the day for disaggregating discipline data.  This is data we have reviewed with our BLT each quarter, but I feel there is much more to be learned when we do more than just review the numbers.

If you are interested in learning more about the 21 Day Daily Data Challenge click HERE to read all the details.