Program Accountability
Accountability and evaluation of the School District of Fall Creek school counseling program and school counselors are essential to the ongoing development, management, and full implementation of our district program.
To assess the impact of the school counseling program over time, counselors and administrators will demonstrate program effectiveness in measurable terms through the use of results reports, school counselor performance standards, and a program audit.
Results Reports*
Results reports ensure programs are carried out, analyzed for effectiveness, and changed or further improved as needed. The goal is to show change in student behavior and student learning.
Results can benefit the program in a number of ways, including:
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Ensuring the program was carried out as planned
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Ensuring every student was served
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Ensuring developmentally appropriate materials were used
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Documenting the program’s process, perception and results data
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Analyzing the program effectiveness
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Sharing the program’s successes
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Improving the program
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Advocating for systemic change in the school system
Program Evaluation Data
It is important to show the school counseling program’s impact. This requires evaluation of process, perception, and results data collected immediately, intermediately, or over time.
Process Data: Answers the question “What did you do for whom?” and provides evidence that an event occurred. It describes where lessons occurred, on what topic, how many students were affected, and how many students participated.
(example: 200 3rd graders received violence prevention guidance lessons)
Perception Data: Answers the question “What do people think they know, believe, or can do?” This data is collected through pre/post surveys, tests, or skill demonstration.
(example: 92% of students can identify the early warning signs of violence)
Results Data: Answers the “so what?” question. This data shows that a program had a positive impact on students’ ability to utilize their knowledge, attitudes, and skills to effect behavior change. This data is collected from attendance rates, number of discipline referrals, GPAs, graduation rates, etc.
(example: attendance improved by 3rd grade males by 6%)
Data Over Time
Data over time provides a true picture of the impact of a school counseling program. It can be collected over three time frames:
Immediate: Data that measures the immediate impact of knowledge, skills, and attitudes as a result of a counselor activity or intervention (e.g. pre/post test results).
Intermediate: Data collected to measure knowledge, skills, and attitudes over a short period of time (e.g. improved test-taking ability, classroom behavior improvement, improved grades after a homework and study skill lesson)
Long Range: School-wide, year – to – year longitudinal student impact in areas such as attendance, graduation rates, and suspension data.
The impact-over-time minimally should contain the following:
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Student Demographics: enrollment data, gender, ethnicity, grade levels, and language
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Academic Achievement: standardized test scores, GPAs, dropout rates, graduation rates
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Career Development: students enrolled in work experience, job shadowing
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Personal/Social Development: climate survey results, substance use and abuse statistics, attendance data, and suspension/expulsion data
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Parent Involvement: Parent attendance at evening activities, parent workshops and conferences
School counselors also need to rely on disaggregate data. To disaggregate data, school counselors separate data by variables to see if there are any groups of students who might not be doing as well as others. Ways to disaggregate data by include:
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Gender
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Ethnicity
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Socio-economic status (free and reduced lunch)
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Language spoken at home
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Special education
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Grade level
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Teacher
Immediate, intermediate, and long range results are collected and analyzed for program improvement. School District of Fall Creek school personnel will share these reports with stakeholders as an advocacy for the students and the program.
*Adopted from the ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, American School Counselor Association (2003)
School Counselor Performance Standards
The performance evaluations of school counselors contain basic standards of practice expected of counselors endeavoring to fully implement the school counseling program.
Program Audit
The program audit provides evidence of the program alignment with the national and state models and standards.
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