School Counselors:
We’re in the Student
Success Business
NASAP Annual Conference
Tucson, AR
June 27, 2009
Greg Brigman, Ph.D.
Paul Peluso, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University
Overview
• Introduction of the
Student Success Skills
K-12 Model
– Research Base
– Program Components
• Demonstration and Discussion
of Key Skills & Strategies
Setting Students up
for Success
• Ready to Learn:
K-1
• Ready for Success:
2-3
• Student Success Skills:
4-10
• Parent Success Skills:
2-10
What do they have in Common?
Don’t let what you can’t do
stop
you from what you can do.
Pat Summit
UT
John Wooden
UCLA
Fundamentals and Teamwork
Your playbook alone will not get you there.
You must work on fundamentals and
teamwork everyday.
Three Keys to
Building Academic and
Social Competence
• Skills:
Cognitive, Social and
Self-management
• Attitudes: Healthy Optimism,
Self Efficacy
• Climate:
Caring, Support,
Encouragement
Embedding key skills and
strategies into the daily curriculum
to make the “learning net” tighter.
Student Success Skills



Five classroom lessons
•
Introduce student to the 20
SSS strategies
Begin early in the fall
•
So students have a tighter
fishing net all year
SSS strategies are embedded
•
Into the regular curriculum
to assist learning
Research Base for Student Success Skills:
Five Key Reviews Of Research
Wang, et al. (1994)
Reviewed 50 years of research on “What helps students learn”
Hattie, Biggs & Purdie (1996)
Reviewed 10 years of research on “The effects of learning skills interventions on student
learning”
Masten & Coatsworth (1998)
Reviewed 25 years of research and identified “The most critical factors associated with
academic and social competence”
Marzano, et al. (2001)
Reviewed 10 years of research on “Classroom instruction and
summarized research-based strategies for increasing student achievement”
Zins, et al. (2004)
Reviewed 10 years of research on “The relationship of social and emotional learning to
academic success”
Student Success Skills:
Key Skill Areas
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and
encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
What happens when you teach
these fundamental skills to
students?

Very encouraging results

Rigorous research design
gives us a high level of
confidence in results
National Panel for Evidence-Based
School Counseling Programs

Carey, Dimmitt, Hatch, Lapan, &
Whiston (2008). Professional School
Counseling.

Found “Strong and Promising” evidence
for Student Success Skills program
SSS Efficacy Research
Four studies
• 50 school counselors
• 36 schools - two counties
• Over 1100 students
• Grades 5,6,8,9
• All four studies found
students who receive the
SSS program outperform
comparison students.
RTL Efficacy Research




Three studies
Pre-K Head Start
Kindergarten
First Grade
All three showed similar
trends of positive gains for
students in RTL classes
compared to those not
receiving RTL.
SSS Efficacy Research

15 published articles on
SSS and RTL in leading
professional journals.

Two national award
winning research articles
Consistent Findings:

Standardized math scores improved for
approximately 86% of SSS students.
Average increase was 30 pts for SSS
students VS. 5 for comparison students.

Standardized reading scores improved
for approximately 78% of SSS students.
Average increase was 25 pts for SSS
students VS. 7 for comparison students.

Follow-up study shows SSS students
continue to make similar gains two
years after participating in the program.
Student Success Skills:
Key Skill Areas
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and
encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
Study Break – Brain Gym
We learn better when our brains are
awake and alert
Goal setting and progress monitoring
(cont.)
4 Steps for Life Skills
& 7 Keys

Ask students to look at item on Life Skills or 7
Keys goal sheet & Rate progress for that week.

Next ask “Who has improved even a little during
the past week?”

Ask for examples from 1-2 students. “Tell us what
you did to improve”

“How many of you agree that would be a healthy
way to improve_____?”

Ask volunteer to read next item and continue
pattern for rest of items
Goal Set Sequence

THINK

WRITE

PAIR SHARE

VOLUNTEER SHARE
Creating a
caring,
supportive,
encouraging
classroom
community
Four Key Skills Embedded
into Pair Share

Attending

Listening

Empathy

Encouragement
Pair Shares & Information
Processing

Ah ha’s – New ideas, strategies

Ta da’s – Validation of ideas or
strategies with which you have had
success

Questions for clarification
Student Success Skills:
Key Skill Areas
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and
encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
Coyote Story
Building a Caring supportive,
Encouraging Community

What are other strategies you have used
to build caring, supportive and
encouraging community?

Think, pair share, volunteer share
Student Success Skills:
Key Skill Areas
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and
encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
Strategies for Boosting Memory

Every 20-30 minutes
student share “Most
important ideas”
• Think, write, pair share,
volunteer share

Location Memory

Brain Gym
Body Location Memory Pegs

Ten top foods for health:
• Blueberries
• Nuts
• Salmon
• Broccoli
• Bananas
• Frozen Yogurt
• Olive Oil
• Brown Bread
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
Safe Place
Use your imagination
to
create a safe
place.
Focus
Breathe, Picture,

Breathe in slowly to
count of 5, hold for
count of 5, exhale to
count of 5

Picture yourself in your
“Safe Place”

Focus on your strategy
for the task at hand
Kaizen

Japanese
• Continuous and never
ending improvement
• The ability to notice even
very small improvements in
ourselves and also in others
Kaizen
Little by little,
Bit by bit,
I’m improving,
Everyday
Student Success Skills:
Key Skill Areas
Goal setting and progress
monitoring
Creating a caring, supportive and
encouraging classroom
Cognitive/Memory skills
Performing under pressure:
Managing test anxiety
Building Healthy Optimism
Optimism
• One of the greatest predictors of
student academic success is their
level of healthy optimistic
thinking. Seligman (1995).
Optimism


Don’t doubt your ability
Doubt your strategy

If what you are doing is not
working

Try Something Different!!!
Optimism Can Be Learned
We can help students learn optimism
by teaching them to:
Use cognitive, social and selfmanagement strategies
Set realistic goals
Notice even small improvements
Outcome: Students see that what they do
makes a difference and become more
optimistic and resilient.
Student Success Skills



Five classroom lessons
•
Introduce student to the 20
SSS strategies
Begin early in the fall
•
So students have a tighter
fishing net all year
SSS strategies are embedded
•
Into the regular curriculum
to assist learning
Students Fishing for
Higher Achievement

Help students get a tighter
net
Tighten their net with
Cognitive, Social and SelfManagement Skills

Pair Shares & Information
Processing

Ah ha’s – New ideas, strategies

Ta da’s – Validation of ideas or
strategies with which you have had
success

Questions for clarification
Parent Success Skills
Parent Success Skills:
Building a Community of Caring, Support and Encouragement
Parent Success Skills
PARENTS DO
According to Christenson (2003):
MATTER!!
A good family-school connection increases the probability that
students will be successful in school.
The goal of family-school connections for children’s learning
must be to create a culture of success that enhances
learning experiences and competencies across home and
school and underscores that the partnership means shared
goals, contributions and accountability (p. 457).
Parent Success Skills
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Correlation with National PTA
Communicating- Communication Standards
between home and school is
regular, two-way, and meaningful.
Parenting- Parenting skills are supported and maintained.
Student Learning- Parents play an integral role in assisting student
learning.
Volunteering- Parents are welcome in the school, and their support
and assistance are sought.
School Decision Making & Advocacy- Parents are full partners in the
decision that affect their children and families.
Collaborating with Community- Community resources are used to
strengthen schools, families, and student learning.
Parent Success Skills
Goals of the Program
1) Improving student academic and social performance by
increasing child’s exposure of and mastery of
“Student Success Skills” (SSS)
2) Proving parents with proven, effective tools
3) Fostering family wellness.
Parent Success Skills
Schedule for Each Session
Part 1: Overview of the Student Success Skills
Program (45 minutes)
Part 2: Parent Success Skill (45 minutes)
Parent Success Skills
Paired Parenting Skills Topics
Session 1: Understanding your child’s behavior
Session 2: Parenting with style: Guiding your child through life
skills.
Session 3: Building Optimism Through Encouragement and
Refocusing.
Session 4: Communicating IS the heart of the matter!
Parent Success Skills
Paired Parenting Skills Topics
Session 1: Understanding your child’s behavior
Parenting Skill- Understanding the Goals of Behavior
Attention, Power, Revenge, Demonstration of Inability
Discussing Connection to Belonging (Adler/Dreikurs)
SSS Principle- 7 Keys to Mastering Any Course
As new ideas are incorporated, misbehavior may increase.
7 Keys and Understanding Goals help reduce tension.
Parent Success Skills
Paired Parenting Skills Topics
Session 2: Parenting with style: Guiding your child through life skills.
Parenting Skill- Understanding Your Parenting Style
“Hands On”, “Hands Off”, and “Guiding Hands”
Discussing Consequences of Each
Holding “Guiding Hands” (Family) Meetings (Adler/Dreikurs)
SSS Principle- Life Skills
Having the family practice goal setting and progress monitoring.
“Guiding Hands” approach allows children to see parents struggle, and celebrate
together.
Parent Success Skills
Paired Parenting Skills Topics
Session 3: Building Optimism Through Encouragement and Refocusing.
Parenting Skill- Using Encouragement
How encouragement focuses attention on the child
How to properly use encouragement
DO WE REALLY NEED TO SAY IT??? (Adler/Dreikurs)
SSS Principle- Teaching Healthy Optimism
Healthy Optimism Leads to Academic Success
Optimism “Cheer”
“Imagine, Practice, Start Over, You are Very Close”
Parent Success Skills
Paired Parenting Skills Topics
Session 4: Communicating IS the heart of the matter!
Parenting Skill- Effective Communication Strategies
Problem-Solving, Brainstorming, and Sharing
Choosing solutions and putting them to use
SSS Principle- Listening with Eyes, Ears, and Heart
Have parents decide what the family would look, sound, and feel like if they were
communicating respectfully.
Understand and using Pair-Sharing Techniques to increase communication
Cognitive reframing mistaken beliefs.
Cognitive Reframing
• That’s not like me to______
• I’m usually more_________
OR
• Up until now I__________
• From now on I __________
Parent Success Skills
PARENTS DO MATTER!!
In SSS, Students are taught that success in Academic Achievement
requires a certain set of skills.
Success in Parenting also requires a certain set of skills.
In SSS, Students are taught that they can constantly improve their strategies.
Parenting is also something that can be constantly improved.
In SSS, Students respond rapidly and positively to changes in the classroom.
Changes in parenting can also lead to rapid and positive changes in families.
Helping Students Develop the
Skills They Need to Succeed
– What do you most want to take away with you
from this presentation?
– Share with a partner
– Discuss any questions you have
School Counselors:
We’re in the Student
Success Business
www,studentsuccessskills.com
Greg Brigman, Ph.D.
Paul Peluso, Ph.D.
Florida Atlantic University