Crossroads/Project SUCCESS
Evaluation Brief
March 2012
Background: Project SUCCESS (Schools Using Coordinated Community Efforts to Strengthen Students) is an
“evidence-based” program to prevent and reduce substance use. APS’ Health & Wellness department (H&W)
integrated Project SUCCESS into its Crossroads high school substance abuse prevention program and Parent
Involvement Program in 2005-06. Funding from the Safe Schools Healthy Students (SSHS) grant was used to
sustain and expand these programs starting in 2008-09. Eleven APS high schools participated in the CrossroadsProject SUCCESS program during 2011.
Need: Survey and disciplinary referral data suggest that drug and alcohol use are prevalent among APS high
school students, and that drug use impedes instruction and learning.
Severity of Student Alcohol and Drug Use
Insignificant
5%
Severe
19%
Mild
25%
Were GPRA Targets Met?
70% of APS high school
staff said alcohol and
drug use was a
moderate or severe
problem at their
schools.
Moderate
51%
Among 9th graders at Crossroads schools:
YES: Alcohol use declined from 40% to
28%, meeting and surpassing the GPRA
target of 36%.
NO: Marijuana use did not decline.
28% reported using marijuana within the
previous 30 days, which fell short of the
GPRA target of 25%.
Source: APS District-Wide
School Climate Survey
2010 (n=761)
Universal Prevention Education
Reach: Counselors presented the PES substance use prevention curriculum to 1,942 ninth graders at 7 schools
and 3,617 upper-class students at 9 high schools in the spring and fall of 2011.
Dosage: Ninth grade students received an average of 132 minutes of PES prevention education, while upperclass students received an average of 65 minutes.
Results: PES classes had positive impacts on harm perceptions, intentions to use substances, knowledge of
resources, and adult connectedness, according to 2010-11 student survey results.
30%
Marijuana
68%
62%
57%
36%
31%
Alcohol
Before PES
9th Grade Students
9th Grade Students
PES Influence on Student Harm Perceptions:
Occasional use of __ will cause a lot of harm.
PES Influence on Intentions to Use:
I definitely will NOT use __ in the next 6
months.
51% 59%
Marijuana
Alcohol
Prescription Drugs
After PES
Source: PES Student Survey 2010-11 (n=2097)
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43%
55%
Before PES
72% 79%
Prescription
Drugs
After PES
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Normative beliefs: Beliefs that majorities of students use tobacco and alcohol did not change, while beliefs
that majorities use marijuana increased.
Knowledge of resources: the percentage of students who knew where to find help to quit alcohol or drug
use increased from 21% to 55%.
Adult connectedness: 77% of students said they would probably or definitely contact counselors if they have
concerns or questions.
Counseling Services
One-on-One Counseling: A total of 634 students participated in 1-on-1 counseling sessions during 2011. The
targeted dosage of three sessions per student was reached or exceeded for 185 students (29%).
Motivational Interviewing was used to achieve counseling goals within the small number of sessions (1-2)
most APS students attended.
Small Groups: Counselors facilitated small groups with 71 students in 2011. 70% of students attended one
or two sessions, with the remainder attending between three and six sessions.
Referral Sources: Counselors reported a total of 644 student referrals during the spring and fall of 2011.
Over 80% of referrals came from school administrators (38%), faculty (23%), school counselors (12%), and
students themselves (10%). Health & Wellness Teams were a source of 4% of all referrals to Crossroads
counselors.
Parent Involvement Program
The Parent Involvement Program (PIP) is an evening curriculum drug and alcohol offenders and their parents.
The four-session curriculum may be completed over two semesters of the same school year.
Reach: Crossroads counselors conducted 158 PIP classes and completed 37 four-session PIP cycles in 201011. Missed Opportunities: Fewer than half (40%) of the 760 high school students with a drug or alcohol
violation during 2010-11 attended a PIP class.
Dosage: 304 students from 11 APS high schools attended at least one PIP session during 2010-11. Just over
half (57%, 174) completed all four PIP sessions within the school year.
Recidivism: 87% (95) of the 109 students with a drug or alcohol violation in 2010-11 who completed the 4session PIP cycle did not have a repeat drug or alcohol offense for the remainder of the school year.
Survey Results: Student and parent survey results suggest sizeable impacts on harm perceptions; intentions
to use alcohol, marijuana and other drugs; and knowledge of resources.
I know A LOT about where to go for __.
59%
38%
24%
Marijuana
47%
32%
Alcohol
Before PIP
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Prescription Drugs
After PIP
76%
71%
Students
Students
PIP Influence on Intentions to Use:
I definitely will NOT use __ in the next 6 months. 77%
27%
Crisis help
65%
33%
19%
Support groups
Before PIP
Help quitting
After PIP
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Impacts on Parenting Intentions and Skills: By the end of PIP, most parent participants said they would be
much more likely to: put prescription drugs where their teens can’t get them (70%), set clear rules and
expectations (73%), closely monitor their teens’ school night activities (71%), and use active listening skills
with their teens (71%).
Fidelity to Evidence-Based Model (Project SUCCESS)
Curriculum Fidelity: Eight Crossroads counselors attended a three-day workshop conducted by the Project
SUCCESS program developer in October 2011. Prior to that, some counselors were not formally trained in
Project SUCCESS.
Curriculum Adaptations:

PIP was refined to accomplish a core component of the Project SUCCESS model – small counseling
groups, which are difficult to implement during the school day.

Motivational Interviewing was used to achieve Project SUCCESS counseling goals within the small
number of sessions (1-2) most APS students attend.

PES is delivered in one or two lessons instead of eight. Survey results validated effectiveness.

The normative belief component of PES was revised in response to null evaluation results.
Fidelity Challenges:


Crossroads appears to lack the regular consultations with community-based agencies advanced by the
Project SUCCESS model.
Meeting the small group counseling expectations of Project SUCCESS, including offering seven rotating
groups for 4-8 students and closed membership, has not been practical in APS schools.
Recommendations

Increase the percentage of students with drug and alcohol issues who attend PIP classes. Publicizing the
impacts of PIP on student beliefs, intentions, and recidivism could help.

Engage Crossroads counselors, Health teachers, school counselors and community mental health providers
in discussions about how to sustain the work of Crossroads counselors beyond the SSHS grant. Could
community mental health providers provide 1-on-1 counseling services for students at risk of substance
abuse (note that Project SUCCESS was originally designed for counselors employed by community agencies)?
Could Health teachers teach PES in their 9th grade classes, perhaps with those community mental health
providers?
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