MEASURE
Mission, Element, Analyze, Stakeholders-Unite, Results, Educate
A Six-Step Accountability Process for School Counselors
Name and Address of School:
Theodore Schor Middle School
Piscataway Township School District
Principal: Richard A. Hueston
Name of Counselor(s) Leading the Initiative: Wendy Johansen & Irene Guarino, School
Counselors
Enrollment: 529 - 6th, 7th, & 8th graders in a suburban setting
School Demographics:
Caucasian/Non-Hispanic 158 (30%)
African American 212 (40%)
Hispanic 53 (10%)
Asian/Pacific Islander 106 (20%)
Free/reduced lunch 138 (26%)
English as Second Language 11 (2%)
Exceptional Student Education/Special Education 90 (17%)
STEP ONE: MISSION
Mission
Connect your work to your school’s mission in keeping with the ASCA or
your state’s comprehensive school counseling model.
Your school or department’s mission statement is:
The mission of the Piscataway Schools is the continual development of each child’s intellectual,
aesthetic, social, and physical abilities in a positive environment that fosters self-esteem. Students in
Piscataway will be confident, productive members of a changing society.
Piscataway Strategic Action Goal 3: All students must achieve at the highest level of their ability.
Strategic Plan: Establish a system that celebrates both outstanding student performance (A/B Honor
Roll) and improvement in performance (improvement of at least one letter grade in 2 subjects, without
grades in other subject areas going down and no F’s).
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STEP TWO: ELEMENT
Element
What critical data element are you trying to impact? (Examples include
grades, test scores, attendance, promotion rates, graduation rates,
postsecondary going rate, enrollment into honors or AP courses, special
education, discipline referral data, and so on.)
What is the baseline for the data element? Where do you hope to move it
(goal)?
Element: Increase the number of students who achieve recognition for achieving A’s and B’s and for
improving in two or more subjects each marking period throughout the school year.
Baseline: 650 student recognitions during 2003-2004
Goal: Increase the number of students who attained honor roll and who demonstrated improvement
each marking period, as defined in the program, by 10%.
STEP THREE: ANALYZE
Analyze the Data Element
You can use percentages, averages, raw scores, quartiles, or stanines. You can
aggregate or disaggregate the data to better understand which students are meeting
success. You can disaggregate by gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or
in a multitude of ways to look at student groupings.
The disaggregated baseline data revealed:
2003–2004 = 650 student recognitions for academic achievement. There are 529 students and 4
marking periods each year. Many more recognitions could take place.
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STEP FOUR: STAKEHOLDERS-UNITE
STAKEHOLDERS-UNITE to develop strategies to impact the data element.
Beginning Date: 11/2004
Ending Date: 6/2005
Stakeholders
Strategies
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School counselor(s)
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Administrators
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Teachers
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Established and refined the system that acknowledges/celebrates
outstanding and improving students every marking period.
Facilitated grade level celebratory breakfasts.
Developed certificates, bumper stickers, and banners.
Displayed banners throughout the school.
Invited teachers to celebratory breakfasts.
Shared the names of those students who achieved honor roll,
with the Piscataway Board of Education and media.
Conducted monthly classroom presentations in the areas of
educational and career development, personal, social, and
emotional development; lesson topics included study skills, time
management, and following directions.
Supported students through individual, small groups, IEP
counseling, and 504 Plans.
Served on Advancement Via Individual Differences Team,
Intervention & Referral Services Committee, School Attainment
Team, Distributive Leadership Committee, Middle School
Restructuring Task Force, and Peer Mediation Committee.
Participated in faculty meetings and on interdisciplinary team
meetings.
Developed a list of available teachers for after-school tutoring
and oversaw the Rutgers tutoring program.
Used Project Wisdom (a character education program of
thought-provoking messages) daily to foster a more positive
school climate.
Recognized student improvement with a certificate stating, “You
Almost Made It.”
Sent encouraging notes to students at interim time.
Displayed Soaring High and Reaching New Heights names on
the cafeteria bulletin board.
Took part in celebratory breakfasts.
Supported, congratulated, and awarded certificates to students.
Collaborated and strategized with parents/guardians, teachers,
students, and counselors.
Encouraged students to succeed; displayed banners in
classrooms.
Attended celebratory breakfasts when possible.
Participated in team meetings to discuss the academic and
behavioral needs of students; collaborated and strategized with
counselors.
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Students
Student Organizations
(clubs, teams, etc.)
Parents
Parent-Teacher
Associations
Community agency
members
Colleges and universities
Classroom teacher
assistants
School Improvement
Team
Resources (grants,
technology, etc.)
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Participated in classroom lessons regarding study skills, time
management and test-taking strategies.
Signed Soaring High and Reaching New Heights Student
Pledge.
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Encouraged members to do well.
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Supported students’ efforts.
Stayed in contact with teachers and counselors and participated
in team meetings as needed.
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Provided incentives.
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Published names of Soaring High students in newspaper.
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Rutgers tutors offered academic support during and after school.
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Worked with at-risk students to try harder for recognition.
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Supported the efforts of the counselors and staff to improve
student achievement.
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Helped make banners and certificates.
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STEP FIVE: RESULTS
Results: Restate your baseline data. State where your data are now.
Did you meet your goal?
Restate baseline data:
Results (data now):
Met goal: Yes X No ____
June 2005: Soaring High Students
(All A’s and B’s)
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Total
6th Grade
61
56
43
52
212
7th Grade
45
40
43
39
167
8th Grade
60
52
56
38
206
June 2005: Reaching New Heights (improving grades)
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
Total
6th Grade
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8
28
3
39
7th Grade
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9
22
20
51
8th Grade
-
10
32
12
54
Total Recognitions 2004-05
6th grade
7th grade
8th grade
Total
251
218
260
729
Questions to consider as you examine results and revise your MEASURE:
Which strategies had a positive impact on the data?
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Achievement awards presented for recognition at celebratory breakfasts
Improvement awards
Soaring High and Reaching New Heights bulletin boards
Student Pledge
Which strategies should be replaced, changed, or added?
None – they all worked.
Based on what you have learned, how will you revise Step Four, StakeholdersUnite?
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Invite community heroes to address students at awards breakfast
Encourage students to complete Student Brag Sheets highlighting their improvements
Students who achieve Soaring High status (A/B, Honor Roll) will be recognized weekly during
morning announcements and be awarded a coupon
Display pictures of students who receive recognition on the Soaring High and Reaching New
Heights bulletin board
The number of students who achieved Soaring High and Reaching New Heights declined from the 3rd
to 4th marking period in 2004-05. We need to look at what may have contributed to this decline and
think proactively about next spring:
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An increase in the number of nonacademic activities that take place outside of the classroom
during the 4th MP (such as performances and competitions, dances, field trips, and other
culminating activities and celebrations) Related to this idea, some students performed less
than adequately on their final exams, and the exam grade was averaged into the 4th MP.
“Spring fever” and end of standardized testing preparation.
A number of students who met the criteria for “Reaching New Heights” 3rd MP, maintained
but did not increase their level of improvement sufficiently to receive further recognition
during the 4th MP. In addition, some students demonstrated improvement in one, but not two,
subjects.
Honor roll data from the 2003-04 school year also show a declining trend in student
recognition from 1st to 4th MP.
How did your MEASURE contribute to systemic change(s) in your school and/or in
your community?
For the first time ever, Schor Middle School honored students each marking period who demonstrated
academic improvement in two or more subject areas.
STEP SIX:
EDUCATE
Educate others as to your efforts to move data. Develop a report card that shows
how the work of the school counselor(s) is connected to the mission of the schools
and to student success. Following is an example of a report card.
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MEASURE OF SUCCESS
Theodore Schor Middle School
Principal: Richard A. Hueston
Enrollment: 529
School Counselor(s): Wendy
Johansen & Irene Guarino
Principal’s Comment
The Soaring High – Reaching New Heights
Program gives students who otherwise would
never have had the opportunity a chance to
celebrate their accomplishments. It gives them
hope.
Critical Data Element(s)
Recognized students who achieved all A’s and
B’s (Soaring High) as well as those who
improved by at least one letter grade in two or
more subjects, without going down or failing
any subjects (Reaching New Heights) on their
report cards.
Stakeholders Involved
Counselor(s)
Conducted morning announcements and
classroom presentations, monitored student
progress, developed student pledge, designed
awards, facilitated celebratory breakfasts,
maintained student recognition bulletin board.
Administrator:
Presented awards at recognition ceremony;
worked with faculty to address student
achievement.
Teachers:
Encouraged students and met with counselors to
discuss student efforts.
Parents:
Monitored their child’s progress and consulted
with teachers and counselors.
Students:
Signed Soaring High and Reaching New
Heights Student Pledge.
Results
Total Student Recognitions for Academic
Success
Total Recognitions for Academic Success
740
720
700
680
660
640
620
600
2003-04
2004-05
Systemic Changes
For the first time, Schor Middle School honored
students each marking period who demonstrated
academic improvement in two or more subject
areas.
Faces Behind the Data
Quinton, an 8th grader, happily announced that he
went from a D to an A during the 3rd marking
period and proudly accepted his certificate.
Teachers are enthusiastic with the program. Many
teachers attended the Soaring High and Reaching
New Heights Celebration.
Two 8th grade students volunteered to create the
Soaring High and Reaching New Heights bulletin
board located in the cafeteria.
NOTE: The Educate step in MEASURE has been adapted
with permission from the Student Personnel Accountability
Report Card sponsored by the California Department of
Education and Los Angeles County Office of Education.