SSET Grant (Student Services Every Time Grant)

1. SSET Grant (Student Services Every Time Grant) Tucson Unified School District

2. SSET Grant • What is it? • U.S. Department of Education, Safe and Drug Free Schools Demonstration Grant to expand counseling programs in elementary schools • $1.2 million for 3 years • Funding period includes 2007-2010 • Purpose • Improve student behavior • Increase parent involvement

3. Implement • The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003) • The Positive Behavior Intervention Support (PBIS, 1999) • The School, Family, and Community Partnerships (Epstein Model, 2001)

4. SSET Grant Overview • Student-to-Counselor Ratio • Recognized ASCA Model Programs • School Quality Survey Results • Parent Involvement • Attendance Results • Academic Results • Closing the Gap • Guidance Curriculum • Office Referrals • Project Summary

5. Student-to-Counselor Ratio

6. Recognized ASCA Model Programs RAMP awards: • Grijalva • Reynolds • Wright

7. School Quality Survey Results Percentage of respondents (students, parents & staff) in agreement with statements regarding student behavior, safety & respect. For example: Students behave in class. My classroom is a comfortable place to learn. Teachers treat students with respect. Students treat teachers with respect.

8. Parent Involvement • Increase in family and parent activities • Average school increase from 44 to 69 events per year • Activities range from family movie night to educational programs for parents • Increase in parent participation • Average school increase from 1,948 to 2,246 parents participating in events • Increase in parent volunteers

9. Attendance Results • Results analysis Students who were at risk of failing, improved attendance over the three years of the project. Established Gap groups for at- risk students improved attendance. • Recommendations Continue Gap groups Develop strategies for students in attendance most of the time and address absences for students who are ill in order to bring the schools’ attendance rate to 95%.

10. Academic Results Reading/Math • Results analysis 4th grade students improved significantly by 5.6% in reading. A change in the Math content areas and format resulted in new norms being created and a drop in math scores. • Recommendations A complete analysis of reading scores in 5th grade to look at content in the tests compared to performance objectives. Restructure math curriculum to include new content included in the tests.

11. Selection process – Student selection based on attendance, academic scores listed as at-risk, and number of office referrals Interventions – Parents contacted, daily check-ins, weekly meetings, tutoring, increased teacher contacts Closing the Gap Group Criteria

12. Closing the Gap Group Results *M=Meets the standard A=Approaching the standard F=Falls far below the standard

13. Guidance Curriculum • Results analysis Fully implemented ASCA National Model programs was utilized in classrooms and small groups. The program includes academic, personal/social, and career lessons. • Recommendations Continue use of ASCA National Model program in classrooms and small groups. • Project counselors percentage of time in classrooms and small groups

14. Attendance • All counselors worked with students who had excessive absences. As a result of their work, students normally attending school in the 70th and 80th percentiles now attend in the high 80th and 90th percentiles.

15. Project Summary • Fully Implemented ASCA program. • Overall student attendance improved. • Students, parents & staff in all schools agreed that student behavior, safety & respect had improved.