As part of our duties as school counselors, it’s essential to set goals, and progress monitor to collect data on our students' progress. This data is significant to the important work we perform in schools and it also helps keep us from being slotted into functions not related to our professions and doing inappropriate duties.
And yes, data can even make a seasoned school counselor uneasy. But it does not have to be this way! With some thought, time, and practice, you can set a goal, implement an intervention, gather data from it, and see progress! If adequate progress on the goal is not being made after a period of time, you may need to re-evaluate your intervention. This process may be helpful to advocate for your role and present to your admin and district on the need for why school counselors and other mental health professionals are essential for student success. So, let us take this step-by-step.
What is Progress Monitoring?
First, let us get any confusion out of the way by defining what progress monitoring is exactly. According to Dr. Gene Kerns, Chief Academic Officer of Renaissance.com, "Progress monitoring is a formal protocol necessary to collect valid and reliable data from charting student's performance against expected outcomes" (n.d.)
We use progress monitoring to evaluate students' performance, calculate their improvement rates toward goals, and ascertain how they respond to instruction or intervention. School counselors can equally apply progress monitoring to an entire class, grade, or to an individual student.
What is Data Collection?
Dr. Eric Dafoe (2018) states that data collected by school counselors fall into three main categories: process, perception, and outcome data.
Process data is descriptive and explains the impact on the subject and what happened during an intervention. An example would be an anger management group, the frequency of meetings, the number of students who attended, and the length of the sessions.
Perception data is significant because it visualizes how students have improved, stayed the same, or regressed because of the school counselor's intervention. An example would be collecting data before and after a particular counseling intervention. I collect perception data for my Skills for Big Feelings curriculum.
Outcome data emphasizes the intervention findings related to how the intervention affected defined goals, areas of growth, and achievement gaps. An example of a measure of outcome data would be the number of students who receive more than one failing grade—again, measuring that number after those students attended a semester-long study skills group.
Types of Data School Counselors, School Psychologists, or School Social Workers May Collect
The type of data collected by school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers, and other school-based mental health professionals can be numerous and often vary by goals and school setting. The following are some common types of data collected.
Data on Progress Toward achieving I.E.P. goals for Individual Students
If you collaborate closely with your school's special education department or work in a program that provides comprehensive educational and therapeutic support services, you know the importance of progress monitoring to ensure the success of I.E.P. goals. Cindy Golden (2017), the author of The Data Collection Toolkit, offers this organized system for collecting data:
Rate: The student must repeat an assignment or conduct to show proficiency. Example: Eric will correctly complete 5 out of 6 assignments. Kendra will correctly identify the size of 5 problems on a 3 point scale within 10 minutes.
Time: The student must complete the assignment within the required time limit.
Percentage: The student's level of execution is measured compared to 100%. Example: Grace will give the correct phone number in 90% of her attempts.
Golden (2017) notes we should be thoughtful of each student's goal when determining if the rate, time, and the percentage is the best way to measure the student's mastery. This can be especially tricky with social-emotional goals.
So, if you are looking for help with writing S.M.A.R.T. objectives and goals that are simple to measure and progress monitor data easily, be sure to check out this blog post.
Data for M.T.S.S. Progress Monitoring
A.S.C.A. emphasizes that school counselors are also school leaders (A.S.C.A., 2016). And being school leaders, we should have a definitive role in creating multi-tiered systems of supports (M.T.S.S.). The Riverside County Office of Education defines M.T.S.S. as a systemic, continuous improvement framework in which data-based problem-solving and decision-making are practiced across all educational system levels for supporting students.
A less complex way to think of M.T.S.S. is a flexible strategy of various interventions monitored to improve a student's academics, behavior, and address social/emotional concerns. A tiered system drives M.T.S.S., and there are three general levels.
Tier 1: General instruction and behavior expectations administered to the entire student population include classroom intervention, screening assessment, differentiated instruction by development level, and learning style. As a school counselor, I use my Skills for Big Feelings whole classroom push-in social-emotional learning lessons as a Tier-1 intervention. I also use school-wide mindfulness programs and Calm Corners as a Tier-1 intervention. Tier 1 is for ALL learners.
Tier 2: Targeted intervention completed in small groups. I use small, targeted pull-out social-emotional groups as a Tier-2 intervention. Tier 2 is implemented with SOME learners.
Tier 3: Individualized Intensive Intervention such as a biofeedback intervention, or an individualized behavior intervention plan based developed from a functional behavior assessment. Tier 3 is implemented with a FEW learners.
The Center on Multi-Tiered System of Supports website has helpful progress monitoring tools and guides for effective data collection.
M.T.S.S. is a canopy term that envelopes the widely implemented strategies such as Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS.)
Response to Intervention (RTI)
RTI is an organized and coordinated method to enhance the proficiency, accountability and control of evidence-based procedures. According to Ziomek-Diagle (2016), some schools use RTI to decrease referrals for students to receive special education services.
RTI can target academics in terms of instruction, or it can target behavior. School counselors are typically involved in behavioral RTI. Some students who struggle academically may also have behavioral, social, and emotional challenges as well. There may be outside challenges going on as well including poverty, homelessness, etc.
Supporting social behavior is vital for students to maintain focus and have academic success. Behavioral R.T.I. emphasizes a continuum of services provided to students by school counselors and other school-based mental health professionals and are integrated into comprehensive school counseling programs (Ziomek-Daigle, 2016).
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
PBIS, another multi-tiered support system, was founded on the principles of applied behavior and has been implemented in over 21,000 schools throughout the U.S. PBIS can be thought of as a function of RTI, tier-1 focuses on the social and behavioral outcomes of ALL students. PBIS uses the three-tiered preventative continuum of data-driven and evidence-based practices to improve students' academic and social behaviors.
Usage of Time Data
Do you ever ask yourself "Where did my day go? How was my time utilized?" Most school counselors are pulled in MANY directions throughout the school day and may struggle with their use of time.
There are different systems for tracking your time. It's essential to track your time as carefully as possible. If you have a very large caseload, tracking your time can be an important way to advocate for additional positions or support in your department.
Some districts or administrators will pull your numbers from the year to see where and how you are spending your time. A lot of school counselors use an app called SCUTA to track their time, but I haven't tried it yet.
Most schools have a breakdown of what they want to see out of their counseling departments. Whether or not this is fair is highly debatable, but we can gain valuable insight into addressing student needs in our schools. How often did you talk to students about social-emotional issues? What themes came up? Was bullying a big concern this school year? How many referrals did you make to outside agencies? How many IEP meetings, S.S.T.'s, or 504 meetings did you attend? How many family collaboration meetings did you hold?
Assessing patterns in concerns will also help you determine what type of lessons you should implement for Tier-1 whole classroom instruction. For example, are you seeing a lot of relational aggression in 5th grade, and is blurting a common concern in 1st grade this year? By collecting and analyzing the data you can plan to be more proactive and address the unique needs of your building.
Doing our best to document our time and what we do as counselors can put us in a positive light with our administration and stakeholders. Sometimes we sacrifice accuracy when we get a phone call from a parent who can’t get their student to go to school, or a teacher sent a student to you because he notices a concern. Do your best to document and keep up with these unexpected events that will undoubtedly come up each day so you can keep doing what you do best, serving your students as efficiently as possible.
Data and Year-End Reports
End-of-the-year reports can be a lot to put together, but if you have a system and keep a tally, they can be helpful for advocating for your role.
Examples of what your year-end counseling report may contain include numbers on a variety of issues school counselors deal with daily including:
Attendance
Behavioral referrals
Suspensions
Referrals to outside providers
Crisis calls
Referrals to community agencies for supports
Crisis/suicide assessments
Scholarships
Camperships
Contacts with parents
Collateral contacts
Number of children seen individually, in groups for counseling, for whole-class push-in lessons
Number of teacher or administrator consultations
Number of referrals to child protective services
Holiday assistance given
Number of bags of food given out
Number of clothing, coats or shoes given out, etc.
The above is just a tiny fraction of what can be tracked and quantified! We are involved in so many aspects of our students' lives, and pilfering through this data helps prepare us for the upcoming school year.
The Importance of Data Collection
Data collection, intervention, and documentation all fall under covering yourself. It's one of the most important concepts you will learn when working in the school system. Documenting your use of time can help determine where student support is needed, identify trends, and can help to cover yourself. As much as school counselors do to help students, parents, teachers, and other stakeholders, many see the position as unnecessary and even a position of numerous conveniences like hall duty, attendance calls, classroom monitoring (Schoolcounselor.org, 2021).
Data is one of the school counselors' best friends when it comes to your use of time. If you have a strong department leader, they can justify your time to admin subjectively, but data will help portray it objectively.
Advocate for Your Role and Appropriate Counselor Duties
If your district is not in favor of counselors or SEL, you may be in a position where you have to defend how you are spending that time, especially if you are placed with inappropriate or menial tasks in front of you. Data entry, coordinating testing programs, building a master schedule, and being involved in disciplinary decisions are a few examples of duties not consistent with what A.S.C.A. advocates for our profession.
Even though we are pulled in multiple directions throughout each day, we have opportunities to collect and interpret the data of the student interactions and interventions that efficiently use our time. For a list of appropriate and inappropriate duties, check out the A.S.C.A. website.
Getting More Support with Your Caseload
A.S.C.A. states a manageable caseload is 250 students per counselor! That is the number BEFORE the COVID-19 pandemic, and now we are seeing more social-emotional needs in our students. Caseload is a complex subject to write about because some of us have 400 or more students on our rosters and live in different communities with different grades and different needs. These numbers are increasing each year. With data, you can advocate for more support to help you. Presenting data and statistics can help you advocate to bring in more support so your caseload is more in line with ASCA's recommendation.
My IEP Data Collection Process
Streamlining your progress monitoring and the data collection process can lessen the feeling of "just one more thing" you must do.
Optimizing your progress monitoring for individual children on I.E.P.'s starts with writing S.M.A.R.T. IEP and treatment plan goals and objectives.
My book, Skills for Big Feelings also has 22 S.M.A.R.T. objectives which are aligned to the curriculum!
Knowing how the data collection will occur and by whom starts the entire process off with clarity. As a school counselor, you may also be collecting data for larger groups of children, such as for a group, full classroom, a specific grade level, an entire school, or even a whole school district. If you want some info on writing S.M.A.R.T. IEP or MTSS goals, be sure to check out this blog post.
Data Collection Process: First, Collect Baseline Data
Before you write objectives for an I.E.P. or treatment plan, you need to collect baseline data. Knowing the baseline will ensure your goals are realistic and achievable. This data will show you how the student is currently functioning, also known as their "present level of performance."
The baseline data are the standards from which you will measure the child's progress. That is how you know whether he/she is achieving their objectives or not, and it will help you set realistic and achievable goals that can indeed be accomplished.
The frequency of progress monitoring or documenting data will depend on the intervention and goals. It is essential to progress monitor because if a child is not making adequate progress with a particular intervention you are using, you may need to consider implementing a new intervention. Your progress monitoring data will help you determine this.
Determine Who Will Collect Data for Progress Monitoring
You will want to think about who will collect the data, the data collection protocol, and when it will be collected. If this data is for an I.E.P., there will need to be S.M.A.R.T. objectives attached, making sure the data collection system is sustainable for the designated person or people. Having fidelity when collecting data is super important.
I have learned that I like using data collection sheets, and I prefer collecting the data myself. I find that it's too stressful to rely on other people to collect data for me! But if you collaborate with a team of counselors dedicated to your department's mission and clear rules are drawn, it may be easier to collect data this way. You can also consider training interns to help you implement interventions and collect data. Yes, it can be stressful to rely on others, but you’ll find this may be a better way to utilize your time if you can train them. Just find a system that works best for you!
For a sample data collection sheet, go ahead and scroll to the top of this page to sign up for the free resource library, if you're already a member, just go here. Be sure to check out this eBook also has several different printable data collection sheets included.
For more examples of SMART IEP and treatment objectives, as well as the formula for writing easily measusred treatment plan and IEP goals, check out my eBook: Social-Emotional I.E.P. & Treatment Plan Objectives.
Using a Data Log as a Progress Monitoring Tool
I use a simple system to record my data on a data log. I can also change it as needed for working with a small group or an individual session. At the top, I write down the skill or objective we are targeting, along with the date. In a group setting, I will then write each child's name on the left-hand side of the column. For individual work, I just use one sheet per child.
You can design a data log that works for your preferred progress monitoring and data collection style. Create a system to know what indicates a correct answer, an incorrect answer, a request for help, or no answer.
Different symbols for different responses will allow you to quickly tally totals for the various categories and you can then calculate a fraction or percentage.
Helpful Tools to Assist Progress Monitoring
You should be familiar with different tools to start and help with your progress monitoring efforts. Here is a shortlist to get you started:
Needs Assessment: A needs assessment is a survey completed by students, parents, teachers, and administrators that offers a data-informed direction for a comprehensive school counseling program.
Behavior Rating Scale: A behavioral rating scale is an assessment instrument completed by a third party (e.g., school counselor, teacher, parent, peer) that includes items that assess one or more targeted behaviors.
Self-Assessments: Student self-assessment occurs when learners assess their own performance. With practice, they learn to objectively reflect on and critically evaluate their progress and skill development, identify gaps in their understanding and capabilities, learn independently, and think critically.
Motivation Assessment Scales: The Motivation Assessment Scale is a rating scale designed to help identify the motivation behind a target problem behavior. It yields scores on subscales that represent possible functions of behavior.
Check in with your school psychologist to learn more about the tools your district uses!
More Data Collection Tools and Examples
Below, you will find more techniques and apps that can help you monitor and collect data for your school counseling program.
Pre-Tests and Post-Tests for Students
A simple measure to collect data is using a pre-test and post-test after an intervention.
Creating a pre-test helps establish a baseline or where the student's current level of performance is.
The post-test can measure the overall effect your intervention had on the student.
Using such tests to measure skills before and after the behavioral or social intervention can help you better understand how effective the intervention was. If the intervention was not effective, you will likely need to change the intervention.
An advantage of a pre-test and post-test study design is that there is directionality of the research. There is a dependent variable (knowledge or attitude) testing before and after intervention with an independent variable (training or an information presentation session) -(Stratton, 2019). A drawback to using pre-test and post-tests is the amount of time that can take place between tests without measure—collecting observational data in the mean time may make you want to make some adjustments to the intervention.
Student, Parent, and Teacher Surveys
The use of surveys can accurately curate school climate, perceptions and beliefs, and matters affecting the learning environment. Surveys can be administered quickly by traditional hardcopy or through survey tools such as Google Forms or Survey Monkey. One of the keys to completing a survey is to make access as easy as possible.
A survey can also vet potential members of a counseling group. Not all students will work well together or towards a common goal. If you are coordinating multiple groups, a survey can help select group members based on need, developmental level, or degree of intervention needed. Data collected from surveys can help address topics that may not have come to mind before.
The primary goal of many parent surveys is to collect and understand parent opinions, perspectives, attitudes, and perceptions towards the school, their students, and education, in general, to improve the learning environment in broad or specific ways. Students and the schools fair better when there is substantial parent involvement.
I know it can be a little scary to put your program out there for others to evaluate but making yourself vulnerable can allow for so much growth. In fact, the main driver for me deciding to publish the social-emotional learning curriculum I developed to help children develop emotional regulation skills was parent feedback! I was shocked to learn how many kids changed their behavioral and emotional functioning at home, as a result of going through my program. So, that's how Skills for Big Feelings came about as a book!
Parent surveys also serve good relationships in the community. Parents are appreciative of asking their views and opinions for the betterment of their student's education. Be sure to have any surveys translated into the languages your families speak before sending them home.
I do include parent and student surveys in Skills for Big Feelings because I think it's a fantastic way to assess progress, impact, and outcomes. However, a disadvantage of a survey is you will rarely receive a 100% response rate. The hope is to collect enough information that will represent the attitudes of the population you serve.
S.W.I.S. (School-Wide Information System) is a thorough, online database for understanding student behaviors happening in school each day. This is a way to enter data like discipline referral information and check in-check out data to see patterns in terms of what is happening school-wide. S.W.I.S. converts this data in real-time, so teams can get students the support they need faster and target specific needs. I like to use SWIS data to help inform decision-making. For example, what students are in need of a more targeted tier-3 intervention, such as a biofeedback program?
DESSA is aligned with CASEL and another online program used to create measurable and actionable social and emotional learning plans and programs with dependable assessment. You can use it as a universal screener to review social and emotional competences in your students.
Another resource used in recording student behavior in real-time is the Behavioral Observation of Students in Schools (BOSS) software, developed by Edward Shapiro. BOSS observations are often used when there are concerns about off-task behavior.
The child is monitored and every 15 seconds you note if they are on task (passively or actively engaged) or off-task (verbally, motor, or passively.) Some people use an old fashion pen and paper to do this, or you can use an app. It is often helpful to do a couple of observations across different settings (like small group, versus whole classroom, etc.) and used a peer for comparison.
SCUTA
Numerous school counselors and school districts use SCUTA to develop a data-driven, evidence-based school counseling program. It follows the A.S.C.A. National Model recommendations and offers confidential, comprehensive documentation and use of time analysis system. SCUTA appears to be a valuable tool for school counselors who intend best practices, keep accurate records, and develop a data-driven school counseling program. SCUTA also allows school counselors to illustrate the nature of their work and school needs with admin and stakeholders. I haven't used it yet but have heard great things about it!
What is the Best Data Collection Tool for School Counselors?
Most schools and districts have an electronic system a counselor can use to keep track of their daily interactions and duties. But some counselors struggle with doing this daily. Before you know it, a week or even a month has gone by, with no documentation of contacts! The simple solution is to have an open document on your computer or a notebook and pen or pencil with you at your desk. These simple instruments have been the savior of many counselors, and documenting what you have done doesn’t get easier than this.
I stress this to many new counselors because the year will get overwhelming, and we all have trouble remembering everything that transpired in a day so you have to develop a system that works for you. There is not one "best" method, in my opinion, and I use a variety of methods to document and collect data in my role as a School Adjustment Counselor (which my state license is also a School Social Worker.)
You can easily document outliers in your "official" data collection because things come up that we could not have foreseen. Being able to jot down that quick note will help assess your intervention and plans accurately.
References
Admin. (2017, November 20). School Surveys for Parents: Challenges, Importance, Purpose, and Tips. Pride Surveys. https://www.pridesurveys.com/index.php/blog/school-surveys-for-parents/
Center on PBIS | Resource: Tier 2 Progress Monitoring: Using Data for Decision Making. (n.d.). https://www.pbis.org/resource/tier-ii-progress-monitoring-using-data-for-decision-making.
Dafoe, E. (n.d.). Types of Data to Measure School Counseling Program Success. Types of Data to Measure School Counseling Program Success - American School Counselor Association (ASCA). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/newsletters/october-2018/types-of-data-to-measure-school-counseling-program.
Data Collection. (n.d.). https://ori.hhs.gov/education/products/n_illinois_u/datamanagement/dctopic.html.
Golden, C. (2018). The data collection toolkit: everything you need to organize, manage, and monitor classroom data. Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
Home: National Center on Intensive Intervention. Home | National Center on Intensive Intervention. (n.d.). https://intensiveintervention.org/
Progress monitoring - What is it? - EdWords. Renaissance. (n.d.). https://www.renaissance.com/edwords/progress-monitoring/
Progress Monitoring. Center on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. (n.d.). https://mtss4success.org/essential-components/progress-monitoring.
Riverside County Office of Education. Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) | Riverside County Office of Education. (n.d.). https://www.rcoe.us/departments/educational-services/instructional-services/multi-tiered-system-of-supports-mtss.
Social Emotional Learning and Intensive Intervention. Social Emotional Learning and Intensive Intervention | National Center on Intensive Intervention. (n.d.). https://intensiveintervention.org/resource/social-emotional-learning-and-intensive-intervention.
Stratton, S. J. (2019). Quasi-Experimental Design (Pre-Test and Post-Test Studies) in Prehospital and Disaster Research. Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, 34(6), 573–574. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1049023x19005053
What You Need to Know About SEL's Most Well-Regarded Assessment Suite, the DESSA From Aperture Education. Social and Emotional Learning - Aperture Education. (2021, May 5). https://apertureed.com/research/about-the-dessa/
Ziomek-Daigle, J., Goodman-Scott, E., Cavin, J., & Donohue, P. (2016). Integrating a Multi-Tiered System of Supports With Comprehensive School Counseling Programs. The Professional Counselor, 6(3), 220–232. https://doi.org/10.15241/jzd.6.3.220
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