Standard 2 Aspect B

Standard 2b: Engage in culturally responsive educational practices with diverse learners and do so in diverse cultural and socioeconomic community contexts are measured by certain items in the following instruments: Candidate Disposition, Evaluation of Field Placement Students, Site Supervisor Program Evaluation/Feedback, and Exit Survey.

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These instruments were developed by the faculty by using verbiage and standards from CCTC and CACREP as guidelines.  

Data Sources & Analysis:

Data Source 1

Counselor Disposition Assessment (Full Survey, Data Set, n=44): 

Field practice site supervisors rate completers based on their field practice at different school districts or programs serving primary and secondary pupils. Site supervisors rate completers on the following items based on their observations and by using the following ratings: 0= not observed; 1=inadequate; 2=meet expectations; 3=exceed expectations.

Perspective Captured from Data Source: Field practice site supervisors

Rationale for using Data Source:
Although these evaluations take place while candidates are still in the credential program, we believe that assessing them in these key areas prepares them to draw on the knowledge and skills they develop once they enter the field. 

Specific Elements of Data Source:
The following items demonstrate candidates’ commitment to engage in culturally responsive educational practices: 

• Diagnose clients/students’ needs by interpreting data from various sources.
• Develop intervention plans compatible with diverse students
• Accommodates all clients, including those from diverse backgrounds
• Respects clients as individuals with differing personal backgrounds

Definition of Success for Each Element:
We perceive students as successful if they meet or exceed expectations (ratings 2 and 3).

Displays of Analyzed Data:  

Interpretation of Data Source 1:
The majority of completers (n=44) were rated as exceeding expectations in working with and showing respect to students and families from various backgrounds (84%) and a few were rated as meeting expectations (16%).  In The one candidate who did not meet expectations did not do so because of communication issues that were later resolved.  

A few site supervisors noted that the items of diagnosing client's needs and developing intervention plans were not applicable. Since we use this instrument within all four of our counseling programs, including two clinical programs (Marriage, Family, and Child Counseling & Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health), the language of “diagnose and intervention” may not be familiar to school counselors.  We plan to edit the language to fit the school counseling field in order to get better data and ensure the field placement supervisors understand what we are asking for.  For example, the diagnose item could be better framed as, “Ability to conceptualize student’s needs by interpreting data from various sources…” and the second item on developing intervention plans could be better framed as, “Develop goals compatible with diverse needs of…”.

Data Source 2 

Evaluation of Field Placement Student
(Data Set for Spring 2021 Google sheet)

Perspective: Site supervisors rate the completers on their knowledge and skills.

Rationale for using Data Source:
Although these evaluations take place while candidates are still in the credential program, we believe that assessing them in these key areas prepares them to draw on the knowledge and skills they develop once they enter the field. 

Specific Elements of Data Source: 

Items relevant to Standard 2b include:

• Item 8: Have knowledge and ability to work with students of diverse backgrounds including socioeconomic disadvantages, English learners, homeless youth, foster youths, sexual minority youths, and racial and ethnic minorities.
• Item 9: Have knowledge and ability to work with students with disabilities and other educational/socioemotional needs that impact learning (including knowledge of IEP and Section 504 Plans)
• Item 23: Model and demonstrate essential counseling skills, multicultural awareness, techniques, and strategies in individual counseling, including but not limited to addressing social/emotional and mental health, needs, crises and traumas that are barriers to student achievement.
• Item 24: Model and demonstrate essential counseling skills and multicultural awareness in group counseling within psycho-educational and/or psycho-analytic frameworks to address root causes and underlying issues impeding student achievement, including building rapport, showing empathy, and providing non-judgmental support to students.

Definition of Success for Each Element:
Completers are deemed successful if they’ve achieved a 3 or 4 rating satisfied and most satisfied ratings).  

Display of Analyzed Data:
See below for a bar graph of all items (Rating colors: 4=green, very satisfactory; 3=yellow moderately satisfactory: 2=red, moderately unsatisfactory; 1=blue, very unsatisfactory.)

Interpretation of Data:
The items selected in this assessment evaluate the knowledge and skills needed to provide services to students and families from diverse backgrounds and with diverse needs.  Most of the completers, as seen in the green bar, are rated highest by their site supervisor on how satisfied they are in the completers’ ability and skills to work with diverse student populations. Note that one rater rated the student twice, making the data seem like we had three students with whom supervisors were unsatisfied, but only 2 out of 52 students received unsatisfactory results--as discussed in response to Standard 2a.

Data Source 3

2021 Survey of Recent School Counseling Graduates
In Spring 2021, Dr. Dominiqua Griffin, at the time the coordinator for the School Counseling Program, administered a survey to current and recent completers of the school counseling program, with a goal of learning their perceptions of how well the program had prepared them. Respondents were invited to rate their abilities in a number of key areas of school counseling on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (outstanding).

Perspective Captured from Data Source: Program Alumni

Rationale for using Data Source:  
Since the other data focused on the site supervisors’ perspectives, this data set provides information about how completers view their abilities and skills in counseling diverse student populations. 

Specific Elements of Data Source: 

Items relevant to Standard 2B include (Full survey Qualtrics form):

• Ability to counsel with culturally different clients
• Ability to work with persons with disabilities
• Ability to counsel with members of the opposite sex

Definition of Success:
Programmatically, our goal is for all respondents to rate their abilities as good (4) or outstanding (5).

Program Completers’ (n=27) Responses to Program Completer Survey:

Interpretation of Data:
Under the three questions for Item #24, there were a variety of responses. The students self-reported and rated themselves an averaged 4.96/5 on their ability to counsel with culturally different clients. They averaged a self-score of 3.38/5 on their ability to work with persons with disabilities and they averaged, and 3.62/5 on their ability to counsel with members of the opposite sex. In each category, the students ranked the majority of their responses “average, good or outstanding.” 

These ratings do indicate that although the students are trained to work with diverse clients, when it comes to specific components of diversity such as ability to work with persons with disability and members of the opposite sex, they rated themselves lower in ability than the ability to work with different cultures.. The program will utilize this data to create more opportunities for students to engage with diverse groups, particularly as it relates to gender and ability status. 

Next Steps:
Completers from the School Counseling Program are rated highly by supervisors and by themselves in their ability to engage in culturally responsive education practices and interact with students from diverse backgrounds. However, our diversity and multicultural landscape is constantly changing. Even though our students receive high remarks, the faculty plan to keep updated on new standards  and  best practices.  

Additionally, our data show that some of the questions may need to be edited for clarity and to use verbiage from the school counseling field instead of the mental health field, such as the terms diagnosis and clients.  

Although students rated themselves relatively high in their abilities, they see themselves less able to serve those with disabilities and of the opposite sex. The program will seek to ensure that curriculums and instructors strengthen and broaden the teachings on counseling with diverse populations.

Finally, as a program, we will continue to administer our own survey to program completers and recent alumni to better understand their perceptions of how well the program has prepared them. Additionally, because data are now collected electronically, we will be able to engage in more systematic analysis of results, comparing responses across cohorts of candidates.

Aspect C →