268. Measuring the Effectiveness of Your Counseling Lessons

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Welcome back to another episode of School Counseling Simplified! Throughout September, we have been diving deep into classroom lessons. I love using them as tier 1 interventions, and so far we have talked about how to plan, schedule, teach, and manage behaviors during lessons. Today, we are shifting the focus to data and exploring how to measure the success of your classroom counseling lessons.

Often, counselors rely on self-assessments or individual assessments during small group or one-on-one sessions, which is a fantastic approach. But did you know you can also track data in your classroom lessons without feeling overwhelmed? In this episode, I am sharing two simple and practical ways to measure effectiveness.

• Collecting new data

  • This includes surveying parents and teachers throughout the year to gather feedback on the effectiveness of your lessons.

  •  By asking questions such as which topics have been most helpful or what improvements they have noticed, you can continue to modify and strengthen your lessons. 

  • Surveys can be kept short and simple with just a few questions to ensure people complete them. 

  • You can also share results in newsletters or with your administration to advocate for your role.

• Instant student feedback

  •  A brief half-sheet with three simple questions at the end of a lesson can provide valuable insights into what students are learning and how they are engaging with the material.

• How to use this data 

• The purpose of gathering information is not just to collect it but to use it to improve future lessons and demonstrate the impact of your program. All data is good data because it allows you to revise, reflect, and show the power of school counseling.

Your action step for this week is to create a parent feedback survey and send it out. This simple tool can make a big difference in helping you measure effectiveness and advocate for your work.

Resources Mentioned:

• Join IMPACT

• stressfreeschoolcounseling.com/classlessons

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More About School Counseling Simplified:

School Counseling Simplified is a podcast offering easy to implement strategies for busy school counselors. The host, Rachel Davis from Bright Futures Counseling, shares tips and tricks she has learned from her years of experience as a school counselor both in the US and at an international school in Costa Rica.

You can listen to School Counseling Simplified on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more!