School Counselors Empowering Students with Disabilities: Explore student learning styles and strengths Discuss student transitions and collaboration with the special education department Share ideas on empowering students to self-advocate

1. School Counselors Empowering
Students with Disabilities
CASC Conference ~ 2008
San Diego State University
Contributing Grant Members:
Layla Miller, Tracy Shelton, Ian Aman,
Maxina Caraveo, Cheryl Landin,
Joshua Estes, Pedro Caro & Angela
Tang

2. Presentation Agenda
•School Counseling & Disabilities (SC&D) Project
•Challenges Faced by Students with Disabilities
•Interventions:
– Positive Alternative Story Activity
– Learning Strengths & Self-Advocacy
– Reality Check
•Tracking Progress: What the Data Shows

3. Objectives
Participants will:
• Explore student learning styles and strengths
• Discuss student transitions and collaboration
with the special education department
• Share ideas on empowering students to
self-advocate

4. The School Counseling &
Disabilities Project:
Preparing School Counselors
to Serve Diverse Children With
High Incidence Disabilities
Federal Grant
US Department of Education
Project Directors Project Consultants
Stacey Sinclair, Ph.D. Beverly Booker, Ph. D.
Gerald Monk, Ph.D. Trish Hatch, Ph.D.

5. Inner-City High School (ICHS)
School Demographics Special Education Demographics
67.7%
57.1%
12.3%
7.1%
1.4% 0.8%
15.5%
3.1% 6.3% 26.8%
African American European American
Latino/Latina Asian/Pacific Islander
Other
www.ed-data.k12.ca.us

6. Distribution of Special
Education Student
Population
Special Education General Education Gifted Education
10% 80% 10%
“High Incidence” disabilities:
Disabilities that occur at a high frequency
Adapted from IQ Comparison site. http://members.shaw.ca/delajara.

7. Enrollment by Category of
Disability at ICHS
Specific Learning
73% Disability
Speech or Language
Impairment
Mental Retardation
Other Health Impaired
3% Emotional Disturbance
5%
10% Orthopedic Impairment
2% 2% 5%
Other
http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/

8. Inner-City High School (ICHS)
Special Education Program
Full Inclusion Model
– Special Education students integrated into
general education classrooms with support
• RSP students
• SDC students
School Staff
– School Counselors
– Special Education staff
• Case Managers

9. % Meeting UC/CSU
Requirements:
District Comparison by Ethnicity
60
ICHS 2005
50
40 District
2005
30
ICHS 2006
20
10 District
2006
0
Asian Latino Afr Amer Eur Amer
• All groups are below District averages
• Decrease in students meeting UC/CSU requirements
at school and at district levels Grace, Nguyen, & Castel (2006)

10. SC & D Project
In the beginning . . .
• Interviewed administration and staff
• Participated in IEP and SST meetings
• Observed students in classrooms
• Formed relationships with special education
and school counseling departments
• Conducted student survey to assess needs
and guide interventions

11. “Feeder” Schools
Alternative Schools/Programs
Parent Center
Inner City High School
Executive Director
of Educational Collaborative Health Center
District Counselor
Principal
Head Vice
Principals
Counselor Speech &
Language Therapist
TRIO Program SPED Director
School Chair of SPED
SBDRT
Student Advocates Counselors
Vocational
Rehab. Counselor
RSP Staff High Incidence
Instructional Case Managers Case Managers
Assistants
Peer Mentoring
Program

12. Needs Assessment:
Student Questionnaire
Initial Survey: Spring 2005
• Target Population: Students with high incidence
disabilities with an IEP
• Survey: 28 questions
• Time Frame: Two consecutive days
• Participants: 138 students

13. Initial Student Survey
Data Findings
Students’ Learning 100
Strengths 90 Knew
80 strengths
70
• 51% did not know 60
their areas of 50 Did not
strength as learners. 40
know
strengths
30
20
10
0
9th grade (2005)

14. Initial Student Survey
Data Findings
IEP 100
• 46% attended their Attended
IEP meeting. 80 IEP
60
• Of those, only 35% Gave
input at
gave input at their 40 IEP
IEP meeting.
20
0
9th grade (2005)

15. Initial Student Survey
Data Findings
College Bound 100
• 78% planned to 80 Planned to
go to college. go to
college
60
• Yet, only 25%
knew if they were 40 On track to
on track for graduate
graduation.
20
0
9th grade (2005)

16. Initial Student Survey
Data Findings
College Bound 100
• 58% believed they 80 Believed
they
would succeed in would
college. 60 succeed
• Yet only 13%
knew if there were 40 Knew
disability services about
available to them disability
20 services
in college.
0
9th Grade 2005

17. Interventions
Group Counseling
• Why Try Curriculum (Why Try Inc, 2001)
• The Guide Curriculum, (Nelson, 2005)
• Gottman Relationship Model (Gottman, 1998)
Individual Counseling
• 40 Developmental Assets
• Narrative & Solution-Focused Counseling
• Gottman Relationship Model
Addressing
• Attendance
• Behavior
• Grades

18. Interventions
• Family
Night &
Award
Ceremony
• College Night
• A-G Presentations

19. Challenges Faced by
Students with Disabilities
Dropout Rates
vs.
Graduation Rates

20. Challenges Faced by
Students with Disabilities
National Numbers
Special Education General Education
• 56% of students • 80% of students
graduate with a graduate with a
standard high standard high
school diploma. school diploma.
• Dropout rate is 29% • Dropout rate is
4% NCES (2004) & Young (2004)

21. Challenges Faced by
Students with Disabilities
California Numbers
Students in special education account for:
• 8.5% of total dropouts
• Only 5.5% of total graduates
California Department of Ed.
Retrieved 2008

22. Challenges Faced by
Students with Disabilities
Discussion
• What challenges do students with
disabilities face in your school?
Comments

23. Current Interventions
• Positive Alternative Story Activity
• Self-Advocacy
• Reality Check

24. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
• Narrative counseling Approach
– Helps students see themselves from a
positive perspective
• Narrative Counseling in Schools:
Powerful and Brief
– (Winslade & Monk, 2006)

25. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
Nancy Paulsen’s Alternative Story Technique
• 8-Lesson Group Program
• Problem Saturated Story
• Search Cumulative File
– Passing Grades
– Anecdotal Qualitative Comments
– Student Successes
• Alternative Story
– Presenting students with a POSITIVE story of
their careers in school

26. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
Preparation for the Session
• 1. Gather information from the cumulative file.
• 2. Create a Positive Alternative Story
• Story with REAL names
• Story with ALTERED names
During the Session
• Step 1: Introductory questions
• Step 2: Present story with ALTERED names
• Step 3: Discussion reactions to the story
• Step 4: Reveal story with REAL names
• Step 5: Strengthening the Positive Alternative Story

27. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
Preparation for the Session
1. Gather information from the cumulative file
2. Create a Positive Alternative Story
• Story with REAL names
• Story with ALTERED names

28. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
During the Session
• Step 1: Introductory questions
• Step 2: Present story with ALTERED names
• Step 3: Discussion reactions to the story
• Step 4: Reveal story with REAL names
• Step 5: Strengthening the Positive Alternative Story

29. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
Positive Story Pre-Test Data
80%
70% 60% 60% 60%
60% Strongly
50% Agree
40%
40% Agree
30% 20% 20% 20% 20%
20%
10% Disagree
0%
0%
I will graduate I will go to I am an
from High college important
School person

30. Current Interventions
Positive Alternative Story Activity
Student Comments:
“This activity was helpful because it showed me
what I have done in the past and that I could do it
in the future” - W.M.
"After the activity I know that if I try I can pass
high school."

31. Current Interventions
• Positive Alternative Story Activity
• Self-Advocacy
• Reality Check

32. Current Interventions
Self-Advocacy
• Self-Advocacy
– Requires knowledge of personal
strengths and needs
– Acting assertively to make your needs
known to others
• Ultimate goal
– Increase graduation rates
– Increase college eligibility

33. Current Interventions
Self-Advocacy
Learning Styles, Strengths, & Strategies
• Discuss students’ learning styles
– Visual
– Auditory
– Tactile/Kinesthetic
• Identify students’ strengths based on learning style
• Focus on specific learning strategies
http://www.lemoyne.edu/academic_advisement/academic_support_center/ssguide.htm

34. Current Interventions
Self-Advocacy
Self-Advocacy Training
• Discuss & Model Types of Behaviors:
– Aggressive
– Passive
– Assertive
http://www.alaskachd.org/toolkit/content/Lessons/4/Plan4.html

35. Current Interventions
Self-Advocacy
Self-Advocacy Training
• Discuss & Model Assertive Behaviors:
– Request Assertiveness
– Refusal Assertiveness
– Expressing Feelings
• Offer tips for being assertive
http://www.alaskachd.org/toolkit/content/Lessons/4/Plan4.html

36. Current Interventions
• Positive Alternative Story Activity
• Self-Advocacy
• Reality Check

37. Current Interventions
Reality Check
www.californiarealitycheck.com
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California Career Resource Network (CalCRN)

38. Current Interventions
Reality Check
www.californiarealitycheck.com
•Students gain understanding of lifestyles based on:
– Location
– Living situation (house, apartment, etc.)
– Salary
– Education
– Career choices
•Explore career choices based ideal lifestyles
•Explore options after high school

39. Current Interventions
Reality Check
Strengths and Assets
• Students:
• Identify strengths
• Find a career that best suits their learning style
• Use their strengths to do well in their careers
• Examples

40. Current Interventions
Addressing A-S-K
1.Positive Alternative Story Activity
• Attitudes (A)
2. Self-Advocacy
• Skill (S)
3. Reality Check
• Knowledge (K)

41. Tracking Progress
• Questionnaire data collected from:
– Special education students grade 9-12
– Spring 2005-2007
• Questionnaire themes:
– College readiness
– IEP process
– Student attitudes
• Purpose:
– Explore correlations between data and interventions

42. Tracking Progress
% Who know they are on track to graduate
80%
65%
70%
53%
60%
50%
40% 25%
30%
20%
10%
0%
9th Grade 2005 10th Grade 2006 11th Grade 2007
Student Questionnaires 2005-2007

43. Tracking Progress
% Who attend their IEP meeting
100% 88%
90%
80%
70% 58%
60% 46%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
9th Grade 2005 10th Grade 2006 11th Grade 2007
Student Questionnaires 2005-2007

44. Tracking Progress
11th Grade Comparison with Grant Intervention
100%
With Grant
90% 76% 76% (2007 11th
80% Graders)
70% 59%
53% n = 25
60%
50% 44% 44% Without
40% Grant
30% 24% (2006 11th
20% 16% Graders)
10% n = 17
0%
Give IEP Know Agree with Had IEP
Input Results of IEP Explained Total N = 42
IEP
Student Questionnaires 2005-2007

45. Summary
• Focusing on interventions and data tracking
• Addressing ASK through interventions:
– Positive Alternative Story
– Self-Advocacy Group Lesson
– Reality Check
• Providing students with the skills to succeed in high
school and their post secondary lives

46. Acknowledgements
Gerald Monk, Ph.D., Project Co-Director
Stacey Sinclair, Ph.D., Project Co-Director
Lloyd Campbell, Ed.D., Faculty Consult
Trish Hatch, Ph.D., SDSU School Counseling Program Director
Current Project Team Past Project Team Members
Members Diego State University Foundation
San
Kevin Akiyama Mandy Najimi
Ian Aman Andy Anderson Erin Patrick
Katherine Chang Michael Perales
Maxina Caraveo Hien Pham
Christine Cura Stephanie Picó n
Pedro Caro Lauren Di Dio Belen Robles
Joshua Estes Elvia Estrella Eloy Rosas
Suzanna Kim Deborah Samson
Cheryl Landin Randy Tone
Marcela Munoz Tristan Turk
Layla Miller Esmelda Gonzalez Michelle Wiese
Tracy Shelton Nate Locke Tiffany Young
Angela Tang Homero Magaña
Sarah Mamaril

47. References
Alberti, R.E. & Emmons, K.L. (1982). Your Perfect Right: A guide to
assertive living. San Luis Obispo, CA: Impact.
American School Counselor Association (2003). The ASCA national
model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA:
Author.
California Department of Education (2006). Special education enrollment
by ethnicity and disability. Retrieved March 9, 2008 from
http://data1.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/
Education Data Partnership. (2008). School profile fiscal year 2006-07.
Retrieved March 19, 2007 from http://www.ed-data.k12.ca.us/
Gottman, J. (1999). The seven principles for making marriage work. New
York: Three Rivers Press.
The Gottman Institute, Inc. (2004). Retrieved March 19, 2007 from
http://www.gottman.com/

48. References
Grace, T., Nguyen, S., & Castel, A. (2006). Inner city high school project.
Powerpoint presentation for CSP 645, Dr. Trish Hatch.
Hallahan, D.P. & Kauffman, J.M. (2006). Exceptional learners: Introduction
to special education (10th ed). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Hatch, T. (2005). Conceptual design of the ASK approach to measuring
results for students. Draft chapter available at Thatch@mail.sdsu.edu.
Healthy Kids Survey. (n. d.). Retrieved March 19, 2007 from http://www.
wested.org/pub/docs/chks_home.html
IQ Comparison Site. (n. d.). IQ normal curve. Retrieved December 27,
2005 from http://members.shaw.ca.delajara
Lesson Plan #4: Applying Assertiveness Skills. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24,
2008 from Self-Determination Toolkit Project Web site:
http://www.alaskachd.org/toolkit/content/Lessons/4/Plan4.html.

49. References
Monk, G. & Winslade, J. (2007). Narrative Counseling in Schools (2nd ed.).
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Moore, C. (2005). Why Try Curriculum. Retrieved March 18, 2008 from
http://www.whytry.org/
Nelson, M. (2005). The guide. Bozeman, MT: Hyalite, LLC.
Reality Check. California Career Resources Network (CalCRN). Retrieved
February 6, 2008 from www.californiarealitycheck.com.
Speaking Up For Yourself. (n.d.). Retrieved March 24, 2008 from Self-
Determination Toolkit Project Web site:
http://www.alaskachd.org/toolkit/content/Lessons/4/Speaking.html.
The 40 Developmental Assets® . The Search Institute. Retrieved February
27, 2007 from www.search-institute.org.

50. Questions?
Discussion
What has worked for you?
Contact us at:
SDSUgrant@yahoo.com