You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.

-James D. Miles

I have never been the type of person who just really enjoys collecting data.  I had a tendency to see it as abstract and not applicable to me.  It was not until I worked with my teammates to create our action plan for Northgate Middle School that I began to see what data really does for the school counselor.  After doing some in-depth research into Northgate, I found that there were three specific groups of students who were being sent to the office more than all of the others which alarmed me.  As a school counselor, I will use data on a regular basis to help define the problem areas but also to monitor improvements made in student performance.  Without the use of process data and perception data to monitor student performance, it would be very difficult to effectively reach all of the needs of our students.

The use of school-wide data such as the SWIS discipline monitoring program and the school-wide intervention resources, I was able to gain a more complete picture of students.  The SWIS data shows disciplinary actions taken by the administration and provides details as to the nature of each offense.  The interventions and the traditional data collections provide a concise picture of a students' academic abilities.  Based on the information at Northgate, we were able to focus our attention on the more pressing issue of discipline and in theory, fewer discipline issues in the building would relate to higher academic achievement throughout the school.  Fewer classroom distractions should allow for a better learning environment.  The use of these data programs made a difference in the approach we took as the counselors.

My own program evaluations and program audits will also be very important tools of assessment in determining the success of my program.  Again, using the data collected from school, I will be able to evaluate the program I have created and can monitor and adjust the program based on the progress the students are making.  Evaluations done by myself and by my administrator will also help me continue to improve my outreach and service to each of my students.

Throughout my practicum and internship I have used a variety of student surveys as well as teacher surveys to collect data on the school climate.  Often the perception of the staff is very different from that of the students and it is interesting to see the connection.  I have used needs assessments to form groups and to determine which areas the students believe need attention.  Pre and Post surveys also provide a great deal of information about the effectiveness of a program or a group.  I plan to continue the use of these type of assessments to further my growth in my field and my effectiveness as a school counselor.