Exemplar 4: Implementing an Academic Success Skills

Curriculum to a Small Group

Scott Birkestrand
San Diego State University

Introduction
For my fourth exemplar, I am covering my implementation of an Academic Success
Skills curriculum for a small group of eighth grade male students. The Academic Success Skills
small group curriculum I based my group on was created by Danielle Duarte, Lead School
Counselor at Potter Jr. High School. While leading this group I was able to gather data that led
me to present a poster board at the California Association of School Counselors conference in
2015. The small group was designed for eight males that had at least one or two Fs. The
overarching goal of the small group was to decrease the amount of Fs these students had and to
increase promotion rates. The group had many sub goals to meet the two main goals such as
developing growth mindsets and building school connectivity. Our group met for one hour once
a week for eight weeks during the third trimester of the school year. I led the small group when I
was interning during the 2014-2015 school year at Potter Jr. High School.
Standards Addressed
Standard 22: Leadership
In order to ensure effectiveness and efficiency for the small group, leadership skills were
a necessity to hone in on. Although I had an amazing curriculum that outlined my group,
planning and organization were key for practicing intentional counseling skills throughout the
group. This preparation lead to efficient learning for the students. The curriculum required
implementation skills to keep students engaged. Through implementing the curriculum I learned
the importance of being a collaborative and engaging leader by sharing power with students. This
shared power created an environment that students could easily feel connected to. This group
required constant management and evaluation of the curriculum and students. Accountability was
key for the students and I. Students graphed their academic progress week to week to evaluate

their growth. Throughout the eight weeks of the group, I evaluated the students data, grades,
goals, and participation. I also had the opportunity to have direct observation and feedback from
my peers. From this data and feedback I made changes to account for unseen variables.
Standard 23: Advocacy
A major part of the small group involved empowering students to take responsibility for
their grades. To do this we talked about advocacy; what is advocacy, why use it, and how do we
advocate for ourselves. This involved how to speak with teachers, how to seek support, and also
understanding what it means to have a growth mindset. Understanding growth mindset allows
students to understand they are not fixed in their present situation and that they can change how
they perform tasks. Through students understanding that their performances can improve, they
may be more likely to advocate and seek supports for themselves rather than giving up.
At times I also advocated for the students in the group. Throughout the school day I observed
students in class and collaborated with teachers to eliminate barriers and promote positive
learning for the students.
Standard 29: Prevention Education & Training
In group we often talked about identifying barriers that get in the way of high academic
achievement. I lead activities to identify these barriers and then developed individual plans to
break these barriers down. From the student identified barriers, we developed plans to prevent
future barriers. For example, helping a student understand that sitting in the back of the class can
make it harder to see the board and may cause them to be more easily distracted by friends. This
would be an opportunity for the student to use their advocacy skills to ask the teacher if he could
sit closer to the front of the classroom.
Conclusion

This small group gave me a well-rounded experience in supporting students and showing
students that they have the ability to achieve high academic grades. Getting to know this group
of students allowed me to focus on my abilities to advocate for students because of the regular
meetings and understand what they are individually experiencing week to week. Through
implementation of this curriculum, recording data, and analyzing the data, I was able to practice
my leadership skills that led to changes in the students lives and in return supported them in
achieving high academic grades.