Program Description
Student Success Skills (SSS) provides training to students in classroom lessons and through small groups counseling. Both the SSS classroom and small group focus on helping students develop academic, social, and self-management skills associated with improved student performance. Students receive five 45-minute classroom lessons spaced one week apart for middle school and high school. For elementary grades, there are five to eight 30-minute classroom lessons. For students needing additional support there is the SSS group counseling program which consist of eight group sessions spaced one week apart. In both the classroom and small group sessions, teachers or counselors teach learning, social and self-management skills and encouraged students to identify issues of importance to them, set goals, and monitor progress. Peer coaching is used to teach prosocial skills.
Program Outcomes
SSS for targeted students has been evaluated in four studies. Campbell and Brigman (2005) evaluated SSS in 20 schools in Florida using a quasi-experimental matched design. The sample only included students in between 25th and 60th percentile in math and reading. The majority of students in the study were White and receiving free- or reduced-price lunches. After 1 year of intervention, the intervention group showed higher reading scores on FCAT (ES=+0.24).
Webb and colleagues (2005) randomly assigned students from 20 schools in Florida either to SSS or control groups. Included students were in between 25th and 60th percentile in math and reading. Eighty-five percent of the students were White and 45% were receiving free- or reduced-price lunches. This study failed to find considerable effects of SSS on reading achievement (ES=+0.14).
SSS for targeted students qualifies for an ESSA “Moderate” rating for Academic Competence, with a combined effect size of +0.18.
Staffing Requirements
No additional staffing required
Professional Development/Training
0-2 days of training on site according to staff needs. All materials needed come with the SSS Manual. The program can be delivered repeatedly with the one manual.
In the research studies, school counselors received multi-day training before the beginning of the intervention and half-day follow-up trainings then occurred periodically.
Technology
The SSS program is delivered using PowerPoint, a computer and projector are needed, as well as a speaker to play music.