Counselor 515 Program Evaluation Project Instructions ✓ Solved

Couc 515program Evaluation Project Instructionsas A Counselor It Is I

As a counselor, it is important to develop the skills of evaluating data that serves a developmental purpose, allowing for the growth and refining of procedures. This development will help you better understand the program’s potential impact upon your clients/students and what you can do to improve the experience. Below you will find different websites that detail different programs for varying issues. You are going to choose an evidenced-based program that you can use in a school setting and/or a clinical setting. Follow the steps to complete this assignment.

Step 1: Review the materials related to program evaluation in the Reading & Study folder found in Module/Week 4.

Step 2 (CMHC, ADCN and MFT Students): Choose 1 of the websites for a program below and review the program content on that site:

• Behavior Intervention Support Team
• Prepare/Enrich Group Program Elements
• Behavioral Health
• Creating Extraordinary Lives
• The River Source
• Timberline Knolls Residential Treatment Center
• Teen Challenge

Step 2 (School Counseling Students): You will use the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) website to identify a program for evaluation. You may choose to evaluate a program for the school-level of your interest: Preschool and Elementary or Middle and High School. After clicking on the link, you may choose one of the programs listed.

Step 3: Provide a narrative description of the program including its goals and components, theoretical constructs, treatments, and target population. This is essentially a summary of the program.

Step 4: Construct a Logic Model that includes the inputs and outputs (activities and participants) of the program and the intended short, medium, and long-term outcomes or goals. The Logic Model template provided can be used, or you may create one.

Step 5: Provide a description of the program evaluation plan. Identify at least 2 variables that can be operationalized and measured to determine if intended outcomes are achieved. The variables need to flow logically from the target population, the issue being addressed, the program outputs, and the intended outcomes. Develop a plan for how and when the variables will be measured and how the data generated will be used to evaluate the outcomes (goals). At least 1 of the variables needs to be measured using a formal instrument. Include a brief description of the instrument along with data on its reliability and validity. This step must be presented in narrative format. The paper must be written in current APA format with a title page, narrative for Step 3, the Logic Model, the narrative for Step 5, and a references page. Feel free to paste the provided template into the document. This assignment will be submitted through SafeAssign.

Sample Paper For Above instruction

Introduction

Effective program evaluation in counseling is vital for assessing the impact and refining intervention strategies. As counselors working within school or clinical settings, selecting an evidence-based program and systematically evaluating its components allows professionals to optimize outcomes for clients and students. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation plan for a selected social-emotional learning program, including its description, logic model, and evaluation strategy.

Program Description

For this evaluation, I selected the "Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Program for Middle School Students" from the CASEL website. The primary goal of this program is to enhance students’ social and emotional competencies, thereby improving their academic performance, reducing behavioral issues, and fostering positive relationships. The program components include classroom activities focusing on self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. Theoretical constructs underpinning the program include emotional intelligence theory and social learning theory.

The target population comprises middle school students aged 11-14 in urban educational settings. The program involves teachers implementing activities such as group discussions, role-plays, and reflection exercises aligned with SEL frameworks. The treatment strategy incorporates both didactic and experiential learning approaches, aiming to develop skills that students can apply throughout their academic and social lives.

Logic Model

Evaluation Plan

The evaluation plan involves measuring two key variables: (1) students’ social-emotional competence and (2) behavioral incident frequency. To operationalize social-emotional competence, the Student Self-Assessment of Social-Emotional Learning (S-SEL) instrument will be used. The S-SEL is a validated questionnaire with established reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89) and validity in school populations, assessing domains such as self-awareness and responsible decision-making (Jones et al., 2019).

This instrument will be administered pre- and post-intervention to capture changes over time. Behavioral incident frequency will be operationalized as the number of disciplinary reports per student, collected from school records before and after program implementation. Data collection will occur at baseline and at three-month intervals to monitor progress.

The collected data will be analyzed using paired t-tests and regression analyses to assess the impact of the program on the targeted outcomes. Improvements in social-emotional competence scores and reductions in disciplinary incidents will indicate program success. Continuous monitoring and feedback will facilitate iterative program adjustments, enhancing effectiveness over time.

Conclusion

In sum, systematic program evaluation using a clear logic model and measurement plan enhances the ability to determine program effectiveness and guides ongoing improvements. The selected SEL program’s evaluation plan exemplifies how evidence-based practices can be monitored and refined within school settings, ultimately benefiting students’ social and academic development.

References

• Jones, S. M., Bailey, R., & Poulsen, M. (2019). Social-emotional learning: A framework for promoting mental health and well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 70, 17-28.
• Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). (2023). SEL programs and practices. https://casel.org/sel-programs-and-practices/
• Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2018). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social-emotional competence and classroom management. Review of Educational Research, 88(4), 515-552.
• Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2017). The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development, 88(4), 1156-1171.
• Brackett, M. A., & Katulak, Y. M. (2007). Emotional intelligence in the classroom. Educational Psychology Review, 19(2), 163-185.
• Schonert-Reichl, K. A., & Lawlor, M. S. (2010). The effects of a mindfulness-based education program on pre- and early adolescents’ well-being and social-emotional competence. Mindfulness, 1(3), 137-151.
• Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walberg, H. J. (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say? Teachers College Press.
• Payton, J. W., et al. (2008). The positive impact of social and emotional learning for kindergarten to eighth-grade students: Findings from three scientific reviews. CASEL.
• Elias, M. J., et al. (2010). The role of social-emotional competence in school success. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(2), 390-404.
• Blair, C., & Diamond, A. (2008). Biological processes in prevention and intervention: The case of self-regulation. Development and Psychopathology, 20(3), 893-920.