STUDENT SUCCESS SKILLS:

AN EVIDENCE-BASED, SCHOOL COUNSELOR-LED PROGRAM

RESEARCH SUMMARY

Student Success Skills (SSS) is a school counselor led program based on the principle that students can improve academically when surrounded by a supportive environment that involves skill-building activities in self-management, prosocial behaviors, and cognition. It is a humanistic approach to school counseling that focuses on the following areas: (1) cognitive factors, including memory and learning processes, (2) attitudinal skills, (3) self-regulation and metacognitive abilities, (4) behavioral strategies and goals, and (5) social skills training.

The SSS pre-K to 12 curriculum programs can be implemented across grade levels. There are 11 different programs to target a range of ages and developmental stages. Nine of the 11 programs are classroom-based, one is group counseling based and one is workshop based for parents.

Ready to Learn (RTL) classroom program is for pre-K, kindergarten, and grade 1.

Ready is for Success (RFS) classroom program is for grades 2 – 3.

SSS Classroom grade 4 program.

SSS Classroom grade 5 program.

Exceptional Student Success Skills, Classroom is for Grades 3 – 8.

The SSS for SEL Success, Classroom is for grades 6 – 8.

The SSS Classroom is for grades 7 – 9

The SSS Classroom 2.0 is for grades 8 – 10.

SSS Group Counseling is for grades 4-10.

College/Career Success Skills, Classroom is for grades 10 – 12.

Parent Success Skills (PSS) is for parents and caregivers of children in grades 6 – 9.

The SSS curricula implemented in grades pre-K through 5 include 30-minute classroom lessons that range from 5 to 8 weekly lessons. Programs for grades 6 to 12 are designed for classroom delivery and are presented once per week for five weeks, with booster lessons provided. The PSS is delivered in a workshop format. We also have an eight-session small group version that reinforces SSS skills and attitudes and includes a social problem-solving model for grades 4-10.

Each study below examined components of the SSS program on different aspects of student skill sets, including academics, classroom climate, and connectedness to school, and SEL competencies including student interpersonal skills, cooperation, engagement, meta-cognitive skills, self-efficacy, and executive functioning. This report contains 22 published studies and 9 doctoral dissertations exploring the effectiveness of the interventions. Of the 31 studies, 3 included an evaluation of RTL Classroom program, 2 evaluated the RFS Classroom program, 17 examined the SSS classroom intervention, 4 examined the SSS Group program, 1 evaluated the Exceptional Student Success Skills Classroom program, 1 evaluated the CCSS Classroom program, 2 included a Spanish-cultural translation of SSS classroom program, and 1 included a Haitian-Creole translation of the SSS group intervention. The students in the study ranged in age from pre-K through 12^thgrade, coming from urban, rural, and suburban areas. Over 150 schools were included in these studies, covering three regions of the United States. The studies utilized a variety of measures to gather the data, and 24 out of the 28 included a control group for comparison. Overall, consistent significant findings were shown among the studies, demonstrating the efficacy of the intervention on several aspects of student functioning and academics. 

SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE FINDINGS