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.
Program Outcomes
SSS for all students has been evaluated in two studies. Mariani (2011) tested the effect of SSS in a cluster quasi-experimental study. Five public schools in central Florida were included in the study, 3 of which received SSS for 6 months and 2 served as control schools. The sample was comprised of 66% White, 15% African American, 13% Hispanic, and 28% students who received free- or reduced-price lunches. The study identified positive effects of SSS on improving bullying (ES=+0.30) and prosocial behaviors (ES=+0.36) among treatment students, compared to controls. SSS did not have any significant effects on school climate (ES=+0.12).
A randomized controlled study by Lemberger and colleagues (2015) also evaluated SSS in 11 classrooms in rural suburban middle schools in the southwestern U.S. The sample included 66% Hispanic and 38% White students. After 1 year of intervention, SSS students showed a greater level of skills associated with academic engagement, such as awareness of strengths and weaknesses, organization of materials, and ability to anticipate and react to future events or consequences (ES=+0.30), compared to the control students. However, the program did not show any significant effects on interpersonal relationships (ES=+0.14).
SSS for all students qualifies for an ESSA “Strong” rating for Academic Competence, with an effect size of +0.29, and a “Promising” rating for Problem Behaviors (ES=+0.30) and Social Relationships (ES=+0.16).
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 a speaker to play music.