4. narrative program abstract...this murrieta valley unified school district (mvusd) elementary...

4. Narrative

Murrieta Valley Unified School District

This Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) elementary counseling project will serve all 11

elementary schools in our district. These schools enroll 9,186 students in grades K-5. 49% of K-5 students in

Murrieta are members of minority cultures, while 18% are currently enrolled in the Free/Reduced lunch program.

Students in our district are some of the most diverse in the state of California.

The overall goal for this project is to help all 4th and 5th grade elementary students benefit from quality

instruction by removing the counseling-related barriers that prevent them from learning effectively. We have

organized our program around the work of Dr. Howard Adelman and Dr. Linda Taylor from the UCLA School

Mental Health Project. We will design the counseling-related services in our district using the Adelman-Taylor

framework. With this grant, we will ensure that all students benefit from the necessary learning supports by

establishing an elementary school counseling program. Project activities are organized around 3 specific goals:

We will use grant funds to hire 3 new counselors to serve students in our 11 elementary schools. At least 1 of

these new staff will be bilingual (English-Spanish). Partners in this project include existing district staff and local

social service, substance abuse and mental health agencies.

All project outcomes will be reported through the efforts of an independent evaluator. We strongly

believe this project will result in a model from which other schools replicate in their districts throughout California.

Examples of our elementary school counseling program will be sent to the California Department of Education.

These examples will become part of the state’s technical assistance materials for all districts.

Program Abstract

Goal 1: By September 2011, all 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Murrieta will benefit from multiple

Schoolwide counseling and prevention activities including bullying & substance abuse prevention, character

education, parental involvement, and teacher professional development.

Goal 2: By September 2011, all 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Murrieta who need additional

prevention and early intervention services will benefit from Selected counseling activities including social

skills development, mentoring, support groups, and referrals to community support services.

Goal 3: By September 2011, all 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Murrieta who need Targeted

intervention and counseling will benefit from intensive, individualized services including individual & group

counseling, case management, & referrals to culturally competent community mental health services.

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A. The magnitude of the need for the services to be provided or the activities to be carried out by the proposed project. (15 points) Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) is located in Murrieta, a suburban city, in

southwestern Riverside County in Southern California. The district has been established for 17 years.

However, the population has grown by a staggering 220% in the last 7 years to the current estimate of

97,257 in 2007. This makes Murrieta one of the fastest growing cities in the state. Largely residential in

character, Murrieta is considered a bedroom community where large numbers of residents commute up

to 90 minutes each way to San Diego or Orange counties. The magnitude of students we serve has

also increased significantly. We enroll 21,265 students in 18 schools – 2 comprehensive high schools,

1 continuation high school, 1 independent study school (9-12), 3 middle schools (6-8), 10 elementary

schools (K-5), and 1 elementary school (K-6). The student enrollment has nearly doubled in the past 7

years with a 95% increase since the year 2000. This growth has severely impacted the infrastructure of

our schools. This project will serve all 9,186 elementary students in Murrieta by establishing a school

counseling program where there is none presently. 49% of K-5 students in Murrieta are members of

minority cultures, while 18% are currently enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program. These

disadvantaged students are at the highest risk for academic failure and present the greatest need for

mental health services.

The design for this project is based on an extensive planning process that included expert

consultants, parents, teachers, school administrators, health providers, police and community agency

staff. Our project is designed around the work of Dr. Howard Adelman and Dr. Linda Taylor (UCLA).

Data for this proposal was gathered through (1) an extensive review of school records; (2)

administrator, student and parent surveys; (3) the California Healthy Kids Survey 2006; (4) past

surveys conducted by the local community action agency; (5) local police reports; (6) media

investigations and reports; (7) planning meetings with a core group of community and parent

1. Need for Project (25 points)

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representatives. Our project is based upon the belief that all supports provided in our schools should be

designed to promote achievement and reduce disciplinary referrals.

For this plan, we reviewed the needs of all 9,186 elementary students in Murrieta. Table 1 provides

basic information about our elementary students. You will see from Table 1 that, while many students

face mental health, behavioral and substance issues, the schools with the largest decrease in reading

and math proficiency based on state Academic Performance Index (API) scores also have the highest

percentages of minority, low income, and disabled students. The goal in California and No Child Left

Behind is meeting the state standard for each grade level as indicated by API. Even though these

barriers cannot be eliminated, learning supports will enable these students to be successful. This

weakness is not currently addressed for these disadvantaged students due to our lack of school

counselors in any of our elementary schools.

Table 2A: Elementary Schools

% decrease % Latino/a % LEP/FEP % free lunch % Disabilities

Avaxat 6.6 34% 11 26 16 E. Hale Curran 2.7 29 6 20 12 Rail Ranch 2.5 31 11 20 10 Murrieta 1.7 36 13 23 9 Buchanan 1.3 31 10 24 12 Cole Canyon 0.9 19 4 9 6 Tovashal 0.7 27 4 16 10 Antelope Hills 0.6 21 4 13 13 Alta Murrieta 0.5 32 8 23 7 Monte Vista 0.4 23 6 6 14 Lisa J. Mails N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

Current Barriers to Meeting School Counseling Needs - As is evident from Tables 2 and 2A, we

currently do not have any school counselors to support our elementary students. We do not meet the

recommended ratios for counselors as recommended by the American School Health Association (250

to 1 for counselors). Funding for this project will provide much needed counselor time at the elementary

schools. This increase in staffing will result in a significant reduction in the gap between current

student/mental health professional ratios and the student/mental health professional ratios

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recommended by the American School Health Association (a GPRA Performance Measure for this

program).

Table 2: Staffing Ratios

Current #

Current Ratio

Total # with new staff

Ratio with new staff

Recommended ratio

Counselors 0 0: 9131 4 1: 2282 1: 250 Social Workers 0 0: 9131 0 0: 9131 1: 800 School Psychologists

6.2 1: 1472 1:1472 1:1472 1: 1000

Table 2A: Elementary Schools Participating in the grant

Current # of students

# school counselors currently on staff

Current Ratio

Ratio with new staff

Recommended ratio

Alta Murrieta 686 0 0:686 1: 2123 1: 250 Antelope Hills 803 0 0:803 * 1: 250 Avaxat 634 0 0:634 * 1: 250 Buchanan 1097 0 0:1097 1:2191 1: 250 Monte Vista 1094 0 0:926 * 1: 250 E. Hale Curran 729 0 0:729 1: 2416 1: 250 Lisa J. Mails 761 0 0:761 * 1: 250 Cole Canyon 926 0 0:1094 * 1: 250 Murrieta 915 0 0:915 1: 2456 1: 250 Rail Ranch 743 0 0:743 * 1: 250 Tovashal 798 0 0:798 * 1: 250

* ratio reflects 1 counselor for 3 schools

School Population to be Served by the Grant – Through funding from the US Department of

Education, we will serve all 4th and 5th grade students (N= 3,137) in our 11 elementary schools – Alta,

Antelope Hills, Avaxat, Buchanan, Cole Canyon, E. Hale Curran, Lisa J. Mails, Murrieta, Monte Vista,

Rail Ranch and Tovashal. Table 3 displays the increasing student population, as well as the increasing

amount of minority students, for the past 5 years. Through the addition of 3 counselors, we will help

ALL 4th and 5th grade students in these schools improve their academic proficiency by increasing the

number of school counselors and reducing the number of office disciplinary referrals. These

weaknesses will be addressed by reducing the barriers to learning.

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Table 3: School Year

American Indian or Alaska Native

Asian Pacific

Islander Filipino Hispanic or Latino

African American

White (not Hispanic)

Multiple or No

Response

Total Enroll.

2006/07 1.0% 3.0% 1.0% 6.0% 23.0% 6.0% 51.0% 10.0% 21,246

2005/06 0.4% 3.0% 0.5% 5.3% 21.9% 6.1% 53.6% 9.1% 20,164

2004/05 0.5% 2.9% 0.4% 4.7% 20.4% 5.9% 58.2% 7.0% 18,677

2003/04 0.5% 2.5% 0.5% 4.3% 20.0% 5.9% 61.1% 5.2% 17,480

2002/03 0.7% 2.8% 0.7% 3.6% 20.0% 5.9% 64.5% 1.8% 15,434

2001/02 0.6% 2.5% 0.9% 3.0% 17.4% 6.0% 63.2% 6.4% 13,631

In the remainder of this section, we focus on presenting information about the types of barriers our

students encounter.

Disruptive Behavior – Aggressive, disruptive and violent behavior in our community is of

great concern. According to Murrieta Police Statistics, the violent crime rate increased 31% during the

past 3 years. This trend is reflected in our schools. A survey of administrators revealed that our

elementary schools average 100 disciplinary referrals per week (per 1,000 students). 10% of our

students are replacing instructional time with time spent in the administrator’s office. The 2006

California Healthy Kids Survey conducted by the WestEd indicated that 45% of 5th grade students

report being bullied in the past year. Police statistics indicate that many violent acts in the community

are related to substance abuse and/or domestic violence. Murrieta City Council Member Bennett

expressed concern at a recent City Council meeting that domestic violence has a huge impact on the

city. She will ask to be appointed to the new Riverside County Domestic Violence Coalition to help

address this growing problem. Since many domestic violence issues go unreported, current statistics

do not accurately reflect this problem.

School Disruption – We have disaggregated our student data to determine if students in the sub

groups have more disruptive behavior at school. Table 3 presents behavioral data for our population

http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/gls_mult.asp



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and sub groups. As you can see, a significant number of students exhibit behavior problems regardless

of their academic proficiency level.

Juvenile Arrests and Substance Abuse – Last year, juvenile arrests increased 29% from

213 in 2006 to 274 in 2007. 20% of fifth graders reported seeing someone at school with a gun or knife

last year. Substance abuse is an increasing problem. Alcohol is the most widely used substance across

all grades. 25% of all fifth graders reported using alcohol with an additional 8% reporting using drugs.

The California Healthy Kids Survey Data shows alcohol is not the only substance abuse problem that

residents of Murrieta face. Youth in Murrieta often face many difficult situations in their personal lives.

The survey indicates the following alarming statistics obtained from 5th grade students:

46 % reported low levels of school connectedness at their school 45% reported that they have been bullied 42% indicated that they do not feel safe at school 36% reported they do not have high levels of caring relationships with a teacher or other adult

at their school. 33% indicated that they do not feel safe at school 20% indicated they saw someone with a gun or knife at school 28% indicated there was no more than a slight risk from smoking marijuana 33% indicated there was no more than a slight risk from drinking alcohol 19% indicated high levels of opportunities for meaningful participation at their school

Further study of these results indicates that the youth to be targeted by this project will lose their

innocence during their middle school years. Binge drinking in grade 7 is reported to be 4%. By grade 9,

12% of students report binge drinking and by grade 11, it jumps to 20%. Also, 15% of 7th grade students

Table 3: Elementary School Data

Total # with Behavioral Issues % with Behavioral Issues

Students with an IEP 1004 Students proficient in Language Arts and Math

4838 805 9%

Students not proficient in Language arts

2486 532 6%

Students not proficient in Math 1939 405 4% Minority Students 4325 537 6% Low- income Students 1465 282 3% All Elementary Students 9131

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reported that they have tried cigarettes. For 9th grade students, 15% tried cigarettes and for 11th graders,

39% tried cigarettes. The following table illustrates some of the many areas of substance use where

Murrieta 11th graders exceed state averages. Prevention and early intervention related to substance

abuse are clearly key issues for our elementary schools.

Murrieta State Average

11th graders who report they drink regularly 37% 37% 11th graders who report they have used inhalants 13% 9% 11th graders who were harassed due to race, gender, 30% 23% ethnicity, sexual orientation or disability 11th graders regularly using marijuana 14% 20% 11th graders who have used alcohol on school property 16% N/A 11th graders regularly smoking cigarettes 15% 15% 11th graders who have binged (5 or more drinks in a row) 20% 23%

This data lists the top risk indicators for Murrieta as (1) substance abuse; (2) juvenile arrests; and (3)

drug abuse. Alcohol is the number one abused substance in our area. Local substance abuse treatment

agency treatment data reflects this trend with clients reporting alcohol as the number one abused drug

and inhalants the second drug of choice.

Cultural Issues – 49% of students in Murrieta are members of minority cultures. 23% of the total

district population is Latino/a. From 2000 to 2007, the reported number of minority students increased

from 28% to 49%. Unfortunately, 30% of 11th graders report being harassed due to their ethnicity, race,

gender, sexual orientation or disability. State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Jack O’Connell called

schools to improve the achievement of poor and minority students. He stated that the state has made

little progress in closing the achievement gaps of these students. Of the 900 Limited English Proficient

students in MVUSD, nearly all speak Spanish as their first language.

Economic Issues – Murrieta is primarily a residential community with large numbers of its

residents commuting up to 90 minutes each way to jobs in San Diego and Orange counties. Riverside

County has the highest mortgage default rate in Southern California. Gov. Schwarzenegger announced

Riverside County is one of the nation's most mortgage-troubled regions with Inland Southern

California’s rate of foreclosure filings soaring to one filing for every 43 households. According to the

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Press Enterprise Newspaper, California reports the most foreclosure filings of any state (one for every

258 households). This is 5 times the state average and more than four times the national average.

According to the Police Chief, in 2007, 2200 homes were foreclosed in Murrieta. This represents 1 in

9 homes. Additionally, home sales have declined by 50% over one year ago. The impact of this

housing market is broad based. Accordingly, many local workers have lost construction jobs. With 10%

or more of the population in the construction industry, multiple families often live together in one

residence to stay in a home. In one elementary school, 10 children, from multiple families, were living

under the same roof. The current financial crisis in the State of California worsens the problem.

MVUSD must cut 10.5 million from the 2008-2009 budget in order to accommodate state budget cuts.

In summary, our district and targeted schools have serious problems with aggression, substance use,

alcohol use, economic difficulties, and cultural difficulties relating to academic achievement. We need to

improve pro-social behavior and student achievement in all 11 schools. Our current service system has

few joint planning efforts in place to facilitate communication and to address service gaps. Our

elementary schools lack “school wide” activities that foster a safer school climate, improve peer

interactions, involve all students, and that will move schools from a reactive to a proactive approach of

preventing violence and increasing the opportunity for achievement. Our schools also lack effective,

coordinated services for students with more intensive needs.

B. The extent to which specific gaps or weaknesses in services, infrastructure, or opportunities have been identified and will be addressed by the proposed project, including the nature and magnitude of those gaps or weaknesses (10 points). During the preparation of this grant plan, we reviewed school and community data and gathered input

from students, parents, teachers, administrators, and community members. Our review of all information

collected resulted in the following list of Gaps/Weaknesses in our current service delivery system. We

have also included our planning team recommendations for addressing the key gaps and weaknesses in

service.

Magnitude of the need for counseling services among the target population – The 3 new

counselors will be challenged to address a wide range of counseling related barriers that prevent

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students in our elementary schools from succeeding academically. Lack of appropriate staffing has been

the most significant gap in service. A review of local data shows elementary students face many

problems – issues which our new staff will help to address.

Absence of Internal Infrastructure – Currently, there is an absence of services to address students

caught in crisis situations. There is also no process to identify the learning support needs of all students

and provide both prevention and intervention. Recommendation – Organize all services around and

adopted common framework. The model selected should directly relate all counseling services to

potential improvements in achievement. In addition, a common identification and referral process that

examines the needs of all students will be implemented.

Limited Counseling Time and Services for All Students – We have insufficient staff to provide

counseling services. Recommendation – Develop a comprehensive counseling program by increasing

the ratio of counselors to students in all elementary schools.

Lack of Staff to provide services in Spanish – We have no bilingual counselors. Recommendation

– Hire at least one staff member who is bilingual (English-Spanish).

Lack of Trained Teaching Staff – There are no counseling services to address student needs. A

common process is necessary to identify appropriate programs and integrate them systemically. Staff do

not operate from a common framework or know how to make appropriate referrals for service.

Recommendation – Train school and community staff to do ongoing needs assessment and to align

effective prevention and intervention strategies with what is happening in the classroom and community.

Lack of Resources and Stable Funding – Due to lack of resources and the current financial crisis

in California, the lack of school counselors limit the comprehensiveness of services. Recommendation

– Resource alignment must include the consideration of support services for all students and provide

for new counseling staff.

Lack of Alignment with Academics and Community Resources – Staff in our elementary schools

do not make referrals for services in a consistent manner. Also, current programming does not clearly

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align with efforts to improve achievement in ways which are culturally competent. Recommendation –

Develop a comprehensive school counseling program with a direct link to achievement. All staff should

be trained on a common referral and support process to understand how counseling services are directed

to increased student achievement for all students, especially those from minority cultures. Table 4

provides a summary of the issues that will be addressed by project activities.

Table 4: Summary of Gap Analysis

Services that are Missing Issues to be Addressed by New Counselors Absence of internal infrastructure Adopt a model common to all 11 sites that link

counseling services with academic achievement Absence of counseling time Hire 3 new counselors and work with community

agencies Lack of bilingual staff Hire 1 new bilingual counselor Lack of effective research on “what works” Professional development and clinical supervision

for counselors Inefficient access to community resources Coordinate community services & earmark wrap

around service money Lack of resources and stable funding Ongoing fundraising and resource alignment Lack of alignment with academics Train all staff to develop interventions that are

directly aligned with improved academic achievement.

A. The extent to which goals, objectives, and outcomes to be achieved by the proposed project are clearly specified and measurable. (15 points) Our elementary school counseling grant project has 3 primary goals, clearly presented here in table

form. All 3 goal tables are introduced by a brief narrative. In the tables, each goal is listed along with the

number of students targeted for services. Underneath each goal is a summary of the key activities for that

goal along with anticipated outcomes for students and staff. The measurable outcomes have all been

designed to show changes in behavior, knowledge, awareness, attitude, and skill level for students and

staff.

The focus of Goal 1 is to provide prevention services that benefit all students because our

assessment data indicates all students have some need. The activities selected include specific

2. Quality of Project Design (35 points)

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programs that are evidence based and are clearly linked to the learning support needs of all students.

These activities primarily benefit those students who encounter the fewest barriers to learning. One

important activity will be the screening of academic performance for all students to determine who isn’t

proficient in reading/math. Those who are not proficient will be referred, as appropriate, for services

under Goal 2 or Goal 3 (Selected and Targeted services).

Goal 1: By September 2011, all 4th and 5th grade elementary students in Murrieta benefit from multiple Schoolwide counseling and prevention activities.

Students Targeted: 100% of all 4th and 5th grade students in 11 elementary schools – 3,137 students

Goal 2 activities have been designed to serve about 35% of the grade 4 and 5 student population in 11

schools. These are primarily the students who are just barely proficient or not proficient in reading and

math. We will determine what counseling-related learning supports are appropriate for this group – ones

that will lead to more immediate academic gains. The activities listed here are all evidence based and

have been chosen to help reduce the barriers to learning encountered by Selected students. While many

of these services take place at the school, activities for Goal 2 also involve referring students to our

community partners for assistance. Most of the activities for Goal 2 are delivered in group settings. As

these students are being served, the Student Assistance Teams in each school will regularly assess

Activities: Screening of all students

by student support team to determine if there are academic deficits

Bullying prevention (Olweus program)

Substance abuse prevention

Parental involvement aimed at achievement

Schoolwide review of policies and practices to determine what barriers to learning could be addressed by classroom teachers

Teacher professional development

Character Counts

Anticipated Outcomes for all students: Improved literacy Increased reading and math achievement on the state test Increased effort at school Reduction in office referrals Greater personal expectation for success Greater personal control Greater goal setting More effective communication skills Better attendance Higher academic self-concept Greater homework completion and accuracy Increased positive perceptions of teachers and parents Greater feelings of support at school Anticipated Outcomes for all school staff: Improved understanding of what barriers to learning are Increased ability to provide classroom/schoolwide support Increased ability to manage behavior effectively Understanding of how learning supports directly related to achievement

I d i i i f d d

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progress to determine what adjustments in programming should be made. The staff providing these

services will participate in professional development activities designed to build their skills in supporting

targeted students and clinical supervision provided by the Project Director.

The activities for Goal 3 are the most intensive and will be delivered to approximately 5% of 4th

and 5th grade students in the 11 schools. These are the students who encounter the most barriers to

learning. These services include more intensive counseling provided by our project staff and local

service agencies. Our school counseling staff will also provide case management services for these

students to coordinate efforts effectively.

Goal 2: By September 2011, elementary students in Murrieta who need additional prevention/early intervention services benefit from selected counseling and other learning supports. Students Targeted: Approximately 35% of all students in our 11 elementary schools - 1098 students

Activities: Social skills development

(Aggression Replacement Training)

Mentoring (PLUS Program) Support groups Referrals to community

support services Professional Development Counseling supervision and

support Organizational Skills Study Skills

Anticipated Outcomes for selected students (these are in addition to those listed for all students): Better management of stress and anxiety Greater feelings of support at school Greater feelings of support at home Fewer conduct problems Reduction in office referrals Anticipated Outcomes for all school staff related to selected students Thorough understanding of the referral system Demonstrated ability to work closely with counseling & support staff Increased positive perception of counseling staff and services Increased understanding of range of school-based & community services

for selected students Increased positive perception of their ability to support selected students

in the classroom setting

Goal 3: By September 2011, students in our 11 elementary schools who need Targeted intervention and counseling support benefit from carefully planned, individualized services. Students Targeted: Approximately 5% of all students in our 11 elementary schools - 157 students

Activities: Individual counseling Family counseling Case management Referrals to culturally

competent community psychiatric and mental health services

Professional Development Counseling supervision and

support

Anticipated Outcomes for students receiving targeted intervention (these are in addition to those listed for all students): Better management of stress and anxiety Greater feelings of support at school Greater feelings of support at home Fewer conduct problems Reduction in school suspensions Anticipated Outcomes for staff related to targeted services Thorough understanding of the referral system Demonstrated ability to work closely with counseling & support staff Increased positive perception of counseling staff and services Increased understanding of range of school-based & community services

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The exceptional approach design presented here was developed with the assistance of Trish

Hatch, Ph.D. Dr. Hatch is the co-author of the ASCA (American School Counselor Association)

National Model for school counseling. Dr. Hatch has worked with our district for several years. She is

familiar with the work of Dr. Adelman and Dr. Taylor and is up to date with the knowledge and research

and recommended effective practices of these UCLA researchers.

B. The extent to which the design of the proposed project is appropriate to, and will successfully address, the needs of the target population or other identified needs. (5 points) C. The extent to which the design of the proposed project reflects up-to-date knowledge from research & effective practice. (10 points) (These 2 criteria are answered together) We have chosen to use the work of Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor of the UCLA Center

for Mental Health in Schools (http://smhp.psych.ucls.edu/) to guide our programming. Drs. Adelman

and Taylor have created a framework for thinking about why some students do not make academic

progress despite the provision of effective instruction in the classroom. Based on extensive research,

Drs. Adelman and Taylor have created a model to explain this situation. In all schools, some students

come to school every day ready and willing to learn.

These are students who do not encounter any barriers that prevent them from benefiting

from what their teachers prepare to teach each day. In the diagram below, you will see a straight line

from these students (Group 1) that goes directly to instruction. The percentage of students in Group 1

varies from school to school and from community to community. In some areas, this percentage can be

Barriers To

Learning

Effective Instruction

Successful Students

BARRIERS TO LEARNING MODEL

Learning Supports

Group 1: Students

ready to learn

Group 2: Students with some barriers

Group 3: Students with many barriers

http://smhp.psych.ucls.edu/

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very low. Based upon a review of our data, the number of students in Group 1 is about 50% in our 11

elementary schools.

So what happens to students who are not in Group 1? Adelman and Taylor say these

students are in Groups 2 or 3. Group 2 students encounter some barriers that prevent them from

getting to instruction in the classroom. Barriers to Learning take many forms and include social,

emotional, and behavioral issues, as well as factors related to financial difficulties, family support,

school climate, community issues, attendance, etc. The students in Group 2 encounter fewer, less

severe barriers than those in Group 3.

Students in Group 3 encounter significant barriers which make the challenge of benefiting

from instruction much more difficult. Students may fluctuate among the 3 groups, but those who are in

Groups 2 and 3 can’t benefit from instruction effectively unless we help them around the barriers.

Adelman and Taylor’s model says most barriers cannot be eliminated (e.g., poverty, disability). Instead,

their model prescribes that we provide a range of Learning Supports that enable students in Groups 2

and 3 to circumvent the barriers they have encountered (in order to have the opportunity to benefit from

effective instruction). This framework says the role of schools is to provide a range of learning

supports that can help all students have equal access to effective instruction. They prescribe the

provision of learning supports coupled with effective instruction as the recipe for helping all

students succeed.

At the bottom of the Barriers to Learning Model on the previous page, you will see an item

labeled “Learning Supports”. The picture here is an enlargement of this part of the model. According to

Adelman and Taylor, the full range of Learning Supports includes the 6 areas depicted in the picture –

Classroom Focused Supports, Crisis and Emergency Assistance, Support for Transition, and Home

Involvement related to improved achievement, Community Outreach and Volunteers, and Student

and Family Supports. They represent the full range of issues that must be addressed to help maximize

student learning and keep students from “falling through the cracks”. Project staff will work with the all

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11 elementary schools, around effective infrastructure, to review counseling related supports are

counseling-related and then find effective ways to help students receive these counseling-related

learning supports. Those learning supports that are necessary but are NOT counseling-related will be

addressed by the school principals in conjunction with their faculty and staff. Through a joint effort with

project counseling staff, all 11 schools will systematically attend to issues in all 6 Learning Support

areas.

We are using this Adelman-Taylor model as the framework for our project because the purpose of

schools is for all children to learn. Through this project, we will continuously focus on those students

who are NOT proficient in reading or math. We will examine the barriers to learning these students

encounter and address these barriers through effective counseling services. In preparation for this

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Infrastructure

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5. Community Outreach & Volunteers

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proposal we have already begun this process. We made a thorough examination of those students

(described in the first section of this proposal) in schools who have decreasing API scores indicating

they are not proficient in reading and math. We then endeavored to determine the counseling related

barriers these students encounter. The services that attend to these identified barriers can be

organized into three different groups – Schoolwide, Selected, and Targeted. We have created the

graphic here to organize the counseling related services to be provided by our project.

The fewest number of students (5-%) will receive Targeted services to help them around

their multiple barriers to learning. 35% of our students will receive Selected counseling services, while

100% of our 4th and 5th grade students will benefit from Schoolwide counseling services. All of the

counseling related services will be provided by credentialed school counselors in the schools or

master’s level providers in community-based settings. The Adelman-Taylor model is well grounded in

research and, when used to provide counseling supports, shows students clearly increase their

proficiency in core academic areas resulting in increased API scores. Drs. Adelman and Taylor have

already worked with our state and will continue to provide support to our district throughout our 3 year

project period.

D. The extent to which the proposed project will establish linkages with other appropriate agencies and organizations providing services to the target population. (5 points) Our elementary counseling project is a joint effort of the Murrieta Unified School District,

Riverside County Mental Health (RCMH) and SAFE (Safe Alternatives for Everyone). Representatives

from these partner agencies will serve on our project Advisory Committee. In addition, representatives

from our partner agencies will participate in regular Students Assistance Team meetings at each

school. Riverside County Mental Health employ’s state licensed mental health professionals and

specializes in the provision of mental health services to children and families. SAFE provides

counseling and support for families in distress. Both have bilingual staff as well as staff from diverse

cultures. We will use RCMH and SAFE for referral of the Selected and Targeted levels of support. One

of our middle schools has been using PLUS (Peer Leaders Uniting Students) as a schoolwide model

4. Narrative


and Project Alert for the past 5 years with great success. Riverside County Department of Alcohol and

Drug Prevention will provide professional development and prevention activities on substance abuse to

students and staff as part of their strategic plan. Students who are not proficient in reading and math

often have significant substance abuse issues in their families. We will use our current mentoring

program schools at the Selected level.

Clearly described activities, services, and training to be provided by the program – In

this section we have described our framework and approach for meeting the counseling needs of

students. Achievement and other data for all students will regularly be screened by the Student

Assistance Teams in each school. All 11 schools will use the same process to identify struggling

students and determine what counseling related services they need to help them be successful

academically. Students will be identified through this team review or by parent or teacher

recommendation. As student counseling related needs are clarified, students with appropriate levels of

need will be referred for either Selected or Targeted services. All students in the 11 schools will likely

be impacted from Universal-Schoolwide learning support activities.

All project and teaching staff in the schools will participate in professional development on

our framework and approach. They will also be trained to use the identification and referral process

effectively. Classroom teachers will also benefit from professional development on what they can do in

their classrooms to provide additional learning supports for students. Counseling staff will receive

additional training on content related issues (e.g., substance abuse, individual and group counseling

skills, family interventions) through both professional development opportunities and through regular

supervision with the project director. The Student Assistance Teams and the project counselors will be

able to refer students to our community partner agencies for services as necessary. All project activities

will have oversight provided by an Advisory Committee that consists of counselors, psychologists,

teachers, parents, and community agency staff. The Advisor Committee will meet monthly to provide

assistance and direction to the project.

4. Narrative


Specific approaches to be used to meet the counseling needs of the target population,

including those of diverse cultural populations – Based upon our planning efforts, we have

selected multiple Schoolwide, Selected, and Targeted approaches. These include Aggression

Replacement Training, Case Management, Mentoring, Bullying Prevention, Support Groups, and

Individual, and Small Group Counseling. All of these approaches which are organized models (e.g.,

ART, Bullying Prevention, and Mentoring) have been selected from a list of evidence-based programs

that we have already used effectively in our district. Counseling staff will be representative of

student demographics to ensure services are delivered in culturally competent ways (PPS credentialed

school counselors in California are trained and experienced in delivering culturally appropriate services

to reduce barriers that impede equitable access to services (GEPA 427). Family and other counseling

services and referrals will be available in Spanish for those families that need this level of support.

Time Line – A time line with key activities, time frames, and personnel responsible is in the

appendix.

A. The extent to which the applicant encourages applications for employment from persons who are members of groups that have traditionally been underrepresented based on race, color, national origin, gender, age, or disability. (10 points) The Murrieta Valley Unified School District (MVUSD) is a diverse school districts in. 49% of

our students are from minority populations, while 10% of our K-5 students are from low income

families. 10% of the students in our 11 elementary schools are English Language Learners (ELL),

nearly all of whom speak Spanish as their first language. We have an ELL program immersed in all

regular education classrooms. 61% of our teachers hold a CLAD (Crosscultural Language Academic

Development) credential or a SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English) certificate.

Specialized ELL teachers oversee the entire program to insure consistency between schools.

3. Quality of Project Personnel (20 points)

4. Narrative


MVUSD recognizes the need to have all levels of staff in the district representative of the

diversity of its student population. In all areas of MVUSD, and certainly for this project, we actively

encourage applications for employment from people who are members of groups that have been

underrepresented. All schools in our district have multiple bilingual staff. Some of our schools also have

bilingual administrators. Through this project will hire 3 new counselors. At least 1 counselor will be

bilingual in order to ensure representation of the diversity of our student body.

B. The qualifications, including relevant training and experience, of key project personnel. (10 points) Project Director – Dean Lesicko has been a counselor for 22 years and is now the

Coordinator of Student Support for MVUSD. He is presently in a doctoral program at UC Riverside with

and emphasis in institutional leadership and policy studies. He holds a Pupil Personnel Services

Credential as well as an Administrative Services Credential. He also serves on the executive board for

the California Association of School Counselors. Mr. Lesicko is a long time resident of the Murrieta

area with close ties to all parts of the community. Mrs. Lesicko has introduced multiple evidence based

programs in the district. (e.g., Project Alert, and Project TND) and has worked as part of multiple

grants. For this project, Mr. Lesicko will serve as our full time project director and will be responsible for

all aspects of the project, submitting 20% of his time to include the provision of supervision and

coordination of all elementary counseling staff. Dean can be reached at [email protected]

His representative, Kim Lesnick, can be reached at [email protected]

Advisory Committee – Our project director and his staff will have the benefit of an Advisory

Committee (Murrieta School Community Partnership) – one with representation from all partner

agencies, as well as representation from the staff and parents at each school. The Advisory Committee

will meet monthly and will provide input and feedback on all project elements. The Advisory Committee

representatives from our partner agencies will all be licensed counselors, social workers, or

psychologists who can contribute important information related to professional development and

service activities.

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

4. Narrative


Counseling Staff – Through this project we will hire 3 new full time counselors. All new

staff will have State of California PPS Credentials in School Counseling. In addition, all new staff will

have demonstrated experience at providing the types of services outlined in our project plan. They will

receive regular clinical supervision from Mr. Lesicko and will participate in ongoing professional

development to increase their skill levels.

Partner Agency Staff – All partner agency staff who provide services in our schools or in

their centers will be master’s level or licensed practitioners. RCMH consists of state licensed mental

health professionals who will partner with the case management component. Funds from the grant will

support new services and will not replace those already being provided to students in our 11 project

schools.

Dr. Howard Adelman and Dr. Taylor– Dr. Adelman and Dr. Taylor are professors of

psychology and co-directors of the School Mental Health Project and its federally supported National

Center for Mental Health in Schools at UCLA. Dr. Adelman began his professional career as remedial

classroom teacher in 1960 and received his Ph.D. in psychology from UCLA in 1966. Dr. Taylor is a

clinical psychologist who began her career in 1973. She directed projects for LA Unified School District.

Their work focuses on addressing barriers to student learning including educational, psychosocial, and

mental health problems. Dr. Adelman and Dr. Taylor will provide consultation to this project. Dr.

Adelman will use part of his time in Riverside County to provide consultation and support to this grant

project.

Project Evaluator – We will be looking for an independent evaluator with extensive knowledge in all

educational program areas utilizing the WEISS Evaluation Method for studying programs and policies.

Previous experience with Elementary Demonstration Act Grants will be considered essential.

4. Narrative


.

A. The extent to which the methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible, measurable, and appropriate to the goals, objectives, and outcomes of the proposed project. (10 points) The over arching purpose of this project is to help students move toward academic proficiency

through the provision of effective counseling services. To measure the success of our project we are

planning both a process and an outcome evaluation. The purpose of our process evaluation will be to

determine performance feedback. The process evaluation will also examine the quality of how the

services were delivered. Through the process evaluation, we will (1) identify implementation problems as

they occur, (2) assure prompt feedback to project staff so that adjustments can be made, (3) provide a

record of project inputs and methods used during implementation, (4) provide judgment about the efficacy

of the project implementation process, and (5) develop replication materials that will assist other schools

in California to implement similar counseling efforts. We will concentrate on process evaluation issues

primarily during the start up phase of our project. This will ensure the smooth implementation and

operation of all project activities.

Our outcome evaluation will determine the progress toward achieving intended outcomes for

student, parents, and staff. Our evaluation efforts will increase as the project progresses. The outcome

evaluation will measure changes in awareness, knowledge, attitude, and skill level of teaching staff

related to our new framework, the referral process and the services available. We will also periodically

assess changes in counseling staff skill level, knowledge, and ability to manage/coordinate services.

Finally, we will examine changes in student knowledge, attitude, skill level, and, ultimately, behavior.

B. Use of objective performance measures that are clearly related to the intended outcomes of the project and will produce quantitative and qualitative data to the extent possible. (5 points) Earlier in this proposal, we provided tables which highlight our 3 project goals along with their

intended outcomes. The performance measures listed in Table 5 directly correspond to our anticipated

outcomes and will produce both quantitative and qualitative data. In Table 5, you will find our initial

performance measures listed along with our probable data collection methods. Our performance

4. Quality of the Project Evaluation (20 points)

4. Narrative


measures included both items required by the US DE under GPRA – we will close the gap between

current student/mental health professional ratios and the recommended student/mental health

professional ratios, and we will document the decrease in the number of referrals/suspensions for

disciplinary reasons for students receiving counseling.

Table 5 - Performance Measures and Data Collection Methods

Goal 1: Multiple Schoolwide counseling and prevention activities (3,137 students)

Student Performance Measures: Reading & math proficiency increases Students display positive attitudes about school Students believe they can be successful Office referrals decrease (GPRA measure) School suspensions decrease (GPRA measure) Students communicate effectively with peers &

adults Days absent decrease Homework completion and accuracy increases Students express positive perceptions of

teachers Students feel connected to the school Students display resiliency skills

Staff Performance Measures: Teachers can identify

barriers to learning Teachers provide effective

supports to all students Teachers manage behavior

effectively Teachers can describe how

learning supports directly relate to achievement

Teachers describe students and parents in positive terms

Data Collection: School records Student/parent focus groups Teacher/agency focus

groups Post training surveys Staff interviews Classroom observation Teacher self-report Administrator self report

Goal 2: Selected counseling and other learning support activities (1,098 students)

Student Performance Measures: Students have improved social skills Teachers report student (peer-peer) interactions

are positive Students can describe how they are supported

at school Students can describe how they are supported

at home Office referrals and school suspensions

decrease (GPRA measure) Days absent decrease Parents actively participate with their child at

school

Staff Performance Measures: Staff can describe and use referral system Staff use referral process early Staff describe how school-based

counseling services relate to achievement Staff describe the full range of school-

based services for targeted students Staff make adjustments to support targeted

students in the classroom setting Student to Counselor ratio improves

(GPRA measure)

Data Collection: School records Student self

report Teacher self

report Post training

surveys Staff interviews Classroom

observation

4. Narrative


The data collection methods we propose will provide the qualitative and quantitative data we

need to document that counselors, other district staff, community members and students have a

complete understanding of (1) the barriers to learning; (2) how to promote improved achievement by

addressing barriers to learning using evidence-based approaches; (3) gaps in counseling and mental

health programming at all grade levels and in the community; and (4) how effective professional

development can help teachers and counselors be more responsive to addressing student needs. The

data collection methods will also produce data to document that students have (1) gained access to

necessary counseling and mental health services; and (2) improved academic proficiency.

C. The extent to which the methods of evaluation will provide performance feedback and permit periodic assessment of progress toward achieving intended outcomes. (5 points) The use of data collected through this project is a very important aspect of our program.

Much of our work involves the review of student data. Using data to plan will be a part of every aspect

of this project. Data from the evaluation will provide information throughout the 3 year project period

that will demonstrate progress toward achieving intended outcomes.

The Project Manager, Mr. Dean Lesicko, will facilitate conversations with our project advisory

committee. The project Advisory Committee will have staff, parent, and community agency

representation. As the group meets, Mr. Lesicko will help them review summaries of evaluation data

and answer the questions below.

Goal 3: Targeted intervention and counseling support (157 students)

Student Performance Measures: Agency staff report improved student

attitude/skill levels Parents and students can describe the range

of services they are receiving, who provides them, and how they are connected to achievement

Students who need psychiatric services receive them)

Students are connected to services in a timely fashion

Staff Performance Measures: Staff can describe and use referral

system to access community-based services for students

Staff use referral process early Staff describe how community-based

ounseling services relate to achievement Staff describe the full range of

community-based services for students Student to Counselor ratio improves

(GPRA measure)

Data Collection: School records Student self report Teacher self report Case management

review process Review of case notes Post training surveys Staff interviews Classroom observation

4. Narrative


To more actively include our Spanish-speaking residents in all aspect of the project, our evaluation

Information will be available in both English and Spanish. We will also include specialized reports

for our disabled population. All reports and data will be posted to a project web site. In addition, we will

send evaluations to our school community partnership advisory committee by list serv. Any student,

parent, or community member will be able to sign up to participate in our project’s list serv. Through

this list serv, we will provide monthly updates regarding activities, general counseling information, and

reports documenting project activities and successes. We will also provide this information through

printed materials (in English and Spanish) that are sent home with students.

One role of the Advisory Committee will be to share evaluation information with their constituent

groups and to bring feedback from their constituents back to the project. In addition, we will make

annual presentations to the PTA’s at each school, MVUSD Central Office staff. Will also work with the

California Department of Education and local districts to share what we have learned.

Plan to collect reliable data on the performance measures - Our evaluation efforts will

document how well we close the gap between current student/mental health professional ratios and

student/mental health professional ratios recommended by the American School Health Association.

We will also periodically assess and document the decrease in the number of referrals/suspensions for

disciplinary reasons for students receiving counseling (DE Performance Measures #1 and #2). To

assist us with evaluation efforts, we will work with an independent evaluator to guide our evaluations.

The independent evaluator’s role will be to finalize data collection procedures and develop a

structured database for storing all quantitative outcome measures. The database will allow rapid

Are we working toward both performance measures required for this grant by the US DE? (Is the # of students served increasing? Is the # meeting state standards increasing?) Does our new programming address all student counseling needs? How well do we cover the issues? What are the outcomes staff and students are expected to attain? What does our data tell us about their success in attaining these outcomes? Are the planned activities resulting in the documented outcomes? How do we need to adjust programming efforts? Do we anticipate any new outcomes? What other data do we need to collect? How do all activities and data collected relate to improvements in student achievement?

4. Narrative


analyses of data to address the research and evaluation question. The evaluator will supervise or

conduct all statistical analyses and will draft coordinating reports. Data will be disaggregated, analyzed

and reported by gender, ethnicity, grade level, and socioeconomic status. All data will be organized to

be a part of the district’s annual “Report Card” and as part of each elementary school’s Support

Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC). This is the data that will be used by the Advisory

Committee each trimester to monitor and adjust programming. The project timeline is displayed in the

appendix .

Evaluation partners – The evaluation plan will be finalized by the end of the first trimester.

Data collection will begin immediately thereafter, with progress reports being made each trimester to

project staff. Collection of information will be the responsibility of project staff with the support of the

evaluator. Data for the outcome evaluation will be collected from students, parents, teachers, school

administrators, community agency personnel, project staff. Participation in the evaluation process is an

effective method of assisting participants to “own” the project and its results. Some of the focus group

meetings and interviews will be conducted in Spanish. All data will be made available to all community

partners for use in their annual planning efforts.

Plan to report on progress in meeting state standards – All project results will be posted

on the district’s web site. We will have a link on the district web site that lists all of the state standards

and performance and how students in our elementary schools are progressing. The site will be

designed to show growth over time on each of the performance measures and will attempt to illustrate

the link between project counseling services and an increase in student proficiency with a decrease in

referrals and suspensions.

4. Narrative


Project Timeline: Planned Activities

End of 1st trimester

End of 2nd trimester

End of 3rd trimester

Year 2 Year 3

Project director

Counselors Evaluator Agency staff

Hire staff X X Advisory Committee meetings

XXX XXX XXX XXX XXX X X X

Finalize student referral process

X X X X X

Student referrals

X X X X X X

Finalize evaluation plan

X X X

Data Collection X X X X X X X X Evaluation Meetings

X X X X X X X X

Bullying Prevention

X X X X

Parental involvement programs

X X X X X

Teacher Professional Development

X X X X X X X

Mentoring X X X X X X Support groups X X X X X X Classroom lessons

X X X X X X X

Referrals to community services

X X X X X X

Individual/family counseling

X X X X X X X

Appendices

4. Narrative


Budget Narrative:

On the next page you will find line item budgets for all 3 project years. Our Personnel costs

include all necessary staff time to complete project activities. Mr. Lesicko will devote 20% of his

time to leading this project. He has been a state certificated school counselor for 22 years and has

experience with project management and supervision. We will add 3 full time school counselors to

support 4th and 5th grade students in 11 schools. They will work closely with existing elementary

school personnel and will be integrated, as well, into the district student assistance program. We

have allocated funds to provide clerical assistance related to scheduling, data collection, and data

tracking. We have calculated Benefits for all personnel at a rate of 11.7% of salaries. This includes

health care, retirement, disability, workers compensation, unemployment, life insurance, and

Medicare. Travel costs include funds to support transportation and lodging for the required annual

meetings during the first two project years as well as reimbursement for local mileage costs for

travel among the buildings by the project director and project staff. We have requested no funds

for equipment – items with a unit value over $5,000. In the Supplies category, we have budgeted

funds to purchase office furniture such as; desks, chairs, locking filing cabinets, and book shelves

for the 3 school counselors. We have allocated funds for the purchase of a laptop and projector for

each of the 3 school counselors as well as the software necessary for classroom presentations and

training. We have allotted $300 per site for general project supplies ($3300 total). We are also

using grant funds to purchase additional bullying prevention curriculum. Under Contractual, we

have budgeted for a project evaluator (10 days of time). For each year of the grant we have also

budgeted for Dr. Sara Salmon to provide Peace4Kids training and support to the staff in all 11

buildings. We will use funds from the Other category for 3 cell phones and copying costs. The

MVUSD Indirect cost rate is calculated at 3.32% of direct project costs.

Appendices

4. Narrative


Personnel Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total

Project Director (.20) $20,675 $21,295 $21,933 $63,903 School Counselor (3.0 FTE) $242,532 $249,808 $257,302 $749,642 Clerical (35hrs/wk@$13@38wks) $19,715 $20,306 $20,916 $60,937 Total Personnel $282,922 $291,409 $300,151 $874,482 Benefits Benefits @ 11.7% $33,101 $34,094 $35,117 $102,312 Travel Trip to DC $3,000 $6,000 $0 $9,000 Professional Development $4,000 $3,500 $3,500 $11,000 Site Visit Travel $3,800 $3,800 $3,800 $11,400 Total Travel $10,800 $13,300 $7,300 $31,400 Supplies General Office Equipment $4,000 $0 $0 $4,000 Laptop (3) for school counselors $5,000 $0 $0 $5,000 Software $2,000 $0 $0 $2,000 LCD Projectors (3) $4,000 $0 $0 $4,000 General Project Supplies $3,300 $3,300 $3,300 $9,900 Bully prevention curriculum $2,000 $2,000 $2,000 $6,000 Total Supplies $20,300 $5,300 $5,000 $30,900 Contractual Project Evaluator $15,000 $15,000 $15,000 $45,000 Peace4kids Training $5,000 $5,000 $5,000 $15,000 Total Contractual $20,000 $20,000 $20,000 $60,000 Other 3 Cell Phones $3600 $3600 $3600 $10,800 Copying $1200 $1200 $1200 $3,600 Total Other $4800 $4800 $4800 $14,400 Total Direct Cost Indirect Cost (3.32%) Total Project Cost

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