Background:
The Subdivision (Counseling and Services for Special Populations) was charged with the responsibility for developing a program for intervention with students who are on financial aid suspension and scholastic probation.  On a limited basis, Title III personnel were already involved in a similar initiative to improve students’ academic standing through its STAR (Steps Toward Academic Rewards) Project.  The Director of Counseling and Services for Special Populations convened a group of Faculty (Counselors) and other personnel to discuss intervention strategies with these special-populations student groups.  A decision was made to develop a program around a similar effort that had been designed for participants in Welfare-To-Work Reform Programs contained in the SAC Welfare-To-Work Plan.  The program was titled “Strategies for Success”.  Incentive for voluntary participation in the program was fostered by the Financial Aid Director’s willingness to work with applicable students.  Each student would be reinstated for financial aid purposes if he/she enrolled in the program, participated fully and met the guidelines for satisfactory academic progress.

Implementation:
A call for volunteers to carry out the program was sent to all counselors.  Five counselors volunteered.  They were Maria Gomez and Robert Trevino from disABILITY Support Services, Jan Starnes and Bonnie Haley from the Counseling Center, and Emma Mendiola from Student Development.  Emma Mendiola also functioned as coordinator for the project.  In addition, counselors Henry Velasquez, Carolyn Foster, and Kim Arrendell saw students on an individual basis who had called after the enrollment deadline.

Counselors met and developed a curriculum outline for the course (see attached).  It was designed to consist of six weeks worth of “classes” for a total of 18 clock hours.  Potential student participants were identified by the financial aid office and letters were sent to the students informing them of their financial aid status and the availability of this program to help them (see attached).  Participation was entirely voluntary.  Interested students enrolled for the program through the Student Development Office.  Staff from the Student Development Office made follow-up phone calls or contacted students through call cards to their classes in order to make sure they were aware of the program.  Out of the 221 students on financial aid suspension that were targeted for the program 83 (38%) actually enrolled.

Each counselor taught a section of the class and utilized the curriculum guideline developed while also including other subject matter and intervention techniques as determined by the specific needs of the group.  The program took place from March 8th through April 23rd, 1999.

Although no specific research design to measure the effectiveness of the program was utilized due to a lack of time, a pre-test and a post-test was administered to participating students.  The testing instrument was the Electronic Learning And Study Strategies Inventory (E-LASSI) (see attached example).  It was administered at the beginning and the end of the program and subsequently evaluated for any changes in performance.  With the assistance of the Title III program and the Career Planning Center, students were able to take the inventory electronically.

The LASSI is divided into ten categories:  (1) attitude and interest, (2) motivation, diligence, self-discipline, and willingness to work hard, (3) use of time management principles for academic tasks, (4) anxiety and worry about school performance, (5) concentration and attention to academic tasks, (6) information processing, acquiring knowledge and reasoning, (7) selecting main ideas and recognizing important information, (8) use of support techniques and materials, (9) self-testing, reviewing and preparing for classes, and (10) test strategies and preparing for tests.  Results from this inventory identify the student’s strengths and weaknesses giving the counselor/instructor information on what areas need intervention in order to improve their academic standing.  Students were also asked to self-identify the issues or problems that had resulted in their probation status  (see attachment).

Intervention methods utilized by counselors in addition to group instruction/discussion consisted of one on one counseling sessions and referrals to other appropriate services both on and off campus.

Outcomes:
·      Of the 83 students who signed up for the course, 62 students actually completed the course
·      Of the students who took both the LASSI pre-test and the LASSI  post-test, all showed
       improvement in all ten categories measured (see attachment)
·      Students who completed the “Strategies” program had higher average GPAs than did those
       who did not complete or enroll for the program (see table I)
·      Students who completed “Strategies” had higher semester GPAs than those who did not
       (see table II)
·      A higher percentage of students had GPAs less than 2.0 in the groups that either did not
       complete or never enrolled in “Strategies” (see table II)
·      Students who completed the “Strategies” program had a higher percentage of students with
       higher GPAs than those who did not complete or did not enroll in “Strategies” (see table III)
·      There was no significant difference among students who completed, did not complete, or never
       enrolled in the “Strategies” program with regard to lower cumulative GPAs (see table III)

Students evaluated the course and representative comments were selected for inclusion in this report (see attachment).  Instructors also evaluated the course through a final debriefing meeting at the Student Development Office.

Instructors observations/recommendations were as follows:

·      Expressed surprise that students responded to the letter and participated on a voluntary basis
·      Students tended to be more mature than we thought they would be; more motivated,
       responsible, etc.
·      The course should be offered at the very beginning of the semester
·      Financial aid checks should not be issued at the beginning of the program
·      The length of the course and the size of the class was appropriate
·      Instructors utilized flexibility in presenting material according to the needs of their particular group.
       It is important to be able to do this even while following a set of curriculum guidelines
·      The class functioned very much as a support group for the students

It appears that based on the limited feedback and observable results of the program, it can be concluded that the program was a success.  One final recommendation is that any future efforts include more time for evaluation and research on effectiveness.  This effort could then serve as a model for other colleges facing similar challenges.

Week One:
Get acquainted, why are we here?  (with assistance from Financial Aid Office)
Needs assessment of class
Tour/Review of specific student services

Week Two:
Appropriate classroom behavior
Learning Styles

Week Three:
Life Management – Managing change, Managing time, Managing multiple roles, etc.
Student Panel (motivation, perseverance)

Week Four:
Study Skills – Note taking, SQ3R, Test taking, etc.

Week Five:
Library/Research Skills

Week Six:
Careers:  Options, finding a good fit
Goal Setting:  Where to now?
Wrap Up – Staying motivated, anticipating potential pitfalls, barriers, challenge

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Memorandum and Brief Summary of Challenge