Elizabeth Villares

Closing the Achievement Gap of Latina/Latino Students: A School Counseling Response

This article addresses the achievement gap of Latina/Latino students and evaluates the impact of a Spanish culturally translated classroom program, delivered by bilingual/bicultural school counselors in five 45-min lessons and three booster lessons. Latina/o limited English proficient (LEP) students in Grades 4 and 5 from three schools were assigned to treatment (n = 62) and comparison (n = 94) groups. A quasi-experimental, nonequivalent control group design was used. Significant improvement in reading and math, as measured by standardized tests, were found for students who received the treatment as compared to those who did not. This resulted in a reading and math effect size (ES) of .37.

The Impact of Student Success Skills on Standardized Test Scores A Meta-Analysis

This meta-analysis investigates the practical significance of the Student Success Skills (SSS) program on student achievement. Each study involved the SSS intervention, math and reading scores, at least one treatment and comparison group, and a certified school counselor. The sample involved students (n = 1,279) in Grades 4, 5, 6, 8, and 9. Overall effect sizes for math (.41), reading (.17), and the SSS program (.29) were determined. New guidelines for interpreting the results are introduced.

Development of an Instrument to Measure Student Use of Academic Success Skills: An Exploratory Factor Analysis.

This article describes the development of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills instrument including item development and exploratory factor analysis. The instrument was developed to measure student use of the skills and strategies identified as most critical for long-term school success that are typically taught by school counselors.

Psychometric Properties and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills.

This article describes the confirmatory factor analysis of the Student Engagement in School Success Skills (SESSS) instrument. The results of this study confirm that the SESSS has potential to be a useful self-report measure of elementary students’ use of strategies and skills associated with enhanced academic learning and achievement.

Confirming the Structural Validity of the My Class Inventory – Short Form Revised

Researchers analyzed data collected from elementary school students (N = 893) to further establish the psychometric soundness of the My Class Inventory - Short Form Revised (MCI-SFR). A confirmatory factor analysis was conducted resulting in a good fit for a four-factor model, which corresponds to the instruments four scales (Cohesion, Competitiveness, Friction, Satisfaction). Findings confirm the MCI-SFR as both a reliable and valid measure for assessing students’ perceptions of their classroom climate.

Multilevel Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Teacher My Class Inventory–Short Form

Researchers analyzed data from elementary teachers (N = 233) to further establish the psychometric soundness of the Teacher My Class Inventory–Short Form. Supporting previous psychometric research, confirmatory factor analyses findings supported the factorial validity of the hypothesized five-factor solution. Internal reliability estimates were satisfactory for an attitudinal measure. Implications for practice are briefly discussed.

The Effect of a Student Achievement Curriculum on Grade 9 Completion Rate and Student Engagement

Data collected in a quasi-experimental, pre–posttest design study from Grade 9 students (N = 197) was used to evaluate the impact of the evidence-based student success skills classroom program on Grade 9 completion rate and student engagement. Results from analyses of covariance revealed there was a statistically significant difference at posttest on Grade 9 completion rate between students who participated in the intervention (n = 98) as compared to students who did not participant in the program (n = 99).