Bullying Prevention Results: Bonita Vista Middle School
Steven Bosset: School Counseling Fieldwork Student
Classroom Guidance Curriculum
7th & 8th Grade Bullying Prevention presentation in five Health
classes & one English Class Approximately 110 students received the lesson October 2008 Lesson Content:
Definition of bullying Different types of bullying Ways to report bullying Steps to take if students are getting bullied
2006 California Healthy Kids Survey
34% of BVMS students feel unsafe at school
30% of these feelings were related to bullying and harassment
21% reported that they were harassed
23% were afraid of being beaten up
Research Says
Around 30% of adolescents in the United States are estimated to be involved in bullying either as the aggressor or the victim
Bullying is the leading cause of attempted suicide among adolescents
Students who are bullied have higher levels of depression and lower self-esteem
Victims often feel tense, anxious, insecure, and afraid
Obtained from www.safeyouth.org
Why did we teach this lesson?
Data: California Healthy Kids Survey Increase awareness of the impact bullying
can have on students Increase the reporting of bullying related
incidents to school staff Increase the amount of students who feel
safe at school Decrease bullying at BVMS
ASCA National Standards
Personal/Social Standard A Students will acquire the knowledge, attitudes,
and interpersonal skills to help them understand and respect self and others
Personal/Social Standard C Students will understand safety and survival
skills
Student Competencies
PS: A1.6 distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate behavior
PS: A2.1 recognize that everyone has rights and responsibilities
PS: A2.4 recognize, accept, respect, and appreciate individual differences
PS: C1.1 learn about the difference between appropriate and inappropriate physical contact
What do the students BELIEVE?
Pre 80% Agreed or
Strongly Agreed with statement
Post 92% Agreed or
Strongly Agreed with statement
“I believe that bullying is a very serious issue in school”
Question: “I believe that bullying is a very serious issue in school”
5 510
4
47
3439
64
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Agree StronglyAgree
PrePost
Question: “I believe it is important to help stop bullying in my school”
4 42 0
45
34
55
69
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
StronglyDisagree
Disagree Agree StronglyAgree
Pre
Post
Knowledge QuestionSocial Bullying: What Do Students Know?
Pre 24% Could identify
Social Bullying
Post 61% Could identify
Social Bullying
Students who can define Social Bullying
24
61
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Pre
Post
This is a 150% increase!
Skills Question
56% identified proper strategies
71% identified proper strategies
Pre Post
Students were given a bullying case scenario and then asked to identify one correct strategy to deal with the situation.
Students who identified proper strategies
56
71
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Pre
Post
This is a 25% increase
How Does Bullying Effect Academic Achievement?
According to the California Healthy Kids Survey: “Research has shown that meeting developmental needs of students - ensuring that they are safe, drug-free, healthy, and resilient - is central to improving their academic performance”
Academic Achievement Data: GPA Standardized test scores Graduation rates
www.wested.org/chks
Safety at School and API Scores (Concurrent Relationship)
73
79
85
91
97
API Score
Per
cen
t re
po
rtin
g f
eelin
g "
safe
" o
r "v
ery
safe
" at
sch
oo
l
1st (Lowest)2nd3rd4th5th (Highest)
API Quintile
www.wested.org/chks
Implications/Limitations
BVMS currently does not collect suspension and discipline referral data on bullying, which does not allow tracking of improvement or correlations to achievement data
California Healthy Kids Survey data is two years old
Students had prior lessons on bullying in their health classes so they knew a lot of the information before the lesson was given
Students still have room for improvement when defining bullying
Recommendations
Keep track of bullying rates using referrals or “bully box” to see if progress has been made in lowering bullying rates
Make pre/post test more challenging for students
Consider using hands-on activities or role play during the lesson
Collect results in a more time efficient manner
Next Steps
Make adjustments to bullying pre/post test & lesson plan
Present guidance lessons to other 7th grade classes
Analyze the results of next California Healthy Kids Survey
The school counseling program is contributing in a meaningful way to the personal development and academic
achievement of all students.
Thank you for your support!
References
California Healthy Kids Survey: Technical Report for Bonita Vista Middle School. Fall 2006.
Hatch, T. (2007). Using the FLASHLIGHT BUILDER: Approach to Measuring Results! The Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership. Retrieved December 14, 2008 from Cescal.org