As the 2012-2013 School Year gets underway, we are busy matching coaches and students in our Pacific Northwest School’s project. This will be the second year this pilot program brings ADHD coaching to middle and high school students in under-performing schools.
Students participating in last year’s program were evaluated using several measures, including the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) Test and the Vanderbilt Assessment Scale. Results from the first year’s pilot are very encouraging.
- Participating students demonstrated a significant reduction in problem behaviors including organization, follow through, completing homework, task avoidance, losing things and disrupting class.
- Participating students also demonstrated significant improvement on motivation, anxiety, and concentration.
- Many participants demonstrated significant (36% increase) grade improvement. The 7th and 8th graders improved from a 1.57 overall GPA in Spring 2011 to 2.14 in Spring 2012. Students who failed one or more classes dropped 50% from the fall semester to the spring semester.
- Dramatic reduction in drop-out rates. At one school, 9 out of 10 participating seniors graduated — more than three times the number that the principal expected!
- Teachers and students both reported high levels of satisfaction with the Edge Coaching Model. Both participating schools will continue the program and are recommending it to other schools.
Clearly, the Edge Coaching model changes lives on paper, but sometimes the words of a student is more compelling than any statistic.
“My coach really helps me figure out my priorities. Each week, we make lists of tasks and named the positives and negatives of each task. That helped me figure out what was important to me, and where I need to spend my time during the week. I love coaching!”
–Kym G., Graduating Senior, Class of 2012