Time Management &

Organizaion
AN ANAHEIM HIGH SCHOOL SMALL GROUP
MS. MORTIZ & MS. RODRIAN
1
Overview of
Anaheim High 2
School
Participant
Selection
3 4
Needs Assessment
Consent & Write-Up
Form 5
Topic &
Literature Review

6
Intervention
Design 7
7 8
Evaluation: Results Reflections,
Report & Write-Up Materials,
Worksheets, &
References
 1 Anaheim High School

total enrollment
2,777 (95% of students are hispanic)

STUDENT
DEMOGRAPHICS of students are

93.2% socioeconomically

7
disadvantaged

of students are English

20.7% Language Learners

COLLEGE &
CAREER
READINESS

about 40% of students are on track to meet A-G (college readiness) requirements
2 Participant Selection

WHO IS OUR GROUP? HOW DID WE RECRUIT THEM?

Sabrina Ramierz, a counselor at Anaheim High School helped us to

select our participants. She presented us with a group of students that
were failing all of their classes and were struggling with attendance.
The students in our group were Carl, Ray, Amanda, Danielle,
Trish and Becca* (names changed for confidentiality)

STUDENT DATA

None of the students in our group had

documented disciplinary action
A C A D E
M I C &

BEHAVIOR Academically, every student in our group

was failing every class

ATTENDANCE
3 Consent Forms
English Version

3 Consent Forms
Spanish Version

4 Needs Assessment
4
NEEDS ASSESSMENT

RESULTS
 4 Needs Assessment
4
In our needs assessment, our goal was to gauge the students
personal interests regarding organization and time management related
topics. We designed our needs assessment to cover a variety of topics,
including time management, homework organization, and goal setting .
We wanted to focus on on understanding what the students value when it
comes to their learning in this group.

Unfortunately, we only received two results of of the needs

assessment survey. This needs assessment was emailed out several times,
and even handed out in person, but students did not fill them out. While
we didn’t receive the amount of data that we were hoping for, the data
that we did receive was still helpful in creating a plan for our six group
meetings. We noticed that both of these students put SMART goal setting
and organizational tools towards the bottom of their assessment. All of
this gave us great insight into the direction that we wanted to take our
group.

Week to week, we wanted to build community between students and

help them to also understand the specific barriers that exist in their own
life when it comes to succeeding in organizing their time and assignments.
Because our needs assessment received low participation, we aimed to
keep our group structured but with room to be flexible based on what
students expressed were their interests as our group went along. We
decided to use a mulit - week SFBT goal setting worksheet to help the
students in our group to find motivation as they set goals for their classes
and their academics in general. We also focused on teaching the students
in our groups about how organize both their time and their assignments,
finding effective methods that fit their personal preferences.
 5 Topic & Lit Review
CLAIRE RODRIAN
TOPIC

According to the California Department of Education, since the beginning of

the COVID-19 pandemic rates of students with failing grades have doubled in most
districts (CDE, 2021) Students have been struggling to bounce back and find their
rhythms again as they return to school. Organization and time management play a
pivotal role in overall student success. Time management has a direct impact on
overall student success and on their levels of stress (Alyami et al., 2021) Group
counseling within a school setting is an ideal opportunity for counselors to equip
students with the tools that they need to succeed in their classes and in their overall
education.

TIER 2 INTERVENTIONS

While tier 1 support is often enough for most students, some students
demonstrate more significant needs than those being offered by tier 1
interventions. More intensive protocols are implemented by school counselors at
the tier 2 level. Tier 2 is often referred to as the strategic intervention stage and
supports approximately 15% of students. Students that meet tier 2 criteria typically
need a little bit of extra assistance that can be met through a small group setting.
For some students, identifying and supporting their unique needs through groups
can prevent the need for further intervention. If a student is exhibiting difficulties
that can be supported through tier 2, students can begin succeeding in school
without the need for targeted one-on-one attention.
Through tier 2 interventions, school counselors have the opportunity to
maximize their time and create efficient interventions that reach more students. In
group counseling sessions, the counselor is responsible for collecting pre and post
data to prove the effectiveness of the group. They are also responsible for running
the group week to week, or in delegating others to help run the group. Within this,
counselors should review evidence-based practices that have been proven to be
effective for their chosen topic. They should utilize these practices to help their
group be effecient and beneficial to all students involved.
 5 Topic & Lit Review
CLAIRE RODRIAN

LITERATURE REVIEW

Solutions-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) is an evidence based counseling

technique that focuses on creating strengths and solutions for participants. SFBT has
become widely accepted in educational settings because of its focus on
emphasizing student strength rather than deficits and problems. SFBT also provides
a framework for doing counseling in a brief manner (often less than six sessions) and
with a defined end goal.

SFBT techniques as paired with organizational and time management skill

building help students to prioritize their time, set goals, and become more effective
in turning in their assignments. As a result, SFBT has been proven to help students
significantly in increasing their academic performance. Newsome (2004) studied
SFBT group-centered techniques as a means of supporting junior-high students who
were academically underachieving and struggling with attendance. Through utilizing
SFBT techniques such as goal setting and scaling questions, Newsome (2004)
studied the impact of SFBT groups settings on student educational success. While
not much difference was show in attendance improvement, students who received
treatment group showed stark increases in their grade point averages post-
treatment.

Along with increasing overall grade point averages, Fearrington et al. (2011)
found that specifically organizational SFBT techniques helped students to complete
individual assignments. In his study, Fearrington et al. (2011) focused on students who
were not submitting their math assignments. Through the use of SFBT, many
participants showed marked improvement in completing and organizing their
individual assignments. They also maintained this progress, and continued to finish
their math assignments. This has significant implications for SFBT as a means of
increasing overall academic performance for students through organization.

 5 Topic & Lit Review

CLAIRE RODRIAN

LITERATURE REVIEW(CONT.)
Daki & Savage (2010) evaluated the effectiveness of the SFBT approach in
addressing academic, motivational, and social-emotional needs of students
with reading difficulties. The participants in the group received five 40-min
solution-focused sessions focusing on time management and organization. The
group also received academic homework support. Daki and Savage’s (2010)
study showed significant improvement for students. SFBT was found to not only
be an effective means of helping students educationally, but it also helped
students to cope with motivation and social-emotional issues. Learning time
management and organizational skills partnered with SFBT helped reduce the
participant’s overall academic anxiety, and help them to cope with other issues.

DISCUSSION

The need to support students who are academically struggling has become clear,
specifically in light of the recent pandemic. Through the use of small group
interventions, counselors can equip students with the skills needed to organize their
materials and manage their time. Through learning these new skills, students have the
opportunity to improve their grades and their overall academic success. Group
counseling also provides students with the opportunity to connect and grow in their
shared experiences. With added social support and newly discovered methods to be
organized and timely, students are given the means necessary to thrive academically.

 5 Topic & Lit Review

KEREN LEI MORTIZ

TOPIC
Schools have a responsibility to maintain an environment conducive to learning
while students have a responsibility to maintain their schedule and create
beneficial learning habits with time management and organizational skills.
Students need to improve their time management and organizational skills to
succeed in not only school but for their future endeavors. Organizational skills are
fundamental to school success (Agranovich et al., 2019). It enables students to
manage their time and materials productively and take charge of their own
academic learning.

TIER 2 INTERVENTIONS
Tier 2 supports students who require extra assistance and have additional
needs. 15% of the student population need additional services within the Tier 2
level (Goodman-Scott et al., 2020). Tier 1 focuses on “all” students, and Tier 2
centers around “some” students. Tier 2 supports students in small groups with
internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Tier 2 support services are important
because they support students with elevated needs and it commonly aligns with
“skill acquisition, skill practice, adult attention, peer attention…. And is shown to be
effective with the intended population” (Goodman-Scott et al., 2020).

Tier 2 has a dedicated team and their goal is to question and reflect on the
potential causes and other disturbances that may be exhibited (Goodman-Scott et
al., 2020). After reflection, the Tier 2 team should separate the data by
race/ethnicity, disability and gender to single out irregular patterns or occurrences
(Goodman-Scott et al., 2020). This strategic intervention guarantees that students
are recognized and validated. The small-group instruction is a catalyst for positive
performance feedback and generates higher expectations for the students
involved (Goodman-Scott et al., 2020). Evidence-based Tier 2 support is integral
to constructive change.
 5 Topic & Lit Review
KEREN LEI MORTIZ
LITERATURE REVIEW
Each school year, there are students who struggle academically. There
are many factors that may be responsible for poor academic
performances. For example, students may lack the proper prerequisite skills
for instructional materials or they may not have the motivation to complete
their assignments (Dean et al., 2004). Solution-focused brief therapy
(SFBT) is an intervention focusing on the self-determination and strength of
a client. While building their resources, the practitioner highlights the
client’s motivation with the understanding that the clients are able to
produce their solutions to resolve their own problems (Kim & Franklin,
2008).

SFBT originated during the early 1980s by two social workers, Steve de
Shazer and Insoo Kim Berg, based in Milwaukee (Berg & DeJong, 1996). The
Research Committee of the Solution-Focused Brief Therapy Association
generated a manual to assist with implementation and the three elements
of SFBT are utilizing clients’ concerns, guiding discussions with finding new
meanings around client concerns, and implementing strategies to assist
clients with a favorable future in mind (Kim & Franklin, 2008). Furthermore,
SFBT is categorized through the following core components: miracle
questions, utilizing scaling questions, giving out homework, complementing
clients, finding strengths and solutions, setting goals, and highlighting
exceptions clients have made (Gingerich & Eisengart, 2000).

A study done with 15 participants between the age of 14 and 17 years old
were recruited and received 12 sessions of SFBT over a span of 3 months.
By the end of the sessions, there was a notable and positive difference
with the participants’ self efficacy and self motivation (Ramesh, 2015). A
limitation of the study is the small sample size; nonetheless, the results were
still favorable (Ramesh, 2015). Overall, SFBT is an effective treatment for
youth who struggle academically.
 5 Topic & Lit Review
KEREN LEI MORTIZ
LITERATURE REVIEW(CONT.)
SFBT in a school setting is appropriate with the fast-paced environment, limited
time, and vast caseload. It is considered to be a brief intervention that emphasizes
on solution-based thinking. Each student will have different concerns and goals.
Approximately five sessions are held, and the treatment lasts around 45 minutes
(Gingerich & Eisengart, 2000). If necessary, a school practitioner could refer out
for the student. The practitioner performing SFBT provides guidance for students to
figure out their individual concerns and solutions. The approach encourages
students to highlight their successes and support their aspiration to change (Haron
et al., 2020). The systematic review showed positive outcomes with SFBT in
decreasing students’ negative feelings, managing their problems, improving
academia, and positive results regarding behavioral issues and substance usage
(Kim & Franklin, 2008).

DISCUSSION

The students referred to us have been struggling academically and have

been absent from their classes. As a school counselor, our role is to
implement and provide resources for our students that require more than
tier 1 services. Our focus is to establish Tier 2 targeted interventions for the
students in need regarding their time management and organizational
skills. SFBT is an evidence-based practice that has been proven to improve
a student’s performance through building and navigating their solutions.
6 Intervention Design
6 Intervention Design
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 1 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 1 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 2 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 2 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 3 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 3 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 4 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 4 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 5 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 5 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 6 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
WEEK 6 LESSON PLAN
6 Intervention Design
TIER 2 ACTION PLAN

Link to pre-test Link to post-test

7 Evaluation
RESULTS REPORT
 7 Evaluation
DATA
ATTITUDES DATA PRE-TEST ATTITUDES DATA POST-TEST

KNOWLEDGE DATA PRE-TEST KNOWLEDGE DATA POST-TEST

 7 Evaluation
DATA

SKILLS DATA PRE-TEST SKILLS DATA POST-TEST

OUTCOME DATA

BASELINE DATA
100% of students were failing 6 out
of their 6 classes

FINAL DATA PERCENT CHANGE

All students are passing at least 2 We had a 100% improvement in
out of 6 of their classes. All students students passing at least 1 class
surpassed our goal.
 7 Evaluation
WRITE-UP

DISCUSSION
Our small group on time management and organization consisted of 6
students who were failing all six of their classes. Our goal was to help
students increase their grades in order to pass at least one class each
utilizing evidence-based practices. For our evaluations we measured
attitudes, knowledge and skills regarding school and personal
organization and time management. Our data showed stark improvement
in grades for all students. Our post-data revealed that all students are
now passing at least two classes, which is an 100% increase in student
passing rates. All students surpassed our goal of passing at least one
class each.

LIMITATIONS

During our last group session, two students were present. These individuals
were the only ones who filled out the post-survey. The mindset and
behavioral data may not represent an accurate depiction of the small
group.

We were able to measure grades through Aeries which showed an

impressive increase with all students. All 6 of our students passed at least 2
of their classes by the end of the small group sessions.
 8 Reflections
WEEK 1

STRENGTHS CHALLENGES
built group rapport building group trust;
introduced group and members still hesitant to
goals of the 6 weeks share

REFLECTION
For our first group session, we spent time getting to know each
other and explaining the purpose and the intention behind our
group. Our group went well, and we could tell that many of the
students felt excited to start bringing up their grades.

WEEK 2
STRENGTHS CHALLENGES
students responded very some students struggled to
well to SFBT worksheet identify the reasons that
all participants were eager they were struggling in
to share school

REFLECTION
All of the students were very open and willing to share out on their
experiences in struggling with school. Many of them felt excited and
optimistic when it came to improving their grades. Some were very
moved when it came to talking about their parents and what they
would think of their improvements.
 8 Reflections
WEEK 3
STRENGTHS CHALLENGES

created a strong rapport a required assembly for the

with a student due to the school changed the school
one-to-one interaction schedule/lunch times

Many of our students didn't show up this week because of the required
assembly. The assembly changed the periods of the classes which led most of
our students to not receive their summon slip reminding them about the small
group session. Fortunately, one student came and we established a good
rapport with him during this time.

WEEK 4

STRENGTHS CHALLENGES
students who had not
students felt very
attended other sessions
comfortable sharing
were behind on the SFBT
great examples of goals
worksheets
and organization

This was our final week of using our SFBT worksheets and we had a
difficult time including students that had not done all of the
worksheets in order. Some students enjoyed the experience, while
other students felt a little bit behind or out of the loop. We tried to
email students the worksheets that they had missed and give them
the chance to catch up.
 8 Reflections
WEEK 5

STRENGTHS CHALLENGES
students learned practical some students seemed
organizational skills
uninterested in topic
several students noted that their
teachers noticed their students lacked
organization participation

We set aside this week to teach students specific tools that they
could use to help organize their assignments and schedules. Some
students responded very well to learning tools such as google drive
or even using a paper planner. Other students seemed uninterested
and did not participate much in the session.

WEEK 6

STRENGTHS
CHALLENGES
worked on SMART goals
only 2 group participants
for the future
attended
got to celebrate
lack of data for post-test
accomplishments

We had a small amount of attendance for our group this week

which was a bit difficult with data collection. The students that
came definitely had a fun time celebrating their accomplishments
in our group and making goals to look forward at their future goals
as they continue their time in high school.
 8 Reflections
STRENGTHS

Our group had many productive and fun moments over our
6 weeks. Sharing snacks, setting goals, and holding space to
share our experiences was meaningful and important. While
there were definitely roadblocks along the way, our
experience leading a group was fantastic.
We were both thoroughly impressed by our group's
willingness to contribute to conversations and be open with
their educational struggles. They all responded well to the
SFBT planning worksheets, and we noticed stark improvements
in the way that they approached goal setting and decision
making.We also saw marked increases in student grades and
comfortability with organization. Overall, we saw students
grow and share, and the group went smoothly.

CHALLENGES

We had several main challenges in our group. The first was

that we had our group during lunch time and only for 30
minutes. The time constraint as well as the lunch period meant
that students often came late, and our time was extremely
limited. Some of our ideas couldn't be executed because of
our limited amount of time .
The other major obstacle that we had a lot of
inconsistency in our group. Some weeks we had four students
while others we had one or two. This made it difficult to
execute our multi-week SFBT worksheets, or see consistency in
the growth of our students. Next time, we would have made
our groups more individually planned instead of buidling on
top of one another.
 8 Materials
SFBT INITIAL MEETING
 8 Materials
SFBT SECOND MEETING
 8 Materials
SFBT FINAL MEETING
 8 Materials
SMART GOALS
 8 References
Alyami, A., Abdulwahed, A., Azhar, A., Binsaddik, A. Bafaraj,
S. M. (2021). Impact of time-management on the student’s academic
performance: A cross-sectional study. Creative Education, 12(03), 471–
485. https://doi.org/10.4236/ce.2021.123033
Agranovich, Y., Amirova, A., Ageyeva, L., Lebedeva, L., Aldibekova, S., &
Uaidullakyzy, E. (2019). The formation of self-organizational skills of
student’s academic activity on the basis of ‘time
management’ technology. International Journal of Emerging
Technologies in Learning, 14(22), 95-110.
Anderson, D. H., Munk, J. A. H., Young, K. R., Conley, L., & Caldarella, P.
(2008). Teaching organizational skills to promote academic achievement
in behaviorally challenged students. Teaching Exceptional Children,
40(4), 6-13.
California Department of Education. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2022, from
https://www.cde.ca.gov/
Daki, J., Savage, R. S. (2010). Solution-focused brief therapy: Impacts
on academic and emotional difficulties. The Journal of Educational
Research, 103(5), 309–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/00220670903383127
Franklin, C., Biever, J., Moore, K., Clemons, D., & Scamardo, M. (2001). The
effectiveness of solution-focused therapy with children in a school setting.
Research on Social Work Practice, 11(4), 411-434.
Gingerich, W. J., & Peterson, L. T. (2013). Effectiveness of solution-focused
brief therapy. Research on Social Work Practice, 23(3), 266–283.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1049731512470859
Kim, J. S., & Franklin, C. (2009). Solution-focused brief therapy in schools: A
review of the outcome literature. Children and Youth Services Review,
31(4), 464-470.
Newsome, W. S. (2004). Solution-focused brief therapy groupwork with at-
risk junior high school students: Enhancing the bottom line. Research on
Social Work Practice, 14(5), 336–343.
Strom, P. S., Strom, R. D., & Sindel-Arrington, T. (2016). Adolescent views of
time management: Rethinking the school day in junior high school.
American Secondary Education, 38-55.