In evaluating a school counseling program's effectiveness, which practice is recommended?

• A. Evaluate only through teacher impressions.
• B. Include progress monitoring and formal program evaluation data.
• C. Rely on student opinions only.
• D. Ignore data and rely on intuition.

Answer: (B)

Data-driven evaluation is essential for showing whether a school counseling program helps students. The recommended practice is to combine progress monitoring with formal program evaluation data. Progress monitoring involves collecting small, frequent measures linked to the program’s goals—such as changes in behavioral incidents, attendance, or academic indicators—to track whether students are making targeted gains and to guide timely adjustments. Formal program evaluation data provide a broader, structured assessment of outcomes at the program level, often using baseline and post-intervention comparisons and, when feasible, comparison groups and effect sizes to quantify impact. Together, these data sources create evidence of effectiveness over time and support decisions about continuing, refining, or expanding the program. Relying solely on impressions, opinions, or intuition lacks objectivity, and ignoring data altogether undermines professional practice.