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Evaluation of School-Based Small Group Organizational Skills Training Program for Students in Grades 3 to 5
The Organizational Skills Training (OST) program is unique in its focus on elementary school students in grades 3 to 5. OST was initially developed for use in behavioral health clinics. A systematic evaluation of OST showed that it was effective in improving children's organization, time management, and planning (OTMP) skills, homework performance, academic performance and children's attitudes toward school. Participation in the program also resulted in reduced family conflict.
Feasibility & Effectiveness
Questions have been raised about the feasibility of the clinic-based version of OST because it involves 20, 60-minute sessions provided individually to children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in a clinic setting. In response, OST was adapted for implementation by school professionals in a small group for students with OTMP deficits regardless of ADHD diagnosis with promising evidence of feasibility and effectiveness.
Working in collaboration with the developers of OST from New York University Grossman School of Medicine, our team received a grant from the Institute of Education Sciences to conduct a systematic evaluation of school-based OST. To further address feasibility concerns, the intervention was reduced to 16, 35-minute sessions. The current program (OST-T2) is consistent with a Tier 2 intervention within a multi-tiered system of support commonly used in schools.
Participant Overview
A total of 22 schools and 185 students participated in this study. Schools serving students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds were recruited. Schools were randomly assigned to OST-T2 or a treatment as usual, waitlist control condition that received any organizational supports or interventions that were already being provided by the school and then received OST-T2 after data were collected. Participants, nominated by general education teachers, were students with OTMP deficits contributing to academic difficulties regardless of diagnostic status. School staff implemented OST-T2 with consultation from the study team.
Study Highlights
- This study confirms the findings of a previous study, showing that participation in child skills training for OTMP difficulties (OST-T2) results in immediate and short-term improvement in OTMP skills and homework performance among students in grades 3-5.
- OST-T2 is effective when delivered in a school setting by well-trained and supported school professionals as a small-group, Tier 2 intervention.
- Participation in OST-T2 appears to improve academic performance for some students; students with OTMP deficits and academic skills difficulties likely need targeted academic instruction in addition to OST-T2.
- The effects of OST-T2 were lower, although still perhaps meaningful, nine months after intervention when students advanced to the next grade level, suggesting the need for a booster intervention.
- Additional research is needed to investigate whether OST-T2 can be effective under routine school conditions that can be supported by schools over time.
