The purpose of the current outcome study was to determine the effects of the Ready for Success (RFS) classroom guidance program (Brigman & Webb, 2012) on the social-emotional skills and competence, reading proficiency, and promotion between third-grade students who received the RFS intervention (treatment group; n = 104), and third-grade students who did not receive the intervention (comparison group; n=91). Following training in the manualized RFS curriculum, certified school counselors in the treatment group implemented five, weekly, 30-minute lessons followed by three monthly booster lessons. This study followed a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent group design. The study employed a teacher report measure of social-emotional skills and competence (i.e., Devereux Student Strengths Assessment) and a standardized formative assessment of reading proficiency (i.e., Reading Running Record). Furthermore, retention data was provided by the participating school district's data source.

Statistical significance between the groups was measured by a series of MANCOVA analyses and a Pearson's chi-square analysis. A partial eta-squared np2 effect size was reported for each dependent variable. The data supported the RFS classroom guidance program as an effective Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) intervention for promoting student social-emotional skill development (i.e. self- awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making) and overall social-emotional competence (SEC). This study provided support for the use of school counselor-led SEL classroom programs to promote the social-emotional development of students in the school setting. Furthermore, the study further supports the value of school counseling interventions for students in the domain of social-emotional development. Finally, the findings of this study provided empirical support for the RFS classroom guidance program as an effective SEL intervention.