Transcript School Counselors: Partners in Student Achievement (ASCA)

School Counselors:
Partners in Student Achievement
Overview
The
American School Counselor Association (ASCA)
has collaborated to create a
National Model for School Counseling Programs
to connect school counseling with
current educational reform movements
that emphasize student achievement and success.
How we got here…
• March 2001, ASCA Governing Board passed a motion
to develop a National Model
• June 2001, Summit I met in Tucson, AZ
• Nov./Dec. 2001, reviewed by school counselors and
Summit participants
• May 2002, Summit II held, in Washington, DC
• June 2002, Release of ASCA Model at conference
Rationale
By aligning a counseling program with the
school’s mission and school improvement plan,
professional school counselors:
• partner as leaders in systemic change
• ensure equity and access
• promote academic, career and
personal/ social development for
every student
“We need to be the change
we want to see happen.
We are the leaders
we have been waiting for.”
– Gandhi
People have wondered…
What do school counselors DO?
Historical Problems in
School Counseling Programs
• Lack of legitimization
• Lack of consistent identity
• Limited or no involvement in reform
movements
• Variation in roles from state to state
and site to site
• Non-school counselor responsibilities
Historical Problems in
School Counseling Programs
• Lack of legitimization
• Lack of consistent identity
• Limited or no involvement in reform
movements
• Variation in roles from state to state
and site to site
• Non-school counselor responsibilities
Varied and Conflicting
Approaches
• Vocational counselors vs. Mental Health
counselors
• Directive vs. Non-directive
• Individualized services vs. Comprehensive
program
• Pre-service training varies as do
administrative expectations
Attempts to Unify the Profession
• Gysbers & Henderson’s comprehensive
programs
• Johnson & Johnson's results-based guidance
• Myrick’s planned developmental guidance
Historical Problems Have
Continued
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Lack of basic philosophy
Poor integration
Insufficient student access
Inadequate guidance for some students
Lack of counselor accountability
Failure to utilize other resources
Source: From Gatekeeper to Advocate. Transforming the Role of the School Counselor, Hart, P.J. & M.
Jacobi (1992)
When schools fail to clearly define the
counselor’s role...
School administrators,
parents with special interests, teachers
or others may feel their agenda
ought to be the school counseling
program’s priority.
The results often lead to confusion and
criticisms when they are disappointed.
(Carolyn Maddy Bernstein, 1995)
Trends in Education
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Education reform movement
Accountability
Standards-based movement
High-stakes testing
Achievement gap – equity and access
Block grants
Emphasis on improving school safety
Vouchers
Performance, not entitlement
Current School Counseling
Trends
• ASCA’s National Standards for School
Counseling Programs
• Transforming School Counseling Initiative
(Education Trust – Dewitt Wallace)
• Increased number of state models
• Results-based school counseling
• Legislation for school counseling programs
• ASCA’s National Model
The old question was…
“What do counselors do?”
The new question is…
“How are students different
because of the school
counseling program?
From Entitlement… to Performance
From a program that:
• Focuses generally on
the number of
activities
• Measures the amount
of effort
• Attends to the process
of doing work
• Works to maintain the
existing system
To a program that:
• Focuses on outcomes
and improved results
• Measures impact related
to goals
• Attends to goals,
objectives, and outcomes
• Changes and adapts to
be more responsive
Source: McGowen, P. & Miller, J., “Changing the Entitlement
Culture,” The American School Board Journal, August 1999, p.43
From Entitlement… to Performance
From counselors who:
• Focus on good
intentions
• Talk about how hard
they work
• Generally feel little
need to change their
behavior or approach
To counselors who:
• Focus on
accomplishments
• Talk about effectiveness
• Know their future rests on
accomplishments
• Communicate goals and
objective
Source: McGowen, P. & Miller, J., “Changing the Entitlement
Culture,” The American School Board Journal, August 1999, p.43
Implications
• What is the purpose of the school
counseling program?
• What are the desired outcomes or results?
• What is being done to achieve results?
• What evidence is there that the objectives
have been met?
• Is the program making a difference?
School Counseling Programs Are
About
RESULTS.
How are students different
as a result of the school
counseling program?
We Exist To Effect Change In Students:
Acquire
Improve
• Knowledge
• Attendance
• Skills
• Behavior
• Positive
Attitude
• Academic
Achievement
Paradigm Shift
From:
Not only monitoring process and
measuring services delivered
To:
Focusing also on and measuring the
results of our programs and services
The time for change is now…
The way we do business must
change fundamentally and
immediately.
ASCA National Model
Foundation
• Beliefs and Philosophy
• Mission
• Domains:
Academic Development
Career Development
Personal/Social Development
• ASCA National Standards and Competencies
Delivery System
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School Guidance Curriculum
Individual Student Planning
Responsive Services
System Support
Management System
• Agreements
• Advisory Council
• Use of Data
– Monitoring Student Progress
– Closing the Gap
• Action Plans
– Guidance Curriculum
– Closing the Gap
• Use of Time
• Calendars
Management System
• Management Agreements
• Advisory Council
• Use of Data
– Monitoring Student Progress
– Closing the Gap
• Action Plans
– Guidance Curriculum
– Closing the Gap
• Use of Time
• Calendars
Accountability
• Results Reports
– Impact Over Time
• School Counselor Performance Evaluation
• The Program Audit
Academic Development
1. Guidance Curriculum (HS)
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ACADEMIC
Career
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Personal/ Social
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Developing Academic 4/6
year Plans
Promotion/Retention Criteria
Organization, Study and
Testing Taking Skills
Registration, College and
High School Graduation
Requirements
Post High School Options
Transition into the Real
World
ACADEMIC
Career
Personal/ Social
Academic Results
Goal Setting (K-5)
After classroom guidance lessons
pre-post tests indicated…
• student knowledge of goal setting
increased from 10% to 98%
• 90% achieved their identified goal
Academic
Career
PERSONAL/SOCIAL
Personal/Social Results
Conflict Resolution (K-5)
• Number of students who could
peacefully resolve a conflict increased
from 55% to 88%
• Following implementation of a Conflict
Manager program the number of suspended
students was reduced from 13% in 97/98 to
3% in 01/02.
ACADEMIC
Career
Personal/ Social
Academic Results
Interventions (6-8)
After Academic Counseling Groups:
• 37% of 6th graders (64)
• 24% of 7th graders (47)
• 72% of 8th graders (46)
Demonstrated GPA improvement
ACADEMIC
Academic Results
Interventions (6-8)
Career
Personal/ Social
Pre:
Post:
Students on retention
list:
Students who came off
retention list:
• 6th - 81
• 7th - 73
• 8th - 103
• 6th - 27
• 7th - 22
• 8th - 23
72 students avoided retention
Academic
Career
PERSONAL/SOCIAL
Personal/Social Results
Conflict Resolution (6-8)
• At one site the number of students resolving
conflicts with the help of peer mediators
increased from 0 to 346
• At another site, the number who took
advantage of peer mediation increased
from 47 to 149
Academic
CAREER
Personal/ Social
Career Development
Canyon Springs High School
• In the last three years the number of students
visiting the career center has increased from
30 to over 200 students per day.
• Parent attendance at evening guidance events has
increased from 150 to 500 parents
• Scholarship dollars for students increased from
$750,000 to $825, 000
• Finally, graduation rates have improved from
84 % to 89%
Next Steps
• ASCA Rollout of National Model at the
Miami Conference with a panel of national
experts
• Multiple training sessions held
• Draft copy available to everyone
• Comments and suggestions welcomed
• Final edition available early 2003
All this will not be finished in the first one
hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the
first thousand days, nor in the life of this
administration, nor even perhaps in our
lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.
– John F. Kennedy
Questions?
Comments?