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1. Home State Board | Department | Teachers | Parents | Students | Community | Data West Virginia Department of Education1900 Kanawha Boulevard East, Charleston, WV 25305 (Staff Phone and Email by Name) (School Directory) About LINKS Barbara Ashcraft, MA, LPC School Counseling Coordinator

2. Objectives • Participants will… • understand why LINKS is important… the potential impact on students and staff • become familiar with the LINKS Program • be introduced to the LINKS Website • explore LINKing LINKS to other school activities and programs • receive an overview of the www.cfwv.com and www.careercruising.com connection to scalable, sequential and ongoing career development • Begin exploring how to revamp your program to move from ‘Good to Great’

3. Children are the living messages that we send to a world we will never see

4. The Unconscious Gap… Until we become aware of the existing gap between what out students can do and what they are doing, we remain satisfied. Sandy River may be a good School, but what can you do to make it great? Calabrese, R. L. (2002). The leadership assignment: Creating change. Boston: Allyn & Bacon

5. About LINKS … • involving a personal relationship with at least one adult serving as an advocate for the student. • bridge the gap between what is taught in the core curriculum and the skills necessary for success in school and in the work place

6. Bridge the gap … Self-Knowledge Life Skills School Success Skills Educational Development Work Ethic Career Planning. LINKS Student Advisement…

7. Why LINKS… Learning, Individualized Needs, Knowledge and Skills • ImproveLearning for ALL • AddressIndividualized Needs • Increase Knowledge and Skills for ALL

8. Personalizing the Learning Environment “High schools of the 21st century must be much more student-centered and above all much more personalized in programs, support services and intellectual rigor.” This means every student should have a personal adult advocate and a Personal Plan of Progress. NASSP. (2004). Breaking Ranks II: Strategies for Leading High School Reform

9. What is Advisement? • A systemic approach to providing ALL students with skills and background to make decisions about his/her education and career • A process to aid students in developing self-awareness, option awareness, and decision-making skills • A process to help each student improve his/her chances for long-term employment

10. What is LINKS • LINKS is a standards-based, system-wide student support program/system to assist all students in successfully navigating middle and high school. • LINKS was designed specifically for WV students by WV educators

11. Expected Outcomes • All students make informed academic and career plans • Parents are systematically involved in their child’s education including the development of academic and career plans • More students successful in higher level courses • Improved school behavior • Increased graduation rates • Higher test scores

12. Guidance: What is it? Guidance The help all students receive from parents, teachers, counselors, community members and others to assist with educational and career development Counseling The help some students receive from credentialed professionals to overcome personal and social problems that interfere with learning.

13. Students need to know…. Who they are… Where they want to go… And how they are going to get there! They need a systemic approach of all staff working together in a caring and knowledgeable manner.

15. Contributors to Student Success • Career goal • Connection with caring adult • Connection with post secondary opportunities The Silent Epidemic 2007 Grad Nation 2009

16. National Trends…Then and Now U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics We must ALL give ALL students the right messages.

17. Emerging Fields “hyper-agriculture flash markets neurostimulation new forms of education customized health care non-lethal weapons, nanoceuticals desktop manufacturing bizarre new energy sources risk management streaming payment systems privacy-invasion sensors smart transportation program-able money Toffler & Toffler, 2006, Future Shock, p.5

18. Emerging Fields “Eighty percent of the jobs to be held by today’s kindergarten students during their lifetimes do not currently exist. (Global 21 Educators Flyer, 2010)

19. 21st Century Learning…

20. Therapy – Outside or SBMH Centers IEP, 504 Groups, Tutoring, Peer Helpers, Groups, Mentoring, Student Helpers, Clubs, Crisis Interventions, Short-term counseling Classroom Guidance Lessons, School Assemblies, Student Advisement Programs, Test Prep Programs, Academic Plans, Field Trips Classroom Guidance Lessons, Student Advisement Programs, School Assemblies

21. Group Demonstration Students Supports Shelly DeBerry

22. If students know you care you can push even more Who is most vulnerable? Malcolm Smith “Why are kids so Angry and What Can We Do About It?” Over 300 students who committed violent acts No relationship with a caring adult Relationships http://www.cjnetworks.com/~msconsult/peaceful.htm

23. Protective Factors: • Advisors Big brother/sister program • Teachers (positive) Church • Supportive parents Coaches • Community members Band Teachers • Positive peer relationships Free Lunch Program • Prevention programs Federal / State assistance • Policemen • Firemen • Custodian • Bus driver • Community programs

24. Standard 4: Student Support Services and Family/Community Connections In high quality schools, the staff: • places student well-being at the forefront of all decisions, • provides support services to address student physical, social/emotional and academic growth, and • forms positive connections to families and the community.

25. Function A: Positive Relationships “They don’t have to like me, they just have to learn from me” “Student’s don’t care what you know until they know that you care” What is so important?

26. Creating Relationships • Advisor/Advisee Program • Mentoring (career, teacher, peer, community) • Tutoring • Student/school connectedness • Faculty relationships • Culture of respect

27. American Student Achievement Institute VISIONING EXERCISE How will our school be different as a result of LINKS? How will our students be different? How will our staff be different? How will our connection with Parents be different?

29. Group Activity Move to a table of the role that you may be playing or are interested in learning more about. Go to the LINKS website and find the roles and responsibility chart and lists related to your groups. Review and discuss these roles and how they relate to the overall success of the LINKS program. Be prepared to share the roles/responsibilities for your group that stood out as most important.

34. Advisor Role • LINKS is a facilitated learning experience. You support and encourage students’ discussion! • Everything you need is on the website • Engaged learning rubrics • Mentoring activities • Grading Rubric • Your LINKS coordinator will provide copies of each lesson plan and handouts in time for you to prepare. • Important to look ahead at lessons; some require school specific forms.

35. LINKS Logistics

37. Student Referral Process • Consistent Referral process • Easy to use referral forms • Individual Student Referral • Group referral • Family concerns

38. About LINKS… • Currently Being Piloted • 36 lesson plans per grade level (5 – 8: WV specific, downloadable) • 40 lesson plans per grade level (9-10: WV specific, downloadable • Standards based (Policy 2520.19 allows schools to offer for credit)

39. About LINKS… • Can be offered for credit • Course code 7676 called LINKS • 1 time per week 45/50 minutes • ¼ credit per year = 1 full high school credit • Online Career Course www.cfwv.com • 1 time per week 45/50 minutes • ¼ credit per year = 1 additional full high school credit for 2 full credits (9-12)

40. Links Components • Curriculum • Academic skills • Personal/social skills • 21st Century Skills • Career development • Relationship with a trusted adult • Bridge the gap between post-secondary and workforce demand and the curriculum • School navigation skills • LINKing all components within the school together • Creating a core knowledge base for all teachers

41. 2007 Pawley’s Group Report Commissioned by 2006 WV Senate Recommendation 7:Develop a model for career counseling, student support and academic advising. • recommended that West Virginia develop a systematic way to help students with career exploration.

42. 2007 Pawley’s Group Report • West Virginia must move from “random acts of progress” to a system based on the 4 Ss – • Strategic • Synergistic • Sustainable • Scalable

43. Implementation Steps • Curriculum Mapping • Advisor training (ongoing) • Student/staff/parent surveys • Student portfolios • Lesson plans and handouts • Public relations • Trouble shooting • Ongoing support • Liaison with principal

44. Ongoing Professional Development • Professional learning communities • Grade level teams …lesson plan delivery • Teams by Topic • curriculum map – Grade Level Teams • customizing lesson plans • portfolios • Project Based Learning • ISTP • Parent activities • Book Clubs

45. Timeline for Revising/Redesigning Current Program

46. 40 Lesson Plans (per grade level)- Policy 2520.19 Course Code 7676

48. CAREER AND COURSE PLANNER This Career and Course Planner is designed to complement the LINKS Student Advisement Program. You will use this tool to help you document your career plans, assessment results, experiential learning and course work to help you make meaningful plans for your future. Student Identification Student Materials 9th Grade / Freshman Year 1 0th Grade / Sophomore Year LINKS Checklist 1 2th Grade / Senior Year Activities I need to complete each year to ensure that I am well-prepared for post-secondary success. 9th Grade/Freshman Year 1 1th Grade / Junior Year