Welcome to GUIDANCEFEST 2014

1. Welcome to GUIDANCEFEST 2014

2. Leadership and Collaboration Tommi Leach, Academic Coordinator, ODCTE

3. Leadership • What does leadership look like in schools? • Is it defined by title alone? • Leaders come in all shapes and sizes. • Good leaders lead by example. • Some of the best leaders are those who are thoughtful, observant and listen more than they talk.

4. Would you consider all of these people leaders?

5. What about this guy???

6. Leadership… A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves. —Lao Tzu

7. Leadership is more likely to develop • Participating in leadership activities that are personally meaningful (Example: Fighting to save school counselor jobs with evidence of school counselor success in helping close achievement gaps)

8. Take INITIATIVE • Leadership role out of motivation – brings fulfillment • Leadership role out of obligation – feels like a chore • Taking part in building leadership teams show school counselors care about instructional strategies

9. Ways to increase leadership roles: • Be visible around the school and connect professionally with school counselor, educator, staff and administration colleagues • Share expertise and knowledge that others would find helpful through mentoring, presentations, emails or simple print materials for reference • Join and participate professional organizations

10. More ways to increase leadership roles: 5) Present staff development on college/career readiness counseling, ethics, multicultural issues 6) Take on a new challenge. Leaders grow by pushing themselves 7) Start by volunteering to pick up the slack for a colleague who must temporarily step aside 8) Volunteer to chair a committee

11. Do you have a fixed or a growth mindset?

12. Growth or Fixed Mindset?

13. Collaboration… A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skill of the others. -Norman Shidle

14. Essential Skills for Counselors • Counselors must know how to play well with others • Strong communication skills • Taking the time and energy to build rapport with staff and to educate others about the transformed role of the school counselor

15. It’s True • Counselors are the eyes and ears of the school • Counselors are the glue that holds the school together

16. COLLABORATION • Collaboration is essential to student success • Student success requires every stakeholder be on board • Schools are often “silos” • Need a system perspective

17. Collaboration • Understanding different roles means staff support student needs without turf wars • Collaboration across disciplines • Vertical and horizontal teaming • Professional Learning Communities • Share unique insights

18. Collaboration • For those counselors who have been teachers: • sharing this commonality with staff may increase credibility – especially with veteran teachers and administrators • For non-teacher counselors: • it is important for teachers to recognize their separate but connected areas of expertise

19. Know Your Stuff • Become familiar with K-12 course content • Become familiar with teaching and learning classroom environments • Highlight where ASCA Student Standards and competencies: • Can apply • Be taught • Be generalized by students

20. ASCA Student Standards • Note-taking • Time management • Emotion management • Conflict resolution • Tying academic subjects to future career and college readiness decisions

21. Benefits of Collaboration • Help teachers see the benefit • Make lessons more meaningful and relevant to students and teachers • It shouldn’t seem like something “extra” or an “add on” • Math: Incorporate calculating a class grade and a GPA by converting between fractions, decimals, and percentages • Science: Incorporate stress management techniques with vocabulary and concepts about volcanoes • Social Studies: Incorporate conflict resolution strategies with the study of the Civil War

22. Don’t be afraid… • I’m just one person (and a busy one at that!!)

23. How do I start??? • Have an idea • Recruit team members • Research your data (use pre & post data) • Form your goals with team

24. Making your plans… • Organize and make plans this year • Work to get necessary players on board • Be ready to put your plan in place next year

25. Keep it simple… • Start small • A class • A grade level • A specific group of students • Get help from others • Technology Center • Teacher/retired teacher or counselor for testing assistance • KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TIME INVOLVED

26. We know what we need to do…don’t wait on legislation…

27. Contact Information Tommi Leach, M.Ed. Academic Coordinator 405-743-5524 tommi.leach@careertech.ok.gov

28. Managing Your Professional School Counseling Program Erica Harris, M.Ed. Advisement Specialist

29. Advocates Compassionate Leaders Flexible Specialized Valuable Empowering Resourceful

30. Random Acts of Guidance vs.Intentional Guidance Are School Counselor’s in your school… • Busy Professional vs. Always Available? • Starters vs. Utility Players? What gives our students the best? Random Acts of Guidance or Intentional?

31. Quote: Fair Share of Duties “If all educators are counting state tests or taking a turn supervising afterschool sports, it is appropriate for school counselors to take a TURN also. If school counselors are the only people in school counting tests or supervising sports then it is no longer considered a fair-share responsibility.” (Hatch, 2014)

32. The First Lady of the United States; A School Counselor Fan!

33. Accountability and Effectiveness Tulsa Model Marzano Establishing and Communicating Clear Goals Providing clear goals and scales Tracking progress Celebrating success Planning and Preparing for Implementation of Goals and Scaffolding of Content or Activities Effective goal setting and scaffolding Attention to established standards or procedures • School Counselor Effectiveness • Monitors student progress • Accountability reports • Leadership • Involvements

34. Accountability and Effectiveness Guidance Self Study • Responsive Services #1- Counseling students through a variety of situations, i.e., tardies, absences, behavior problems, study skills, decision making, etc. • Responsive Services #4 - Providing documentation of supportive services the tech center has provided students • System Support #2 - A variety of data is collected and analyzed on a regular basis to determine progress, anticipate needs, and make decisions about effectiveness of guidance and advisement program objectives and strategies on student results

35. Continuous Improvement Supports • Program Evaluation • Program Improvement • Program Advocacy • Student Advocacy • Systemic Change

36. What If… We Had 1 Additional Counselor? • 1/3 of the effect of recruiting teachers in the top 15 % of their profession. • Same effect expected from lowering class sizes. • Reduced the number of disruptive behavior. • 20% Boys • 29% Girls • Test scores increased almost 1%.

37. A Revelation:Evidence Supported Intentional Guidance “Even though school counselors know that addressing social and self-management skills contributes to improved academic outcomes, they rarely have school-based outcome data to support the effectiveness of this type of intervention.” (Luck & Webb, 2009)

38. Student Success Skills • 5 weekly classroom lessons, followed by a monthly booster. • Students with the lowest level test scores from the previous year participated in 8 small group lessons. Results • 4th grade 95% in both Reading and Math • 5th grade 78% in Reading and 89% in Math

39. The Ripple Effect of Reporting Data • Decrease in “assigned” duties unrelated to school counseling. • Administrators became very protective of the school counselor’s time. • School Counselor is no longer the BTC. • School Counselor is no longer the Exceptional Student Education Coordinator • School Counselor is no longer assigned lunchroom or bus duty.

40. The real Professional School Counselor is a busy professional. Public Perception Reality Advocating for protected time and appropriate roles leads to intentionalguidance programs.

41. Where do we start? • Track services and the needs of students • Gain the support of teachers, staff and parents through an advisory committee. • Educate our administrators about our roles, time spent with direct and indirect services.

42. Practical Applications • Screening Time • teaching others to screen • counselor of the day • Always a Counselor - even on supervision • Annual Agreement (ASCA, Ramp tool)

43. The Professional School Counseling Story How do we track our INTENTIONAL Counseling Services? • Student Sign In Sheet • Track Referrals • reasons, actions, and results • Counselor Documents • handwritten • excel spreadsheet

44. Tracking Tools • EZ Analyze Time Tracker • Note-keeping and time-tracking functions • Generates reports for accountability and improved services. • Free • DigitalCounselor.com • Similar to EZ Analyze • Lesson Planning Template- aligned to ASCA standards

47. Tracking Tools • School Counselor Central • Note keeping, time tracking • Advisory Committee • Student Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) • Free Demo • $150 site • $600 district

49. Results… Now What? • Share the results with administration, advisory committee, teacher and staff. • Advocate for student needs revealed by the data. • Inch by Inch! • Collaborate with other Professional School Counselors.

50. Results… Now What? • OSCAR- • Oklahoma School Counselor Accountability Report • RAMP • American School Counselor Association