Revitalizing Your Guidance Program: Mission “Possible”

1. Revitalizing Your Guidance Program: Mission “Possible” Susan Staples, Director, College, Career Readiness & Guidance Services, Oklahoma City Public Schools Charlotte Hunter, Counselor Facilitator, Oklahoma City Public Schools Felisha Pinkston, Business & Industry Career Development Coordinator, Oklahoma City Public Schools

2. Oklahoma City Public Schools Guidance Program – 3 years ago • 18 Secondary Schools • 18 Secondary Principals • 6 Area Administrators • About 46 Counselors = 70 different ways of providing guidance

3. Our big questions • Are we reaching all students? • Are guidance needs being addressed equitably? • Do we have a structure to assess & measure guidance? • Can we answer ASCA’s question: “How are students different as a result of what counselors do?”

4. A 2009 survey of 22-30 year olds revealed….. • Only 3% said they did not have a counselor • 48% felt like “just another face in the crowd” • 6-10 rated their counselors “fair to poor” for helping them think about careers • 67% had a teacher who took special interest in them and encouraged them to go to college

5. Some of our data wasn’t good  • >40% dropout rate • Seniors who had not completed Algebra 1 • Few seniors had taken an ACT test (even fewer in our minority populations) • EPAS results still in boxes at the end of the year at some sites • Significant schedule changes still being made in fourth quarter • Several schools on the state’s “school improvement” list

6. Our “Mission” since we decided to accept it . . . Use a Multi-tier approach • Targeted Professional Development • Development of College & Career Student Career Planners • Adopt American School Counselor Association’s National Model • Recent Initiative with America’sChoice/ACT guidance lessons

7. Secret Mission -- Our First Steps… • During a 2009 summer retreat, a counselor team worked to develop a College & Career Student Planner for OKCPS • A key decision: two planners – one for middle school and one for high school

8. Why two planners? • High student mobility in OKCPS • Challenge of moving planners between schools to follow the students • Storage of 6-12 grade planner • 8th grade students would take the planner home at the end of the year and receive the high school planner in 9th grade

9. Special Thanks • Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, Dr. Cindy Brown and Cari Lousch • Charlotte Hunter • Felisha Pinkston • OCPS Middle and High School counselors

10. How we developed the Middle School Student Planner • Developed the framework at the Counselor Summer Retreat • A small team worked on the planner over the summer • The team decided to group the information by grade level and add a table of contents

11. Customizing the Student Planner • Address student competencies in all three domains – academic, career and personal/social • Some activities are repeated at every grade level • Utilized some of the activities out of OKCIS

12. Fall 2009 Counselor Meeting • The counselors reviewed the planner page by page • They provided great feedback and suggestions • Created “Buy-in” by including all counselors in the process

13. Both PLANNERS • Address competencies in all 3 domains: Academic, Career, Personal-Social • Include activities which are developmentally appropriate for each grade level • Repeat activities each year such as: dreams, goal setting, bullying, credit review, planning for the future

14. High School Planner • Slightly more challenging • Typically less collaboration at HS level • No team structure • Counselor responsibility varied by school • Changing gradually with school reform initiatives such as America’sChoice, ASCA National Model

15. High School Planner • What lessons do you use now? • Selected lessons with little preparation and few resources • Department focus: Writing the college essay; Who says you don’t use algebra? • Post-secondary options: college, vocational, career, scholarships, job skills

16. Next Mission • Review guidance plan at each school • Analyze student needs • Present 1 lesson quarterly per grade • Work with teacher teams to present guidance lessons • Collect data • Review results and revise as needed

17. Counselor Comments from the Retreats: • The College & Career Planners provide an opportunity to align our counseling programs across the district • The middle school and high school people collaborated instead of working in “silos” • Less kids will fall through the cracks by using the Planners

18. Counselor Comments from the Retreats: • Now we will all be on the “same page” • Using the Planners will provide a more equitable process for students in our district. Now all students will have access to the same information.

19. Our Goals. . . “This powerpoint self destructs in 5 minutes” • 2010-2011 Use the College & Career Planners with one grade level at each middle and high school site completing all activities • Work with principals to support the use of ASCA model • Increase significantly the number of juniors taking the ACT • Phase in the administration of WorkKeys assessment

20. For Additional Information on Counselor Retreats/Planners Cari Lousch 918-812-2020 clousch@osrhe.edu

21. OCPS Contact Information: • Susan Staples 405-587-0073 smjohnson-staples@okcps.org • Charlotte Hunter 405-587-0019 cahunter@okcps.org • Felisha Pinkston 405-587-0071 ffpinkston@okcps.org

22. MISSION ABORTED. . .