National Leadership Cadre: Statewide School Counseling Reform through Partnership and Career Development Jackie Melendez, Program Manager /School Counseling Georgia Department of Education Zelda Rogers, Program Director/Career Planning Florida Department of Education Kristi Enger, Guidance/Special Projects Coordinator Idaho Division of Professional-Technical Education

National Cadre Position Graduation and postsecondary placement rates will improve when administrators emphasize comprehensive school counseling programs and make better use of the school counselor.

National Cadre Position School counselors can effectively demonstrate positive student outcomes when leadership-driven partnerships among government agencies, state counseling associations, and higher education work to advance the mission of school counseling and life career development education.

National Cadre Position School administrators must understand the transformed and enhanced role of the school counselor. When administrators understand and support the school counselor’s role, counselors are better equipped to implement a comprehensive and developmental program.

National Cadre Position The National Leadership Cadre can play a pivotal role in counseling reform by working with selected Cadre state guidance directors in developing innovative strategies to break down isolated program silos. Statewide collaboration with ALL stakeholders is essential.

Need to Focus on Building Strong State Partnerships Partnerships are the key to rapid, irreversible change Key partners: DOEs, DOLs, State Associations, Higher Education Partnerships result in living, functional state school counseling models Partnership building is a complex process

The Georgia Story: The “What” Increase high school graduation rate, decrease high school dropout rate, and increase post-secondary enrollment rate.

The “What” Results Data-based advocacy Infusion of career planning objectives in school counseling programs Leadership in systematic change Impact on high school graduation

The “How” Creation of Year-long School Counselor Leadership Academy to build leadership capacity Designed for certified school counselors that meet application criteria Aligned with the ASCA Model

The “How”: SCALE Program School Counselor Academy Leadership Excellence

The “How”: Rationale An effort must be made by state leadership to develop and improve the necessary leadership skills to maximize educational impact of school counseling programs. Aligning school counseling programs with reform initiatives can demonstrate leadership.

The “How”: Strategies Creation of Statewide School Counseling Task Force Collaboration with School Improvement and CATE GACTE Summer Institute with an intensive counselor strand Regular meetings with Counselor Directors and Counselor Educators Development of School Counselor Leadership Guide for all counselors Two leadership workshops conducted by Jay Carey and Carol Dahir Regional counselor workshops for program updates Application process that will start in July Face-to-face meetings and webinars

SCALE Academy Topics Leadership role development in school improvement and school completion Advocacy and Social Justice (Equity) Accountability/Management Systems Data- Based Decision Making Guidance Curriculum Career Planning and Development Work-Based Learning Teaming and Collaboration

Our Partners State Counseling Association Higher Education CATE School Improvement Graduation Coaches DTAE Georgia Student Finance Commission CRN

The Florida Story: A Focus on Career Development Secondary School Reform Middle School Requirements High School Requirements All Districts required to have a minimum of one academy

Issues Driving School Reform Drop out rates Employers report that students don’t have skills to be successful Remediation/postsecondary education Education and training requirements have changed in the workplace Why do kids drop out of school School Engagement Poor academic performance Poor attendance Don’t see relevance of coursework to future Low educational expectations Lack of effort Bored No extracurricular participation *Source- National Dropout Prevention Center Employers want workers to have a solid foundation of reading, writing, math but they also want them to have soft skills such as getting along with others, working in teams, communicating, solving problems and making decisions. Attitude is also very high on the list. They want their workers to have the ability to learn new ways of doing things as technology changes their jobs. Education and training requirements have changed –While the good news is that there are plenty of job openings projected for high school graduates, more than twice the number of job openings for 4 year college graduates, however many of these job openings will be in occupations that require some training after high school. In fact, most high paying jobs almost always require training.

The LAW… Middle School Requirements Effective for students entering 6th grade in 2006-2007, promotion from a middle school requires 3 year-long courses in English 3 year-long courses in Mathematics 3 year-long courses in Science 3 year-long courses Social Studies 1 semester course in career and education planning to be completed in 7th or 8th grade All this leads us back to the A++ legislation

Goal of A++ Legislation Ensure all students are informed & prepared for their future careers regardless of whether they plan to go: directly to work technical or community college university military Many schools are establishing academies, strengthening Tech Prep Programs, Magnet programs, etc. with a career focus so that students in many cases can even exit high school with skills that can land them in a good paying job.

Solutions….. Middle School Career Course Career goals can motivate students to stay in school Gives students a focus on the future Understand importance of planning and consequences if they don’t Drop out rate, postsecondary going rate, and college completion are issues that can be addressed by the middle school course. The career development process can begin here with students assessing their interests, exploring careers, and making some initial plans about careers they may want to pursue in the future. Research has shown that students that have gone through the process of career awareness, exploration, and planning are more likely to stay in school, academic achievement increases.

Course Requirements Career exploration using CHOICES (or similar program) Educational planning using FACTS.org. Results in a career and education plan Plan signed by student, school counselor or academic advisor, and parent Parents informed of course and activities

MS Career & Education Planning Course Process of academic and career awareness, exploration, and planning Students will make more informed decisions on course selection and career Prepares them for a successful transition to high school Raises aspirations for career and education options

What is www.FACTS.org? Florida’s central web resource for student advising Helps students plan and track educational progress (high school & college) Planning (electronic Personal Education Planner [ePEP]) Tracking (High School Academic Evaluations) FACTS.org is a one-stop advising web site to help students and parents plan and track students’ progress through high school and college.

Career and Education Planning Course Stand-alone or integrated course 48 course options 30 competencies Modules Understanding the Workplace Self Awareness Exploring Careers Goal Setting & Decision Making Workplace Skills Career & Education Planning Job Search The competencies are based on National Career Development Guidelines, state framework for guidance, and ASCA national school counseling program model. We started the process of course approval with the stand-alone and several exploratory electives. Once these were presented to districts requests were made for additional courses to have the competencies added. The majority of the courses were requested from districts to give additional flexibility in scheduling students. After some discussion social studies courses were added upon request in addition to courses such as PE and Band. Some districts have decided to use one course that all students will be scheduled in while others are using a variety of courses to meet the needs of the students.

Middle School Where’s Career & Your Network? Education Planning All these partner in the development and delivery of the career course.

Counselor’s Role Assist with the career exploration and development of the ePEP Support the teacher with interpretation of assessment results and other advisement strategies Help with development of curriculum High school counselors can also help with informing students of high school options Classroom support The same competencies that are included in the course are also included in the state guidance framework. These competencies are from the National Career Development guidelines and ASCA guidance model.

Resources

Educator’s Toolkit: Career & Education Planning www.fldoe.org/workforce/ced

MODULES

Self Awareness

Self Awareness continued

High School Requirements 16 core credit requirements 4 credits in an area of specialization (Major Area of Interest) 4 credits in electives, a minor or another major 24 Total Credits

High School Requirements 4-year, 24-credit Standard Program 16 + 4 + 4 = 24 Core Classes MAI Other Electives Total

Major Area of Interest (MAI) Four (4) credits selected by the student in an area of interest. For example, courses may be in: a career and technical program fine and performing arts, or an academic content area

Legislative Charge for Guidance & Counseling Recommendations for improvement in guidance, counseling & advising District guidance report Every district mandated to have a guidance program implemented at all schools The following are the issues presented to the Career Education Task Force This is not final, but you can see that the focus is on Career Guidance The second point deals with all students being informed of their options, whether that involve moving straight into the workforce, pursuing post-secondary education through career and technical, community college, or college/university pathways Considering best practices deals with school A, for example that doesn’t have time for incorporating a guidance and counseling (overall student development program) due to FCAT accountability, etc. versus school B that is held to those same requirements, yet has produced and implemented a successful guidance and counseling program regardless. The issue is why does it work for some? What are the factors that contribute to the program’s success? Critical need career areas include: Information Technology, Education, Health Care; and Engineering The website listed will take you to a draft copy of the guidance report.

Annual District Guidance Report Student access to guidance counselors Status of implementation of K-12 guidance program Information and training for counselors on careers Best practices for advisement Alternative strategies for delivering guidance Actions taken for STW transition (s. 1006.02) Guidance plan The legislature has identified the following to be included in the Guidance Report. Let me note that this year’s report will be used for baseline data only. In reference to next year’s report, expect to see more data requirements (i.e. specific trainings received, program data collected, etc.) Data, Data, Data! When compiling your competencies for the Guidance Plan, remember it will be important to be able to measure how you achieved them (i.e. Pre-test/Posttest). Go over slide… Let me note that the training is not limited to counselors, but it includes teachers as well. Training may involve CIDS such as CHOICES and specific labor market information. Alternative strategies may include a Teachers as Advisors program. Instead of being too busy to deliver guidance services at all, alternative delivery strategies could be addressed. Many times, these counseling duties are being performed in non-traditional ways but not documented. I’ll pass these out now and we’ll look through it page by page. Please remember this report is in draft form. It has yet to be formatted so you may find a few mistakes.

Idaho and the Career Development Process New to the Cadre in December 2006. Much younger in tenure than Florida and Georgia!

Idaho’s Educational Structure State Board of Education Idaho Division of Professional-Technical Ed State Department of Education Idaho Division of PTE Career and Technical Programs My Division!—Career Guidance (support all other programs and functions) State Department of Education Academic Programs Special Populations Title One Special Education ELL etc.

Idaho PTE FY2007 Goals Increase college PTE capacity Support articulation Maintain high placement rates Support high school reform As a part of the Division of Professional-Technical Education, my role is to support the overall mission and goals of the Division as a whole. Currently, four goals. First--to increase the capacity of the postsecondary technical college system. BENCHMARK--the enrollments will increase. Significant demand for professional-technical education in Idaho. In hearings around the state on community colleges, business people testified again and again on the need for more technically trained employees. Needs for program expansion exist in every area of the state. Institutions have identified demands for expanded programs in Nursing, allied health, welding, diesel, animal science, residential construction, Radiation safety, bio-medical technician, medical assistant, radiological tech, veterinarian assistant, Fire Service EMS, auto and graphics arts/web development. Second—support articulation between secondary and postsecondary education. BENCHMARK: tech prep enrollments will increase. Even more significantly while Idaho’s go to college rate is around 44%, 60% of PTE completers go on to college and 60% of Professional-Technical school completers go on to college. Last year the rate for PTE completers was 57%. Third--Maintain high postsecondary placement rates. Overall placement Target – 90% Actual – 93% Training relation plus education Target – 80% Actual – 88% Retention increased from 90% in 2003 to 97% in 2006 Fourth--Improve the capacity of professional-technical education to support high school reform. BENCHMARK: increase the percent of teachers trained in academic integration.

Career Guidance Goals Align Idaho Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Model with new ASCA model Infusion of career planning objectives in school counseling programs Leadership through communication, technical assistance, site visits Promote collaboration with instructors, advisory committees, associations, etc. Beginning of previous week—PTE Summer Conference—embedded counselor summer institute on one day! In process of re-working, revising Idaho’ Comprehensive School Counseling Program Model Emphasizing need for data-based advocacy Feedback from summer institute will guide revision of statewide model Training will be through PTE Summer Conference, webinars, Fall Career Development Tour Career Planning & Development Career development—traditionally back burner approach—if we have time… Actively advocating for career development to be the umbrella for all counseling Counselor certificated primarily by SDE—actively advocating role in PTE Tight collaboration with Career Information System Fall Career Development state tour Simultaneous development of resources Leadership from state level has been hit and miss, so to change that… Weekly Counselor Connection Guidance program visitations, followed up with written commendations/recommendations Quality Initiative Handout Technical assistance in understanding program forms and strategies for contributions Continually advocate for important communication and assistance between instructors, administrators, and counselors Advocate for separation of District Testing Coordinator duties Revised Idaho Comprehensive School Counseling Model will hopefully drive support for separation of non-counseling duties Quality Initiative mandates guidance advisory committee

Our Partners Idaho School Counselor Association Idaho Career Guidance Association 7-16/Postsecondary Education Counselor Educators State Board of Education State Department of Education Career Information Systems Commerce and Labor Vocational Rehabilitation Idaho Dept of Corrections

Strategies to Improve Career Development Efforts Individual Graduation Plans/ Programs of Study coupled with Career Planning Infusion of Career Clusters into Idaho resources Implementation of advisor/advisee programs in line with HSTW Reaffirmed with Cadre partners the need to couple Individual Graduation Plans with additional steps to ensure that career development is comprehensive and grounded in process Big push since I was hired—Career Clusters Super Clusters—explain—brochure in packet Individual Graduation Plan/Program of Study Perkins reauthorization Sequence of Courses—seamless transition between middle to high to postsecondary Collaboration with SDE to add rigor to PTE courses to provide options for applied math, science, health, economics, etc. Recently established graphics to accompany Next focus on more comprehensive cluster guides As another part of my position, I serve as the HSTW PTE liaison. I advocate the use of advisor/advisee programs as a strategy for the total school counseling program.

Student Learning Plans Administrative Code 08.02.03 –Thoroughness Other required instruction for all students and other required offerings of the school are: (4-1-97) … 02. Middle Schools/Junior High Schools. (4-11-06) a. No later than the end of Grade eight (8) each students shall develop parent-approved student learning plans for their high school and post-high school options. The learning plan shall be developed by students with the assistance of parents or guardians, and with advice and recommendation from school personnel. It shall be reviewed annually and may be revised at any time. The purpose of a parent-approved student learning plan is to outline a course of study and learning activities for students to become contributing members of society.

Sample POS (Part of SLP)

POS Example (Page 2) The Postsecondary Connection

Cluster Resources Brochures Summary Flyer Speakers Kit to assist counselors Registration Guide Pages Graphics www.pte.idaho.gov/guidance/career_clusters.htm

Continuing and Next Steps Finalize revised Idaho School Counseling Program Model Develop revised Career Guidance Blueprint/Cluster Activity manuals Establish statewide universal student planner Continue communication through focused and varied efforts Provide leadership in fostering program collaboration Career Cluster resources Greater infusion of HSTW key practices Finalize revised Idaho School Counseling Program Model Collaboration of Partners Webinar training Career Guidance Blueprint/Cluster Activity manuals Universal Student Planner PTE, CIS, SBOE, SDE, Commerce and Labor, Schools, Voc Rehab, etc. Communication Counselor Connection Trainings Site Visitations Promoting Quality Initiative RECOMMENDING v. requiring Foster program collaboration In-house education to promote program manager knowledge Counselor training regarding programs and possibilities

Giving Direction… Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. - Joel Barker

Does This Fit For Us? Would this work in my state? Would I want to do it? What would it take to be successful? What resources are available? Who are the people to make things happen? Will I have administrative support? What are my goals and objectives? How do I develop effective partnerships?