Helping Students Plan for Success a.k.a. It’s All About My Future Tracy McFarlin-Pressley School Counselor OSDFS: The Power of Change: Healthy Students, Safe Schools, Engaged Communities Conference August 4, 2009

2 Session Objectives  ILP/PEP Definition  A Results - Based Program  An Example of a PEP in Progress  Data  Lessons Learned – Next Steps

3 What is an ILP/PEP?  An integral part of the ASCA National Model’s Delivery System  A structured process that enables students to plan for their future in the three developmental domains − Academic − Career − Personal/social  Allows counselors and teachers to observe student progress along the learning continuum

4 ILP/PEP – A Results-Based Program  Students can expect to: − Describe how to plan effectively − Have meaningful opportunities to plan − Be skilled in identifying/addressing barriers to their learning and growth − Use the results of their planning activity

5 ILP/PEP – A Pathway to Personalization  A foundational component of personalizing education and making learning relevant  A fundamental strategy for leaving no child behind

6 Planning Process Requires Students to:  Envision the future  Assess needs and capabilities  Set goals  Develop and implement action plans  Recognize strengths and interests  Aspire to future success

7 KNOWLEDGE We Want Students to Acquire  The importance of planning for their futures  The steps in a complete planning process  Standards which affect their future  Roles and accountabilities

8 SKILLS We Want Students to Develop  Envision the future  Identify developmental needs  Develop an action plan  Implement their plan and monitor their progress  Evaluate progress, document conclusions and develop new plans  Provide evidence of progress toward standards

9

VCSD Strategic Plan Goals/Objectives High Student Performance  Design and review Personalized Education Plans (PEP) for every student K-12 VCSD Strategic Plan - Activity

11 Where Did We Begin?  Identified the ASCA standards met and tied this to the school board strategic plan activity  Researched other state counseling association frameworks and the ASCA National Model  Reviewed sample ILP/PEP documents from other schools/districts  Tailored what would work specifically with our students – identified needs  Implemented where we knew it would find success

12 What have we done?  Created three documented Activities for Personal Education Plans (delivered in classrooms – 6 days for year one and 6 days for year two = 12 contacts over 2 years on goal setting activities)  Designed a parent information brochure about the PEP program  Collected process and outcome data for the PEP Program

13 Activity 1 – Understanding the PEP Process  Conduct a student questionnaire at the start of the unit/activity  Show students a PowerPoint presentation – “My Life.. My Future”  Introduce students to the PEP portfolio and show them all the documents for the program  Review the PEP Fact Sheet with students

14 Activity 2 – Academic Planning  Brainstorm ideas to be successful academically  Students review previous year’s report card  Students complete an Academic Plan review  Review the Graduation Requirements Worksheet

Academic Plan 15

VCSD Graduation Requirements 16

“A DREAM IS JUST A DREAM; A GOAL IS A DREAM WITH A PLAN AND A DEADLINE” 17

18 Activity 3 – Personal Planning  Using the I-PASS form, students will set at least one academic goal, one career goal, and one social goal for the school year. (1 session)  Using the Quarterly Review – document progress toward goals (done Q2, Q3 & Q4)  Using the Self-Reflection form – write a reflection on their progress for the school year and document the results of their reflections (1 session)

Blank I-PASS 19

Quarterly Review (implemented in 08/09 School year) 20

Student Results Key Question: What data can you provide to show how students are different as a result of your counseling and student support program? 21

Data Collection  Process Data − # of students attending Intro to PEP session − # students completing academic plan − # students completing I-PASS − # students completing a written reflection  Perception Data ( developed for ) − Student questionnaire − Teacher/counselor survey (to implement )  Results Data − Quality of academic and I-PASS plans based on rubric (TBD) − Quality of PEP portfolio artifacts based on criteria checklist (TBD)  PEP Implementation Log 22

PROCESS DATA

PEP Completion Rates 24 School Year # of students8 * Facilitated byPrincipalCounselor # of sessions145 I-PASS formYes Quarterly ReviewNoYes Self-ReflectionNoYes

25

PERCEPTION DATA

Student Questionnaire (OLD version of the questionnaire – used in fall of 2008) 27

Pre-Test Results 08/09 28

08/09 Post-Test 29

Post-Test Results 08/09 30

Post-Test Results 08/09 (cont.) 31

Post-Test Results 08/09 (cont.) 32

RESULTS DATA

Standardized Test Results 34

1/11/201635

36

37 Lessons Learned  Conduct PEP activities at beginning of school year  PEP reviews quarterly vs. semester  Begin PEP process at elementary school – make language and activities developmentally appropriate  Junior High students need MORE planning process curriculum

38 Next Steps  Revise student questionnaire to reflect KNOWLEDGE acquisition and perception of the PEP Planning process.  Ensure that the PEP activities are placed in the master calendar  Collect and analyze relevant PEP data for the school year

39 Summary of PEP/ILP Program  Provide a structured process by which students plan for their academic, career and personal/social success  Completed annually and include investigation/research of academic and career opportunities, goal setting, action planning, monitoring of progress, and using results to revise/develop plans  Assist students in planning for their personal and social well-being

40 Resources  American School Counselor Association  Nebraska Department of Education  Dr. Karl Squier (RISCA toolkits)  Dr. Timothy Poynton – Data analysis

41 Contact Information  Tracy McFarlin-Pressley  Valdez City School District − Gilson Junior High School

42

43