Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, CA) High School Guidance Program Review (2012)

8/2/2019 Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, CA) High School Guidance Program Review (2012)

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BOARD OF EDUCATION Attachment: Information 12PALO ALTO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT Date: 03.27.12

TO: Kevin Skelly, Ph.D. Superintendent

FROM: Charles Young, Ed.D. Associate Superintendent, Educational Services

Prepared by: Amy Drolette Coordinator, Student ServicesMichael Milliken, Ph.D. Director, Secondary Education

SUBJECT: PAUSD High School Guidance Program Review

Background

In May 2008, the Palo Alto Unified School District Board of Education approved a strategic plan. Inthis plan, under college readiness and post secondary preparation, the District committed to improveguidance and counseling services that prepare students for college and other post secondaryopportunities. One of the Boards 2011-2012 Focused Goals is to provide more specific descriptionand analysis of guidance models and consider suggested enhancements.

Gunn High School and Palo Alto High School serve relatively similar communities, with differentguidance counseling models. The purpose of this report is to articulate these guidance models for theBoard and the broader PAUSD community, to identify the strengths of each schools model, and tosuggest areas of enhancement for each school and for the District.

Beginning in December 2011, the District contracted with a consultant, Kelun Zhang to complete this

project. Ms. Zhang is well suited to this work. She holds Masters degrees in both Education andBusiness Administration from Stanford University, and has several years of experience as anassociate for the Boston Consulting Group, an internationally recognized management consulting firm.More recently, Ms. Zhang has served as a director for Rocketship Education and for Green Dot PublicSchools, both charter school management organizations.

Overview of ProjectThis review involved a wide range of stakeholders across the school communities. The core projectteam consisted of Kelun Zhang, Consultant; Amy Drolette, Coordinator of Student Services; TomJacoubowsky, Assistant Principal of Gunn High School; and Kim Diorio, Assistant Principal of PaloAlto High School. The project included a series of interviews with the staff at both high schools and

with experts who provided helpful perspectives on both schools. The project also included parentinput from discrete grade-level focus groups at each school (eight total). Student input came througha combination of focus groups and an extensive student survey administered at both schools.

Staff from both high schools guidance programs, site administrators, and District staff look forward tousing the findings of this report to improve their work moving forward. The PAUSD High SchoolGuidance Program Review is attached.


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PAUSDHighSchoolGuidanceProgramReviewMarch2012Kelun

Zhang,

Consultant


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PAUSDHighSchoolGuidanceProgramReviewMarch2012

1

TableofContentsExecutivesummary................................................................................................................. 2FindingsfortheDistrict........................................................................................................................................................2

FindingsforGunnHighSchool...........................................................................................................................................3FindingsforPaloAltoHighSchool...................................................................................................................................3

Overviewofapproachanddatasources.................................................................................. 5Backgroundonthestudentpopulationofeachhighschool.................................................... 7Overviewoftheguidancemodelateachschool.................................................................... 10Gunnsguidancemodel.......................................................................................................................................................10Palysguidancemodel.........................................................................................................................................................11

Overviewofresourceallocationstoguidanceprograms....................................................... 15Observations:..........................................................................................................................................................................16

BriefdescriptionofASCAandCaliforniaStandardsforGuidanceCounseling........................ 17Findingsandrecommendations: GunnHighSchool............................................................... 19Foundation...............................................................................................................................................................................19Deliverysystem......................................................................................................................................................................20

Useoftimeandformatsforservicedelivery.................................................................................................................21Academicadvising.....................................................................................................................................................................22Socialemotionalsupport.......................................................................................................................................................24TransitioningtoGunn:9thgradetransitionsandtransferstudentexperience............................................25WorkingwithParents..............................................................................................................................................................26

Managementsystem:...........................................................................................................................................................26CollaborationwithintheCounselingteam.....................................................................................................................27

Collaborationwith

and

leadership

among

broader

school

staff

.........................................................................

28

Collaborationwithintheschooldistrict..........................................................................................................................29Accountability:........................................................................................................................................................................29

Findingsandrecommendations: PaloAltoHighSchool......................................................... 30Foundation...............................................................................................................................................................................30Deliverysystemstrengthsandrecommendations:.................................................................................................30

Academicadvising.....................................................................................................................................................................31Socialemotionalsupports.....................................................................................................................................................34Relationshipbuildingwithstudents.................................................................................................................................379thgradetransitiontoHighSchool....................................................................................................................................38

Managementsystem:...........................................................................................................................................................39

Feedback

systems

.......................................................................................................................................................................

39Collaborationwithinthecounselingteam.....................................................................................................................40Collaborationwithintheschooldistrict..........................................................................................................................40

Accountability:........................................................................................................................................................................41


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ExecutivesummaryInMay2008,thePaloAltoUnifiedSchoolDistrictBoardofEducationapprovedastrategicplan.InSectionAofthisplan,undercollegereadinessandpostsecondarypreparation,the

Districtcommittedtoimproveguidanceandcounselingservicesthatpreparestudentsforcollegeandotherpostsecondaryopportunities.GunnHighSchool(Gunn)andPaloAltoHighSchool(Paly)serverelativelysimilarcommunitieswithverydifferentguidancecounselingmodels.ThepurposeofthisprojectistoarticulatetheseguidancemodelsfortheBoardandthebroaderPAUSDcommunity,toidentifythestrengthsofeachschoolsmodel,andtosuggestareasofenhancementforeachschoolandfortheDistrict.(TheAppendixtothisreportcontainsthedetailedprojectscopeandworkplan)ThisExecutiveSummaryhighlightsthemostimportantfindingsthathaveemergedfor

eachschoolandfortheDistrictduringthisproject.Inseveralcases,theDistrictandthetwohighschoolshavealreadybeenmakingprogresswiththefollowingrecommendations.Therestofthisreportgoesintogreaterdetailontheseandotherfindings:

FindingsfortheDistrict Bothschoolshavesolidfoundationswithtalented,hardworking,studentfocused

GuidanceCounselingteams.Yetguidancecounselingremainsoneoftheleastunderstoodfunctionsinaschool.MuchcanbedonetoimproverelationshipswiththecommunityandservicestostudentssimplybyeducatingstakeholdersabouttheGuidanceCounselingprogramsinPAUSD

Manycommonthemesemergebetweenthetwoschools.Thispointstotheimportanceofregularcollaborationbetweenschools,eventhoughtheyhaveseeminglydifferentmodelsforservicedelivery.Collaborationbetweenhighschoolsandmiddleschoolsisalsoimportantforcontinuity

TheGuidanceCounselingprogramcangreatlybenefitfromstrategicplanning.Rightnow,thereisnoestablishedstandardforGuidanceCounseling,amission,oraclearunderstandingofthegoalsoftheGuidanceCounselingprogram.Strategicplanningincludes:

o Articulatingamissiono ArticulatingtheroleofGuidanceCounselingo ConnectingGuidancegoalstoDistrictstrategicgoalso Determiningmetricstomeasuregoalso Creatingaccountabilitysystemstocontinuallymonitorprogresstowardgoals

Withoutthis,schoolswouldhavelimitedabilitytoaccuratelyassessandimprovetheeffectivenessofguidancecounseling.

Theguidancecounselingprogramsatbothschoolsareveryeffectivewithandresponsivetostudentsandfamilieswhoareproactiveinseekingsupport.Bothschoolscandomoretoidentify,understandtheneedsof,andsupportatriskstudentpopulations.ThiswouldsupportDistrictgoalsofservingallstudents


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o Further,withDistrictgoalstoimproveacademicandcollegereadinessforallstudents,bothschoolsneedtobetterunderstand,forallstudents,theiracademicandsocialemotionalneedsandthekindsofsupportthatwouldmosteffectivelyaddressthoseneeds

Thetwoschoolshavedifferentguidancemodelswithdifferentlevelsofresources.Gunncurrentlyallocates12.3FTEsand$1.2mtoGuidanceCounselingrelatedactivities.Palyallocates18.6FTEsand$1.5m

FindingsforGunnHighSchool StudentsandteachersinparticularfindGuidanceCounselorstoberesponsiveto

andeffectiveatsupportingstudentswithsocialemotionalchallenges TheCollegePathwaysProjectisastrongprogramforsupportingstudentsofcolorin

closingtheachievementgapandbuildingcollegereadiness GuidanceCounselorsarestudentfocused,maintaininganopendoorpolicyinorder

tomaximizeopportunityforstudentstoseeksupport

Counselorcaseloadsofapproximately325studentsarehighrelativetonationallyrecommendedCounselorstudentratiosof2501.Atthesametime,GuidanceCounselorsatGunnprovideawiderangeofserviceswhilesimultaneouslymaximizingavailabilitytostudentsandparents.Theprogrammayeventuallyconsiderwhethertoaddadditionalstaffbutmeanwhile,theremaybewaystouseexistingtimemoreefficientlybyexploringdifferentformatsforserviceandcurriculumdelivery

GuidanceCounselingdoesnotyethaveadefinedGuidancecurriculum GuidanceCounselorsshouldbepartofschoolleadership.Guidanceshouldhavea

seatatthetablewithotherschoolleadershiptodesignpolicies,programsandservices.Guidancegoalsshouldbefullyintegratedintooverallschoolgoals

TheGuidanceteamneedsmoresourcesoffeedbacktoimprovepracticeincludingindividualevaluations,departmentaudits,andfeedbackfromstudents,parentsandtherestoftheGunncommunity

FindingsforPaloAltoHighSchool Thereisarobustcultureoftrustandstrongsystemsforcommunicationand

collaborationwithintheGuidanceCounselingteam Theteamleveragestrustandstrongcommunicationtoconstantlyseekwaysto

improveservicetostudents TheGuidanceteamcancontinuetobuildonthisdriveforconstantimprovementby

incorporatingadditionalsourcesoffeedbackfromstudents.Thesecanincludestudentsurveysfromallgradelevels,focusgroups,andinputfromstudentleaders,amongothers

1TheAmericanSchoolCounselorAssociationrecommendsamaximumstudenttocounselorratioof250:1.TheaverageratioinCaliforniaschoolsis830,includingelementary,middleandhighschools.TheaverageratioforCaliforniahighschoolsislikelytobebetween250and830.ASCAwebsite:http://www.schoolcounselor.org/files/Ratios0910.pdf


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Palysguidancemodelinvolvesalargeteamofpeoplewith46TAs2,fourGuidanceCounselors,andtwoCollegeandCareerAdvisors.Oneofthechallengesistoensureconsistentqualitywiththismorediffusedistributionsystem.Somepossibilitiesandworksinprogressinclude:

o DevelopingindividualevaluationsfortheGuidancestaffthatyieldsmeaningfulfeedbackthatinformstheirpractice

o ContinuetobuildinterimassessmentstogaugewhetherstudentsarelearningtheGuidancecurriculum

ContinuetofindstrategiestofullyreapthebenefitsoftheTAsystembydesigningstructurestofosterTAstudentrelationshipbuilding.ThisincludesbothhowTAsspendtimewithAdvisees,makingAdvisorysessionamorecompellingexperience,andenhancingthematchingprocessbetweenTAsandstudentstofosterrelationshipbuilding

Thereisarobustsetofacademicsupportservicesandtheschoolhasstrongsocialemotionalandcollegeresources.Givenschoolgoalstoensuresupportforallstudents,therearecurrentlyfewcoordinated,Guidanceledeffortstoprovideaholisticsupportprogramforstudentsneedingadditionalsupporttomeetacademicandcollegereadygoalsandwhodonothaveenoughfamilyresourcestosupporttheirgoals

2The46TAsinclude9TAswhoworkwithstudentsintheSpecialEducationprogram,16TAswhoworkwith9thgradestudents,and21studentswhoworkwith10ththrough12thgradestudents.Inadditiontothese46TAs,therearealsotwoGuidanceCounselorswhocurrentlyalsoserveasTAsforstudentswhoseTAshaveleftonleaveorhaveleftpermanently.


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OverviewofapproachanddatasourcesThisprojectinvolvedawiderangeofstakeholdersacrosstheschoolcommunities.Thefollowingisanoverviewofthecoreprojectteamandtheresearchanddatasourcesthatformthebasisofthisreport.Foradetaileddescriptionoftheprojectplan,pleaserefertotheAppendix.Thecoreprojectteamconsistedof:

KimDiorio,AssistantPrincipalatPaly AmyDrolette,CoordinatorofStudentServices TomJacoubowsky,AssistantPrincipalatGunn KelunZhang,Consultant

Thisprojectincludesaseriesofinterviewswiththestaffatbothhighschoolsandwithpeoplewhocanprovideperspectiveonbothschools:

AtGunn: Principal AssistantPrincipalofCurriculumandGuidance GuidanceCounselors CollegeandCareerInformationSpecialist SchoolPsychologist

AtPaly

Principal AssistantPrincipalofGuidance GuidanceCounselors

TeacherAdvisors CollegeandCareerAdvisors TeacherAdvisorProgramSpecialist SchoolPsychologist

Externalinterviews:

AdolescentCounselingServicesCoordinator TrishHatch,nationalexpertonguidancecounselingprograms

Theprojectalsoincludedparentfeedbackfromaseriesofgradelevelfocusgroupsateachschool

FourparentfocusgroupsatGunn,onefocusgrouppergradelevel FourparentfocusgroupsatPaly,onefocusgrouppergradelevelStudentfeedbackcamethroughacombinationoffocusgroupsandanextensivestudentsurvey,administeredatbothschools

ThreestudentfocusgroupsatGunn,involvingapproximately30students ThreestudentfocusgroupsatPaly,involvingapproximately3035students


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StudentsurveyfocusedonGuidanceCounselingservicesatGunn,with1,621totalresponsesfromallgradelevels

StudentsurveyfocusedonGuidanceCounselingservicesatPaly,with1,050responsesfrom9th,11thand12thgrades.10thgradestudentswillcompletethe

surveyonMarch15,andresultswillbeincorporatedintothefinalBoardpresentationandprojectreport

WeconductedinterviewswithGuidanceCounselingstaffatsimilar,neighboringhighschools,LosGatosHighSchoolandSaratogaHighSchool.Inadditiontoprimaryresearchfrominterviews,focusgroupsandsurveys,Ialsoreviewedexistingdocumentsandmaterialsincludingandnotlimitedto:

DescriptionsofGuidanceCounselingprogramstructureandservices School,GuidanceCounseling,andCollegeandCareerwebsites Guidancecurriculum(whererelevant)andcalendars FinancialdatarelatedtoGuidanceCounseling Resources,tools,andinformationprovidedtostudentsandfamiliesbyGuidance

Counseling Presentationmaterialssharedwithstudentsandfamilies NavianceFamilyConnection HistoricalsurveysofstudentsandparentsthatincludefeedbackaboutGuidance

Counseling AttendedTeacherAdvisorytrainingandreviewedTeacherAdvisorytraining

scheduleandmaterials ResearchonCaliforniaandNationalCounselingmodelsandstandards WASCgoalsandprogressreportsontheSinglePlanforStudentAchievement

(SPSA) SchoolAccountabilityReportCard(SARC)reports


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BackgroundonthestudentpopulationofeachhighschoolStudentsatGunnandPalyhaveachievedsimilarlyexcellentacademicoutcomesandsharesimilardemographiccharacteristics(Tables1and2).TotheextentthattheimpactofGuidanceCounselingcanbetiedtostudentachievementatthesetwoschools,theguidanceprogramsatGunnandPalyareenablingstudentstoachieveathighlevels.Table1:Studentdemographics320102011data Gunn Paly

Totalenrollment 1,885 1,860

EnrollmentbyEthnicity

AmericanIndianAlaskaNative


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Conversationswithstudents,parentsandGuidancestaffatbothschoolsalsohighlighted

similarsocialemotionalchallengesamongstudentsontheircampuses.Thisprojectaimed

tobetterunderstandtheextenttowhichstudentsexperiencethesehighlightedchallenges

andwhethertherearesimilarpatternsforstudentatbothschools.

Lookingatresultsfromasurveyofstudentsatbothschools,studentsatbothschoolsface

significantacademic,collegegoingandsocialpressuresinhighschool(Tables3and4).At

thesametime,somestudentshavenotyetdevelopedstrongconnectionswithadultson

campusandwiththeirhighschoolcommunity(Table5).

Table3:Responsestostatementsaboutacademicpressures(%agreeorstrongly

agree)

Table4:Responsestostatementsaboutcollegegoingpressures(%agreeorstronglyagree)


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Table5:Responsestostatementsaboutconnectednessatschool(%agreeor

stronglyagree)


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OverviewoftheguidancemodelateachschoolPalyandGunnhaveverydifferentmodelsfordeliveringguidancesupporttosimilarstudentpopulations.Thesedifferencesalsogiverisetostrengthsandareasfordevelopmentforeachschool.Thefollowingisadescriptionofthemodelateachschool.

GunnsguidancemodelAtGunn,theteamofsixGuidanceCounselorsistheprimarysourceofsupportforstudentsacrossallaspectsofacademic,postsecondaryandsocialemotionaldevelopment.GuidanceCounselorsarealsothehubsforconnectingstudentstoadditionalsupportasneeded.EachstudentisassignedtoaGuidanceCounselorusuallybasedonthestudentslastname.ThestudentworkswiththeirGuidanceCounselorthroughouttheirfouryearsatGunnandeachGuidanceCounselorhasacaseloadofapproximately325students5atanygiventime.

GuidanceCounselorsprovideservicestostudentsprimarilythroughoneononeadvisorysessionswithamixtureoflargegroupandinclasspresentations.GuidanceCounselorsalsoinvolveparentsandfamilythroughlargegrouppresentationsandoneononeconferenceswithstudents.GunnsGuidanceCounselorsareprimarilyresponsibleforthefollowing:Academicguidance:

Academicplanningtomeetgraduationrequirements,postsecondarygoals(includingmeetingAGrequirements)andpersonalgoals

Courseselectionaccordingtoacademicplan Managingcoursechanges Advisingandadjustmentstomeetspecificacademicchallenges(including

developing504plansandreferraltotheStudentStudyTeamprocess) Navigatingresourcesandopportunitiesinhighschool

College,postsecondaryandcareerplanning:

Advisingonposthighschoolacademicandcareergoals(e.g.,college,gapyear,militaryservice,joiningtheworkforce,etc.)

Ifthegoaliscollege,supportingstudentswithselectingcollegeoptions(e.g.,twovs.fouryearcollege)

Guidingstudentstoselectspecificcollegesfortheapplicationprocess

Advisingduringtheapplicationandfinancialaidprocess Writingcollegerecommendationlettersforallstudentsapplyingtocollege Managingthedistributionofscholarshipfundseachyeartograduatingseniors Enablingstudentstogainanunderstandingofcareerinterestsandgoals

Socialemotionalsupportanddevelopment:

5TheonlyexceptiontothiscaseloadisfortheGuidanceCounselorwhoalsomanagestheCollegePathwayProject,describedabove.


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Supportingstudentswithpersonalandsocialdevelopment,includingtimemanagement,stressmanagement,andmaintainingbalancebetweenacademicandotherpersonalgoals

Indentifyingstudentswhomaybestrugglingwithsocialemotionalchallengesandcrises

Connectingstudentstoimmediateandlongtermcareforsocialemotionalchallenges

TheGunnGuidanceCounselingteamalsomanagestheCollegePathwayProject(CPP),aprogramthathelpsunderrepresentedminoritystudentsandtheirparentsbetterunderstandthebenefitsofacollegeeducation,learnaboutpathwaystocollegeandprepareforcollegeadmission.GuidanceCounselorsworkwithanumberofotherstaffwhoprovideadditionalsupportservicestostudents.Thesestaffinclude:

InstructionalSupervisorsofacademicdepartmentswhocanmakedecisionsaboutcourseenrollmentandchanges

TheCollegeandCareerInformationSpecialist:o MaintainstheCollegeandCareerCenterandwebsiteo MaintainstheNavianceFamilyConnectiondatabaseandsupportsstudents

touseNaviancetoresearchcollegeso Supportsstudentsonadropinandappointmentbasiswithcollegeresearch,

collegeapplicationsandfinancialaidapplicationso Hostseventsthroughouttheyearrelatedtoposthighschoolplanning,

includingcollegefairs,jobfairs,visitsfromcollegerepresentatives,andfinancialaidpresentations

TheWorkExperienceCoordinatorwhosupportsstudentsinfindinginternshipsduringthesummerandtheschoolyear

TheSchoolPsychologistswhoprovideassessmentsforstudentsfacingsocialemotionalchallengesandwhoreferstudentstoexternalmentalhealthprovidersasneeded

AdolescentCounselingServices(ACS),anexternalorganizationpartneringwithbothGunnandPaly,whoprovidesfreecounselingtostudentswhoarenotincrisesbutwhodemonstrateneedforongoingsocialemotionalsupport

ThedefiningelementoftheGunnguidancemodelisthatGuidanceCounselorsare

responsibleforprovidingthebulkofservicestostudentsacrossalldomainsofGuidanceCounseling.GuidanceCounselorscandevelopawellroundedperspectiveontheirstudentsneedsandgoalsandactasstudentadvocatesandthehubtoconnectstudentsandparentstootherresourcesatGunn.

PalysguidancemodelAstudentatPalyisassignedtobothaTeacherAdvisor(TA)andaGuidanceCounselor,andintheirjunioryear,toanAdvisorintheCollegeandCareerCenter.ThisteamofofTAs,


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GuidanceCounselorsandCollegeandCareerAdvisorscollaboratestoservePalystudentsacrossthesamedomainsofguidancecounselingoutlinedaboveforGunn.TeacherAdvisors:TherearetwotypesofTAsatPaly,TAswhoworkonlywith9thgraders

andTAswhosupportstudentsfrom10ththrough12thgrade.TAsarefulltimeteacherswhoalsorunaweeklyAdvisorysessionfortheirstudentadvisees.

Thereare46TAsandtwoGuidanceCounselorswhoalsoserveasTAs Each9thgradeTAshasapproximately30to35studentadviseeseachyearandtheir

primaryresponsibilityistosupporttheiradviseesinthetransitiontohighschoolandtoprovideacademicadvisingandsupport.9thgradersattendAdvisoryclasseswiththeirTAsonaweeklybasisthroughouttheirfirstyearatPaly.Theideaisforstudentstoknowatleastoneadultfairlywellduringtheirfirstyear

Each10th12thgradeTAservesapproximately70adviseeseachyear(approximately22,10thgrade;24,11thgrade;25,12thgrade).Theyarealsoresponsibleprimarilyforprovidingacademicplanning,courseselection,collegeselectionandapplicationsupport.10th12thgradeTAsalsowritethecollegerecommendationlettersfortheir12thgradeAdviseeseachyear.Thespiritofthe10th12thgradeTAmodelistoenableTAsandstudentstodevelopadeeper,continuousstudentadultrelationshipthroughoutthebulkoftheirtimeatPaly

TAsprovidesupportforstudentsprimarilyinagroupsettinginAdvisoryclass,whichareweeklyfor9thgradersandapproximatelymonthlyorbiweeklyfor10ththrough12thgraders,dependingonthetimeofyear.Forexample,12thgradersattendmoreAdvisorysessionsinSeptembertoprepareforcollegeapplicationswhile10thand11thgradersattendmoresessionsinthespring

AllTAsarealsoteachersandseveralTAsareInstructionalSupervisorsfortheiracademicdepartmentssotheyalsoactastheliaisonbetweenGuidanceCounselingstudentsandtherestofteachingstaff

TAsserveasthefirstlineofsupportforstudentsandfamiliesandreferstudentstootheroncampusresources,includingGuidanceCounselors,SchoolPsychologists,andtheCollegeandCareerCenter,foradditionalsupportwithmorecomplexacademic,postsecondary,andsocialemotionalissues

GuidanceCounselors:TheGuidanceCounselingteamhasrecentlygrowntofourGuidanceCounselors.EachGuidanceCounseloroverseesallstudentsinagradelevelandremainswiththesestudentsthroughoutfouryearsatPaly.GuidanceCounselorscoordinatewithTAstoidentifystudentswhorequireextraacademicorsocialemotionalsupport.Guidance

Counselorsarealsoresponsibleforthefollowing: Reviewallstudentcourseselection,academicplansandmonitoracademicprogressonaregularbasis

HostgradelevelParentInformationNightsandParentBacktoSchoolNights WorkwithTAs,theSchoolPsychologist,ACS,theSchoolNurse,theDeanofStudents

andschoolAdministratorstomanageoverallsocialemotionalsupportforstudentsatPaly.GuidanceCounselorsmakereferralstotheSchoolPsychologistandACSasneeded


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UnlikeTAswhoworkwithstudentsprimarilyduringscheduledAdvisoryclasses,GuidanceCounselorsworkwithstudentsandparentsprimarilyonanasneededbasisviadropinsorbyappointment

TeacherAdvisory

Program

Coordinators:TheTeacherAdvisoryProgramCoordinatoris

akeyroleontheGuidanceteamthatlinkstheTAsystemwiththerestoftheGuidanceteamandenablestheTAsystemtodisseminateGuidancecurriculumtostudentsinahighquality,consistentway.PalyhastwoTAProgramCoordinators,oneofwhomalsoservesasGuidanceCounselorandtheotherisfulltimededicatedtoservingasTAProgramCoordinator.ThetwoTAProgramCoordinatorsworkinpartnershipwitheachotherandwiththerestoftheTA,GuidanceCounselingandCollegeandCareerCenterstafftoservestudentsandfamilies.TAProgramCoordinatorsareresponsibleforthefollowing:

ManagingtheoverallTAprogram.SupervisingandmanagingTAstoensureconsistencyandaccuracyinprovidingacademicadvisingforstudents

BuildingandmaintainingtheGuidanceCounselingcurriculumforTAstouseinAdvisorysessions

CreatingtrainingmaterialsandholdingtrainingandcollaborationsessionsforTAs EducatingparentsandstudentsabouttheTAprogram PreparingPalysportionofcollegeapplicationmaterialsforstudentsandproviding

logisticalandadministrativesupportforTAstocompletecollegelettersofrecommendation.Respondingtostudentandparentquestionsaboutcollegeapplicationmaterialsandinformation

ServingasthepointpersonformaintainingtheVikingCollegeandCareerPlanningGuide.PartneringwiththeCollegeandCareerCentertodesignandkeeptheguideuptodate

CoordinatingbetweenCollegeadmissionsrepresentatives,studentsandTAstoensurethatallcollegeapplicationinformationandmaterialsarecompleted

MaintainingtheNavianceFamilyConnectiondatabase,includingstudentregistration,collegeapplicationandmatriculationdata,andadministeringstudentsurveys.CreatereportsbasedonstudentdataforTAsfortheDistrictOffice

RespondingtoquestionsorcomplaintsfromthePalycommunityregardingtheTAprogramorspecificTAs

Communicatingwithstudentsandparentsaboutacademicandcollegeapplicationdeadlinesandresources

CollegeandCareerAdvisors:TherearetwofulltimeCollegeAdvisorsatPaly,onepart

timeCareerAdvisor,andoneparttimeWorkExperienceCoordinatorsharedwithGunnHighSchool.TheCollegeAdvisorsandCareerAdvisormanagetheCollegeandCareerCenter(CCC)andmeetwithjuniorsandseniorsregardingpostsecondaryandcareerplanning.Startingintheirjunioryear,studentsareassignedtoaCollegeAdvisorbylastname.TheCollegeAdvisorsandtheCareerAdvisorareresponsibleforthefollowing:

ConductannualorientationforjuniorsabouttheCollegeandCareerCenterandrelatedservicespriortosettingupappointmentswithstudents


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Conductseveraloneononeadvisorysessionswithjuniorsinthespringandseniorsinthefallandspringofeachyeartosupportstudents(andsometimesalsoparents)withposthighschoolplans.Iftheplanistoattendcollege,supportstudentsandparentstoselectcollegesandcompletetheapplicationprocess

Inadditiontoappointments,answeringstudentandparentquestionsonadropinbasis

Hosteventsthatsupportposthighschoolplanning,includingtwoandfouryearcollegefairs,CareerDaySpeakerSeries,JobFairs,CareerMonth,andcollegerepresentativevisits

MaintaintheCCCasaresourceforstudents,includingtheCCCwebsiteandmaterialsandinformationlocatedintheCenter

SupportstudentsinusingNavianceforcollegeresearch Keepstudentsandparentsupdatedaboutpostsecondaryplanninginformationand

deadlinesthroughouttheyearviathewebsiteandemails SupportingtheTAProgramCoordinatorincreatingandupdatingcontentforthe

VikingCollegeandCareerPlanningGuidethatisdistributedtojuniors ManagethePalyScholarshipCommitteeandmanagethedistributionofscholarship

fundseachyeartograduatingseniors CollaboratewithTAsandGuidanceCounselorstosupportstudentswhomayneed

additionalcollegeandcareersupport SupporttheTAProgramCoordinatortocreatecollegeandcareerrelated

curriculumforTAstouseinAdvisoryandattendweeklyTAmeetingsandTAretreats

TrainandmanageparentvolunteersintheCCC

ThehallmarkofthePalyGuidancesystemisthatTAs,GuidanceCounselors,andCollegeandCareerAdvisorsworkcollaborativelyasateamtoconnectstudentstoneededsupports.Atthesametime,TAsworkwithstudentsinsmallerAdvisorysettingstoestablishsupportiverelationshipswhilealsodisseminatingthecorecomponentsoftheguidancecurriculum.


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OverviewofresourceallocationstoguidanceprogramsJustasPalyandGunnhaveverydifferentguidancemodels,thetwoschoolsalsoallocate

differentamountsofresourcestotheirguidanceservices.ThefollowingTable6showsthe

estimatedresourcesallocatedtoguidanceservicesatbothschools.

Resourcesareestimatedintwowaysinthisanalysis:

1. TheamountofstafftimeallocatedtoGuidanceCounselingactivitiesateachschool,representedinthetablebelowbyGuidancerelatedFTE.Thisstafftimeis

estimatedbyidentifyingallstaffwhospendanytimeonguidancerelatedactivities

ateachschoolandestimatingthepercentageofthatstaffpersonstimespenton

guidance.FTEinthisanalysisrepresentsstafftimeandisaslightlydifferent

conceptfromFTEasthistermistraditionallyusedinquantifyingstaffallocations

forschoolstaffingandbudgeting

2. ThedollarsspentonGuidanceCounselingactivities,intermsofstaffingrelatedcosts(salaries,benefits,andstipends)andnonstaffingrelatedcosts(events,

subscriptions,professionaldevelopment,etc.).Therearetwoversionsofthedollar

valueestimate,onethatincludesbenefitcostsandonethatdoesnotinclude

benefits.Onerationaleforexcludingbenefitsfromacomparativeanalysisofthetwo

schoolsisthatthecostofbenefitsisnotnecessarilyproportionaltosalaryor

numberofstaff.Individualsselectbenefitsaccordingtopersonalneedsthatare

unrelatedtosalarylevel,tenure,oranyotherstaffingrelatedfactors

Table6:EstimateofresourceallocationtoGuidanceCounseling


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Observations:

PalyandGunnallocatedifferentamountsofresourcestoguidancerelatedservices,intermsofbothamountofstafftimeanddollarsspentonguidancerelatedactivities

PalyspendsfewerdollarsperFTE(~$74,000)thanGunn(~$87,000),asshownonthesecondtolastlineofthetable

o Themaindriverofthisdifferenceistherelativecostof9thgradeTAsandSpecialEducationTAsatPaly,whospendonaverage10percentoftheirtotaltimeonTAduties,representingatotalof3.1FTEs.TheseTAsreceiveastipendequalto$80perstudentAdviseeperTA,peryear,ratherthanaplanningperiod.OtherTAs,primarily112thgradeTAs,receiveaplanningperiodratherthanastipendandusetheplanningperiodtocompletecollegerecommendationlettersandrelatedresponsibilities.Thestipendiscomparablylesscompensationthantheplanningperiod

o WhentheFTEfigureatPaly(18.63)isadjustedforonlysalariedpositions,excludingtimespentbystipendedTAs,thedifferentialbetweenthetwoschoolsnarrows.PalysdollarsperFTEbecomes~$89,000,comparedtoGunns~$87,000


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BriefdescriptionofASCAandCaliforniaStandardsforGuidanceCounseling

ThestructureofthisevaluationofthestrengthsandareasfordevelopmentforeachschoolsGuidanceCounselingprogramwillbebasedontheNationalModelforschoolcounselingdevelopedbytheAmericanSchoolCounselorAssociation(TheASCANationalModel).ThismodelisnationallyrecognizedbyschooldistrictsandschoolcounselingprofessionalsandisalreadyfamiliartotheGuidanceCounselingstaffatPAUSD.TheASCANationalModelorganizesthedomainsofGuidanceCounselingintoseveralareas,depictedinFigureB.AlthoughthisprojectwillusetheASCANationalModelastheorganizingframework,

alignmenttoaspecificstandardframeworkisanongoingquestionforPAUSD.TheGuidanceTeamhasreceivedtrainingonboththeASCANationalModel(FigureB)andtheCaliforniaSchoolCounselorProfessionalStandards(FigureA).Whilethetwomodelssharesignificantconceptualoverlap,theyareorganizedverydifferentlyandnotexplicitlylinked.TheDistrictmustdecideonaclearframeworkforguidancecounselinginordertocontinuetheworkofclarifyingtheroleoftheGuidanceCounseloranddevelopingstrategicimprovementstocounselingservices.

FigureA:TheCaliforniaSchoolCounselingProfessionalStandardsareorganizedinto

sixdomains:

1. Engage,Advocatefor,andSupportAllStudentsinLearning2. Plan,Implement,andEvaluateProgramstoPromoteAcademic,Career,Personal,

andSocialDevelopmentofAllStudents3. UtilizeMultipleSourcesofInformationtoMonitorandImproveStudentBehavior

andAchievement4. CollaborateandCoordinatewithSchoolandCommunityResources5. PromoteandMaintainaSafeLearningEnvironmentforAllStudents6. DevelopasaProfessionalSchoolCounselor


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FigureB:TheASCANationalModel


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Findingsandrecommendations:GunnHighSchoolFoundationGunncanbenefitfromstrongerdefinitionabouttheroleofGuidanceCounselorswith

studentsandparents.Forexample,moststudentsandparentsseeGuidanceCounselorsas

academicandcollegeadvisorsbutthemajoritymaynotseeGuidanceCounselorsas

sourcesofsocialemotionalsupport.Only44%ofstudentsidentifiedthatGuidance

Counselorscanprovidehelpforemotionalstruggles(Table7).

Table7:SelectthethingsyourGuidanceCounselorcanhelpyouwithduringyour

timeatGunn(%ofstudentswhoselectedeachchoice)

Similarly,parentfocusgroupsindicatethattheremaybeasignificantportionofparents,

particularlyin9thand10thgrade,whodontknowwhatGuidanceCounselorsdoandhowtoworkwithGuidanceCounselors.Guidancecanbenefitfromstrongerexpectationsetting

withparentsabouttheroleofGuidanceCounselingandservicelevelexpectations.Finally,

thereiscurrentlynoclearlystated,publiclycommunicatedmissionforGuidance

Counseling.Amissioncanbeamongthefirststepsinarticulatingtheroleandgoalsof

GuidanceCounseling.


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DeliverysystemGunnssix,fulltimeGuidanceCounselorsfollowstudentsacrossfouryearsatGunn,

providingopportunityforGuidanceCounselorstogettoknowstudentsandtoprovideat

leastoneconsistentadultrelationshipforstudentsduringhighschool.

GuidanceCounselorsprovidearangeofservicesencompassingacademicplanning,post

secondaryandcollegeadvising,andsocialemotionalsupport.Theyaresetuptoserveas

themainpointofcontactforstudentsandparentsacrosstheseareas.

ThisfullspectrumofservicesalsomeansthatGuidanceCounselorsatGunnhavethe

potentialtogettoknowthehistoryofastudentoverfouryearsandcandevelopaholistic

understandingofthatstudentsneedsandinterestsacrossacademics,postsecondary

plans,andsocialemotionalneeds.

GuidanceCounselorsmeetwitheverystudentoneononeatleastonceperyeartoreview

academicprogressandplanning.Theseoneononemeetingsprovideanopportunityfor

GuidanceCounselorstouncoverareaswherestudentsmayneedadditionalsupport,

whetheracademicorsocialemotional,whichmaynotariseifstudentsarenotproactive

aboutseekingsupport.Thisisanelementoftheoverallsafetynet.Anotherbenefitoffull

timeCounselorsisthattheyareabletoaddressproblemsmoreimmediatelythanifthey

areparttimeoralsosustainingteachingduties.

Student,parentandInstructionalSupervisorfeedbackinfocusgroupsindicatethat

Counselorsarewidelyregardedasveryhardworkinganddedicatedtostudentwellbeing.

SurveydataindicatesthattheGuidanceCounselorstudentrelationshipdoesgrowfrom9th

through12thgrade.Themajority,84%,of12thgraderssurveyedbelievethatGuidance

Counselorswillmaketimeforthemifneededand75%findthatitiseasytotalktotheir

GuidanceCounselor,comparedto54%and46%of9thgraderswhorespondedinthesame

way(Table8).Similarly,69%of12thgradersatGunnagreethattheirGuidanceCounselors

havegottentoknowthemwelland73%of12thgradersbelievethattheirGuidance

CounselorhadbeenavaluableresourceforthemwhileatGunn6.

Table8:ResponsestostatementsaboutgeneralexperiencewithGuidance

Counselors(%agreeorstronglyagree)

6GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question21


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ParentandInstructionalSupervisorfocusgroupfeedbackshowhighlevelsofsatisfactionwithGuidanceCounselingsupportandserviceswhenstudentshaveanidentifiedneed,whetherwithacademicandlearningrelatedchallenges,healthissuesand/orsocialemotionalchallenges.TheyrecognizeGuidanceCounselorsasveryeffectiveandresponsive

whenstudentshaveidentifiedchallenges.EachmemberoftheGuidanceteambringssomespecializationandbackgroundindifferentfields,includingcollegeadmissions,psychiatricnursing,SpecialEducation,supportforminoritystudentsandcommunities,ROP,andmiddleschooltransition,amongothers.Collaborationallowstheteamtobringtheseareasofspecializationtoserveallstudents.Finally,theCollegePathwayProject,aGuidanceleadprogramatGunn,providesmentorshipandcounselingtosupportstudentswhoarefirstgenerationcollegebound.Students,particularlyseniorswithintheprogram,havegivenverypositivefeedbackinfocusgroupsforthisprogramandfortheGuidanceCounselorwholeadstheprogram.Nootherpeerhighschoolsthatwehavespokenhasacomparableprogramthatprovidessimilarlevelsofcomprehensiveacademic,mentorshipandsocialsupports.

ThefollowingareareasforfurtherdevelopmentofservicedeliveryatGunn:

Createaguidancecurriculum.ThereiscurrentlyaGuidancecalendarofthetypesofmeetingsandcounselingactivitiesthattakeplacethroughouttheyearbutnocurriculumofspecificcontent,skillsandstandardsforstudents.ThiswouldhelpGuidanceCounselorsidentifyprioritiesanddeliverconsistentservices.ThisseemstobeinprogressthroughprofessionaldevelopmentwithTrishHatch

BuildtoolstogaugewhetherstudentsarelearningandinternalizingtheGuidancecurriculum.Therearecurrentlyfewtoolsandsystemsforthis,possiblybecausemostGuidancecurriculumtakesplaceinoneononesessions.However,itmaybeusefultobuilddiagnosticsintolargergroupsessions,especiallyifmoreguidancecurriculumshiftstogroupsettings

Useoftimeandformatsforservicedelivery

GunnGuidanceCounselorsmaintainanopendoorpolicywithasignificantportionofeachcounselorsday,wherestudentscandropinasneededandhaveimmediateaccesstotheircounseloriftheircounselorisnotalreadyinameeting.WhilethisopendoorpolicymakesCounselorsmoreaccessible,therearepotentialcosts:

CreateschallengesforCounselorstomanagetheirtimeeffectivelyduringthedaytoplanstrategically,collaborate,getworkdone,meetproactivelywithstudentsandparentsandgenerallyraisetheoveralllevelofserviceforallstudents

SetstheexpectationthatCounselorswouldalwaysbeavailablewithoutexplicitlynamingthisasagoalforthecounselingteam

OnepossiblewayofmaintainingaccesswhilealsoenablingGuidanceCounselorstohavegreatercontrolovertheirtimeistorotateopenofficehoursamongCounselors,sothatone


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ortwoatatimecanholdofficehourstoserveanystudentswhomayneedimmediate

attention,notjustthestudentsthatareassignedtoagivenCounselorscaseload.

Academicadvising

OverallstudentoutcomesandstudentsurveysshowthatGunnstudentsfeelwellpreparedandwellinformedaboutacademicplans.

Majorityofstudentsbelievetheyknowandunderstandgraduationrequirementsandavailableacademicoptions(87and83%overallandevenhigherfor12th

graders)(SeeTable9,below)

86%of10thand11thgradersbelievethattheyunderstandthedistinctionbetweenAGandgraduationrequirements7

MajorityofstudentsbelievethattheirguidancecounselorwouldmaketimeforindividualsupportandthattheyfindtheirGuidanceCounseloreasytotalkto(Table

8)

84%of12thgradersfeelpreparedtograduateand73%agreethattheirGuidanceCounselorhasbeenavaluableresourceduringtheirtimeatGunn(Table10)

Atthesametime,afewsurveyresponseshighlightareasfordevelopmentinacademic

advising:

Only48%ofstudentsoverallagreetheyhaveenoughtimetoplantheiracademicandcareergoalswiththeirGuidanceCounselor.Thisislowestfor9thgraders(33%)

andhighestfor12thgraders(64%)butfor9ththrough11thgraders,fewerthanhalf

believetheyhaveenoughtimewiththeirGuidanceCounselorsforacademic

planning.(Table9)

Only58%ofstudentswouldgototheirGuidanceCounselorsforsupportwithacademicstruggles(Table9)

Forthe25%ofstudentswhohaveworkedwithGuidanceCounselorsonacademicchallenges,includingaDorFinaclass,riskofnotgraduating,etc.,only50%report

feelingsupportedbytheirGuidanceCounselorwiththechallenges8.

Only54%of12thgradersagreethattheJuniorConferencewasausefulresourceandonly27%foundtheJuniorManualtobeuseful.TheGuidanceteamatGunn

maintainsabundantknowledgeandinformationintheseareasanditmaybeuseful

tobetterunderstandhowtoimpartinformationtostudentswiththegreatest

impact

Table9:Studentexperienceswithacademicadvising

7GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question208GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Questions5and6


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Table10:12thgradeexperiencewithGuidanceCounselingatGunn

Postsecondary

and

career

advising

GunnGuidanceCounselorsaretheprimarysourceofpostsecondaryplanningandcareer

advisingforGunnstudents.

AmajorityofstudentsseeGuidanceCounselorsasavaluableresource,andevenexperts,in

thecollegeselectionandapplicationprocess(83%and63%,respectively).Seniorsin

particularseeCounselorsmoreasexpertsonthecollegeapplicationprocessand,not

surprisingly,feelbetterinformedaboutcollegeplanningoverallrelativetoothergrades

(Table11).AmajorityofseniorsfoundGuidancecounselorstohaveprovidedvaluable

inputduringcollegeapplications(Table10).

Table11:Studentexperiencewithcollegecounseling

MoststudentshavevisitedtheCollegeandCareerCenterbytheirsenioryear.However,

significantnumbersofstudentsinothergradelevelsdonotknowwhattheCollegeand

CareerCenteroffers(Table12).Similarly,mostparentsinfocusgroupsdidnothaveaclearunderstandingofhowtousetheCollegeandCareerCenter.66%ofstudentswhohave

visitedtheCollegeandCareerCentergotthehelpthattheyneeded9.

Table12:ResponsestoHaveyoubeentotheCollegeandCareerCenteratGunn?

9GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question14


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Finally,NCAAeligibilityguidanceisanareathatstudentsandparentsatbothschoolshave

identifiedasapotentialgap.SimilartoPaly,somestudentsmayneedtoreceiveaccurate

NCAAeligibilityinformationinamoresystematicway.

Only7.5%ofstudentssurveyedareopentoposthighschooloptionsotherthan4yearcollege,correspondingwiththerelativelylow,21%ofstudentswhohavetalkedabout

optionsotherthan4yearcollegewithGuidanceCounselors.

Careerplanningisonepotentialareafordevelopment.Only21%ofstudentssurveyed

havehadcareerplanningconversationswiththeirGuidanceCounselor,althoughthis

increasesto69%ofseniors10.Onepotentialconsiderationiswhetherconversationsabout

careerplanningshouldstartearlierinastudentstimeinhighschool.Furthermore,forthe

studentswhohavehadconversationswiththeirGuidanceCounseloraboutcareer

interests,only47%foundtheconversationshelpful11.

Socialemotional

support

InlinewithclarifyingGuidanceCounselorroleswithstudents,moststudentsdonotthink

oftheirGuidanceCounselorassourcesofsupportforpersonalissues.Only31%of

studentssurveyedwouldfeelcomfortablegoingtotheirGuidanceCounselorproactively

forpersonal,nonacademicchallenges(Table13).Thispercentagedoesnotchangefrom

9thgradersto12thgraders.Atthesametime,10%ofstudentshavegonetotheirGuidance

Counselorforsupportwithapersonalissue12,andofthese,73%foundthattheirCounselor

waseffectiveinprovidingsupport13.

Table13:StudentperceptionsofGuidanceCounselorsassupportforpersonalissues

StudentsinfocusgroupsexplainthattherootofthisreluctancetoapproachCounselors

withpersonalproblemsisbecausesomestudentsdonotfeelknownbytheirCounselor,

havelimitedinteractionsandthereforelimitedopportunitytobuildtrust.Focusgroups

alsoindicatethatstudentsthinkofCounselorsasAcademicadvisorsmorethanpersonal

advisors.ToolstohelpCounselorsgettoknowtheirstudentsmorequicklyanddeeplymay

helptobridgethisgap.Findingwaystofreeuptimeinindividualadvisingsessionsfor

relationshipbuildingmayalsohelp.

10GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question1511GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question1612GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question813GuidanceCounselingSurveyforGunnStudents,Question9


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GuidanceCounselorsarentandshouldntbetheonlysourceofsocialemotionalsupport

forstudentsatGunn.OutsideofGuidanceCounseling,studentfocusgroupsindicatethat

Tutorialperiodisanothereffectiveforumforstudentstoaccessadultsforsupportandto

buildrelationshipswithotheradultsoncampus.Studentfocusgroupsalsoshowstrongawarenessofotherchannelsofsocialemotionalsupportoncampus,includingAdolescent

CounselingServices(ACS)andGuidanceCounselors,SchoolPsychologistandInstructional

supervisorshavegivenpositivefeedbackaboutACSasapartnerandresourceforstudents.

TransitioningtoGunn:9th

gradetransitionsandtransferstudentexperience

Ninthgradersfeelwellpreparedforthetransitiontohighschoolbutdonotexplicitly

attributethistotheirGuidanceCounselorortoTitan101andothertransitionprograms

(Table14).StudentsfindGunntobewelcomingbutadultrelationshipsarefledgling,

althoughbysenioryear,63%willhavefoundatleastonetrusting,closeadultrelationship

(Table14).

Titan101istheschoolshighschooltransitionprogramthatmatchteacherswithsmall

groupsof9thgradestudentsfortransitionalsupport.Only27%of9thgraderssurveyed

foundTitan101tobehelpfulwiththetransitiontohighschool(Table14).

Table14:9thgradeexperienceswithhighschooltransition

Parentsmayalsoneedadditionalpreparationabouttransitioningfromthehomeroom

teacherstructureinmiddleschooltotheGuidanceCounselingstructureinhighschool.

Additionally,parentfocusgroupsalsoindicatethattheremayberoomtoimprove

orientationaboutGuidanceCounselingforstudentswhotransfertoGunnafter9thgrade.

TherearefewersupportsfornavigatinghighschoolforstudentswhotransfertoGunn

after9thgradethanforstudentscomingfromfeedermiddleschools.


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WorkingwithParents

OnethemeemergingfromparentfocusgroupsisappreciationfortheenormityofGuidanceCounselorsresponsibilitiesaswellasappreciationforGuidanceCounselorsresponsivenessandhardwork.

BothschoolsengageinsignificantamountsofoutreachtokeepstudentsandfamiliesinformedintheformofParentNights,specializedworkshops(e.g.,forfinancialaid,collegeapplications,etc.),andproactivesupportforstudentswhoshowsignsofacademicand/orsocialemotionalstruggle.Inaddition,thereisaproliferationofchannelsandsourcesofinformationforstudentsandparents,rangingfromemails,newsletters,theCounselingwebsite,Naviance,InfiniteCampus,gradelevelhandbooks,studentassemblies,andsoon.Someparentshaveindicatedchallengestoaccessinganddigestinginformationfromtheschoolingeneralbecauseofboththeamountofinformationandthequalityandclarityoftheinformation.OneofGunnscurrentWASCgoalsistostreamlinecommunicationwithstudents,parents,facultyandcommunity.TheGuidanceDepartmenthasalreadymadeprogresstostreamlinecommunicationandleveragetheGuidancewebsite.Thisrecommendationistocontinuethisworkandtoinviteparent,studentandfacultyfeedbacktodesignamoreeffectivecommunicationsystem.Theremaybeadditionalwaystoengageparentvolunteersandparentgroupsinsharinginformation,settingexpectationsandbuildingsupportforGuidanceCounselingservices.Gunnhasaveryinvolvedandwellresourcedparentcorpsandparentshavehighlightedsignificantenthusiasminfocusgroupstohavemoreopportunitiestohelpoutincapacities

beyondclericalsupportandincludingfacilitatingcommunicationbetweentheschoolandotherparents.

Managementsystem:Overall,GuidanceCounselorsatGunnhavebothabroadscopeofresponsibilitiesandareheldtoveryhighstandardsofservicebythemselvesandbythelargerGunncommunity.VulnerabilitieshereareinthequalityofservicesthatCounselorscanrealisticallyprovidetoallstudentsandfamiliesandtheimpactonmoraleandsustainabilityforCounselors.Accordingtosurveyresults,only48%ofstudentsoverallagreethattheyhaveenoughtimewiththeirGuidanceCounselortoplantheiracademicandpostsecondarygoals(Table9above).Thisnumberiscloserto60%for11thand12thgradersbutmaybestilllowerthan

theaspirationsoftheGunnCounselingteam.Related,studentswhoareveryproactiveaboutseekinghelpfromadultsorwhoareclearlystrugglingarebeingservedwellandresponsively.Theconcernisoverstudentswhoareneithervisiblystrugglingnorproactivelyseekingsupportforveryrealchallengesmaynotbegettingenoughpreventativeand/orproactiveservicefromCounselors.Gettingtoknoweveryindividualstudentisageneralchallengewithanaveragecaseloadof325


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studentsperCounselor.Currently,only45%ofstudentsagreethatMyGuidanceCounselorknowsmeandunderstandsmygoalsandchallenges(Table8).GuidanceCounselorsfaceseveralchallengesinthegoalofservingeverystudent:

GuidanceCounselorsspendmostoftheirstudentfacingtimeinoneononesessions.ThislimitstheamountoftimethatCounselorscandevotetoeachstudent.GuidancecounselorscanexploredifferentformatsfordeliveringdifferentaspectsoftheGuidancecurriculum.Sometypesofinformationmaybemoresuitedtolargergroupformats.Also,groupsessionsmayallowCounselorstoaddmoresocialemotionalcontenttothecurrentCounselingcurriculum.Finally,reducingthenumberofoneononesessionsmayallowCounselorstousetimemorestrategicallywiththenextlayerofstudentswhomayneedadditionalattention

AnotherpotentialwaytoimproveGuidanceCounselorsabilitytoindividualizeadvisorytimewithstudentsistoadoptadditionaltoolstocapturepersonalinformationaboutstudents.LosGatosHighSchool,forexample,hasaCounselingmodelthatisverysimilartothemodelatGunnandhasdevelopedtoolsthattheirteamfindseffectiveatsummarizingstudentspersonalcontext.SamplesofthesetoolsareattachedintheAppendixtothisreport

IndentifydifferentwaystodistributeGuidanceCounselingresources.Someexamplesincludeadditionalcounselorsand/orCollegeandCareerAdvisors,additionalauxiliarysupporttofreeupCounselortimeforservicedelivery(suchasmoreadminsupport)

Finally,GuidanceCounselorscurrentlyspendsignificantamountsoftimeeachdayperformingclericalandadministrativeduties.EnhanceadministrativesupportforGuidanceStafftofreeupGuidancestafffromadministrativetaskssuchas

schedulingappointments,filing,andpaperworkthatdontdirectlycontributetosupportingstudents

Feedbacksystems

Currently,therearenotmanysourcesforfeedbacktohelpGuidanceCounselorsimprovetheirpractice.

DevelopsystemsforprovidingvalueaddedobservationsandfeedbacktoGuidanceCounselorsonaregularbasistoimproveguidancecounselingpracticeandtoensureconsistencyinmessagingandserviceforallstudents

Developtoolsandsystemsforusingstudentfeedbacktobetterunderstandstudentneedsandtoimprovetheimpactofguidanceservicesonstudents.Forexample,Los

GatosHighSchoolfoundsignificantvalueintappingintostudentleaderstohelpshapeguidanceprogramsandsupports

CollaborationwithintheCounselingteam

Therearealreadysomeinternalsystemsforcollaboration,mostlyviaweeklyGuidanceteammeetingswhereCounselorscancollaborateonspecificstudentneeds,sharebestpractices,shareknowledgeaboutcollegesandpostsecondaryplanning,plancurriculumdelivery,anddiscussindividualstudents.Theseweeklymeetingsaresometimesalsoused


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tocollaboratewithInstructionalSupervisors,theCollegeandCareerCenter,andotherstaff.Thereisadditionalopportunitytobuildsystemsforstrongercollaborationwiththe

broaderstudentsupportteamatGunn,includingGuidanceCounselors,SchoolPsychologist,SchoolNurse,ACS,andtheDeanofStudents,amongothers.Thiskindofcollaborationmaycreatelinksbetweendiscipline,health,andsocialemotionalandacademicsupportandexpandtheGunnsabilitytosupportstudentsholistically.

Collaborationwithandleadershipamongbroaderschoolstaff

InterviewswithInstructionalSupervisors(IS)indicateastrongleveloftrustbetweenteachersandGuidanceCounselors.InstructionalSupervisorsseeCounselorsastheexpertsattriaginganddirectingsupportforstudentswithsocialemotionalneeds.TheunanimousexperienceandperceptionamongISsisthatCounselorsareveryresponsiveandflexibletostudentneeds.ISsquicklyreferstudentswithsocialemotionalneedstoCounselorsand

coachotherteachersintheirdepartmentstodothesame.ISshavehadconsistentlystrongexperienceswithallCounselorsonsocialemotionalsupportsforstudents.Ontheacademicfront,ISsseeCounselorsashavingsignificantpowertoimpactstudentandparentdecisionsaboutcourseselection,whichinturnimpactscourseofferingsandresourceallocationtotheirdepartments.Atthesametime,Counselorsvaryintheirunderstandingofcourseofferingsandpoliciesindifferentacademicdepartments.Insomecases,ISsinviteGuidanceCounselorstodepartmentmeetingsandattendGuidanceCounselingteammeetingstoshareinformationaboutchangesandpoliciesintheirdepartment.ISswhodothistypeofcollaborationreportstrongpartnershipswithCounselorsandexperienceconsistencyinmessagingfromCounselorstostudentsabout

theirdepartment.ThereareopportunitiestoexpandthesetypesofcollaborationwidelyacrossCounselorsandacademicandotherdepartments.ISsseeCounselorsasastrongandvaluablepartofthelearningcommunityatGunn.Counselorsaretheclearinghouseofcontextandinformationaboutstudents.ISsandotherteacherswillseekoutCounselorsforthisperspectivewhenastudentisstrugglinginaparticularclassorsubject,recognizingthatthesestrugglesareprobablynotisolatedandprobablyarepartofbroaderpersonalcontext.Giventhisbasisoftrustwithotherstaffandgiventheiruniquelybroadanddeepperspectivesonstudentneeds,GuidanceCounselorsareinastrongpositiontocontinuetomakedecisionsalongwiththerestofGunnsleadershiptodevelopacademicandschoolpolicies,anddesignstudentservicesandactivities.Currently,GuidanceCounselorsoftennavigatestudentsandparentstoactualdecisionmakersaboutschedulechanges,classenrollment,andotherpolicies.TheexistingschedulechangeformrequiresInstructionalSupervisorandTeachersignaturesbutnotGuidanceCounselorapproval.GuidanceCounselorsarecredentialedtoensurethatstudentsaretakingthecorrectclasses


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accordingtotheiracademicandcareergoals.Further,CaliforniaEdCodedefinestheroleandresponsibilityofGuidanceCounselorstoincludethistypeofacademicadvising.BenefitsofempoweringGuidanceCounselorsasleadersGunninclude:

Policies,programsandactivitiesthatmoreeffectivelyservestudentneeds Consistentmessagingtostudentsandparentsaboutschoolpolicies MoreefficientcoordinationbetweenGuidanceandrestofschoolleadership Faster,moretransparentprocess,andaeasierexperienceforstudentsandparents

Collaborationwithintheschooldistrict

ThetwohighschoolshavenottraditionallycollaboratedverycloselyonservicedeliveryorProfessionaldevelopment.RecentlytheDistricthasinstitutedsharedprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.Atthesametime,bothschoolscanbenefitfromstrongercollaborationandbestpracticessharing,forexample:

PalysGuidancedepartmenthasmadeprogresswithaGuidancecurriculum GunnsexperiencewiththeCollegePathwayProjectmayyieldlessonsthatbenefit

Palystudentsaswell CollaborationandconsistencyacrossthetwoschoolswithtechnologyinGuidance

(e.g.,howNavianceisusedbyCounselors,CollegeAdvisorsandstudents,useofonlinevs.paperregistration,etc.)wouldbehelpfulforbothcommunities

Accountability:ThefollowingareareasforfurtherdevelopmenttobuildandimproveaccountabilitysystemsforGunnsGuidanceCounselingprogram:

CreateaninternalperformancemanagementsystemwithmetricsandindicatorsofsuccessthatcanbeusedtodriveoverallGuidanceCounselingstrategyandpriorities

EstablishcleargoalsandmetricsforguidancecounselingandlinkguidancecounselinggoalstoGunnandDistrictgoals

IntegrateGuidancegoalsandstrategiesintoschoolwidegoals.SomeofGunnscurrentWASCgoalsdonotincludeGuidancegoals.Forexample,inthegoalofmaintainandencourageinstructionalpracticesthatensurestudentsuccess,TaskB2isIncreaseVarietyofinstructionaltechniques.ThisseemslikeanareathatwouldbehighlyrelevantforGuidancebutdepartmentplansoutlinedforthisgoaldonotincludeanyGuidancegoals.TheGuidancedepartmentshouldbeintegratedintomajorschoolwidegoalsandstrategies


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Findingsandrecommendations:PaloAltoHighSchoolFoundationMostPalystudentshavearelativelyclearunderstandingofthedivisionofrolesbetweenGuidanceCounselors,TAsandCollegeandCareerAdvisors14.However,parentfocusgroupsindicatethattheremaybeasignificantportionofparents,particularlyin9thand10thgrade,whodontknowwhatGuidanceCounselorsdoandhowtoworkwithGuidanceCounselors.SimilartoGunn,Thereiscurrentlynoclearlystated,publiclycommunicatedmissionfortheGuidanceCounselingteam.AmissioncanbeamongthefirststepsinarticulatingtheroleandgoalsofGuidanceCounselingwithintheGuidanceteam,tostudentsandtothelargercommunity.

NothavingasetofagreeduponstandardsforTAs,GuidanceCounselorsandCollegeAdvisorsmakesitdifficulttosetprioritiesandcommunicaterolestoparents.IntheCollegeandCareerdomain,inparticular,parentexpectationsforcollegeadvisingdoesntmeetandwhatCollegeAdvisorsbelieveisfeasibleandequitablegiventheavailableresources.

Deliverysystemstrengthsandrecommendations:TheTAsystemseemsdesignedprimarilytogiveeachstudentopportunitytobuildacontinuous,trustingrelationshipwithatleastoneadultoncampuswhilealsoensuringthat

allstudentsreceivehighquality,accurateacademicadvising.Thecurrentsystemdoesprovidestudentswithatleasttwoadultsoncampus,theTAandtheGuidanceCounselor,whoareofficiallyresponsiblefortheiracademicandsocialemotionalwellbeing.Thisisinadditiontoanyotherrelationshipsthatstudentsmaybuildwithteachers,coaches,activitiesdirectors,administratorsandsoon.ThedivisionofrolesbetweenTAs(generalacademicadvising),GuidanceCounselors(morespecializedacademicadvisingandsocialemotionalsupport),andCollegeandCareerAdvisors(CollegeandotherPostsecondaryadvising),allowseachroletofocusanddevelopexpertiseinparticularareas

OnepotentialgapinthePalyguidancemodelistheabsenceofaGuidancedrivenprogramtoprovideextrasupportforstudentswhomayneedextrasupporttomeetAGrequirementsandtobecollegereadybygraduation.GunnhasasimilarprogramwiththeCollegePathwayProject.ThereareanumberofacademicsupportsatPalybutnoprogramprovidingcomprehensiveacademic,mentorshipandsocialsupports.Thefirststepmaybe

14GuidanceCounselingSurveyforPalyStudents,Question5


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toidentifyandbetterunderstandtheneedsofstudentswhomaybenefitfromthistypeof

targetedguidancesupport.

Academicadvising

Palyhasdevelopedaguidancecurriculum,inpartbecausethesizeoftheTAnetworkrequiresaclearcurriculumandcalendartocoordinateinformationandlessondeliveryto

students.ThereisalsoefforttocreatemoreadvisorylessonplansforTAsandassessments

togaugewhetherstudentsareretainingthoseadvisorylessons.

ThereareclearsystemsinplacetosupportTAsindispensingaccurateacademicadvising

information.

TeachersbecomeTAsthroughaselectiveinterviewprocessthatscreensformindsetsandmotivations

EachstudentsacademicplanandcoursescheduleisreviewedbyseveralpeopleeachyearTheTA,whoworkswiththestudenttocreatetheplan,Guidance

Counselors,whoreviewtheschedulesforeverystudentintheircaseload,and,aCollegeandCareerAdvisorwillalsoreviewtheacademicplansforthemajorityof

juniorsandseniors

TheTAstudentrelationshipbecomesstrongerasstudentsprogressthroughtheirtimeat

Paly,withagreaterproportionofseniorsagreeing,MyTAknowsmeandunderstandsmy

goalsandchallenges.Atthesametime,similarproportionsofstudentsacrossallgrade

levelsaresatisfiedwiththelevelofsupportfromtheirTA.(Table15,below)

Table15:ResponsestostatementsaboutoverallexperiencewithTAs(%agreeorstronglyagree)

Studentsgenerallyfeelinformedandconfidentintheiracademicplans.Asignificant

majorityofstudentsbelievethattheyunderstandgraduationandcollegegoing

requirements,culminatingin92%forseniors.Alsobyjuniorandseniorsyears,most

studentsfeelconfidentabouttheiracademicplansandtheacademicoptionsavailableat

Paly(approximately85%,Table16).

TheTAsimpactonacademicplanningmeritsdeeperunderstanding.Moststudentstrust

theadvicethatTAsprovideaboutclassesandschedules(Table16),butfewerpercentages

believetheygetenoughtimewiththeirTAstoplanacademicandcareergoals.This


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suggeststhatstudentsfeelwellpreparedoverallbutmaynotberelyingonlyontheirTAto

plan.

Atthesametime,proportionallyfewerstudents,especiallyseniors,wouldtrusttheirTAs

tohelpwithacademicstruggles(Table16).ThisreluctancemayarisefromtheTAsresponsibilitytowritecollegelettersofrecommendationfortheirAdvisees.Somestudents

andparentshaveexpressedhesitationinfocusgroupsaboutbeingcompletelytransparent

withTAsaboutpersonalandacademicchallengesbecauseofconcernabouttheimpacton

collegerecommendationletters.Itseemsthatstudentsandparentsneedtobetter

understandtheTAsroleasstudentadvocatesinordertocontinuetobuildtrustand

transparencybetweenTAsandAdvisees.

Table16:ResponsestostatementsaboutacademicsupportatPaly

Finally,absencesfromAdvisorymaynegativelyimpacthowfullystudentsreceive

importantguidancecurriculum.Accordingtothestudentsurvey,32%ofstudentshave

alreadymissedoneormoreAdvisorysessionsthisacademicyearandonly32%ofstudents

surveyedagreethatAdvisoryisavaluableuseoftime(Table17).Studentfocusgroups

identifiedthefollowingdriversforabsencesandlowengagement:

Thecurriculum,particularlyin9thgrade,isnotalwaysrelevanttostudentsexperiences

SomeAdvisoryexperiencescanbetransactional,impersonalandnotengaging Advisorycomesattheendofalongschoolday TherearenorealpenaltiesformissingAdvisory

Table17:StudentresponsesaboutAdvisory


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CollegeandCareerAdvising

AsoutlinedinthedescriptionofthePalyGuidancemodel,CollegeAdvisors,TAProgram

Coordinators,TAsandtheCareerAdvisorworkasateamtosupportstudentswithpost

secondaryplanningandwithcollegeapplicationsinparticular.CollegeAdvisorsoffera

robustsetofcollegeandotherpostsecondaryadvisingservices,includingoneononesessionswiththemajorityofjuniorsandseniors.CollegeAdvisorsreachouttoalljuniors

andseniorstoofferindividualadvisingsessions,eventuallymeetingwithallstudentsat

leastoncebytheendoffirstsemesterduringsenioryear.CollegeAdvisorsoftenmeetwith

studentsrepeatedlythroughoutthecollegeapplicationseasontoindividualfollowup

sessions.InadditiontothetwoCollegeAdvisors,PalyalsohasaCareerAdvisor/

CommunityServiceCoordinatortodirectstudentstoopportunitieswithjobs,internships,

communityserviceandcareerexploration.ThefollowingareclearstrengthsoftheCollege

andCareerservicesatPaly:

CollegeAdvisorsinvestsignificanttime,oftenseveralhoursperstudent,reviewingandlearningaboutindividualstudentbackgroundsbeforeoneononeadvising

sessions

CollegeAdvisorsalsocoordinatewiththeTAProgramCoordinatorandTAstocreateandmaintainpostsecondarycurriculumsharedwithstudentsduring

Advisory

TheCollegeandCareerCenterhasacontentrichwebsitewithavarietyoftools,resources,andtimelinesrelatedtocollegeandcareerplanning

CollegeAdvisorsandtheCareerAdvisoralsohostarangeofeventsforpostsecondaryplanning,includingoncampuscommunitycollegeinformationfairs,

Collegefairs,collegeapplicationworkshopsandfinancialaid

78%ofjuniorsandseniorssurveyedbelievethattheirCollegeandCareerAdvisorcanbeahelpfulCollegeresourceand70%agreethattheirCollegeandCareer

Advisorprovidesaccesstoresourcesneededforcollegeresearchandapplication

(Table18)

Table18:11thand12thgraderexperienceswithCollegeandCareerAdvising

ThefollowingarepotentialareasofenhancementforCollegeandCareerAdvisingatPaly:

AlthoughjuniorsandseniorsknowandvaluetheirCollegeandCareerAdvisorsforthecollegeprocess,proportionallyfewerstudentsfeelwellinformedaboutthe

collegeapplicationprocess(Table18,above).90%ofPalyseniorssurveyed


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definitelyplantoattenda4yearcollegeafterhighschool15yetonly66%ofseniorsfeelwellinformedaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess.BothTAsandCollegeAdvisorsareresponsibleforeducatingstudentsaboutcollegechoicesandapplicationsanditcanbeimportanttobetterunderstandthedriversforthegapin

thepercentageofstudentswhoreportfeelingwellinformedaboutthecollegeapplicationprocess

Atthesametime,only45%ofseniorsfoundtheVikingCollegeandCareerguidetobehelpfultool16andonly58%ofseniorsagreethatMyCollegeandCareerAdvisorprovidedvaluableinputinmyposthighschoolplanning.TheCollegeandCareerAdvisorsmaintainarobustandcompleterangeofinformationaboutcollegesandtheapplicationprocess.Theremaybeopportunitiestobetterunderstandhowbesttoconnectstudentstothetoolsinformationtheyneed

Currently,bothCollegeAdvisorsspendapproximately25percentoftheirtimeeachyearawardingapproximately$120Kinscholarshipfunding.Asignificantportionofthisworkisadministrativebutcontainshighlyconfidentialinformation,soitsnotpossibletoleverageparentvolunteers.Atthesametime,CollegeAdvisorsdevotelonghourstoprepareforandconductindividualstudentsessions.Adminsupportisonepotentialstrategytofreeuptime

ThereareasignificantnumberofstudentsatbothschoolswhoneedguidanceaboutNCAArequirementsforcollege.StudentandparentfocusgroupsindicatethattheremaybeneedtoimproveinformationdisseminationaboutNCAArequirements

StudentandparentfocusgroupsandstudentsurveysshowthatsignificantproportionsofstudentshavenottalkedtoanyadultontheGuidanceteamaboutcareerinterestsandplanningforthoseinterests.Thisrepresents50%ofallstudentsand27%ofseniors17

Socialemotional

supports

GuidanceCounselorsarethegotosourceofsupportforstudentsfacingpersonalandsocialemotionalchallenges.StudentsfacingsocialemotionalchallengefindtheirwaytoGuidanceCounselorsontheirownorarereferredbyTAs,otherschoolstaffandotherstudents.Incasesofstudentsincrisesorstudentsneedingadditionalmentalhealthsupport,GuidanceCounselorsconnectstudentsandfamiliestotheSchoolPsychologist,ortoACS(AdolescentCounselingServices).ThesocialemotionalsupportstructureatPalydemonstratesthefollowingstrengths:

TheHealthServicesTeam(HST)atPalyhasbuiltastrongsystemforcollaboratingaroundsupportingstudentswithsocialemotional,healthandotherchallenges.TheHSTmeetsbiweeklyandinvolvesabroadspectrumofstaffwhoareinvolvedinsupportingstudents,includingtheGuidanceCounselors,SchoolPsychologist,Administrators,DeanofStudents,SchoolNurse,andAdolescentCounselingServices

15GuidanceCounselingSurveyforPalyStudents,Question2116GuidanceCounselingSurveyforPalyStudents,Question3317GuidanceCounselingSurveyforPalyStudents,Question26


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(ACS).TheGuidanceCounselingteamleadstheHSTandtheHSTmeetstoreviewall

studentswhoaredealingwithrelatedchallenges

OfthestudentswhohaveworkedwithaGuidanceCounselor,whetheronacademicorsocialemotionalissues,mostindicatethatGuidanceCounselorsareeasytotalk

toandaccessible(Table19and20).Inparticular,seniorsinfocusgroupwiththestrongestTAexperienceshaveaGuidanceCounselorsastheirTA

OfthestudentssurveyedwhohavebeentoaTAand/oraGuidanceCounselor,themorethan80%ofthesestudentsagreedthattheirTAand/orGuidanceCounselor

wasabletohelpthemorreferthemtootherresources18

TheGuidancestaffatPalyhadpositivefeedbackaboutthepartnershipwithACSandqualityofservicesprovidedoverall

Table19:StudentexposuretoGuidanceCounselorsatPaly

Table20:StudentoverallexperiencewithGuidanceCounselors(ofstudentswho

haveworkedwithaGuidanceCounselor)

Table21:StudentperceptionsofGuidanceCounselorsandTAsassourcesofsocial

emotionalsupport

18GuidanceCounselingSurveyforPalyStudents,Questions18and20


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SocialemotionalsupportsatPalymaybenefitfromfurtherexaminingthefollowingareas:

Significantportionsofstudentssurveyed,particularlyinlowergrades,donotknowanyofthefourGuidanceCounselorsoncampus(seeTable19).TheGuidance

Counselorsareworkingtoincreasevisibilityoncampusbycirculatingamong

studentsduringlunchtimesandotherefforts.GuidanceCounselorsarean

importantresourceforstudentsandstudentsshouldknowtheirfacesandnamesat

minimum

TAsactprimarilytoreferstudentswithsocialemotionalchallengestoGuidanceCounseling.Surveyresultsindicatethatsignificantportionsofstudentsare

reluctanttogotoeitherTAsorGuidanceCounselorsaboutpersonalissues.Only

35%ofseniorswouldgotoaGuidanceCounselorforpersonalissuesandonly40%

wouldapproachtheirTAs(seeTable21)

PalyrecentlyexpandedtheGuidanceCounselingteamfromtwotofourCounselors,whichmayexplainsomeofthestudentreluctancetogotoGuidanceCounselors.

seniorsandjuniorswhospentthefirstpartoftheirPalyyearswithonlytwo

GuidanceCounselorsfortheentirestudentbodyhaveindicatedinfocusgroupsthat

GuidanceCounselorsseemreallybusy.Withincreasedcapacity,Guidance

Counselorsareworkingtoincreasevisibilityoncampus

WithTAs,studentshaveexpressedreluctancethatrangefromconcernsthatsharingpersonalitychallengeswithTAswillimpactthecollegerecommendationletterto

notknowingthatTAsaresupposedtocareaboutmepersonallytoTAsarenot

trainedtotalkaboutpersonalproblems

TAshaveexpressedadesiretopartnerwiththeGuidanceteamtosupportAdviseesonpersonalchallengesandsomemayalsobenefitfromtrainingaboutengaging

withstudentsaroundpersonalissues Finally,drugandalcoholusagemaybeasignificantissuethatmeritsmoreunderstandingatbothschools.ParentfocusgroupsandstaffinterviewsatPalyhave

identifiedthisasanareaofconcernandthereseemstobelittledialogueor

investigationaroundtheseissues


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Relationshipbuildingwithstudents

AswesawinTable5earlierinthisreport,onlyabouthalfofstudentsatbothschoolsagree

thattheyhaveaclose,trustingrelationshipwithatleastoneadultatschool.Acoregoal

oftheTAprogramistoprovidestudentswithatleastoneconsistent,adultadvocateat

Paly.Accordingly,theGuidanceCounselingteamatPalyisdesigningmoreopportunitiesforstudentstobuildpersonalrelationshipswiththeirTAsaboveandbeyondacademic

advising.Table22belowsuggeststhatstudentstendtodevelopstrongerrelationships

withtheirTAsastheyprogressthroughhighschool,with56%offreshmencomparedto

70%ofseniorsagreeingthattheirTAknowsandunderstandtheirgoalsandchallenges.At

thesametime,whilestudentsseemtofindTAseasytotalktoandgenerallyaccessible,

Table22:ResponsestostatementsaboutoverallexperiencewithTAs(%agreeor

stronglyagree)

StudentfocusgroupshighlightedtheperceptionthatonesTArelationshipisvery

important,especiallygiventhesignificance,inthemindsofstudentsandparents,ofthe

TAsletterofrecommendationtocolleges.ThequalityoftheTArelationship,therefore,

impactsnotjustastudentsaccesstoguidancecurriculumbutalsotheirconnectionat

schoolandthequalityoftheircollegeapplication.SelectingaTAwhowillofferallofthesesupportsforthe10ththrough12thgradesisanontrivialdecision.

Atthesametime,studentandparentfeedbacksuggeststhattheTAselectionprocesscan

improvetoensurebettermatchesbetweenTAsandstudents.Onlyhalfof11 thand12th

gradersexpressedsatisfactionwiththeTAselectionprocess(Table23)

Table23:ResponsestoTAselectionprocessandfit(%agreeorstronglyagree)

StudentshavecitedlackofinformationaboutTAsbeforehavingtochooseaTAasone

impedimenttofindingfitwithaTA.Currentlymoststudentsarematchedwithoneoftheir

topchoicesforTAbuttheissueseemstobethatstudentsarenotalwayswellinformed

whenrankingtheirchoices.Somestudentsrelyonoldersiblingsorupperclassmenfriends

butnotall9thgradershaveaccesstotheseresources.Suggestionsfromstudentfocus

groupsandTAinterviewsforimprovingtheTAAdviseematchingprocessinclude:


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AstudentsourcedratingsystemforTAssimilartoRateMyTeachers.com Creatingaforumforupperclassmentogiveadvicetoyoungerstudentsaboutany

aspectofthePalyexperience,includingTAselection

GiveTAsinputintotheTAAdviseematchingprocess.CurrentlyTAshavelittleinputintothisprocessbutmaybeabletoprovideanotherlayerofinformationforstrongermatches

InadditiontotimewithTAs,PalyhasdoubledtheGuidanceCounselorteamfromtwoto

fourGuidanceCounselorsandtransitionedtoasysteminwhichGuidanceCounselorswill

beresponsibleforallstudentsinagradelevelandwillfollowthesestudentsthroughout

theiryearsatPaly.Thisprovidesanotherlevelofcontinuityandopportunityforstudents

tobuildrelationshipwithadultsoncampus.

TheGuidanceteamisnottheonlysourceofsupportatPaly.Studentsandparentshavealso

citedafewprogramsoutsideoftheGuidancesystemaseffectiveopportunitiesforstudents

tobuildrelationshipswithadults,theseincludethefreshmanTEAMstructureand

Tutorials.

9th

gradetransitiontoHighSchool

9thgradetransitionisafocusareaforguidanceatPalywithacohortofTAswhoare

dedicatedto9thgradersandtheirtransitiontohighschool.Towardtheendof9thgrade,

studentsselectadifferentTAfor10ththrough12thgrade.Approximately70%of9th

gradersalsohavetheirTAasateacherinthe9thgradetofurtherfosterrelationship

buildingbetweenstudentsandatleastoneadultinhighschool.

Table24:ResponsestostatementsaboutoverallexperiencewithTAs

Table25:Responsestostatementsabout9thgradeexperienceatPaly

Table26:ResponsestostatementsaboutacademicsupportatPaly


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9thgraderssurveyedaregenerallypositiveabouttheirTAexperience(Table24,25).

73%of9thgradersfindtheirTAeasytotalkto(Table24) 71%aresatisfiedwiththelevelofsupportfromtheirTA(Table24) 71%feltwellpreparedforthetransitionfrommiddleschooltohighschool(Table

25)

78%feelwellinformedabouttherequirementsforgraduationandAGcollegeeligibility(Table26)

However,only68%of9thgradersagreethatMyTAmakestimeformeifIneedhelp

comparedto80%of11thgradersand75%of12thgraderswhoagreewiththesame

statement(Table24).OnecontributorcanbethehigherTAstudentratioin9thgrade

Advisory,at30to35studentsperadvisory,comparedto22to25studentsin10ththrough

12thgradeadvisoryclasses.Itmaybeimportanttobetterunderstandwhetherthereisa

gapbetweenhowmuchtime9thgradersneedwiththeirTAscomparedtohowmuchtime

theycurrentlyspendwithTAs.

Evenpriorto9thgrade,bothhighschoolscanstrengtheninformationsharingand

continuitybetweenmiddleschoolCounselorsandhomeroomteachersandhighschool

Guidanceteams.ThissupportsbothtransitiontohighschoolandhelpsCounselorsandTAs

togettoknowstudentsmorequickly.Oneideabroughtupbystaffistodevelopastandard

formatand/ortoolforcaptureinformationaboutstudentsinmiddleschool,information

beyondgrades.

Managementsystem:Feedbacksystems

ThePalyCounselingteamisalreadydoingseveralthingstoenhancefeedbacksystems Buildinginterimassessmentstogaugewhetherstudentsarelearningtheguidance

curriculum

EvaluatingtheGuidancecurriculumandcalendarandalignlessonplanstothecurriculum

SurveyingseniorsannuallytosolicitfeedbackaboutGuidanceandrelatedservices.TheGuidanceteampaysattentiontostudentfeedbackbothviathissurveyand


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othermeansofcollectingstudentfeedbackandhasenactedseveralrecentchangestoimproveservice

UsingtheweeklyTAmeetingstogeneratefeedbackaboutAdvisorylessonandtoadjustcurriculumandcontentaccordingly

CreatingaformalevaluationprocessforTeacherAdvisors

Inadditiontotheseongoingenhancements,PalyGuidanceCounselorsandCollegeAdvisorsmayalsobenefitfromregularindividualevaluationsandtoimprovetheirpractice.TenuredGuidanceCounselorsandCollegeandCareerAdvisorsdonotcurrentlyreceiveannualevaluations(nontenuredstaffareevaluatedannually)andneitherisitclearwhetherexistingevaluationsprovideactionablefeedbackforimprovingaCounselorspractice.

Collaborationwithinthecounselingteam

PalysGuidanceteamhasacollaborativeculturewithstrongteamaffinity,effective

communicationandmutualrespect.Staffinterviewedenjoyworkingtogetherandciteteammembersandtheirdedicationtostudentsasamajorsourceofpersonalmotivationandemotionalfulfillment.AccordingtoonememberofthisteamwhohasworkedwithseveralschooldistrictsthroughouttheBayArea,Iamveryhappyhere;IhaveneverworkedwithamoreprofessionalteamTheGuidanceteamhasbuiltseveralsystemstocollaboratewithintheGuidanceteamtobetterservestudents:

BiweeklyHSTmeetingsinvolvingGuidanceCounselors,ACS,SchoolPsychologist,AcademicDean,Nurse,tocollaborateandclosethelooponstudentsupport.Theseenablethecounselingteamtobuildlinkagesbetweenbehavioral,academic,social

emotional,andhealthsituationsforstudents MonthlyGuidanceandTeacherAdvisorymeetingsandtrainingtoimplementtheTA

curriculum,collaborateonacademicinformationdeliveryandtocollaborateacrossTAsandGuidanceCounselors.ThesemeetingswillalsooftenincludetheCollegeandCareerAdvisorsandothermembersoftheoverallstudentsupportteam

SomeTAsarealsodepartmentInstructionalSupervisors,whichenablesinformationandpolicysharingandsomecollaborationbetweenacademicdepartmentsandtherestoftheTAGuidanceteam

RegulartrainingsforTAsalsotakeplacethroughouttheyear,withadditionaltrainingfornew(firstorsecondyear)TAs.TrainingsofteninvolveInstructionalSupervisors,CollegeandCareerAdvisors,TAsandGuidanceinacoordinatedeffort

TAsengagedintrainingoncollegeawarenessandthecollegeapplicationsystem TwooftheGuidanceCounselorsarealsoTAs,tighteningtheconnectionand

coordinationbetweentheTAandGuidanceCounselingteams

Collaborationwithintheschooldistrict

SimilartorecommendationsforGunn,thecounselingteamsatthetwoschoolshavehistoricallynotcollaboratedclosely.ThisischangingwithDistrictsponsored,shared


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professionaldevelopmentwithTrishHatch.Staffatbothschoolshighlightedadesiretocollaborateandlearnmorefrompeersattheotherschool.

Accountability:AlsosimilartoGunn,PalysGuidanceteamneedsclear,measureablemetricsandgoalsthataligntooverallschoolanddistrictgoals.Bestpracticeinperformancemanagementistosetspecific,measurablegoalsandtoplanresourcestomeetthosegoals.Forexample,thecounselingteamcurrentlyreliesonstudentsurveysasakeysourceoffeedback.Oneexampleofaspecificgoalissomelevelofsatisfactionfromstudentsurveys.Similarly,withoneofPalyscurrentWASCgoals,Eachandeverystudentissupportedinhisorherpersonalandacademicwork,howwilltheschoolandtheGuidanceteammeasurethisprogresstoward?Guidancedepartmentsatbothschoolsmaybenefitfromastrategicplanningprocessthatarticulatesgoalsandmetrics.

Palo Alto Unified School District (Palo Alto, CA) High School Guidance Program Review (2012)

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