The RISCA Toolkits Approach to Implementing Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

1
The RISCAToolkits Approachto Implementing
Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

• ASCA 2006 Annual Conference
• Chicago, Illinois
• June 2006

2
Presenters

• Belinda Wilkerson, Rhode Island Counselor-
  in-Residence
• Dr. Patricia Nailor, Director of Counseling,
  Providence (RI) Public Schools (Retired)
• Jean Greco, Program Supervisor of K-12
  Guidance, Cranston (RI) Public Schools
• Dr. Karl Squier, Counselor Advocate,
  Toolkits Designer
• Diane West, School Counselor, Hope High
  School, Providence Public Schools
• Marianne Davidson, Counseling Department
  Head, Hope High School, Providence Public
  Schools

3
Our Primary Goal

• Implement Comprehensive School Counseling
  Programs
• Based on the ASCA National Model, and
• Aligned with the Rhode Island Framework for
  Comprehensive K-12 School Counseling
• in all Rhode Island Public Schools

4
What We Will Do Today

• Overview of the Eight RISCA Toolkits
• Focus on Toolkit 2Essential Counseling Program
• Focus on Toolkit 3School Counseling Data
  Management
• Focus on Toolkit 8Individual Learning Plans
• Focus on Managing a State-wide or District-wide
  Professional Development Initiative based on
  Toolkits
• Practice Using Some Key Tools

5
Why Use the Toolkits Approach?

• Answers the question What do I do tomorrow to
  implement a comprehensive school counseling
  program based on the ASCA National Model?
• Provides structured processes, clearly defined
  protocols and easy to use tools to capture and
  organize the results of your work
• Produces quality documentation that can be used
  to promote the value of school counseling to
  student success and the health of the school
  community

6
Eight Toolkits

• 1Strategic Annual Planning
• 2Essential Counseling Program
• 3School Counseling Data Management
• 4Professional Development Program

• 5Family Community Engagement
• 6Program Implementation Management
• 7Individual Counselors Planning for Results
• 8Individual Student Learning Plans

7
All Toolkits Produce Products

• 1Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plans
• 2Framework for School Counseling
• 3Data Reports on the Impact of Your Counseling
  Program and SPARCs
• 4Professional Development Program, Modules and
  PD Calendar

• 5Plan for Engaging Families and Community, and
  Building Partnerships
• 6Counseling Department Administrative Handbook
• 7Individual Counselor Plans for the School Year
• 8Individual Learning Plan Program for Students

8
All Toolkits Consistof a Series of Steps

• Each step is designed to help you reflect on your
  practice and dialog with your colleagues
  regarding the topic of the Toolkit
• Each step contributes to the final products
  produced by the Toolkit

9
Step 1 in Each Toolkit is a Visitto the Toolkit
Welcome Center

• At each Welcome Center you complete four tasks
• Assemble a Work Group
• Gain knowledge about the focus of the Toolkit
  (e.g., gain knowledge about what constitutes an
  Essential Counseling Program)
• Assess the strengths and weaknesses of your
  current approach to the focus of the Toolkit
• Develop a plan for using the Toolkit in your
  school and district

10
What You Will Do in Each Toolkit

• The following slides identify the steps involved
  in each Toolkit
• Each step can involve one or more tools
• Step 1 (Welcome Center) is assumedthe slides
  begin with Step 2
• Completing all Toolkits will help you establish
  the infrastructure for implementing comprehensive
  school counseling programs in your school and
  district

11
1Strategic Annual Planning

• Examine the Major Forces Impacting Your School
  Counseling Program
• Learn How to Implement a Complete Planning Cycle
• Produce a Strategic Plan
• Produce Annual Implementation Plans
• Implement Your Plan and Monitor Progress
• Produce Accountability Reports Based on Your
  Strategic and Annual Plans

12
2Essential Counseling Program

• Define Your Essential Counseling Program (based
  on four components of Delivery System in ASCA
  National Model)
• Develop a Scope Sequence for Your Counseling
  Curriculum
• Define Expected Results for Curriculum Activities
  and Align Them with Standards
• Document Your Essential Counseling Curriculum
• Produce a Framework for School Counseling for
  Your District

13
3School Counseling Data Management

• Develop a School Counseling Data Management
  Program for
• Assessing Student Progress towards Standards
• Assessing the Impact of Implementing Your School
  Counseling Program
• Explore the CSCOR Website
• Download and Learn How to use EZAnalyze
• Produce a SPARC for Your School and District
• Using SALT Data to Demonstrate Impact of School
  Counseling on Student Success
• Rhode Island Commissioner of Educations Review
  Process

14
4Professional Development Program

• Develop a Professional Development (PD) Program
  for School Counselors
• Publish a School Counseling PD Calendar
• Document PD Modules
• Prepare a New Hire Counselor PD Program

15
5Family Community Engagement

• Develop Plan for Engaging Families and Community
• Develop Plan for Developing/ Enhancing
  Partnerships (e.g., Government Agencies, Higher
  Education, Business Community)
• Publish a Handbook for Family, Community and
  Partnerships

16
6Program Implementation Management

• Define and Document School Counselor Roles and
  Responsibilities
• Define and Document Policies and Protocols
  Related to School Counseling
• Standardized Processes and Forms, Where
  Appropriate
• Maintain Logs of Implementation Activities
• Produce an Administrative Handbook for School
  Counseling

17
7Individual Counselors Planning for Results

• Produce Individual Counselor Plans for the School
  Year
• Compile Points to Discuss with Your Department
  Head and/or Principal
• Identify Barriers to Achieving Results and
  Strategies for Overcoming Them

18
8Individual Learning Plans

• Develop an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) Program
  for you School and/or District
• Develop Materials to Use with the ILP

19
Focus on Toolkit 2

• Brain Dump Sorting Tool
• Scope and Sequence for Curriculum
• Expected Results for Curriculum Activities
• Alignment with Standards
• Documenting Essential Counseling Activities
• Publishing a Framework for School Counseling
• Toolkit 2 Activity

20
Focus on Toolkit 3

• Toolkit Usage Survey
• Professional Development Initiative Activity Log
• SPARC
• SALT Data
• Toolkit 3 Activity

21
Question 2I have been directly involved in
developing strategic and annual plans for
counseling in my school
22
Focus on Toolkit 8Individual Learning Plans
A Program to Personalize Student Learning
Contribute to Their Academic, Career
Personal/Social Success
23
Why Plan?

• Planning is a lifelong skill that is a
  requirement for personal growth and success
• If planning is so important to our
  success in the world of work, we should be
  helping students become better planners by
  helping them focus on their own futures

24
Individual Learning PlansA Definition

• All schools will support each students creation
  of an Individual Learning Plan
• primarily authored by students themselves
• with guidance from their school advisors,
  counselors, parents
• created/revisited frequently (in advisories)
• focused on goals
• connected to using the time in high school to
  accomplish personal objectives, in
  conjunction with completing graduation
  requirements.
• (Rhode Island High School Diploma System,
  2005, p. 4)

25
The ILP Student Success

• Students are more likely to succeed in school,
  work and life when they know how to plan for
  their future
• The ILP
• is a structured process that enables students
  to plan for their future in three
  developmental domains academic, career and
  personal/social
• allows counselors and teachers to observe
  student progress along the learning continuum
• is results-based with specific learner
  outcomes and functions as a pathway to
  personalization

26
ILP A Results-Based Program

• As a result of participating in the ILP Program,
  students can expect to
• Have meaningful interactions with school
  counselors who help them plan for their
  academic, career, and personal/social
  development
• Describe the planning process and how they
  apply it in their lives (set goals, develop
  action plans, monitor ones progress,
  reflect on ones experience, use results of
  reflection to update plans)
• Become skilled in identifying and addressing
  barriers to their learning and developing
  strategies to overcome them
• Always know how they are progressing toward
  graduation

27
Student Outcomes

• The ILP provides a structured process to help
  students plan for their futures through the
• acquisition of knowledge
• development of skills
• adoption of appropriate behaviors/attitudes
• In order for students to demonstrate progress and
  be assessed as proficient, the ILP Program must
  first deliver opportunities for students to learn
  relevant content and practice applying what they
  are learning to real-world contexts
• This content is called the ILP Curriculum and
  consists of learning opportunities already in use
  in other areas of the curriculum and new
  activities designed specifically for the ILP
  Program

28
Knowledge We Want Students to Acquire

• Essential information students will learn
  through the ILP
• Importance of planning for their future
• Steps in a complete planning process
• Standards which affect their future
• Roles and accountability

29
Skills We Want Students to Develop

• Tasks skills that are essential for students to
  do in terms of individual student planning
• Envision the future
• Identify developmental needs
• Develop an action plan
• Implement their plan monitor their progress
• Evaluate their progress document their
  conclusions
• Develop new plan
• Provide evidence of progress toward results

30
Behaviors We WantStudents to Adopt

• Ones behavior and attitude are critical
  to success in school, work and life
• The ILP highlights behaviors/ attitudes
  required for success by business and
  educational communities

31
Hope High Schools ILP Providence, Rhode Island

• ALP
• Academic Learning Plan
• Credit Audit of courses, grades credits earned
• Academic road map to graduation
• One ALP for all 4 years that is updated annually
• I-PASS
• Individual Physical Academic Social Success Plan
• Designed to promote a balanced individual
• Mind (academics)
• Body (physical)
• Relationships (family Friends)
• Spiritual is a personal goal that is not
  addressed with the I-PASS

32
Academic Learning Plan (ALP)

• Students are accountable for understanding and
  tracking courses, grades and credits with help
  from advisors and counselors
• ALP is updated annually by students and retained
  with advisors in individual folders
• Road map of core courses required, small learning
  or theme choices, and elective options
• Course of Study is enclosed with students file
  for detailed course description

33
How We Deliver the ILP to Students
Introduce the ILP through Advisories
Beginning of Year ALP Packet (4-Year Plan,
Transcript) I-PASS Packet (I-PASS Goal Setting
Activity,I-PASS Template, Examples) ILP Folder
Checklist
During the Year Quarterly Academic Review by
Students Parent-Teacher Conference at End of 2nd
Quarter (Student, Parent, and Counselor Sign the
ALP) 1-on-1 Assistance
End of Year Written Reflection on I-PASS
Activity Review ILP Folder using Checklist and
Rubrics Student and Teacher Surveys on Impact of
Using ILP
Quarterly Academic Review with Students
Start of Year ALP Packet 4-Year
Plan Transcript ILP Folder Checklist
34
(No Transcript)
35
(No Transcript)
36
(No Transcript)
37
Preliminary Data

• Did the Advisory Curriculum Help Students with
• Setting Goals (I-PASS)
• Teachers (Yes 79)
• Students Average All Grades (Yes81)
• Using Their Academic Learning Plan (ALP)
• Teachers (Yes 83)
• Students Average All Grades (Yes77)
• Toolkit 8 Activity

38
Focus on Managing State District-wide PDIs

• Central Coordinating Function is Required
• On-site Visits to Schools are Effective for
  Professional Development
• Professional Development Must be Ongoing and
  Reinforce Common Themes
• Districts Need Realistic and Manageable Targets
  to Achieve During the School Year

39
Coaches Program

• Goal Is To Have At Least One Counselor In Every
  District Trained In the Use of the Toolkits
• Coaches Are a Primary Link between RISCA (a
  Statewide Organization) and Counselors in the
  Schools
• Coaches Provide On-site Technical Assistance in
  How to Implement Comprehensive School Counseling
  Programs

40
How Did/Will We Fund This?

• School-to-Career and Perkins Grants
• Fees for Professional Development Events
• A Whole Lot of In-Kind Contributions
• Toolkits and EZAnalyze are Free
• RISCA is Submitting Grant Proposals
• You Will Find a Donation Box at the Back Door

41
What We Have Learned

• These Are Essential
• A Community of Dialogue and Self-Reflection
• Leadership and Ownership
• Front-end Planning
• A Facilitated Process
• Both Short and Long-Term Goals
• Starting with Toolkit 2 is Recommended

42
RISCA Toolkits Are Free

• The RISCA Toolkits are available for free
  download from the Rhode Island School Counselor
  Associations website
• www.rischoolcounselor.org
• Tools are continuously developed, piloted and
  revised. Check our website periodically to obtain
  the latest version

43
Contact Information

• Belinda Wilkerson bwilkers_at_providence.ed
  u
• Dr. Patricia Nailor pnailor_at_cox.net
• Jean Greco jgreco_at_cpsed.net
• Dr. Karl Squier karlsquier_at_cox.net

44
Contact Information

• Diane West diane.west_at_ppsd.org
• Marianne Davidson marianne.davidson_at_ppsd
  .org
• Rhode Island School Counselor Association
  (RISCA) www.rischoolcounselor.org
• Center for School Counseling Outcome Research
  www.cscor.org