Introduction As a school counselor, you will be expected to collaborate with adm

Introduction
As a school counselor, you will be expected to collaborate with administrators, teachers, parents/guardians, and other stakeholders to promote a college- and career-going culture and provide support to all students. For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to provide education about career theory, models, and frameworks of career development as part of an in-service training to faculty. Additionally, you will articulate the various roles of the school counselor based on the ASCA National Model, ASCA’s Mindsets and Behaviors, and NOSCA’s Eight Components of College and Career Readiness.
Please note that the purpose of this assignment is to teach others about college and career readiness and about the role of the school counselor rather than on identifying specific interventions, approaches, or techniques.
Instructions
For this assignment, imagine that you are a first-year school counselor who has the opportunity to promote the college- and career-going culture of your school. Refer to the media activity, Blooming Park: College and Career Readiness (linked in Resources) for the information you will need to complete this assignment. Note: Choose one Blooming Park school—the elementary, middle, or high school.
During a meeting with your principal, you reviewed school data and the results from a recent needs assessment that clearly identified a lack of knowledge, collaboration, and stakeholder support related to college and career readiness. Based on the assessment data and your role as a school counselor, you immediately recognized the need for increased consultation with colleagues to promote equity in college access and career readiness for all students. Your principal enthusiastically agreed to give you 15 minutes to present during an upcoming faculty in-service. As a school counselor, you are excited to teach your colleagues about career development theory and models of P–12 comprehensive career development to promote the college and career going culture of your school!
Develop a PowerPoint presentation to disseminate essential college- and career-readiness information to your faculty colleagues. While planning your presentation, keep your audience in mind—your colleagues have been trained as educators rather than school counselors. It is important for your presentation to convey your mastery of the subject matter while presenting it in a way that would be easily understood by your colleagues who are not experts in the field.
Before beginning this assignment, review the rubric and resources to ensure that you address the following:
Comprehensive Career Development
What is college and career readiness?
What are current trends in college and career readiness?
Provide a brief overview of major theories of career development, including applicability of the theory to the grade level of the scenario you have chosen (that is, elementary, middle, or high) within the context of school counseling.
What is comprehensive career development and why is it needed?Briefly address the ASCA National Model, ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success, and NOSCA’s Eight Components of College and Career Readiness and Behaviors.
How would you describe the career development needs of students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels?Be brief and concise but provide enough information for faculty to understand the need for P–12 comprehensive career development.
You may also want to emphasize the developmental level of the students at your chosen school level.
What are the legal and ethical considerations specific to school counseling for college and career readiness?Be sure to address the impact from federal, state, and local legislature and government policies on college and career readiness.
For the state portion, focus on the state in which you intend to become credentialed upon completion of the program.
Roles and Services
What is the role of the school counselor in relation to college and career readiness?Note: Review the ASCA National Model, ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success, and NOSCA’s 8 Components of College and Career Readiness.
What is the role of the school counselor in consultation with postsecondary school personnel?
What are some practical strategies for faculty to promote college and career readiness for all students by engaging in efforts to increase promotion and graduation rates and to promote equity in student achievement and college access?
How do school counselors plan for and support transitions between schools (elementary, middle, and high school) and the postsecondary transition? Include suggestions for teachers to facilitate school and postsecondary transitions.
Remember to review the rubric criteria carefully before you begin the assignment.
Additional Requirements
Presentation format: 15–20 PowerPoint slides plus a title slide and a reference slide. Citations must be included on the PowerPoint slides and corresponding references included on a references slide.
Written communication: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly, professional, and consistent with the expectations for members of professional communities. Please ensure that your written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA format: Resources and citations should follow current APA style and formattingCollege and Career Readiness
From: Sam Alvarado, Superintendent
Hello,I’m so glad to hear that you’re going to be investigating to degree to which Sylvia Plath High School promotes college and career readiness for all students. Let me give you some insight into this school to help get you started.As you may know, Sylvia Plath High School serves students in the wealthiest neighborhood in Blooming Park, and most parents assume that their children are going to college after graduation. As is the case with many schools that serve wealthier neighborhoods, parents have a strong expectation that the curriculum and the school counseling staff should be orientated to helping their children prepare for admission into the best possible colleges. Because of this, Sylvia Plath has extensive offerings in Advanced Placement courses and other college preparatory coursework while also providing ongoing support for parents and students regarding the college application process.However, despite the resources and interventions already in place, the support is not comprehensive nor does it promote equity in college and career readiness for all students, and it is especially lacking in the area of career readiness. The other high schools in Blooming Park place more of an emphasis on vocational training and community-based programs, such as the new culinary arts program at Brooks High School that’s been very well-received. Fortunately, Plath realizes this is an area of need and is committed to improving based on survey results and feedback from former students who shared that they would have benefitted more from more college and career focused interventions and support than just feeling pressure to go to college.Another districtwide area for growth is the need for strategies to facilitate the postsecondary transition for all students, including students in special education. This is especially a problem at Plath, where some students in special education would be better served by vocational training, yet describe feeling pressured by family members to pursue college. Over the past decade, this district has focused our special education initiatives strongly in the area of inclusion, and there have been significant improvements overall. However, there is a significant need for improved support for students in special education specifically related to their college and career readiness.Fortunately, the principal of Plath High, Spencer Lee, is open to changes when it comes to college and career readiness. However, he tends to be a people pleaser so he may sometimes be too susceptible to the pressure from parents who want him to focus more on preparing students for college rather than on also promoting career readiness. It would be helpful for you to consider strategies to promote college and career readiness for all students by advocating for interventions that will promote equity in college access and career readiness. Helping Spencer understand how all students at Plath High will benefit will significantly increase your chances of being successful with your advocacy efforts.Another point that I’d like to emphasize is that, at all levels of instruction, teachers and counselors sometimes focus too exclusively on one group of students over rather than supporting all students. Depending on the educator, their focus may be on kids with special needs, gifted kids, students of color, or athletes, or girls or boys. Educators aren’t always aware of their biases and other times, they do not see the bias as problematic. As a result, I am hoping that you will help us develop and promote college and career readiness initiatives that are developmentally appropriate, comprehensive, P-12, and promote equity in college and career readiness for all students.I look forward to your recommendations.Warmly,SamInformation about Sylvia Plath High School
Sylvia Plath High School is a 9–12 school that currently serves 2,389 students. This modern facility is the newest building in the district and is located in the most affluent part of town. It has a reputation for being the “rich” high school in the socioeconomically-stratified suburb of Blooming Park. In the past few years, the school has been working hard to incorporate issues related to diversity throughout the curriculum.Demographics of Sylvia Plath High School
Student Count
Total Number of Students2,389
9th Grade619
10th Grade607
11th Grade589
12th Grade574
Race
African American16%
White/Caucasian58%
Hispanic/Latino12%
Asian12%
Native Am./Pac. Islander1%
Other1%
School Lunch
Eligible for free breakfast and lunch15%
Eligible for reduced price breakfast and lunch10%
Special Needs Services
Eligible for Special Needs services15%
Eligible for ELL services (LEP)8%
Teachers
Number of teachers163
Turnover rate4.2%
Teacher/student ratio14.6 to 1
Class size29
Results from recent College and Career Readiness Teacher Survey:1. How important do you feel it is to incorporate college readiness strategies into your curriculum?43%Very important
35%Important
13%Unsure
7%Unimportant
2%Very unimportant
2. How important do you feel it is to incorporate career readiness strategies into your curriculum?38%Very important
33%Important
14%Unsure
11%Unimportant
4%Very unimportant
3. How often do you incorporate college readiness strategies into your curriculum?25%Very often
28%Often
39%Not sure/Sometimes
6%Not often
2%Rarely or never
4. How often do you incorporate career readiness strategies into your curriculum?28%Very often
31%Often
18%Not sure/Sometimes
14%Not often
9%Rarely or never
5. How important do you feel college and career readiness strategies are for high school students with special needs?51%Very important
43%Important
5%Unsure
1%Unimportant
0%Very unimportant
6. How important do you feel college and career readiness strategies are for high school gifted students?59%Very important
35%Important
6%Unsure
0%Unimportant
0%Very unimportant
7. How important do you feel college and career readiness strategies are for middle school students of color?52%Very important
45%Important
3%Unsure
0%Unimportant
0%Very unimportant