Away from Random Acts of Guidance Toward a Standards-Based System That Benefits All OR How the MA Model is Like a Good Lasagna!

The Essential Ingredients of a Lasagna are: Noodles Sauce Meat/veggies Cheese

Leave an ingredient out… have too much..or too little… … it’s not lasagna!

The essential ingredients of the Massachusetts Model Foundation Delivery Management Accountability

What is true for lasagna is true for the MA Model … …leave one element out … have too little or too much, and it’s NOT the MA Model.

An Analogy The MA Model is to Lasagna…

…as the MA Model’s Foundation is to Noodles Without noodles, you may have goulash or stew but not lasagna! Just as noodles provide a lasagna’s structure, the vision, mission, CDE benchmarks and standards provide the MA Model’s.

We interrupt for an important career development message Optimal career development is the underlying goal of all of the Model’s student learning standards (i.e., the CDE benchmarks) but defining career* as: The sequence of occupations and other life roles…that combine to express one’s commitment to work. (Career in the MA Model isn’t a synonym for occupation.)

…as the Program Delivery is to the Cheese Blend The ricotta, parmesan, mozzarella, (held together w/egg) gives the lasagna its substance! Just as the curriculum, services, planning, and support (i.e., the egg) does to implementing the MA Model.

…as the Management System is to the Sauce A good sauce, comprised of several key ingredients, takes time to develop. So too does the MA Model’s management system (where data analysis is the crushed tomatoes.)

…as Accountability is to the Meat/Veggies Whether it’s meat or vegetables, a good lasagna calls for something solid. So too with the MA Model. When asked, “Where’s the beef?” It will be documented as student outcome data.

…as the 4 philosophical components framing the entire Model is to the oven =

A VERY, VERY IMPORTANT POINT! Just as the cook cannot assemble all of the essential ingredients of a lasagna quickly or simultaneously, neither can counselors with elements of the MA Model.

Begin with the Foundation (Noodles) 1.Foundation elements must be in place.  Do you support the MA Model vision? Do your colleagues? Will the school?  How about the MA Model mission and goals?  The CDE benchmarks? Have you reviewed and discussed them?  Are the professional standards “right?” fair, realistic?

Delivery (Cheeses) 2.Delivery elements must be in place in right proportions.  While the amount of curriculum & response service (the ricotta and the mozzarella) will vary, are both well in place?  Is individual planning (the “parm”) merely sprinkled on at the end? (Like a quality lasagna, liberal amounts must be used and blended with the other cheeses.)  Is system support comprehensive and in place? (It cannot be omitted; it is the egg that holds it together!)

Management (Sauce) 3.Written agreements/process for successful implementation must be established.  Is there strategic time management and a process for documentation?  Is there a written agreement with administration to support the MA Model with release time, clerical support, etc.?  Is PD well planned and continuous? Does it support development of leadership and technical skills?  Are you prepared (willing?) to be evaluated against the MA Model standards?

Accountability (Meat and/or Veggies) 4.Until school counselors can demonstrate results (the beef!), they risk being viewed as ancillary.  Do you have access to the right data?  Do you have skills to collect and analyze them?  Are you willing to document and learn from the results?

Overwhelmed? Okay, that’s an appropriate response! But there is good news; we are working on a recipe! The MA Model Implementation Guide has been piloted (6 sites in 06). The draft of the first guide should be in draft form soon!

Think of one student for whom you have made a true difference. Take a moment to savor that knowledge and the good feeling it brings you.

Now think of all the students you have not been able to help. The ones who are not referred by teachers, the ones without parents who advocate for them. The ones afraid or unwilling to ask for help. How can you make a difference for them?

In every school, let’s make a great lasagna, one laborious step at a time! By adopting and implementing the Massachusetts Model!