Transforming The School Counseling Profession CHAPTER 11: Academic Development and Planning for College and Career Readiness K-12 Transforming The School Counseling Profession Fourth Edition Bradley T. Erford

Academic and Career Planning in the Modern Era Assist students to reach their academic, career, and college dreams beginning in kindergarten School counseling programs focused on K-12 academic development skills, experiences, and rigorous coursework that lead to career and college opportunity, access, and readiness for every student

Who Are the Under-served? Poor and working class students of all races, especially young men of color Students with emotional, physical, developmental, and learning disabilities, LGBT students First-generation Americans, immigrants, and undocumented students Boys Students from non-dominant family types

Concerns for the Under-served Not all students are achieving consistent academic success that leads to well-paying careers and college access Higher high-school and college drop-out rates Lower high-school and college graduation rates Unemployment, underemployment, incarceration, and lack of post-secondary education

How to Help Transformed school counselors need to create programs based on this data Begin working earlier to turn around achievement and opportunity gaps Planning, SCCC lessons, and academic development activities can help reach as many students as possible Engage all students, not only those who seek out help

Key Organizations and Frameworks ASCA and the ASCA National Model, the ASCA Student Standards, and the ASCA ethical code The Education Trust, the Transforming School Counseling (TSC) Initiative and TACKLE National Center for Transforming School Counseling (NCTSC) Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation (CSCORE)

Key Organizations and Frameworks National Office for School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) Association for Counselor Education & Supervision (ACES) and the Transforming School Counseling College Access Interest Network (TSCCAIN) ACHIEVE and the ACHIEVE brief on School Counselors’ role in implementing Common Core State Standards National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the Fundamentals of College Admission Counseling

Key Assessment and Learning Tools Advanced Placement (AP) courses ACT, Aspire, Explore, and Plan assessments Career Technical Education (CTE) Fairtest International Baccalaureate (IB) College Board Student Success Skills

College and Career Readiness Terms College access: skills for college enrollment and matriculation that lead to successful graduation with a degree College-ready: a high school graduate having reading, writing, and math knowledge and skills to qualify for and succeed in college courses Career-ready: ready to enter and advance in a job or succeed in training for a good job

Types of Data Student Outcome Data: needs to be disaggregated to notice trends School Counseling Program Data: track and monitor work in the domains of the ASCA National Model School-specific Data: from stakeholders through needs assessments and outcome evaluations

Equity in Academic Outcomes Equality vs Equity Equality means treating all students the same, and equal treatment is certainly not enough to ensure all students are career and college ready Equity means that some students may need many more resources to level an uneven playing field

Equity in Academic Outcomes 1. Ensure every student has access to rigorous courses 2. Ensure every student has an annual plan 3. Ensure every student has access to competencies 4. Focus 80% of PSC time on direct services 5. Disaggregate data to ensure all groups receive equitable access

Equity in Academic Outcomes 6. Collect data about college admission, graduation, and career info 7. Collect data on college costs for students by cultural group, including college debt 8. Ensure students have access to career/technology education options

Leading and Advocating for System Change Two primary interventions: delivering school counseling core curriculum lessons and annual planning for every students Become advocates for academic rigor and college admission Ensure the best teachers are teaching all levels of students

What is…? Academic Planning and Development Annual academic plans to ensure rigorous course planning Link academics with real-world relevancy to keep students engaged

What is…? K-12 Academic Planning ASCA academic student standards must be developmentally appropriate and executed systemically and sequentially beginning in Kindergarten Commitment to ensure students are given equal access to an academically rigorous curriculum

What is…? Roles and Responsibilities in Academic Planning and Development Study skill and executive functioning development via various interventions Annual academic planning sessions should include importance of academic rigor and commitment to high expectations for all students Advocate for social and human capital

What is…? Effective Collaboration Connect academic standards to necessary career/college competencies for teachers Implement parent workshops on needed topics Use data to show necessity and effectiveness of interventions

What is…? Critical Intervention Focus skill development on Content knowledge of specific subject area “Core academic skills” such as critical thinking, analysis, and writing Executive functioning skills such as self-regulation, time management and problem-solving “College knowledge” such as an understanding of college application process, financial aid, and admissions

Summary/Conclusion Regular and systematic planning will help ensure students are career and college ready Key frameworks lay the foundations for meaningful counseling interventions Collecting and analyzing disaggregated data will help give a clearer understanding of successes