Guidance Program Review

2010 Update

_________________________________

Board of Education Meeting

February 2010

Committee Members

Administrators Counselors

Kitty Klein

Nanine Cuttitta

Peter Osroff

Catherine Wheeler

Tim Casale

Patrick Doyle

Michele Ingoglia

Jeannie Kennedy

Natasha Khan

Jim Malone

Joanne Meyer-Jendras

Vincent Tumminello

Robyn Weiner

Presentation Overview

• Counseling goals and recommendations (from the

previous Guidance Program Review)

• Professional Growth

• Future Goals and Recommendations

• Questions and Answers

Create a guidance philosophy statement

Develop middle and high school programs that allow for more

student interaction

Continue to collaborate with

the special education

department to ensure effective

student transitionsHelp students prepare for college

and encourage applications to

colleges beyond the traditional favorites

Survey high school coaches to assess

their awareness of NCAA guidelines

Communicate with parents

through e-mails, mailings, and face-to-face

contactsCounseling goals and

recommendations from the previous Guidance

Program Review

Guidance Philosophy Statement

The Garden City Guidance Department's mission is to promote

each student's academic, social, and emotional development, while

assisting the student with post-secondary planning.

Our focus is to create a collaborative environment with

students, educators and parents by helping students develop the

independence necessary to make sound decisions and positive life

choices.

Inherent in this philosophy is our recognition of the value and

uniqueness of every student.

Programs to Enhance Student Interactions

(Middle School)

Counselors conduct one-on-one meetings throughout the year with students (at

least once a year)

Increased visibility in classroom and group settings. Examples include homebase and

lunch room visits (grades 6-8), English language arts classes (grade 6), home and

careers classes (grade 7)

Counselors articulate seamless transitions in various grade levels with additional

emphasis on the fifth into sixth grade and eighth into ninth grade transition process

-Fifth grade buddy visits are conducted to provide students with the opportunity

to experience sixth grade

-Eighth grade counselor conducts welcome assemblies at both elementary schools

Character education programs (Anti-Bullying Club, Making Good Life Choices)

Programs to Enhance Student Interactions

(High School)

Summer curriculum projects were completed to increase student interactions

in the classroom setting (Freshmen Feud, Sophomore Savvy, Junior Journey, and

Senior Senioritis)

Character education programs (Challenge Day, Rachel’s Challenge, Mix-It-

Up-At-Lunch, Relational Aggression/Mean Girls, Teaching Tolerance, visits to the

primary and elementary schools - Respect, Bullying, and Cooperation Program,

No Excuses, Ten Seconds Can Change Your Life, Making Good Life Choices)

Coaching (baseball, golf), club and advisor positions (Key Club,

Interact Club, Talent Show, National Disaster Relief Awareness, Students

Helping Students, Director of Theatre Productions)

Chaperone trips, school-wide events, and attend school and community

activities (Girl Scouts, the Mineola-Garden City Rotary, Garden City Kiwanis,

Make-a-Wish Foundation)

Effective Student Transitions

Middle and high school counselors meet with curriculum coordinators and

building administrators to share programming, curriculum and scheduling updates

Middle school counselors articulate with high school counselors to familiarize

themselves with the individual needs of students

Ongoing communication occurs with curriculum coordinators and teaching staff

to ensure student placement is appropriate and rigorous. Topics include:

graduation requirements and ongoing changes with state regulations, SAT subject

tests, interpreting College Board data, AP Potential, AP Auditing procedures,

Student Achievement Report, transfer students and course level placements.

Transition in all grade levels has been emphasized. Programs include the 9th

grade summer orientation, grade level assemblies, on-going individual and group

meetings, fifth grade parent night, eighth grade parent night, bridge days,

progress report and report card monitoring.

Effective Student Transitions

Special Education

Partnerships developed with Pupil Personnel Services, building administration,

and guidance. Programs provided for staff include IEP training, vertical

articulation shadowing days, and site visitations at BOCES vocational programs.

Joint department and staff development meetings with guidance and special

education are held three to four times a year. Topics include State Performance

Plan - transition services– Indicator #13, Exit Summaries, Level I Assessments,

Guardianship/Aging out process, Vocational and Educational Services for

Individuals with Disabilities, Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental

Disabilities, and procedures for filing the Services for Students with Disabilities

(SSD) forms

Middle and high school counselors attend CSE’s, 504’s, and annual reviews

(including fifth into sixth and eighth into ninth)

Effective Student Transitions

Special Education

In collaboration with the PPS Department, counselors participated in several staff

development workshops. Topics included:

-Transitioning Students with Disabilities to College

- Transitioning Students with Disabilities from High School to College

-Transition Planning for Youth with Disabilities

- Autism Spectrum Disorders

-Vocational Independence Program for Learning Disabled Students

- Aspergers and Autism – Overcoming Obstacles

Help Students Prepare for College

Individual and group meetings are conducted with students a minimum of five

times a year

Counselors push into twelfth grade English classes to provide an overview of the

college application process and review necessary forms to be completed

Grade level student and parent meetings are conducted each year (beginning in

grade 9)

Booklets are distributed

*How to Get Good Grades in College

*How to Get Money for College

*Preparing for College – A Guide for Parents

*An Instruction Booklet for College Bound Students

*Post-Secondary Planning Guide

Alumni Day and “Making It Count” help students gain a better understanding of

the college experience

Help Students Prepare for College

Provide mock college and job interviews, as well as assist in resume building

Establish relationships with college representatives, as well as create additional

lines of communication (to advocate for students when needed)

Host 150 college representatives in individual and mini colleges day visits to

increase interaction with college representation

Increase opportunities for student applications outside the traditional Garden

City favorites. Since 2007 counselors visited over 130 colleges and participated

in regional information sessions to broaden student interests (see Appendix A).

Introduce study abroad opportunities in Canada, New Zealand and Australia to

students

Help Students Prepare for College

An in-house college guide was created for counselors to serve as a

resource when comparing college data

Eighty college and university representatives participated in “College

Night”; approximately 1000 students and parents were in attendance

Counselors were invited to participate in the Bucknell University

Reading Application Program and the Hofstra University Advisory

Committee

Through the use of technology, students have the ability to conduct

college searches and communicate with counselors and college

representatives

Help Students Prepare for College

Technology

As part of our comprehensive program, Garden City’s Guidance

Department runs efficiently with the use of technology:

∙ Counseling website (information center and calendar dates)

∙ Schooltool (student data management system/scheduling portal/use

of e-mail to communicate with parents)

∙ IEP Direct (special education students)

∙ Guidance Direct (career component and counseling network)

∙ Naviance (college and scholarship search program)

∙ College Board/ACT(college search and SAT/ACT registration)

∙ Microsoft Outlook(emails and managing counselor calendars)

NCAA Awareness

In consultation with the athletic director, high school coaches were surveyed

regarding their understanding of the National Collegiate Athletic Association

(NCAA) eligibility rules and core requirements for each Division (I,II, and III)

Currently, there are 331 Division I schools, 291 Division II schools, and 429

Division III schools

Athletic Recruiting and Scholarship seminar was provided to coaches, counselors,

and parents

Round table discussions are held with counselors to conduct case studies

pertaining to student transcripts and assessing NCAA clearance

The Athletic Handbook was revised to include updates regarding student

eligibility and amateur clearance

Parent Communication

Eighth grade parents are formally invited to participate in one of fifteen small

group meetings; high school parents are invited twice a year to meet with

their child’s counselor

Communicate with parents through the use of emails, dissemination of grade

level packets, middle school newsletter information (guidance highlights), high

school Parent Volunteer Corps mailings (course description guide,

scholarship newsletters, etc)

Counselors meet with parents (as necessary) to review student progress

and/or social emotional concerns

The middle school activities booklet was devised and distributed to each

student and parent in grades 6-8

Counselors attend PTA and SEPTA meetings to provide department updates

Professional Growth

Counselors participated in several staff development workshops. Topics

included: North Shore Child and Family Guidance, Long Island Crisis Center,

Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Teenage Safety, Social Emotional Learning,

Medications and Side Effects, and Adolescent Girls – Stresses and Strengths.

Counselors participated on various committees including Advanced

Placement/International Baccalaureate Committee (AP/IB), Attendance

Committee (Ad-hoc), Annual Professional Performance Review Committee

(APPR), Academic Intervention Services Committee(AIS), Site-Based

Committee, Student Review Teams (SRT), Child Study Teams (CST),

Instructional Support Teams (IST), Athletic Eligibility Committees Interview

Committee, Safety Team Committee, Interview Committee, and School as a

Caring Community Committee

Counselors are affiliated with various professional groups at the county, local,

state, and national levels (see Appendix B)

Future Goals and Recommendations

∙ Revise the 6-12 District’s Guidance Plan

∙ Develop a 6-12 Guidance DVD

∙ Devise a Special Education Post-Secondary Planning Guide (9-12)

∙ File Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) forms on-line (9-12)

∙ Submit transcripts, mid-year reports, and letters of recommendation

through e-docs (electronic imaging)

∙ Introduce On-site College Applications

Questions & Answers

College VisitsAppendix A

• Adelphi University

• Albright College

• American University

• Barry University

• Boston College

• Boston University

• Brown University

• California at Berkeley, University of

• California College of the Arts

• Cedar Crest College

• North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of

• Claremont McKenna College

• Coastal Carolina University

• College of Charleston

• Connecticut, University of

• Cornell University

• Davidson College

• De Sales University

• Dickinson College

• Duke University

• East Carolina University

• Elon University

• Fairfield University

• Fairleigh Dickinson University

• Florida Atlantic University

• Fordham University

• Goucher College

• Harvard University

• Harvey Mudd College

• Hobart College

• Hofstra University

• Hood College

• Iona College

College VisitsAppendix A - continued

• Ithaca College

• Johnson & Wales University

• Johns Hopkins University

• Juniata College

• Lafayette College

• Lebanon Valley College

• Le Moyne College

• Long Island University/C.W. Post

• California State University, Los Angeles

• Loyola University

• Loyola Marymount University

• Lynn University

• Manhattan College

• Manhattanville College

• Maryland at College Park, University of

• Maryland Institute College of Art

• McDaniel College

• Miami, University of

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Moravian College

• Mount Saint Mary College

• Muhlenberg College

• Nassau Community College

• New England Conservatory of Music

• North Carolina State University

• Northeastern University

• Notre Dame, University of

• Occidental College

• Pitzer College

• Pomona College

College VisitsAppendix A - continued

• Providence College

• Quinnipiac University

• Rochester, University of

• Rollins College

• Sacred Heart University

• Saint John’s College

• Saint John’s University

• Saint Joseph’s College

• Saint Thomas Aquinas

• California at San Diego, University of

• San Francisco Art Institute

• California at Santa Barbara, University of

• Sarah Lawrence College

• School of Visual Arts

• Scripps College

• South Carolina, University of• Southern California, University of• Stanford University• State University of New York (SUNY)

-Binghamton-Cortland-Farmingdale-Geneseo-Purchase

• Syracuse University• Tampa, University of• Trinity College• University of the Arts• Villa Julie College• Wake Forest University• Washington College• Wesleyan University• Wilmington College

AffiliationsAppendix B

Nassau Counselors Association (NCA)

Nassau Directors of Guidance (DOG)

Northwest College Consortium for Directors of Guidance

Western Suffolk Counselors Association (WSCA)

Long Island Regional Advisory Council for Higher Education (LIRACHE)

Long Island College Admission Counselors (LICAC)

New York State School Counselors Association (NYSSCA)

New York State Association for College Admission Counseling (NYSACAC)

National Association for College Admission Counselors (NACAC)

American Counselors Association (ACA)