The SHS's strong, comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling Program is the key to the success of these initiatives. In order to achieve their goal to prepare all students for the choices and challenges of the 21st century, the SHS Career Guidance and Counseling Program has successfully moved from the traditional "available upon demand" model to a competency-based model. Through the latter model, the desired competencies for graduating students are identified and matched with programs and activities implemented through the Career Guidance and Counseling Program. Counseling personnel collaborate with the administration and faculty to plan and implement the program. Linda Auman, who serves as both guidance coordinator and vocational coordinator, provides leadership for SPS's comprehensive Career Guidance and Counseling Program. Ms. Auman and the four credentialed school counselors who make up the guidance staff have established a model program. Indeed, both the Vocational Program and Career Guidance and Counseling Program are recognized as exemplary programs in Arkansas. Career guidance professionals and educators come often to observe this unique Career Guidance and Counseling Program in action.
SHS school counselors and personnel face the challenge of responding to the needs of a diverse student population. Springdale, Arkansas, is located in a rural area with a very low unemployment rate (3%). While there is an abundance of jobs, many are entry-level and/or low paying. The majority of these jobs are in the poultry industry. A large segment of the SHS student population are from rural, economically disadvantaged families. Many are children of migrant farm workers and have limited English proficiency. Too often, their parents do not have the information or skills to help them make informed career, occupational, or educational decisions.
The following is an overview of the students' Career Guidance and Counseling Program by grade:
Eighth Grade - Springdale students receive intensive career guidance beginning in the 8th grade, when they take a one-semester course called Career Orientation (CO). During the course, their learning styles, career interests, and aptitudes are assessed. Information gathered from these assessments is used during the initial CAP conferences, and reviewed and updated in succeeding CAP conferences in grades 9-12. During the CO classes, 8th graders begin building their career portfolio, which includes scores on standardized tests, learning styles, career interests, as well as previous grades. At this stage, students get a better grasp of their career aspirations by understanding and analyzing their individual strengths and weaknesses. The first CAP conference takes place during spring of the 8th-grade year when parents, the student, and a trained teacher advisor review career plans and programs of study.
Ninth Grade - In the 9th grade, students participate in guidance activities that stress teamwork, use of leisure time, and conflict resolution. The Economic Education Program--the district's K-12 career education program which emphasizes K-7 career exploration--gives students the opportunity for job shadowing that increases their understanding of the relationship between work and learning. The second annual student/parent/advisor CAP conference takes place in the spring. Goals for the upcoming year are also set during this meeting.
Tenth Grade - When students come to the high school campus in the 10th grade, they are assigned peer helpers who--under the guidance of the high school counselors--help facilitate their transition from junior high to high school. Students are also assigned their CAP teacher/advisor who meets with them each month for career review and planning. Teacher advisors use curriculum units (video and worksheets) designed by area counselors to provide accurate planning information. Students begin choosing a major and developing a program of study, which includes the selection of courses for grades 11 to 16. The Choices computerized interest inventory, with follow-up and education information, is administered to all 10th graders. The information is used during the annual parent/student CAP conference in formalizing a program of study and sequence of classes.
Eleventh Grade - Juniors continue to meet monthly with teacher advisors where they are given career planning information. They are given opportunities for work-based learning, community service, and job shadowing. The ASSET by ACT, a college placement test used by community colleges and technical institutes, is administered to all juniors in the spring. Those who show deficiencies which require remedial courses in college are encouraged to take an acceleration course during their senior years. Students may then retake the ASSET and use the improved score for placement. Business representatives and counselors collaborate in developing a school-to-work conference where students attend a general session and then choose break-out sessions led by teams of teachers and business partners. Juniors also have the option to take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB). During the annual CAP conference, students and parents work with a teacher/advisor to plan the senior year and the transition from school to work or more education.
Twelfth Grade - Seniors also meet with their teacher advisors monthly to update career portfolios. Community service is encouraged by giving elective credit options. In addition, students learn the importance of volunteerism in the community. Students use sophisticated software in the Media Center and the Career Center to explore career opportunities and colleges. Representatives from the military, postsecondary institutions, and the community are available to meet with seniors in the Career Center on a regular basis. Students are given maximum assistance in applying for work, college, financial aid, and scholarships. The College View program located in the Career Center allows students to electronically apply to many colleges and universities. An annual event that juniors and seniors look forward to attending is the College Fair at SHS where they meet admission personnel from the military and over 60 colleges. Additionally, they learn of job opportunities in Northwest Arkansas by participating in the Career Fair hosted by the Chamber of Commerce.
Grade Improvement Program - All sophomore SHS students who are at-risk of failing (those with multiple Ds and Fs) take part in the grade improvement program (GIP). Through the GIP, students participate in workshops focusing on goal setting, study skills, assertiveness, time management, self-advocacy, and school survival. The GIP is conducted by school counselors who meet weekly with students in groups of six to eight to teach them study skills and provide them with the needed support for behavior change. The program is an excellent means of providing group counseling as 150 to 200 students meet weekly with counselors in small group settings.
Career Center - SHS students frequently take advantage of the Career Center housed in the SHS Career Guidance and Counseling Department. This state-of-the art facility, which is open to students and parents any time of the day, contains the most current technology in educational and occupational exploration. Counselors and trained student aides are on hand to help students and/or parents maximize the information available at the Career Center. At the beginning of each year, students receive orientation on the wide range of information and technology available in the Career Center. In addition, teachers often bring classes to the Career Center to conduct career research.
In January 1995, Auman and career counselor Jan Struehing began co-teaching a one-semester class entitled "Educators in Industry." Twenty district teachers receive staff development credits for the class which meets weekly. Local business or industry representatives help make education more relevant to the workplace by meeting with the class participants each week.
Parental support is essential in making a student's program of study relevant to his or her career goals. Parents participate in each step of their son's or daughter's career planning and attend CAP conferences each spring. This program has completed its third year with extremely positive feedback from parents. It is clear that parents who would have otherwise opted to be uninvolved participate in these annual career conferences.
The Career Guidance and Counseling Program is housed in an impressive facility that includes a large reception area, a full-time registrar's office, five large counselor offices, a centrally located Career Center, a classroom that seats 40, a room for small group activities, a large conference room, and men's and women's restrooms. The Career Center is equipped with the latest technology, including 12 computers, e-mail capability, and a sophisticated phone system.
The involvement of SHS in the High Schools That Work initiative has helped administrators of Springdale Public Schools to realize the importance of an effective Career Guidance and Counseling Program. To strengthen the different components of the Career Guidance and Counseling Program at SHS, professional development activities have been planned. Counselors regularly attend various workshops to improve their skills on career counseling, group counseling, individual counseling, and assessment. Counselors have initiated model programs for student improvement, including the GIP and Renaissance Program. As a result, student performance has improved significantly. Other student-oriented programs initiated by this innovative team of counselors include Peer Helpers, Elementary Tutors, and opportunities for students to receive school credit for community service. Additionally, school counselors assist students in the school's Learning Center/Night School, an alternative education program designed to prevent and reclaim dropouts of all ages.
Part of the re-education of school personnel at SHS is a team effort to change the traditional role that counselors play. In return, the Career Guidance and Counseling staff have made themselves available to school staff by conducting the following inservice activities:
The commitment of key players (i.e., counselors, teachers, parents, administration, business and industry, and students) to improve the Career Guidance and Counseling Program at SHS accounts for the success of the program in (1) exposing students and parents to different educational and occupational opportunities, (2) responding to the counseling needs of a diverse group of students, and (3) assisting students to successfully transition from school to work and/or postsecondary education. Action-oriented as they are, the SHS personnel continue to make things happen for their high school students.