Revised
The 9th grade career cluster finder survey proved to be a good activity for students as 96% of students were able to correctly identify with a career cluster at the conclusion of the lesson which was a 33% increase based on perception data taken prior to the lesson. Students were able to research careers that fell within a cluster area as well as gain knowledge about recommended courses, post-secondary education requirements, employment outlook and wages. We feel that this lesson is imperative for students in order to begin making more informed decisions regarding course selection and post-secondary planning.

We had 15 students who were not able to name a specific career cluster area but they were able to cite a specific career they had considered. We need to allow more time during the lesson for one-on-one discussion with those students who struggle and possibly even work with them independently to complete the activity. Some students would have probably benefited from one-on-one for reading/comprehension assistance or clarification of the questions posed. We can then further expand our lesson by bridging education and career. This would help students plan well for postsecondary studies so that they are able to correctly enroll into appropriate high school courses as well as work to meet admissions requirements for postsecondary programs.

Another improvement to this lesson would be to invite our Career Development Coordinator and Career Coach to assist in the classroom. They could prove to be a valuable resource in answering questions about career clusters, post-secondary programs of study at Alamance Community College and opportunities for students to further explore a cluster area (online resources, job shadowing, internships, etc). We will work to increase collaboration with these professionals in this classroom lesson for the 2017-2018 school year.

Improving our ACT scores this year was a school improvement goal for our school and carries a lot of weight as our school accountability model considers ACT scores. Naturally, our Principal is always working with us to creatively find ways to help students perform better not only for school accountability measures but also for personal student gains (IE: college acceptance). We incorporated ACT prep in junior English and math classes in hopes to help prepare our students for the state administration. 69% of students reported feeling prepared to take the ACT after the prep session compared to 39% during the pre-test.
Only 52% of students tested scored a 17 or higher on the ACT administration; so we still have a lot of work to do to better prepare our students. We will make recommendations to our leadership team to continue providing test preparation activities but we need to look at expanding our activities and starting them sooner. We will suggest a school-wide plan that incorporates test preparation across multiple content areas and that can be delivered by teachers and Counselors. We will also work to increase the frequency of these activities based on students’ feedback (86% felt they would benefit from more test preparation). Students realized after the prep session that they would benefit from additional support and we should be prepared to offer this assistance when we have an engaged audience who finds value in the information.

With a graduation rate of 84.3% we are pleased to report that 98% of 12th graders report having concrete plans to enroll, enlist or obtain employment following graduation. Only 2% of students were undecided or plan to take a gap year to explore their interests. We have a lot of work to do to increase our graduation rate to 90% and are already considering many interventions that might help address this goal. Senior conferences continue to be one of the highlights of year. Seniors report feeling more at ease with the college application process and post-secondary planning after conferences with their school counselor.

We need to look at creative ways to conference with every senior. We have discussed doing conferences via phone or google hangouts. Our goal next year will be to conference with 100% of the senior class to ensure that all students have the support and information needed for proper post-secondary planning. This year we utilized a google document to collect important information about seniors. Next year we plan to include a section on intended major/area of study beyond high school. We are doing this in order to reach out to students when specific scholarship, employment or enrichment opportunities become available during their senior year. We look forward to expanding and enhancing equitable services to all students.

Grade Level: 9

Lesson Topic: Career Cluster Finder Survey

Lesson was Presented in Which Class/Subject:

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M4; B-LS 5

Start/End: 9/2016 - 5/2017

Process Data (Number of students affected): 384 out of 421 students in English I Classes

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): 63% of 9th grade students could name a career cluster prior to completing the Career Cluster Finder Survey. Of the 384 students who completed the Career Cluster Finder, a total of 369 students were able to correctly name a career cluster via the post-test survey (96%)

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): 384 9th graders completed the Career Cluster Finder and added at least one Cluster to their favorites list. These students were also able to research careers that fall within that cluster area. They gained knowledge about recommended courses, post-secondary education requirements, employment outlook and wages.

Implications: For those 15 students who were not able to answer the question correctly, they did name a specific career. When given more time for one on one discussion they were able to recall the career cluster for the particular career they typed. Based on the number of students who were able to identify a career area, we can then further expand our lesson into bridging education and career. This would help students plan well for postsecondary studies so that they are able to correctly enroll into appropriate high school courses as well as work to meet admissions requirements for postsecondary programs.

Attachments

Grade Level: 11

Lesson Topic: ACT Prep Tips

Lesson was Presented in Which Class/Subject:

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M5, B-LS 4

Start/End: February 6, 2017 - February 10, 2017

Process Data (Number of students affected): Of the 394 total 11th grade students we met with 360 of them in English and Math classes.

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): 69% of students felt they were more prepared to take the ACT after the Test Prep Tips lesson compared to 39% at the start of the lesson. Also, after the lesson 86% of students reported they felt they would benefit from more test preparation compared to 78% before the lesson.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): 208 students out of the potential 394 11th graders achieved a composite score of an 17 or higher on the ACT taken in February 2017.

Implications: We would like to provide more test prep/test skills opportunities to our 11th grade students to help them feel more prepared for standardized tests. Looking at our school testing data as a whole we could also provide testing tips to other grade levels as well. This something we could possibly provide to teachers to incorporate into their teaching curriculum. If students feel more confident in their testing ability we could have better attendance on test days. We want to empower students to take control over their education choices and sometimes testing is a large part of that goal.

Attachments

Grade Level: 12

Lesson Topic: Senior Conferences

Lesson was Presented in Which Class/Subject:

ASCA Domain, Mindsets & Behaviors Standard(s): M 4, M 5, B-LS 7, B-SS 3, B-SMS 8,B-SMS 10

Start/End: 8/2016 - 6/2017

Process Data (Number of students affected): Of the 322 Seniors, we held conference with 293 of them at least one time during their senior year. 29 students did not attend a conference due to attendance reasons, withdrawal, Virtual Learning Academy or Dual Enrollment Courses.

Perception Data (Surveys or assessments used): 78% of seniors were able to give a detailed plan regarding their plans after graduation during their initial senior conference.

92% of seniors who completed the Senior Survey reported that their school counselor was very helpful, somewhat helpful or helpful in helping them plan what they would do after high school.

Outcome Data (Achievement, attendance, and/or behavior data): Of the 322 Seniors, 84.3% graduated in June 2017. This is an increase from 82.4% in the 2015-2016 school year. 98% of seniors report having concrete plans to enroll, enlist or obtain employment following graduation. 2% of students were undecided or plan to take a gap year to explore their interests.

Implications: In an effort to reach our school and department goal for our graduation rate to reach 90%, we have lots of work to do to increase the percentage of students who are completing all graduation requirements. Ongoing incentive programs should be explored as well as support initiatives for students who are off cohort. We do a lot of work with our Tweeners but perhaps we need to look at earlier targeted intervention in an effort to get students back in their cohort prior to senior year. Possibly as early as 9th grade (as mentioned above). For the 29 students who did not participate in a senior conference, we need to look at creative ways we can reach them. We can offer phone conferencing for these students or offer to meet with them via a google hangout. Ultimately these students are still our responsibility so we need to make every effort to extend equitable services to all students regardless of the route they are taking to complete their graduation requirements.

Attachments