The first component is the foundation which focuses on student outcomes, counselors “guide the development of effective school counseling programs around three domains, academic, career and personal/social development” (American School Counselor Association, 2012).
The management component, the second component states that assessment tools could evaluate improvement for not only individual skills, but program activities (American …show more content…
During this time of self-exploration, the students will gain a sense of self by exploring their strengths and interests. Hillside Middle School is one of three middle schools located in Simi Valley California.
During the 2017 school year, Hillside Middle School had 932 students in grades 6 through 8. The sixth-grade class consisted of 170 students, seventh grade the largest at 419 students and 343 in eighth grade (School Accountability Report Card, 2016). Each of the three middle schools requires their eighth graders student to participate in Portfolio Day as a promotion requirement. It combines “basic standards from each discipline, along with demonstrating technology proficiency, career exploration, and planning for future choices. Students complete a total of 8 parts, one in each of their classes Advisory, Science, History, Math, English, Elective and PE” (Hillside, …show more content…
The students showed a high level of interest in the assessments and their individual results. Rather than have the eighth-grade students begin their immersion into their career and college exploration I believe students should continue the journey they began in sixth grade when they took the Career interest profile.
It would be beneficial to enhance the program by providing the students with monthly activities during Advisory that build on their strengths, interests and by giving them further opportunities for self-exploration throughout their three years in middle school. The accumulation of their career and college self-discovery would be their eighth-grade Portfolio Presentations. Activities geared for middle school students such as “Who are you?” “Dream it Plan it Do it” and “Career skills”