Foundation

=FOUNDATION=

Beliefs & Philosophy
The counselors of Central York High School: - Believe that all students possess intrinsic worth as unique individuals and are capable of personal growth and academic achievement, given appropriate support. - Recognize the importance of supporting the positive growth of the individual in the areas of academic achievement, personal/social issues, and career planning. - Believe that students have individual, unique learning styles and should be provided appropriate learning opportunities presented in a manner that meets their needs. - Believe in promoting a respect for human dignity and fostering that concept among students, staff and parents within our educational community. - Believe that students will reach their greatest potential when provided with support from a collaborative team that includes parents/guardians, teachers, counselors, administrators, other school personnel and appropriate community members. - Believe that all students have an equal right to our comprehensive school counseling program, regardless of racial, ethnic, cultural, gender, sexual differences or special needs. - Believe that diversity is to be respected and appreciated as we foster unity among our students, faculty, staff and community. - Adhere to ethical standards as advocated by the American School Counselor Association and regularly participate in professional development activities.

Central York High School Guidance Counseling Department Mission Statement
Our mission is to support a safe and mutually respectful environment that facilitates each student’s personal/social, academic and career development through the counselors’ delivery of guidance and counseling activities as well as through a collaborative effort between the home, school and community. The school counselor’s role is to foster personal responsibility in students as they work toward becoming successful 21st century citizens.

Central York School District Mission Statement
THE CENTRAL YORK SCHOOL DISTRICT IS COMMITTED TO PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH WHICH ALL STUDENTS STRIVE TO ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.

ASCA National Standards
[|ASCA Model - Crosswalk.docx]

1. Skillstreaming the Adolescent: New Strategies and Perspectives for Teaching Prosocial Skills
//By Dr. Arnold P. Goldstein and Dr. Ellen McGinnis with Dr. Robert P. Sprafkin, Dr. N. Jane Gershaw, and Paul Klein Cost of Book, Student Manual, Skill Cards, and Program Forms Booklet: $75.40//

This program seeks to build the social skills of students who have exhibited problem behaviors, including 50 skills lessons covering basic social skills, handling emotions, anger management, stress management and decision making

__Academic Domain__ - Not applicable

__Career Domain__ - Not applicable

__Personal/Social Domain__ - This program appears to meet each competency of the ASCA National Standards in the Personal/Social Domain, especially A1.3, A1.5, A2.8, B1.1, B1.3, B1.4, B1.6, B1.9, B1.12, C1.3, C1.10.


 * Strengths of the Program** - This curriculum appears to address key skills thoroughly.


 * Weaknesses of the Program** - Although this program may have some applicability to large group guidance, it is designed to be used with small groups of students (ideally, 6-8 students) over a several week period. It does not address all of the personal/social competencies and it does not address any of the career or academic competencies in the ASCA National Model. Finally, this program is deficit-based, rather than following what appears to be the current trend toward strengths-based school counseling. Research that could be found suggested moderate gains are made by students who participate in Skillstreaming programs, although specific outcome research could not be found.

2. The Passport Program: A Journey Through Emotional, Social, Cognitive and Self-Development
//By Ann Vernon// //$39.95 – 288 page softcover book//

This is a prevention curriculum for grades K – 12 and it is divided into three books. We would select the book for grades 9 – 12. The curriculum is designed to teach strategies of what is normal for each of the age groups and let them know what the challenges would be and how they could effectively handle those challenges to build healthy realationships, solve problems and make effective decisions.. It is a self-contained curriculum which integrates learning activities for use in large or small group settings or even in individual counseling settings. The program is grounded in developmental theory and the principles of Rational Emotive Behavioral Theory.

__Academic Domain__ - This program would address competencies A1, A2 & A3 and possibly some of the competencies in B1 & B2 in the Academic Domain.

__Career Domain__ - Not applicable

__Personal/Social Domain__ - This program would address most of the standards under competencies A1, A2, and B1 of the Personal/Social Domain.

Additionally this program can be can be used in a variety of settings and seems very flexible. The research indicates that it is an effective curriculum for use across the grade levels and it is easy to use. It also targets a large number of the competencies which is helpful. Training sessions and workshops are also available for your school, facility or organization and can be arranged by contacting the author directly.
 * Strengths of Program** - The strengths of this program are that it is relatively inexpensive and there are activities for each grade level. Each grade level is divided into the four developmental categories of Self-Development, Emotional Development, Social Development and Cognitive Development and under each category for each level there are four activities to address that issue.


 * Weaknesses of Program** - It does not have a word-for-word script to work with the students, but I do not see that as a significant weakness.

3. Student Success Skills Curriculum
"Five 45 minute classroom lessons introduce students to the SSS strategies they can use all year to better master the regular curriculum and develop healthy habits, caring relationships and encouraging classroom communities. Award winning research makes this highly engaging program essential. A booster lesson that can be repeated is included." (www.Skillsfor success.com) __Academic Domain__ - Designed for grades 4- 12. Outcomes are to improve academic success and social skills. This program would address the competencies A1, A2, A3, B1 and B2 of the Academic Domain.

__Career Domain__- Not Applicable

__Personal/Social Domain__ - While this program mainly addresses competencies within the Academic Domain, it also addresses many of the competencies within B1 of the Personal/Social Domain.


 * Strengths of the Program** - Consistent Research showed improved Academic and Social outcomes. Supports ASCA Model, Research studies showed better overall grades and increase in standardized test scores. Studies specifically looking at African American and Latino students showed that the SSS Program helped to close the achievement gap to their white counter parts. Only five classroom plans. Offers a second tier of an additional eight lessons for students who need additional assistance. Research also showed increased self motivation and self sufficiency among student participants.


 * Weaknesses of the Program** - Research selected students in grade 5, 6, 8, and 9 only. No research found on higher-level grades.