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School and Community Profile Sara McManus Seattle University Counseling 555 October 15, 2012

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I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII.

Demographic Information Data Analysis School Counseling Program Strategic Elements Key Relationships Being Visible Community Mapping Conclusion

p. 3 p. 6 p. 12 p. 15 p. 18 p. 21 p. 24 p. 27

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School and Community Profile I. Demographic Information Table 1. Students and Staff Racial Demographics 2012-13 Race Asian Black Latino Native American Pacific Islander White Two or More Races Students 204 88 149 8 209 768 135 Percent 15% 6.5% 11% .6% 15.4% 56.6% 9.9% Staff 4 2 1 1 0 123 0 Percent 3% 1.4% .7% .7% 0% 94% 0%

Table 2. Student Demographics 2012-13 Student Demographics Free or Reduced-Price Meals Special Education Bilingual/ ELL Program 504 Plan Male Female Students 361 134 55 91 677 625 Percent 27.7% 10% 4% 0.7% 52% 48%

Table 1 shows student and staff demographic information for race (Skyward System, 2012). Table 2 shows additional student demographics (Skyward System, 2012).

Graph 1. 10th Grade Healthy Youth Survey Substance Abuse Results 2010

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Graph 2. 12th Grade Healthy Youth Survey Substance Abuse Results 2010

Graph 1 summarizes substance use trends and behaviors of 10th grade students as reported in the Healthy Youth Survey (2010). Additionally, Graph 1 compares the behaviors and trends of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use at Shorecrest with trends across the state. Graph 2 summarizes alcohol, tobacco, and drug use trends in the 12th grade at Shorecrest and compares them with statewide trends.

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Graph 3. 10th Grade Healthy Youth Bullying and School Climate Results 2010

Graph 4. 12th Grade Healthy Youth Survey Bullying and School Climate Results 2010

Graph 3 summarizes bullying and school climate trends and behaviors of 10th grade students as reported in the Healthy Youth Survey (2010). Additionally, Graph 3 compares the behaviors and trends of bullying and school climate at Shorecrest with trends across the state. Graph 4

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summarizes bullying and school climate trends in the 12th grade at Shorecrest and compares them with statewide trends. Table 3. High School Proficiency (HSPE) and End of Course (EOC) Achievement 2011-12 Grade Level 10th Grade All Grades Reading 80% 63.7% Math 52% n/a Writing 88% 65.4% Science 68% n/a

Table 3 shows achievement data for the HSPE and EOC Exam (OSPI, 2012). II. Data Interpretation a. The demographic data shows that Shorecrest is a school with a diverse student population. However, the staff population is not representative of the diversity of the student population. The staff is 94% white while only 57% of students identify themselves as white. There is only one staff member who identifies himself as Latino while over 11% of the student body is Latino. The biggest discrepancy can be found within the percentage of the student body who identify as Pacific Islander. While a full 15% of the student body is Pacific Islander, none of the staff is representative of this demographic. The data from the Healthy Youth Survey show that, on average, 10th graders at Shorecrest High School are using tobacco, alcohol, and drugs less than students across the state of Washington. However, 12th graders are using alcohol, marijuana, and binge drinking more than other 12th graders in the state of Washington. Additionally, 10th graders enjoyed school at Shorecrest more than other students across the state and experienced feeling safe at school more than the state average. The data shows that more 12th graders enjoyed being at school than the state average, yet more of them also carried a weapon to school.

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The HSPE and EOC data showed some interesting achievement trends. According to the data, 80% of last years 10th graders who took the HSPE passed the reading portion of the exam. Additionally, 52% of sophomores passes the math portion while 88% passed the writing portion; 68% passed the Biology end of course exam. This years sophomores are the first graduating class who will have to pass reading, writing, math, and science to graduate. b. Disaggregated Data Graph 5. Disaggregated State Testing Scores, HSPE and EOC Exam 2011-12

% Passed

State Writing Two or More Races White Native American Latino Black Asian

% Passed % Passed

State Math

State Reading

0%

50%

100%

150%

Graph 5 shows the HSPE data disaggregated by race. When compared with overall passage rates, this graph shows that while this years junior class met targets for yearly improvement, there are still certain populations who are not achieving when it comes to state testing, specifically Latino and Black students (Dashboard, 2012). Graph 6. Disaggregated Special Education Demographic Data 2012-13

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Percentage of Student in Special Education

Asian Black Latino Native American White Two or More Races

Table 4. Disaggregated Data Demographics of the Special Education Population 2012-13 Race Asian Black Latino Native American White Two or More Races Number of Students in Special Education 14 22 14 1 76 6 Total Students 204 88 149 8 768 135 Percentage in Special Education 7% 25% 9% 13% 10% 4% Percent of Total Population 15% 6.5% 11% .6% 56.6% 9.9%

Graph 6 shows the disaggregated data for students receiving Special Education services (Skyward, 2012). Table 4 breaks down the number of students in special education for each racial demographic and compares it with the total number of students for each demographic. Black students are overrepresented in special education populations. Graph 6 is comprised of the percentages from Table 4. Graph 7. Disaggregated Demographics of Credit Deficient Students 2012-13

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Percentage of Students Who Are Credit Deficient

Asian Black Latino Native American Pacific Islander White Two or More Races

Table 5. Disaggregated Data for the Demographics of the Credit Deficiency 2012-13 Race Asian Black Latino Native American White Two or More Races Students who are Credit Deficient 19 13 20 2 54 2 Total Students 204 88 149 8 768 135 Percentage of Credit Deficient 15% 10% 15% .02% 41% .02% Percent of Total Population 15% 6.5% 11% .6% 56.6% 9.9%

This information in Graph 7 shows disaggregated data about credit deficiency and race. Table 5 shows a breakdown of disaggregated data. This table compares overall demographic data to the breakdown of demographics of students who are credit deficient (Skyward, 2012). Black and Native American populations are overrepresented in the populations of credit deficient students. Graph 8. Disaggregated Demographics of Suspensions 2012-13

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Two or More Races White Native American Latino

Percent of Population Percent of Suspensions

Black

Asian 0% 20% 40% 60%

Table 6. Disaggregated Demographics of Suspensions 2012-13 Race Asian Black Latino Native American White Two or More Races Percentage in Special Education 7% 25% 9% 13% 10% 4% Percentage of Credit Deficient 15% 10% 15% .02% 41% .02% Percent of Suspensions 17% 35% 22% 0% 22% 0% Percent of Population 15% 6.5% 11% .6% 56.6% 9.9%

The information in Graph 8 shows disaggregated data about suspensions and race. Table 6 shows a breakdown of disaggregated data. This table compares overall demographic data to the breakdown of demographics of students who are have been suspended (Skyward, 2012).

Graph 9. Disaggregated Demographics of Attendance Violations 2012-13

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M or e Ra W hi ce te s

Tw o

Percent of Population Percent of Attendance Violations

or

N at iv e

As ia n

Bl ac k

Am er La ic tin an o

0%

20% 40% 60%

Table 7. Disaggregated Demographics of Attendance Violations 2012-13 Race Asian Black Latino Native American White Two or More Races Percent of Suspensions 17% 35% 22% 0% 22% 0% Percent of Attendance Violations 2% 17% 24% 2% 53% 0% Percent of Total Population 15% 6.5% 11% .6% 56.6% 9.9%

The information in Graph 9 shows disaggregated data about attendance violations and race. Table 7 shows a breakdown of disaggregated data. This table compares overall demographic data to the breakdown of demographics of students who are have attendance violations (Skyward, 2012). Black and Latino populations are overrepresented.

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c. Interventions. The disaggregated data shows that there is an achievement gap at school. If you are a member of a minority population you are less likely than a white student to pass the HSPE or EOC Exam and more likely to end up in Special Education. Additionally, minority students make up disproportionate numbers when it comes to the students who are credit deficient in their studies. All of these combined with the disproportionate number of minority students with attendance and discipline issues suggests that this is a population that should be targeted for intervention. Since most of the data was gathered on this years juniors by base year, further study about the beliefs and attitudes around school and achievement should be conducted on the group and potentially staff as well. III. School Counseling Program 1. Conclusions from SCPIS. The school counseling program is well organized and targets populations so that every student in the school has access to the academic and responsive services that it provides. There are some gaps in the program, but theses gaps can be seen as a function of the system within the school rather than any lacking commitment to students or to being aligned with the ASCA National Model. 2. Gaps in the Program. According to the SCPIS, there are gaps in the counseling program at Shorecrest High School. There is no written mission statement for the department, although there are mission and vision statements for the school that the counseling department has taken part in writing. Currently, needs assessments are not formally given by the counseling department and data is not formally utilized to drive the programs being offered by the department. Although involved through committee, the counseling department is not driving the interventions being offered by the school to

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increase academic achievement. Guidance promoting the personal/social aspects of high school is not offered through classroom lessons. Additionally, counselors do not solicit formal feedback from parents and students about their program. As earlier mentioned, these gaps in the program are more a function of the systems in place at the school than they are any lack on the part of the counseling department to work to serve all students in a systemic manner. The counselors have a lot of data at their fingertips through the use of the Skyward and Data Dashboard system. The counselors do use data from the Dashboard system, yet the more up-to-date Skyward system is not easy to navigate. Although the district does have a point person when it comes to data, the counselors have a hard time gaining access to his time. Similarly, counselors have a difficult time getting into classrooms to complete guidance lessons. The whole school is currently engaged in a discussion about adding the Advisory period as a way to more systemically deliver guidance lesson and interventions to students. 3. Program Strengths. The counseling program at Shorecrest has a lot of strengths. Services offered are well organized so that everyone receives the academic and career development guidance that the counselors provide. The program offered by the counseling staff is particularly strong in the arena of preparing students for college through testing, advising, long-term planning, and career development. The counseling staff is very adept at crisis counseling and referral to outside services. The school counselors have a strong contract that allows their job to match the job description given. This has been already an area of concern for counselors this year as they see some of their extra pay being whittled away by the district; it is likely to become a bargaining issue in the next bargaining session. More than 80% of what the counseling staff does is

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in direct benefit to students. Professional development is emphasized in the district and counselor benefit from this strong tradition. 4. Recommendations. If I were in the place to make recommendations to the counseling department I would focus on what counselors could do to be more visible with all the great things that this department does. I think that in order to make their program more imbedded with the daily procedures in the school, the counselors should be vocal in the movement toward the Advisory model. I think that this is a very real possibility given the district mandate that the counselors implement a Career and College Framework at all grade levels. Counselors could do a lot of their work with students more systemically and visibly in addition to the added access they could use to do guidance units. With the visibility that this model would give them, I think the counselors will be more posed to fight for the type of systemic interventions that they know are needed in the school. 5. Sharing Results. Upon sharing the results of this SCPIS, my site supervisor was not too surprised about the gaps and strengths identified. She recognized that there is a definite need for more formal assessments and general use of data to plan interventions. Her feedback is that the counseling department seems to be somewhat locked out of this because the district focus on data collection has not put the counselors in any sort of leadership role with this. Also, on a district level, the focus has been on teachers identifying the data and planning the interventions. Of course, there is the age-old battle that counselors face when they try to get time in the classroom. She agreed that the Advisory model would help with this issue. Similarly, my supervisor agreed with me that visibility is an issue and that the Advisory model would help with that. We agreed that my use of formal data and Needs Assessment would be a good way to gain knowledge

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and experience with this style of intervention while also gaining much needed data about the achievement gap and minority issues at the school. IV. Strategic Elements 1. What is the mission of the school? At Shorecrest, we push ourselves to grow as unique learners; we are involved in our school, we excel in out classes, and we are committed to our community is the mission of the high school where I currently work. This mission statement was a joint effort between the staff and the Site Council and is written on the school website (2012). The new mission statement was developed after Shorecrest went through the accreditation process during the 2008-2009 school year. The school also has a vision statement, Expanding Minds, Igniting Passions that was created during this same effort to more closely align goals of the school. The whole school met to shape and discuss the mission and vision statements during the 2010-2011 school year. While we wanted to shape these statements around the connection between academics and future career goals, we also wanted to honor the efforts that make our school unique including the emphasis on activities and community service projects. 2. Core Outcomes? Similarly, Shorecrest has core outcomes or goals that were set as part of the accreditation process back during the 2008-2009 school year and outlined on the website (2012). Those goals are as follows: a. By the end of the 2009-2010 school year, each department will verify essential course content and skills, and develop one common assessment for each foundational course in each department.

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b. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year, each department will have developed a second common assessment for each foundational course and will continue the process of vertical alignment within the department. c. By the end of the 2011-2012 school year, core content agreements will be in place for every course. d. By using student achievement data (including common assessments being developed), we will develop and implement school-wide academic interventions to lower student failures, decrease our dropout rate, and increase the graduation rate. While Shorecrest continues to implement strategies to increase achievement and align with state standards, each individual department also has goals that are set for the year. For instance, the Counseling Department has the goal of rolling out the Career and College Readiness Framework while the Social Studies Department has the goal of aligning core courses with the other high school and beginning the textbook adoption process. 3. Strategic Initiatives? There are a few strategic initiatives that Shorecrest employs to meet the goals set through the accreditation process. These initiatives also align with the Board of Education goal of increasing student achievement. These can be separated into the following main interventions to increase student achievement: Every staff person is a member of a Professional Learning Community that meets twice a month to discuss foundational course targets and assessment.

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The counseling department is rolling out the Career and College Readiness Framework for students in grades 7-12. The district purchased Naviance as a resource to help with the organization of this process.

The English Department has purchase the new Springboard (College Board) curriculum for use in grades 9-12.

Certain teachers and administrators are piloting the new Washington States Teacher Evaluation system through the Charlotte Danielson Framework.

The school is piloting an intervention program at the end of every class period called Tap Intervention 2 (TI2). Teachers can keep failing students in class to work on projects and extended learning individually. This takes place twice a week.

The two high schools in the district are aligning their schedules and course offerings in an effort to make it easier for students throughout the district to take advantage of the different programs offered at the two schools; have the added goal of aligning their graduation requires with each other and the state.

Both high schools are being remodeled right not; the district is experimenting with different schedules that will allow for more intervention time during the school day.

The district is piloting iPads instead of computers this year. This is part of a technology levy that passed for the first time in 2005 that gave all of the students in grade 5-12 laptops. This levy has since passed every time it has come up for renewal.

4. Professional Development? The district had several trainings at the beginning of the school year around the Charlotte Danielson Teacher Evaluation system and the iPad roll-out. Additionally, the district

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has paid for counselors to attend trainings on the Naviance website. English teachers also have several trainings on the Springboard curriculum scheduled for the year. 5. Counselor Involvement? Counselors will be involved in the Naviance training and the Career and College Readiness roll-out though it still remains unclear what that will look like. Counselors spent a great deal of time in committee last year crafting the learning targets for the framework to be used in grade 7-12. The district then hired a full-time Naviance liaison, but she is split between the two high schools and also appears to have additional requirement besides the roll-out of Naviance with the framework. It seems to me that there are big holes to fill with in order to see who will be responsible for this curriculum and in what classes it will be housed. Discussion at BLT continues to revolve around the idea of piloting an Advisory period during the school day. The staff has been resistant to this so far. V. Key Relationships 1. School and parents. Communication with parents is encouraged early and often at all levels of the school community. Teachers are responsible for contacting parents when they impose discipline the first and second time and also when a student has been absent for six days in their class. Administrators contact the parents if the student is referred to their office for the third discipline offense. Teachers of seniors are encouraged to communicate often with parents about student progress throughout the school year. Additionally, the principal sends out a monthly newscast through email that parents can subscribe to. This newsletter contains information about school events and grade updates. Parents are given passwords so that they can log-in to the grade and attendance

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information systems that the school subscribes to. Counselors also have a lot of contact with home, but usually when the student is a highflyer in some way. Counselors check and monitor grades of students who are consistently failing classes. The data dashboard system is able to generate lists of those students who are not passing classes at monthly grade updates. Counselors will make contact with parents and guardians to set-up interventions for these students. When a student is high achieving, they might pop-up on the radar for a different reason. Anxiety or depression might cause a parent or teacher to contact the counselor. Counselors can set-up services through different counseling programs, get tutoring help, or monitor student progress as a liaison while families receive outside services. 2. School and community. The district partners with a couple of different services in the outside community. The Center for Human Services helps fund a few programs that the school uses. CHS is a non-profit that provides outside counseling for families who dont have insurance. They run an after school program called Hang Time at the middle school and fund the AmeriCorps volunteer who runs the tutoring program at the community center in the low income housing project that feeds into the high school. In an effort to reach out to Latino families in the district, CHS has recently worked in conjunction with the school district to fund ESL classes for parents through one of the feeder elementary schools. Additionally, they run the back-to-school consortium for school supplies in the fall, a food and gift drive in the winter, and are also a sponsor of The Works which is a program that provides school clothes for families in need. 3. Staff and administrators. Although it is sometimes hard to sort out the chain of command in a school, I have ascertained a pretty rough sketch of how the communication and

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leadership system works. All teachers are part of a department that is overseen by a department head. The department heads attends twice monthly meetings in addition to meeting individually with the principal once a month. Departments are given time to meet once a month, although most departments meets once a week during lunch in order to discuss department business. The staff meets all together once a month for trainings or discussions of different programs that the district is piloting. Additionally, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) meet twice a month as part of the schools RtI work towards developing power standards and learning targets in common. Considering Diffusion of Innovations Theory (Rogers, 1995), the hierarchy is set-up in a way that should generally encourage the adoption of new ideas and information. The Administrators are usually the innovators, although sometimes change comes from a groundswell of support. The department heads are technically the early adopters while most of the staff usually follows strongly in the adoption process. The late majority and laggards tend to consistently holdout. Somewhat stereotypically, these are the staff people who have been in education for a long time. 4. School counselors and teachers. Teachers and school counselors have a pretty good relationship with each other. This one is tricky for me because I am both a teacher and a school counselor this year and I see where both sides lack understanding of what the other side is doing. I feel really lucky to be part of two very professional departments this year, but sometimes I feel caught in the middle of competing forces that are both dealing with a constant increase in their workload from year to year. One small example of this is the district roll-out of the Naviance program. School counselors are mandated to use this new program with their College and Career Readiness Framework. This

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program is also a new requirement for teachers who have to do their Common Application Teacher Evaluations and Letters of Recommendation through it this year. The district has not provided teachers with any training for this new program. This caused some teacher to feel pretty stressed out when it came time from the first round of college applications to get submitted. Most of this frustration fell on the counseling office primarily because of a lack of understanding about the new district mandated program. This is just a small example of how departments can get pitted against each other when they are really just trying to carry-out the wishes of their bosses. On the whole, the teachers have great respect for the variety of services offered by the counseling staff. Teachers come to counselors often seeking behavioral help and emotional support for their work with difficult students. 5. School counselors and principals. One of the assistant principals is whom the counseling office works most closely with. The assistant principal in charge of the master schedule has her office in the counseling hall. Counselors pop over to her office frequently with questions about student placement, difficult parent meetings, and graduation requirements. The principal is also involved directly with the counseling staff through his work with the head of the department. Mostly, the principal is involved with district mandated policies and business. VI. Being Visible a. Due to a conflict between internship class and Monday night school board meetings in my district, I plan to attend the Shoreline District School Board meeting on December 10. 2012.

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b. On August 30th, I attended the District Counselor Meeting on the new Career and College Framework. This was a meeting attended by middle and high school counsellors in the district, as well as the newly hired Naviance trainer for the district. I got to introduce myself to counsellors at both middle and high schools as well as familiarize myself with the new Scope and Sequence for Career and College Readiness. I got to participate in the writing and editing of some of the learning targets at the high school level. c. On September 7th, I went to the Shorecrest Special Education Meeting. This was similar to a Student Interventions Team (SIT) meeting except with the focus on students and programs in the Special Education Department. I got to learn about the IEPs of the student who are on my caseload this year. Additionally, I learned a great deal about new graduation requirements and how Shorecrest attends to students in the SpEd department when it comes to meeting graduation and state testing requirements. d. On September 18, I attended the Building Leadership Team meeting as the Counselor Intern. I took this opportunity to introduce myself as both Counsellor Intern and ELL Lead Teacher at my school this year to my fellow department heads. e. On September 20th I attended the District Naviance Training on edocs for Naviance. This training introduced me to all the high school counsellors in the Shoreline School district in addition to the registrars at the other high school and for the district. I got to practice using Naviance which is the system that I will upload college letters of recommendation, common app applications, and transcripts when helping students apply to college. f. On September 24th I went to the College Essay-Writing Workshop. I got to meet the parents of many of my seniors and hear valuable advice about the essay writing process. Representatives from Pomona, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University, and the

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University of Washington where there to help deconstruct example essays and answer questions about essay topics and formats. g. On September 27th, I went to the District 504 training. In addition to more experience with all the district counsellors, I got to introduce myself to the Director of Special Education and meet all of the School Psychologists from across the district. This was a particularly informative meeting because I got to learn what the parameters for writing 504 plans are. We also discussed legal implications of the accommodations and modifications that schools provide. This was really beneficial since I feel this is a huge hole in the School Counseling program at Seattle University; many of us will be required to write 504 plans and have had no training in this. h. On September 27th, I attended the Open-House Pre-Session for Senior Parents. This session was heavily attended and co-sponsored by the PTSA. I got to be introduced and had the opportunity to lend my technical expertise to the presentation when some of the technology went awry. i. In an effort to make myself more visible to students and my administration, I chaperoned the October 13th Homecoming Dance. I used to do a lot of chaperoning when I was a new teacher, but havent done too much in the past three years. This was a great opportunity for me to connect with the students on my counselling load and interact with PTSA parents who were on hand to volunteer their time. I also got to interact more with my administrators. j. I attended a Student Services Team (SST) meeting on October 25. This was a great opportunity for me to be visible to my administrators and observe how Wendy conducts a

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meeting like this. Although I have been present at many an SST or 504 meeting, I have not had the opportunity to observe from the seat of a counselor before. k. On November 9th I attended the Fall School Play, Romeo and Juliet. A few of the students on my counselling load were either in the play or on the backstage crew. This was a great chance for me to see my students in their element. l. In addition to teaching two classes, I also spend an hour in the ELL classroom every week, I have observed the Read 180 program in action and have appreciated the station work that students undertake as part of this program. VII. Community Mapping a. Table 7. Community Resources Organization 24 Hour Crisis Line 826 Seattle Asian Counseling and Referral Services Catholic Community Services: Youth Tutoring Program (YTP) Center for Human Services Childrens Hospital Mental Health Services Childrens Response Center Description Immediate help for individuals, families, or friends of people in crisis. 826 is a nonprofit that helps student, ages 6-18, in the area of writing or tutoring. 826 Seattle also partners with the classroom teacher to help with unit plans. Mental Health/Counselingprovides a comprehensive array of specialized behavioral health services to individuals and families, often combining western and eastern approaches. Staff represents Asian Pacific and other ethnic groups, and speak 30 language and dialects. YTP is an after-school educational enrichment program for vulnerable first through twelfth grade students who live in six low- and mixed-income housing communities in Seattle. Phone 206) 461-3222 (206) 725- 2625 (206) 695-7606

(206) 364-7026

Provides mental health counseling, substance abuse (206) 362-7282 counseling, and family support in Shoreline Offers inpatient and outpatient mental health services for (206) 987-2164 children and youth to 18 years old. Psychological services include inter-disciplinary evaluation and treatment, a neuro-behavioral disorders clinic, and a child psychiatry and behavioral medicine clinic. Childrens Response Center provides services to children (425) 688-5130 and teens who have survived sexual abuse, physical abuse, or any other type of crime or traumatic event

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Community Information Line Consejo Counseling and Referral Services Dollars for Scholars Hopelink Shoreline Richard Hugo House

Lambert House McKinney Vento Services Northshore Youth and Family Services North Cascades Program Peers Play

Ryther Child Center Shoreline Parks and Recreation The Works Washington Asian Pacific Islanders (WAPI) YMCA Dale Turner Center

Provides referrals and information on a variety of resources in King County. Behavioral health services for adolescents. Culturally competent services for Latino families. Office in Lake City. Dollars for Scholars Northwest is an agency that helps connect low income families with ways to pay for college and ensure postsecondary success. Hopelink helps families in need address financial barriers. This organization encourages students to read as writers and edit their own writing while exploring voice and language. I have known them to partner will ELL students to help with big writing projects like the Senior Project. Lambert House provides a number of services to LGBTQ youth including counseling services and the development of leadership, social, and life skills Assistance for students who are homeless provided through Shoreline School Districts Homeless Liaison, Pam Kinnaird. Provides counseling, chemical dependency prevention and intervention, suicide prevention and intervention, family life education, and support services. Serves youth in North King and South Snohomish counties. This group provides outdoor education programs for students who are first generation immigrants. An educational consulting service dedicated to supporting children with learning differences in the areas of engagement, emotional regulation, and social play. Provides family classes, workshops, family consultation, and school consultation. Outpatient individual, group, and family therapy. Outpatient programs also serve children, ages 1-1/2 to 18 with severe or chronic behavioral or emotional problems In addition to running both after school programs at the middle schools in Shoreline, they also plan lunchtime activities at the high schools and run The Richmond Highlands Recreation Center. Teen and childrens clothing service provided through the Shoreline School District. Non-profit agency that serves Pacific Islander Youth ages 10-20. Help with substance abuse, dependency issues, and meeting cultural needs of the community. Engaging families in healthy activities; provide childcare and assist with after school programs.

(206) 461-3200 206-461-3614 1-800-335-4504 (206) 440-7300 (206) 322-7030

(206) 322.2515 (360) 725-6050 (425) 485-6541

(360) 8542599 (206) 271-4796

(206) 517-0260 (206) 801-2644

(206) 393-4916 (206) 223-9578 (206) 363-0446

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b. The school currently uses these resources in a number of ways. Most of the community agencies listed above are referral services that the counseling department uses when a student has needs that go beyond what can be provided at the school. Organizations like CHS, Hopelink, Richard Hugo House, and Shoreline Parks and Recreation partner with the school on a number of programs. Hopelink and CHS are both partners in the Shoreline Back to School Consortium which provides school supplies to low income families while CHS and the Parks Department contribute money and volunteers for several of the after school programs. Additionally, the Richard Hugo House has paid for authors to come and work with the ELL / Read 180 classrooms. Other programs like the Crisis Line and the Lambert House are used when a counselor needs to refer a student to services because of a crisis. Lambert House assists homeless students who are LGBTQ. The Crisis Line has been used on a number of occasions already this year to seek advice for teens who are cutting, have suicidal ideation, or are dealing with issues of depression and anxiety. c. My supervisor and I have talked about a number of ways to make these services more systemically and visibly available to students in the school. In December, the counseling department is hosting International Family Night. We have discussed bringing a number of these groups who serve first generation families in to speak to families about their services. Additionally, we have discussed the possibility of using some of the above resources for my Advocacy Project. With the most current idea that I have for my Advocacy Project, I would first assess the entire Junior class to find out the current attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of the class around college and career readiness. My hunch based on my initial review of the data is that there are certain demographics of students who feel less college or career ready because of credit deficiency and low GPA. I would then use some of the above underutilized

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services with the different populations who were identified. For instance, North Cascades Program is a great resource for ELL students who are identified as having low self-efficacy. This would be an excellent group to partner with because they also connect to JobCorps. Additionally, these students earn Community Service hours (graduation requirement) through the program and North Cascades will help them set-up and complete their Senior Project as long as it benefits environmental sustainability. If first generation students were my target population, someone like to Richard Hugo House would be a great resource to help with something like completing the college admissions essay. VIII. Conclusions a. School Strengths. One of the main compelling strengths about the school is that students like to be in school and generally feel safe while they are there, especially when compared to the state average. From having been a teacher at this school for the past seven years, I am not surprised by this data. There are so many activities to be involved in and student involvement is emphasized at all levels of the school. Another strength is the achievement data which suggests that students at Shorecrest are achieving at high levels and the school is improving its achievement numbers. Another main strength is the amount of college preparation students receive through the counseling department. The school district has invested money in improving achievement so that all students have a chance to go to college and the counseling department continues to find innovative ways to encourage achievement. b. Gaps. With all the data at their fingertips, the biggest a-ha for me is that building leadership is not using data to guide decision-making processes. Most of the time that data is used, it is applied as an afterthought to justify some sort of intervention. With the amount of money invested in the Skyward Information System and Data Dashboard, more individuals should

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be trained on how to use these systems. Instead, only a few members of staff receive this training and therefore become the keepers of all this data. This should be emphasized through professional development as a tool that can help educators. Furthermore, there is an achievement gap at Shorecrest. As stated above, minority students are not achieving at the same levels as white students. Additionally, these students are more likely to be credit deficient, in special education, and more likely to get suspended. This is problematic, to say the least, when we consider the long-term implications of this information. Shorecrest needs to do a better job serving minority populations. c. Issues Needing Further Advocacy / Exploration. I think that more study of minority dropout rates and college application and acceptance needs to be done. I think that a study of these facets coupled with a Needs Assessment relating to attitudes and beliefs about school achievement and minorities would be a good place to start my Advocacy Project. Additionally, I think that the disaggregated numbers should be presented to the staff in order to encourage an honest exploration of the way we serve students. It seems like there are a lot of top down initiatives meant to impact student achievement, but I think that these initiatives would get more buy-in from staff if they understood the data and what was driving the interventions in the first place.

References Data Dashboard. (2012). Teacher Dashboard [Data File]. Retrieved from

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http://dashboard.shorelineschools.org. Healthy Youth Survey. (2010). Portland, OR: RMC Research Corporation. OSPI Washington State School Report Card. (2011). Student Demographics [Data File]. Retrieved from http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/summary. Rogers, E. M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations. (4 ed.). New York: Free Press. Shorecrest High School, (2012). Homepage. Retrieved at http://schools.shorelineschools.org/. Skyward Web-based Educator Access. (2012). Student Management [Data File]. Retrieved from https://www2.nwrdc.wa-k12.net.