SUPPORT STANDARD
SCHOOL RESOURCES FOR LEARNING
The school's student support services include guidance and health services, special education, personal, career, and social counseling, and access to outside referrals. Student learning is dependent upon adequate and appropriate support programs and services. The school is responsible for providing an effective range of integrated resources to enhance and improve student learning and to support the school's mission and expectations.
Conclusions
Georges Valley High School allocates resources, programs, and services so that all students have an equal opportunity to achieve the school’s stated academic expectations for student learning and to participate in the educational program. Identification of student talents and needs is ongoing, and support services, which include guidance, health, special education, and library/media, play an important role in guaranteeing fair access. Vocational and alternative education opportunities are offered off-site. Students are provided a variety of educational pathways which will lead to a diploma. (observations, teachers, school support staff, students)
Georges Valley High School offers and engages its students in programs and activities which help them satisfy the school’s civic and social expectations. Community service activities and programs such as Sophomore Awareness and Junior Journey contain community and career-investigation components. There is valuable and unique experience for all students in participating in the two school-wide sessions of student government that allow students to bring government to life. In this process, any student can present a bill related to school improvement or change. If the bill passes, it goes to the faculty and principal and may go to the board of education for action. Other opportunities to participate in community service include the Key Club, National Honor Society, and the Recycling Team. The library maintains a current selection of materials on a wide range of social and cultural topics. Access to all of these helps students to meet civic and social expectations. (self-study, teachers, students)
Each student at Georges Valley High
School has an adult member of the school community who serves to personalize
that student’s educational experience. An advisory program provides students
contact with a faculty member in a small group setting. Career and personal
growth goals are generated and updated at least annually. Each student in Grade
9 and selected upperclassmen has an expectation portfolio that requires guidance
by the advisor. However, there is a lack of consistency in the delivery of the
advisory program. Some advisors do all or more than is expected of them while
others do the minimum or less. Given this inconsistency of delivery, students
lack understanding of the mission of the advisory program, resulting in student
apathy. (students, self-study, parents, teachers)
Some areas of school support services are not consistent with the school’s
mission statement and expectations for student learning. Delivery of guidance
services is a major concern of parents and students. The strength of the present
guidance staff is their combined skills in addressing the social and emotional
needs of students, especially those in crisis; however, student career, academics,
and post-secondary endeavors are not sufficiently addressed. Students and parents
have reported that it is difficult for students to schedule an appointment with
the guidance counselor, that many appointments have been cancelled at the last
minute, and that meeting time is limited to a few minutes. Students report not
receiving the necessary support to apply for post-secondary schools. Thus students
are at a great disadvantage regarding college admission as they may have to
rely on parents or other folk having no college admission experience for help.
Students and parents also note that there is insufficient preparation provided
for sophomores prior to administration of the PSATs. (In Maine, the state pays
the cost of PSATs at the 10th grade level, and encourages all schools to administer
them to all sophomores in order that all students have an opportunity to see
how standardized tests used for college admission purposes are structured. Georges
Valley High School participates in this program.) With lack of proper and prior
preparation, student success is certainly compromised. This year, each member
of the guidance department is responsible for academic counseling, career/college
counseling, and social, emotional counseling. One counselor serves as the advisor/counselor
for the freshmen and junior class while the other serves as the advisor/counselor
for the sophomore and senior class. There is a job description for the roles
of guidance personnel, but there is no clearly defined plan for the balanced
delivery of guidance services or a procedure by which all students are served
regularly and equitably. Without a clear definition and expectations of the
role of each guidance staff member as well as a plan for expectations of and
implementation of guidance services, students will continue to struggle with
how to best access services for student success. Further, lack of support for
career and post-secondary endeavors negatively impacts student aspirations.
(students, parents, school support staff, observation, school leadership team)
Guidance and library/information services personnel have limited knowledge of the curriculum, its implementation, evaluation, and revision as they are rarely involved in discussions regarding curriculum development. Their limited involvement and knowledge of curriculum hinders the delivery of some student media services and needs, specifically the ability to provide resources and design programs that would enhance curriculum delivery and student learning. There is a health curriculum team that includes the district’s two nurses, one of whom is available part-time at the high school. The health curriculum receives regular revision with changes being made as regulations necessitate. (school support staff, self-study, teachers)
At Georges Valley High School, informal and formal feedback mechanisms that include surveys are used by guidance and the library to assist in setting annual program goals. However, there is little evidence that there is a formal process for evaluating either guidance or library services. Lack of a formal process impedes the improvement of student services. On the other hand, special education services are in continual review to assure compliance with federal regulations and delivery of the most appropriate services for students, with final evaluation being performed by the director of special education. The school nurse evaluates supplies, equipment and other resources and makes requests and recommendations. (school leadership team, school support staff)
Student support services work to enhance student learning through continuous communication with other staff members. The three special education teachers and three special education technicians are able to interact with other faculty and staff members daily as they accompany students into regular classrooms. Additionally, to help meet the identified needs of students, support services utilize community resources such as job shadowing, the Sweetser Home, vocational rehabilitation service, and Trekkers, a community group that provides a variety of school support off-site experiences for students. (Many of these experiences are aimed at providing students opportunities that otherwise would not be available to them, e.g. trips to Boston, exposure to cultural activities and job-sites, and college visitations.) Each one of the three professional special education staff members is part of an academic team; however, the implementation of common planning time in the morning with its rigid pre-set schedule has negatively impacted the attendance at PETs by teachers, which then limits their input into the academic, social and emotional needs of students under their care. Also, the time required for the special education team to complete paper work and to plan takes away from collegial meeting time. In addition, formal effective communication, and therefore cooperation, existing between administration, the faculty, and guidance personnel is lacking. This contributes to an inconsistent understanding of what services are offered and by whom the services are delivered. (parents, staff, observation, students)
There is a system for effective and on-going communications with students and parents/guardians. It is designed to keep parents informed about the types of student support services available in relationship to identified student needs. The small school community allows for the staff to be very familiar with students’ families, resulting in a positive communication network between parents and individual teachers. The school is initiating new on-line software that will allow parents to view grades, daily if they wish, and be well-informed of their student’s progress. Parents value the individual communication received from teachers and support staff members. This communication occurs through phone calls and e-mail, The Valley Voice, (the school’s newsletter), and the MSAD #50 website. All these are vehicles by which to communicate school initiatives and changes. The student handbook informs students of available student services and student support options. Opening day assembly provides an opportunity for members of student support services to introduce themselves and inform students of their services. Parents of in-coming freshmen are provided a transition evening in the spring of the Grade 8 year. The effective communication between teachers and parents results in extensive involvement of parents in supporting the school’s mission. However, parents do note that some communication about school events and meetings, especially those planned “on the go”, is occasionally delivered in an untimely manner. This leaves parents frustrated. (panel presentation, self-study, parents, teachers, self-study sub committee)
The library information/services program and materials at Georges Valley High School are not fully integrated into the school’s curriculum and instructional program as library media personnel are not included in formal curriculum development and assessment. The media specialist informally assists individual teachers in supporting curriculum and reports an increase in teachers being willing to collaborate with media staff members prior to implementing instructional units. However, the lack of involvement of the media specialist in formal curriculum development reduces her ability to effectively provide appropriate resources to support the school’s student expectations for learning and the Maine Learning Results. Without knowledge of what teachers need for resources to support learning, the media specialist cannot provide materials that would enhance student learning and achievement and promote academic rigor. The media specialist does seek input from teachers and students to assist her in the selection of materials to support individual teacher needs. (self-study, observation, students, teachers, teacher interviews)
Students routinely use library resources for independent study. Independent inquiry is fostered through library research in such classes as Freshman English, Sophomore Health, and Junior Journey. A variety of technological resources and the use of inter-library loans provide support for independent inquiry and research projects/assignments. (self-study, observation, students, teachers)
George’s Valley High School Media Center provides a wide range of materials, technology, and other library information resources for student and staff use in a variety of formats. The print collection numbers approximately 12,000. A print collection budget of $10,000 was allocated for school year 2004-2005 to purchase new titles. The media specialist routinely involves students in the selection of 30 magazine subscriptions which are available in the library to provide pleasure reading. This involvement of students in the selection process demonstrates respect for student opinion and helps foster the love of reading. Access to EBSCO periodical database and reference collection, an on-line encyclopedia, and Georges Valley High School’s media center electronic catalogue is easily available from all computers throughout the school. Access to technology is provided in two computer labs with 22 computers each, a business lab and general use lab; a technical education lab of 17 computers; and at least one computer in each classroom for teacher/student use. Cameras and data projectors are available for individual and classroom use through the media center. The library media center offers 20 wireless computers that may be signed out for in-school or home use by students and staff. This unique practice demonstrates respect for students, self-responsibility, and levels the technological playing field for student achievement. (self-study, teachers, school support staff, observation)
George’s Valley High School provides sufficient certified professional personnel for library/information services. The library media center is staffed by one certified library media specialist, one full-time education technician, and four student volunteers who receive credit for community service. The library personnel work as a team to provide consistent library/information services. Their teamwork provides a receptive climate for teaching and learning. (self-study, school support staff, school leadership team, observation)
Regular and frequent access by students and staff members to library/information services, facilities, and programs is severely impacted by a facility comprised of half the square footage recommended by Maine library standards. There is adequate shelving to house the present print collection of approximately 12,000 volumes, but space for student seating is limited. Limited space especially impacts use of the library by individual classes. Teachers are reluctant to bring classes to the library, leading to inequity in learning opportunities for students. Thus, student achievement is negatively impacted. The ability of individual students to access the library when classes are scheduled is limited and available only as space permits. The library media center is open to students from 7:55 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. daily. When morning meetings are not scheduled, the library media center is open to students and staff members at 7:15 a.m. There is no access to the library by students and staff during one of the three lunch periods. Assignment this fall of the library educational technician to cafeteria supervision during two lunch shifts makes her unavailable to support library accessibility. Both teachers and students report that this inability to access library services during lunch and after 3:00 p.m. negatively impacts learning opportunities for students and hinders student achievement of the school’s expectations for student learning and the standards of the Maine Learning Results. Parents and students expressed desire for increased accessibility to library services beyond the school day. (self-study, observation, school support staff, teachers, parents, students)
The MSAD #50 School Board Policy Book, reviewed and revised in 2002-2003, contains policies which address the selection of information resources and removal of challenged materials. Policies also exist regarding copyright, Internet, and technology use. Procedures for the reconsideration of challenged materials provides a systematic review of challenged materials by a committee appointed by the superintendent consisting of appropriate grade level administrator, two teachers with knowledge and experience in the area of the challenged materials, one member of the community, and one member of the curriculum committee. The complainant may appeal to the superintendent of schools if not satisfied with the committee’s recommendation. The final appeal is with the MSAD #50 Board of Directors. These policies are published in all student handbooks and on MSAD #50 website. (self-study, school leadership team, student handbook)
Student records are maintained in a confidential and secure manner consistent with federal and state policies. Student files and special education records are kept in a locked, fireproof cabinet in the guidance office. Permanent student records are stored in a safe in the principal’s office. (self-study, school support staff, school leadership team, observation)
Commendations:
Recommendations:
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