High School Counseling
The Reach Higher Shasta High School Counseling Initiative is a five-year program aimed to improve academic outcomes for Shasta County high school students. The Counseling Initiative is led by the Shasta County Office of Education Counseling Coordinator and a team of Shasta County high school counselors dedicated to the social, emotional, and academic well being of students. The Counseling Initiative co-leads meet once a month to coordinate and improve upon high school counseling in Shasta County.
How It Works
Professional Development
Growth in our college going culture has improved in large part due to the professional growth and efforts of Shasta County’s school counselors and administrators. Together, school counselors and administrators have been privileged to attend five days of professional development from Dr. Trish Hatch and Danielle Duarte of Hatching Results LLC. Dr. Trish Hatch is a nationally acclaimed author and trainer in the American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) professional standards.
Curriculum and Interventions
Resulting from the Hatching Results Academy, Shasta County’s high school counselors have developed a common counseling curriculum to be delivered in our comprehensive public high schools. Beginning next fall, students will notice a presence of their high school counselors teaching lessons around academic, college/career, and social/emotional development in a variety of classrooms. Shasta Union High School District’s Superintendent, Jim Cloney, states “In my nearly 20 years as an administrator in Shasta County this is the first time I know of that districts have together so clearly focused on working toward common counseling practices to improve outcomes for all students.”
Reach Higher Shasta encourages frequent communication between students, parents, and the school counselor in order to take full advantage of educational opportunities within out Shasta County public schools as well as to be informed of post-secondary (education post high school) opportunities.
Results and Impact
The Counseling Initiative began in the 2016-2017 school year, since its inception, it has acheived tremendous results.
- Increased College Eligibility Course Completion Pattern (“A-G”) from 30.8% to 41.8% comparing Classes of 2016 and 2017.
- Increased completion rate of Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) from 38% to 67.7% comparing March, 2017-March, 2018