Action Plan for Middle School to High School Admissions Counseling

Introduction

Graduating middle school students face some important decisions as they progress through their early academic careers and enter high school. The choices they make during this period may well affect their academic performance and professional careers later in life (Barrow, 2001). High school admissions counselors are in an excellent position to help these young learners make the right choices early on, but because resources are by definition scarce, many public high school admissions counselors face profound challenges in trying to deliver timely and effective guidance. These challenges are compounded by the dynamic nature of the workforce and the changing definitions of what constitutes a quality education in the 21st century.

There are also important federal mandates that must be taken into account during the high school admissions process. In 2005, the U.S. Department of Education reported that, by virtue of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, many states must either seek additional funds — particularly for Standards and Assessments and Technical Assistance — or reallocate existing resources, particularly staff time (Arce, Borjian & Luna, 2005). Given this scarcity of available time and resources, the purpose of this paper is to provide an action plan for middle school admissions counselors that can serve as a best-practices guide to delivering timely and effective guidance to middle school students entering high school. To this end, a critical review of peer-reviewed and scholarly literature is used to develop the background and insights required to formulate such an action plan. This includes a rationale in support of the plan, a reference point to be used in its implementation, program goals and behavioral objectives, the subjects involved, an overview of the action plan and a proposed method of evaluation, and a discussion of reasonable expectations if the plan were implemented in a public high school today. Recommended milestones for the action plan are followed by a summary of the research and findings in the conclusion.

Rationale for Improved Admissions Counseling

The importance of the middle school experience is gaining increasing attention as parents become more informed about what education researchers have been examining in recent years. In particular, achievement scores as an indicator of student success depend on the quality of the educational services being delivered and the manner in which courses prepare students for life in the 21st century. These trends have alerted parents and students to the disparity in many middle school classrooms and the educational services they provide, together with the consequences of these disparities when students enter high school (Goldschmidt & Wang, 2003).

There are also some disturbing trends concerning the effectiveness of the high school admissions process in general that must be taken into account. According to Dahir (2004), "Throughout the last half of the 20th century, and continuing into this new millennium, confusion has persisted as to the nature, function, purpose, and role of counseling in schools," placing the blame on counselors themselves for "creating and poorly managing piecemeal programs, which were dependent on the interests and priorities of individual counselors" (p. 344).

Furthermore, many young learners enter high school with either unreasonable expectations or misconceptions that can produce an enormous amount of stress — stress that can adversely affect their ability to navigate the demands of their high school experience successfully. According to Parish and Rasid (1998), "Findings from several studies have shown that high anxiety has adverse effects on student learning. High school counselors may be pleased to learn that reductions in state anxiety were attainable through the use of videotaped presentations, wherein students were effectively introduced to two different relaxation procedures. This gives them another way to help students, but at very little cost in time" (p. 99).

Moreover, the roles and responsibilities of high school counselors are changing in substantive ways, and the need for an improved framework in which to provide thoughtful and effective guidance has never been greater. Across the country, high school admissions counselors are gaining increasing visibility among the general public, particularly in view of high-profile incidents of school violence. In this regard, Isaacs and Stone (2003) emphasize that "the high school counselor is cited as a member of a school district who is critical for receiving information about the threat of violence; identifying students who may be potential perpetrators; and educating children, families, and communities about violence prevention" (p. 140). Given these trends, it is reasonable to conclude that high school admissions counselors will play an increasingly active role both in their responsibilities to students and to the communities in which they work.

Reference Points for Student Assessment

By carefully taking into account what new high school students have received in the way of preparatory educational services, admissions counselors can help freshman students select the right mix of courses to achieve the most beneficial early start — preparing them for their remaining high school experience and, beyond that, for college or a career. In order to accomplish this level of guidance, everyone involved must take an active part. As Henderson and Swann (1998) emphasize, "Good admissions decisions are made through an amalgam of the responsible efforts of admissions professionals, secondary school counselors, and students who understand the admissions process. Indeed, from the institution's perspective, admissions work is often seen as marketing, sorting, and matching" (p. 58). As these authors caution, however, there is much more to the admissions process than simply placing students into one combination of classes over another. Because there is no room for false starts, an effective action plan for high school admissions counselors requires clear benchmarks to help new high school students make the right choices.

It would be tempting to rely solely on the results of a standardized test — such as the Iowa series — to evaluate and place entering high school students. However, this approach would ignore the broad range of variables that come into play in determining what young learners already know and how best to help them select the right courses to overcome existing deficiencies and build on their strengths. As two experienced educators note, "To evaluate what students know, one must consider their learning opportunity (e.g., what students have been exposed to and how they have been exposed to it) when trying to interpret test results" (Goldschmidt & Wang, 2003, p. 3). There are also important cultural and gender issues involved in this analysis (Lemus, 1999), as well as the increasing incidence of students with learning disabilities, students with profound physical disabilities, those with substance abuse problems, and teenage pregnancies that high school admissions counselors routinely encounter today (Ling, 2002).

On the other hand, there are students who enter high school fully prepared to take on any challenge, and these students likewise require special attention to help them achieve their full potential (Hebert & Neumeister, 2001). As these authors emphasize, "Counselors and teachers of gifted students seek strategies appropriate for addressing important social and emotional issues affecting the lives of the young people with whom they work" (Hebert & Neumeister, 2001, p. 224). For this purpose, the authors propose guided viewing of film as a counseling strategy through which middle and high school counselors and educators may assist gifted students in gaining helpful insights to deal with the challenges they routinely face during their unique high school experience (Hebert & Neumeister, 2001).

This is a tall order, but the importance of these decisions for students — and ultimately for American society — cannot be overstated. High school admissions counselors are well positioned to identify student weaknesses and strengths because they have access to a broader range of information than their counterparts in other parts of the school system. According to Henderson and Swann (1998), "In their official capacities, admissions officers and high school counselors routinely deal with confidential information (e.g., transcripts, recommendations, interview notes, financial data)" (p. 58). Therefore, the action plan envisioned herein seeks to provide each entering high school student with an individualized plan for both their high school experience and a "career ladder" of coursework required for a given career field. Special attention would be given to students identified as being at risk of dropping out or failing to achieve their full potential because of learning or physical disabilities. This individualized, comprehensive plan would be based on all available data, together with insights gained through collaboration with students and their parents or caregivers, and guided by the program goals and behavioral objectives described below.

Conclusion

Hebert, T. P., & Neumeister, K. L. (2001). Guided viewing of film: A strategy for counseling gifted teenagers. Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 12(4), 224.

Henderson, S. E., & Swann, C. C. (1998). Handbook for the college admissions profession. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

Isaacs, M. L., & Stone, C. (2003). Confidentiality with minors: The need for policy to promote and protect. The Journal of Educational Research, 96(3), 140.

Lemus, M. A. (1999). NAFTA and the Trinational Coalition to defend public education. Social Justice, 26(3), 145.

Ling, T. S. (2002). Lifting voices: Towards equal education for pregnant and parenting students in New York City. Fordham Urban Law Journal, 29(6), 2387.

Parish, T. S., & Rasid, Z. M. (1998). The effects of two types of relaxation training on students' levels of anxiety. Adolescence, 33(129), 99.