File

Nonnandin
iddle School
Dovid Morlins
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1-3
Introduction with Baekground Information
4-6
I. Foundation
{.
Beliefs and philosophy
*Mission Statements
* Domains
and Goals
*ASCA Standards and Competencies
IL Delivery System
*
* Responsive
9-11
11
t2
13
School guidance curriculum.
* Individual student
7-8
planning
Services.
* System Support
l3-19
19-20
20-24
2447
III. Management System
27
rManagement Agreement
27.28
*Advisory Council
29-30
*Use of Data- Monitoring student progress.
30-31
*Use of Data- Closing the Gap
3t-32
*Action Plan- Guidance Curriculum
3243
* Action Plan- Intentional Guidance
32-33
4
Backsround fnformation
The Normandin Middle School is located in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
The city of New Bedford, located in Bristol County, Massachusetts, lies about 60
miles south of Boston and 30 miles southeast of Providence, Rhode Island.
Nicknamed "The Whaling City" due to its former prominence as a major whaling
port, New Bedford is the setting of Herman Melville's classic novel "Moby Dick".
New Bedford's early-19th century prominence as a leader in the whaling industry
began to decline during the latter half of the century concurrent with the discovery
of petroleum as a popular alternative to whale oil. It was during this period that
the textile industry took root in the city and began to flourish, ushering in an era
of prosperity that lasted until the l940s.In addition to cotton manufacturing, New
Bedford had been defined for many years by the proliferation of large-scale
factories manufacturing a variety of products including rubber, metal, and glass.
However, the city never lost its reliance on the sea to provide a substantial part
its living. Today, New Bedford is home to literally hundreds of commercial
fishing vessels and the city continually ranks as one ofthe nation's top
commercial fishing ports. Tourism is also a fast-growing segment of the city's
present-day economy, and the service industry ranks alongside commercial
fishing as an economic pillar in New Bedford today. The city was also an
of
important stop on the Underground Railroad, well known for helping slaves on
their trek to freedom. Frederick Douglass found his freedom and his voice in New
Bedford.
The Population
ofNew Bedford, Ma. According to the (2000) census was
93,768 people. Median family income (2000) in New Bedford is 35,708. The
Normandin middle school was built in 2003 and cost $42 million to build. The
school was named for Dr. Louis Z. Normandin, a prominent New Bedford
physician and popular civic leader who was active in the city's French-Canadian
community. The Normandin Middle School is a "spot light school "of the New
England League of Middle schools, which through its vision, leadership, and
progfttms, provides a network of services for learning about and implementing
developmentally appropriate practices for young adolescents that will serve them
in their ever changing world.
Normandin Middle school serves grades 6th-8th. According to the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, there are 933 total students
enrolled at Normandin Middle School. Enrollment by race is as follows: African
American 5.9
oA,
Asian r .0 oh, Hispanic
17 .9 oh,
Native American 0.5 yo, white
68.6 yo, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander 0.2o ,Native Hawaiian, pacific
Islander 0.2%.In many school districts, professional school counselors are
preparing themselves for their diverse clientele by taking courses in foreign
languages, enrolling in extensive multicultural counseling training, and consulting
with leaders from diverse communities (Erford, 2007). Selected populations in
the school are as follows: First Language not English 13.4yo, Limited English
Proficient 0.0yo, Low-income 55.60/o, Special Education l6.7oh, Free Lunch
42.8yo, and Reduced Lunch
84.1
.
129%. The total number of teachers in the school is
The student to teacher ratio in the school is I I .l to
1.
According to the Mass Department of Education 2010 test results, grade
levels 6-8 who participated in the English portion of the MCAS scored 3Yo abave
proficient which was below the state average of 16%. 49% of all grade levels
scored proficient which was below-the state average of 52Yo. 35%
of all grade
levels needed improvement, where the state average for 6-8 grade levels was at
24Yo for needing
improvement. 13 Yo of the school received awarninglfailing
compared to the state average of 8%.
According to the Mass Department of Education 2010 test results, grade
levels 6-8 who participated in the Math portion of the MCAS tested 9Yo scoing
above proficient which is lower than the state average of 26Yo. 28Yo
of grade
levels scored proficient in Math which is lower than the state average of 33Yo.
35% of all grade levels need improvement compared to the state average of 27oh.
28%o
of all grade levels in Normandin received
a
warning/failing grade which is
higher than the state average of l5Yo.
I. f,'oundation
According to the ASCA model, the program's foundation serves as the
solid ground upon which the rest of the program is built. The decisions made
dwing this process become the what of the program. What will every student
know and be able to do? Having a strong foundation requires participation from
parents, staff and community to determine what every student will receive as a
benefit of a school counseling program.
Beliefs
It appears
as the
Normandin Middle School believes in giving everyone
the equal opportunify to learn to be successfi.rl and to establish challenging
expectations for all students. It appears as the school states that they will provide
a safe and nurturing environment which promotes leaming as a life-long process.
This relates to the Academic domain of the ASCA model. In the Skills for
Leaming in Standard 1, students will acquire the attitudes, knowledge, and skills
that contribute to effective learning in school and across the life span.
Normandin's beliefs also appear to meet the PersonaVSocial domain of the
ASCA model as it states that every person should model the expectations of being
safe, considerate, and doing the
right. The school believes that every person
should practice self respect toward others and also in the value of cultural
diversity and the trnique abilities of others. This would relate to Standard 7:
Students
will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and interpersonal skills to help
them understand and respect self and others (ASCA, 2005).
The school also appears to believe in the involvement of family and
community which would relate to the Academic domain of Academics to life
success. In Standard 3, students will understand the relationship of academics to
the world of work and to life at home and in the community (ASCA, 2005).
Normandin's beliefs do not appear to meet the Career domain of the ASCA model
as
their beliefs appear to be more geared toward the Academic/Personal domains
but also incorporating leaming, making positive choices, and being accountable
for your action which in turn transmits into lifelong good citizens which would
make their students successful in their careers because they would be well
rounded in all areas.
The Statement of beliefs and also a Statement of beliefs written by the
Normandin Middle school Principal can be found in (Appendix H).
Philosophy
The Philosophy ofNormandin appears to drive home the fact of their goal
of
transforming students into well rounded citizens in all aspects of Academic,
Personal/Social skills. The School appears to want to educate the whole child in many
areas and to teach students to be respectful toward themselves, teachers and other
students. It appears
as
Normandin states in their philosophy that they want to provide all
students with an equal opportunity to receive a high quality education. It relates to
Standard 7 where Students
will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and interpersonal skills
to help them understand and respect self and others (ASCA, 2005). Although the school
does not list career aspects
it definitely wants to prepare students for the next level in all
areas of rigorous academics, conduct/behavior and after school activities and clubs that
will promote excellence
and citizenship. The list of student expectation and vision are
Located in (Appendix H).
Mission of School Counseling Programs
A Mission Statement describes the program's purpose and provides the vision of
what is desired for every student.
Mission Statement of the Normandin Middle School
Normandin Middle schools mission appears to relate to the ASCA models
Career domain as it relates to aspiring to want to develop a diverse group
of
students and taking their strengths in tum to developing a community of learners
who will value their education and will be successful in the world of work.
Normandin appears to meet the Academic domain Skills for learning of the
ASCA model
as they express
proficient. In Standard
their desire to want children to be academically
1, students
will acquire the attitudes, knowledge and skills
that contribute to effective leaming in school and across the life span (ASCA,
2005). Normandin appears to meet this
students in rigorous academics which
as they state they
want to prepare their
will prepare students beyond what the
MCAS dictates.
Normandin's mission for the school appears to meet the ASCA model's
Personal/Social domain of Respect for Self and others as the mission states that
developing students with strong character is a positive aspect and a positive
contributor to the community. The mission expresses the desire for students to
have respect for self and others and to have self confidence. Normandin feels that
10
success comes from those who believe that they can achieve and training students
to have self confidence and creating a supporting environment for students
will
foster an environment where they feel valued.
Mission Statement for the New Bedford School District
New Bedford School District's mission statement appears to meet the
ASCA model's Academic domain as it states that it will provide students with
quality education that is based on the high standards set by the Mass Curriculum
frameworks. It appears as if the district is focused on challenging students to
challenge themselves in school by providing rigorous academics. By providing
the highest standards, students of New Bedford would be prepared for the
job
force of today's competitive economy.
Mission Statement for the Guidance Department
The Mission of the Guidance program at Normandin appears to meet the
ASCA model's domains of PersonaUSocial, academic and Career development.
The mission relates to the Personal/Social domain of ASCA as it states that
counselors assist students in understanding and respecting self and others. By
assisting students in learning respect they will work on changing the climate
of
the school. The mission relates to the ASCA domain of Academic as it states that
School Counselors assist students in meeting academic success. By teaching
students to be academically successful, they
will promote
students who
will gain
1t
the knowledge needed to carry on to higher education and be successfi.rl in the
world of work. The mission of Guidance appears to meet the domain of Career
development as it states that it enables students to develop decision making
competencies and self awareness. This is important as it teaches students to
challenge themselves in making the right decisions and be accountable for their
actions. It also teaches students to set goals and take necessary action to achieve
their goals and achieve fufure career success.
Domains and Goals
According to Normandin's mission statement their mission is of the department is
to provide a comprehensive, developmental counseling program addressing the
personal/Social, academic and career development of all students. If appears that
Normandin's guidance program is aligned with the ASCA model to ensure and
promote all areas of students development. The School Counseling programs
goals appear to be to assist students in meeting academic success which relates to
the Academic domain of School Success. To assist students in understanding and
respecting self and others which relates to the Personal/Social domain of Respect
for self and Others, and to enable students to develop decision making
competencies and self awareness which I feel relates to the Career and
PersonaliSocial domain Of Goal attainment skills and Investigate Careers because
decision making can be made in career choices and decisions can be made to
correct ones behavior. On page 1 of Appendix L is where the domains and goals
are listed in the mission of the School guidance department.
12
ASCA National Standards and Competencies
The ASCA National Standards that Normandin appears to implement in relation
to their goal of School Success is Standard 2: Students will complete school with
the academic preparation essential to choose from a wide range of substantial
postsecondary options, including college. It appears as ifNormandin Middle
wants its students to be successful academically in order to move on and be
successful beyond the middle school. In Competency 4 for Skills for learning
relates to the awareness of the benefits of educational achievement which relates
to the goal of school successes if students are aware of their educational
achievement they
will in tum become academically successful. For the goal of
Personal/Social, the standard that would relate to this domain would be Standard
7: Students will acquire the attitudes knowledge and interpersonal skills to help
them understand and respect self and others. The Competency that relates to this
would be Competency
I
and 2: Knowledge of the importance of self concept and
Skills to interact with others. The goal of developing decision making and self
awareness would relate to Standard 8 of the Goal setting and attainment skills as
students
will make decisions,
set goals , and take necessary action to achieve
goals. The Standard the relates to this could also fall under the Investigate
Careers goal Competency 9 and 10 relates to the Understanding of how to make
decisions and the awareness of the interrelationship of life roles (ASCA, 2005).
13
II. Deliverv
System
The Delivery System is the method of delivering the program to students.
The delivery system is the how of the implementation process. within the
delivery system are four components: School guidance curriculum, individual
student planning, responsive services, and systems support.
Guidance Curriculum
The School guidance curriculum component consists of a written
instructional program that is comprehensive in scope, preventative and proactive,
developmental in design, coordinated by school counselors and delivered, as
appropriate, by school counselors and othereducators. The School Guidance
Curriculum is designed to facilitate the systematic delivery of guidance lessons or
activities to every student consistent with the school counseling program's
statement of philosophy, goals and student competencies. The Curriculum is
delivered through such strategies such as: Classroom instruction, Interdisciplinary
curriculum development, Group activities, and Parent workshops and instruction.
Classroom Instruction
A program at the Normandin Middle school which is a school wide district preventative
program is the MARC program. MARC stands for (Mass aggression reduction center). Marc
offers its anti-bullying programs to K-l2 schools in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.