Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 1

Capstone Systems Change Project

Travon Watkins

Brandman University

CSPU 618
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 2
Introduction

The following project provides you with a snapshot of my experiences as a school

counseling intern. However, the primary focus of this assignment is to evaluate the delivery of

comprehensive school counseling services within Inglewood Unified School District and to offer

recommendations for system improvements. The recommendations described include clarifying

the role of the school counselor as there seems to be much confusion about their duties and to

reduce the student to counselor ratio at the elementary school level, in order to reach more

effective service delivery.

Needs Assessment / Surveying the school district

Inglewood Unified School District (IUSD) is

comprised of a diverse student population of over 8,400,

which is a decrease of more than 300 from this time last

year (Schoolzilla, 2019). It is composed of eighteen schools:

eight elementary schools, four TK-8 schools, one middle

school, four high schools (one charter and one

continuation), and an adult school. Inglewood Unified

employs sixteen school counselors, with the two

Image retrieved from: Inglewood USD Measure GG © 2019.
comprehensive high schools each having two counselors

on-site, with the TK-8 counselors having one site, and the

elementary school counselors having multiple sites. For example, two elementary school

counselors have three sites while the third counselor has two. The elementary and TK-8 school

counselors are paid a lower salary than their high school counterparts and work 195 days.

However, the high school counselors work an extra five days. (IUSD, Human Resources, 2019).
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 3
The district has a chronic absentee rate of ten percent, which is a glimmer of improvement

due to a two percent reduction from last school year (Schoolzilla, 2019). IUSD has seen four state

appointed administrators resign within the past seven years after being taken over by the

California Department of Education in 2012 (Phillips, 2018). According to Phillips (2018), the

state elected to oversee the district after “decades of mismanagement . . . [in order] to bring

financial stability” (p. 2). However, before the onset of the 2019-2020 school year, the Los

Angeles County Department of Education (LACOE) has assumed the role of overseer, in hopes of

improving the school district’s functioning.

During a recent school counselors staff meeting, the newly appointed Director of Student

Support Services identified attendance as the top priority for the current school year, with the goal

of a ninety-six percent attendance rate. This is equivalent to a student being absent once every 25

school days. This seems to put other services the school counselors provide in the rearview, as it

can overlook the individual needs of each school as related to its comprehensive school

counseling program.

I am currently completing my fieldwork experience at Worthington Elementary and

Morningside High, with enrollments of 361 and 633 respectively (Schoolzilla, 2019). The

fieldwork supervisor at the high school has one site, while my fieldwork supervisor at the

elementary school level works at three different sites, which totals a student to counselor ratio of

1263 to 1 (please see enrollment breakdown for each school below [table 1]).

SCHOOL ENROLLMENT NUMBERS CHRONIC ABSENCE RATE

Worthington Elementary 361 8%
Hudnall Elementary 410 8%
Oak Street Elementary 492 11%
Table 1. https://mosaic.schoolzilla.com/comparison/school (2019).
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 4

In an interview with the elementary school counselor, he addressed the question regarding

changes he would like to see in his position:

“I would just like to be at one school. The three schools thing is not realistic, it’s not fair

to students, and to me it’s almost like they [the school district] downplay the importance

of a school counselor in terms of services to families or students”.

We could assume that priorities outside of attendance (although important not to trivialize the

issue) exist and are just as vital. For instance, data from a Needs Assessment conducted earlier in

the school year confirms this. The focus group participants included a student, general education

teacher, office manager, school counselor, assistant principal, and special education teacher.

Participants were asked to rank services in order of value to them, that an ideal comprehensive

school counseling program would provide. (Please see below for participant responses [Figure 1,

on page 5]). The data depicts a disconnect among school district administrators and students/staff

members, regarding priority. Most of the participants elect social/emotional or academics as most

important. However, it can be argued that without attendance, a student’s social/emotional or

academic needs cannot be fulfilled. Despite the divide, school counselors work to deliver services

as comprehensively and efficiently as they can.

Image retrieved from: markjmores.netboard.me/focusgroupresearchbooks

 Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 5

“Social/emotional – Because, if
this isn’t taken care of, they can’t
School "The most important one to me is academics
do anything. This must be dealt
with first. Understanding there is Student because that's the main reason for coming
more to life than your GPA”. Counselor to school".

"Academics are the most important to me

because they form the foundation for student
success and achievement in the classroom.
While students bring in a large variety of
strengths and deficiencies, if they lack the
academic skills necessary everything in the
Assistant 1 - Social/emotional
classroom will be an uphill climb. Further while Teacher 2 - Academic
3 - Attendance
students do bring in their challenges and history
from outside of school, for many focusing on Principal
academics while in class can help them. Once
the academic skills are developed and supported
the other aspects can be addresses in better
ways".

Special
1 - Social/emotional
2 - Academic
Education Office 1 - Mental Health
2 - Attendance
3 - Attendance
Manager 3 - Social/Emotional

Teacher

Note: Focus group implementation and data analysis were completed in collaboration with Haley Hertz (2019).
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 6
Delivery of Counseling and Consultation Services

At IUSD, counseling and consultation services at the elementary school level include

group counseling, individual counseling and case management (caseload max: 20), threat

assessments, participating in Student Success Team (SST) meetings and Individualized Education

Plan (IEP) meetings, serving on the Student Attendance Review Team (SART), parent meetings,

and College & Career readiness. Counselors at the high school level engage in all these duties

except serving on SART and SSTs, but have the extra duty of the college applications process,

PSAT, SAT, and other testing. The high school counselors also appear to perform less group and

individual counseling than elementary counselors. At my elementary school fieldwork site many

IEPs are conducted but the SST process is non-existent, as the administrator is in the process of

creating a team. My fieldwork supervisor currently spends a considerable amount of time working

on attendance data, tracking, mailing letters, and conducting SART meetings. Only one of his

three school sites have a SART team, which leaves other services he wants to provide to fall

behind. For example, a delay in providing counseling to students on his caseload and delays in

completing section 504 plans for students in need of accommodations.

According to National Standards for Students, school counseling programs shall not

ignore “the emotional, physical, social, and economic barriers that can inhibit student success”

(ASCA, 2004). The school counselors in IUSD may not specifically use the ASCA National

Model however, they do provide services that aligns with the model. Yet, with respect to

academic development, without Pre-SST interventions and subsequent SST meetings we are at

risk of failing to close the achievement gap. Nevertheless, the school counselors do an excellent

job of conducting career aptitude tests, setting up college presentations and workshops, and

meeting with students to address anger or crisis issues. Despite this, it is important for the school
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 7
district to pay closer attention to what students and staff members voice as needs from a

comprehensive school counseling program. Therefore, as a starting point I offer two specific

recommendations: (1) clarify the role of the professional school counselor within IUSD and (2)

reduce the student to counselor ratio at the elementary school level.

Recommendations

Clarify the role. The most important recommendation is to fully clarify the role of the

school counselor on each level and more closely align the programs to the ASCA national

standards. Thompson (2012) defines the role of a professional school counselor as “a more

therapeutic role and an integral part of school improve efforts to close the achievement gaps and

make all student succeed” (p. 24). Programs will not be valued among stakeholders “unless

professional school counselors collectively embrace [Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling

Program] CGCP and the ASCA National Model” (Thompson, 2012, p. 46). Otherwise, the

professional school counselor is perceived as someone who simply engages in administrative or

clerical tasks. In using IUSD’s top priority, attendance, as an example, it is within the professional

school counselor’s role to meet with students who are truant or chronically absent (Thompson,

2012). On the other hand, mailing SART letters, contacting parents for reminders to SART

meetings, and conducting SART meetings on their own (while not as part of a team) are perceived

as administrative or clerical duties; and not a part of the counselor’s role. Professional school

counselors can accomplish aligning more closely with ASCA National Model and clarifying roles

by conducting weeklong meetings or workshop prior to the onset of the school year. The Director

of Student Support Services could meet with administrators to reiterate these roles, while also

presenting information from the Needs Assessment which highlights academics and

social/emotional as most important.

Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 8
Reduce the student to counselor ratio. It is common knowledge within the profession

that the student to counselor ratio as prescribed by ASCA is 250-to-1. However, Thompson

(2012) points out that nationally the ratio is closer to “475-to-1” (p. 23). This ratio in California is

much higher, ranging between 700 to 800 depending on the source [please see separate

reporting information in Appendix section, page 12-13, from U.S. Department of Education,

National Center for Education Statistics (Figure 2.) and from the National Association for

College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the American School Counselor Association

(ASCA) (Figure 3)]. My high school fieldwork supervisor with has a ratio of 317-to-1, due to

dividing the caseload by last names starting A-L. This ratio closely correlates to ASCA

recommendation. Unfortunately, and as previously mentioned, my supervisor at the elementary

school has a ratio of 1,263-to-1, since he has three school sites. To address this issue, to adhere to

the Needs Assessment, and follow the definition of a professional school counselor, I recommend

two alternatives. The first alternative involves district officials transferring the substitute

counselor at one of the TK-8 schools (which already has a full-time school counselor) to one of

the elementary schools and maneuver the school sites to even out the numbers between the

counselors. This will not only reduce the elementary school counselors’ site from three to two, but

it saves the district money as well, since they would not need to hire a full-time counselor. This

alternative could potentially reduce my fieldwork supervisor’s student to counselor ratio from

1,263 to 1 to 853 to 1. The second alternative entails hiring an additional elementary school

counselor, which will cost the district between $53,000 and $57,500 for the first year, with a four

and a half percent increase the subsequent school year (salary schedules, human resources, 2019).

The district can fund this position by either reducing its spending in areas such as special
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 9
education lawsuits or by improving its attendance, which has been said to be the top priority for

the year.

Conclusion

In the end, if the roles are clarified and the student to counselor ratios are decreased,

professional school counselors would have more time to focus on the academic development and

social/emotional aspects highlighted by the Needs Assessment. School counselors would have

more time to assist teachers in developing and implementing Multi-Tiered System of Support

(MTSS) interventions that are research validated. They would be a valued member of the SST

process working to close the achievement gap. Classroom guidance lessons will be a common and

frequent occurrence on campuses, which will not only assist in improving student’s

social/emotional learning but would increase awareness of who the school counselor is and what

he does.
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 10
References:

American School Counselor Association (2004). ASCA national standards for students.

Alexandria, VA: Author.

Inglewood unified school district, human resources. (2019). Counselors salary schedules.

Retrieved from https://www.inglewoodusd.com

Phillips, A.M. (2018, April 10). Six years after the state came in to save Inglewood Unified, the

district faces a budget crisis, buildings in disrepair and lack of steady leadership. Los

Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://www.latimes.com

Schoolzilla. (2019). District profile: Inglewood unified school district [Student engagement].

Retrieved from https://mosaic.schoolzilla.com/

Thompson, R. A. (2012). Professional school counseling: Best practices for working in the

schools. New York, NY: Routledge.

Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 11
Images:

Retrieved from: Inglewood USD Measure GG © 2019.

Retrieved from: markjmores.netboard.me/focusgroupresearchbooks
Table:

Retrieved from: https://mosaic.schoolzilla.com/comparison/school (2019).

Figures:

Needs Assessment, Focus Group from CSPU 616, in collaboration with Haley Hertz

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and the American School Counselor
Association (ASCA)
Appendix Section
Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 12

Figure 2.

DATA SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, NATIONAL CENTER FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS, COMMON CORE OF
DATA (CCD), "STATE NONFISCAL PUBLIC ELEMENTARY/SECONDARY EDUCATION SURVEY," 2015-16 v.1a.
 Capstone Systems Change Project – Signature Assignment 13

Figure 3.

California

California Student-to-Counselor Ratio, 2004-05 to 2014-15

1,016
990 986
1,000

920 814 826

760
800
810 818 822
809

600

400

200

-
Students Students Students Students Students Students Students Students Students Students Students
Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per Per
Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor Counselor
(2004-05) (2005-06) (2006-07) (2007-08) (2008-09) (2009-10) (2010-11) (2011-12) (2012-13) (2013-14) (2014-15)

Percent Change Enrollment: -2%

Percent Change in Counselors: +28%
Percent Change in Student-to-Counselor Ratio: -23%

*Note: Large fluctuations or irregular data are likely due to state reporting errors or inconsistencies.
Data Source: