FUHS support staff helps students, teachers succeed

In order to promote the success of the Fallbrook Union High School students, the support personnel on campus have begun to implement the Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) to highlight the accomplishments of the Student Support Personnel Team (SSPT).

The SSPT focuses its efforts on the academic, career, and personal/social domains of each of its students, and helps students and staff in “creating a safe learning environment, counseling students and families on academic plans and preparing for success after high school, and providing compassion and guidance in moments of crisis and tragedy.”

According to Brenda Hodges, a member of the high school’s counseling staff, the SPARC program was developed in 2000 by an advisory group of Los Angeles County counselors, counselor supervisors, counselor educators, and California Department of Education consultants. Since implementing the program three years ago, the FUHS principal, three assistant principals, five counselors, one college and career counselor, and two school psychologists have been working hard to remove any barriers that would keep students from doing their best academically.

“We are trying to do what we can to foster a positive learning environment, in which all students have an opportunity to learn to the best of their abilities,” said Hodges. “We also share data pertaining to the positive things we were able to accomplish throughout the year as a way to stay motivated.”

According to the 2010 SPARC, school counselors recommend appropriate interventions to design, coordinate, implement and evaluate an equitable student support system.

“We look at the academic performances for all subgroups, and then work with the teachers and career development,” said Hodges. “We try to enroll students at risk in programs that will helps them, or provide mediation when necessary. We want our students to be successful in all aspects of their lives.”

Elements that have helped improve the environment on campus have been the Link Crew, which helps students feel accepted when they first attend the high school. In addition, the Counselor of the Day program and Student Improvement meetings are methods to help address issues contributing to poor academic performance and truancy.

“Our Counselor of the Day program has counselors rotate days so that they take turns being free from their regular duties so they can be free to help any student that has an academic emergency,” explained Hodges. “This allows us to be there for the students when they need us.”

Since implementing the intervention program, the high school has seen a drop in students being referred to the School Attendance Review Board for truancy. In 2008-2009, 48 students were referred; in 2009-2010, only 21 students were referred.

“We are working really hard, along with teachers, to help our students,” said Hodges. “We are working as a team. It’s important that we see the big picture, and have a good relationship between teaching and counseling staff so that we can help our students.”

To help provide an opportunity for students to do better academically, counselors worked with teachers and parents to promote academic success through Student Study Team (SST) and Student Improvement Meetings (SIM). According to the SPARC, counselors conduct evening meetings with parents of students in the English Language Learner program to discuss graduation and academic progress. In addition, counselors meet with teachers and administration to ensure students are properly placed in academic and support programs.

The Step Up and After School Safety program and Enrichment for Teens Program have allowed counselors to work with an intervention specialist to identify and target students who were at risk of gang involvement by providing positive decision making skills and gang avoidance strategies. Counselors were also able to offer presentations on school violence, harassment and types of bullying, and the surfacing behavioral issues that occur before expulsion.

With the help of these presentations, the number of expulsions dropped from 15 students in 2008-2009 to nine students in 2009-2010.

“Everyone is working hard in our department,” said Hodges. “We want to work together with teachers to make their students more successful, and make sure they have the support they need so that teachers are more successful. By offering more intervention, we can help teachers focus on the curriculum.”

Hodges said the high school district superintendent and board of trustees have reviewed the SPARC, and are pleased with the dedication of the staff.

“The entire school staff is working hard together,” said Hodges. “It is not just the teachers, or even just the counselors. It’s a team effort.”

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