School Counselor Peer Transitioning Program Middle to High School. Effective transitioning practices.

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School Counseling
PEER TRANSITIONING PROGRAM
Middle-High School
Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere-Chinese Proverb
Pamela Noble
EDCE-611
Dr. Kristen Ascencao
Liberty University

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
The Mission:
 To provide students and families accurate and useful information.
 To support students’ social success in high school.
 To prepare students for academic success in high school.
 To work collaboratively to monitor transition plans and adjust those plans
based on data about student success (attendance, achievement, dropout
rate).

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Characteristics of Effective Transition Practices:
 Comprehensive
 Occurs simultaneously between Middle and High School
 Recognition of discrepancies and expectations between parent and
child
 Early Intervention
(Williamson & Johnston, 1999)

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Peer Transition Strategies:
 Invite parents to participate in a conference with their child and the high
school counselor about options and schedules.
 Tell students and parents the truth about what counts in high school and what
they will need to know.
 Ask parents to visit the high school with their children in the spring and again
in the fall.
 Involve parents in planning transition activities that will support students and
parents during the transition.
 Connect middle school parents with parents of current high school students.
 (Vernon, 2009)

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Strategies for Social Support:
 Help students gain confidence in themselves as learners to increase self-
esteem and confidence about success in high school.
 Include lessons on how to learn, how to study and how to take tests.
 Focus on personal problem solving and decision making in both middle school
and high school. Help students learn how to set and assess realistic personal
and academic goals.
 Invite middle school students to shadow ninth graders.

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Strategies for Social Support Cont’d…
 Have students at both schools write letters to students at the other school.
 Establish small houses or academies for ninth graders.
 Include an opportunity to interact with high school students in all summer
bridge activities.
 Provide specialized eighth and ninth-grade courses that focus on a multi-
year plan for success in high school.
 Provide every ninth grader with an adult mentor or adviser. SREB (2002,
2005, 2008), Maute & Brough (2002)

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Collaborating and Consulting with Stakeholders
Transition Teams Role:
Teachers, Administrators, Parents and Students from both schools.
 To conduct needs assessment.
 To gather data about the success of students when they transition
to the ninth grade (number taking challenging courses, attendance,
failure rates).
 Use interviews, tests, counseling, and other tools to help decide
student needs.
 Managing and accessing resources for student support.

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Proven Data Driven Activities:
 Mentoring programs.
 Organizing school visits.
 Eighth graders shadowing a ninth grade student.
 Professional development on young adolescents; Academic Support
 Support high academic expectations for all students (Plan Test,
Explore Test etc.)

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Proven Data Driven Activities Cont’d…
 Examine and recommend ideas to redesign the ninth grade
experience (course offerings, schedule, extra-help);
 Arrange teacher exchange or shadowing between middle school and
high school;
 Review achievement data and use these data to guide decisions about
changes to the transition plans. Morgan & Hertzog (1998, 1999,
2001), SREB (2002, 2008), Maute & Brough (2002)

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
ASCA Triangular Structure for Consulting in School
Counseling
Consultant
School Counselor
Consultee(s)
Students, Parents,
Administrators,
Teachers etc.
Curriculum
Collaboration
Life Transitions
Graduation Pathways

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Consulting Phases and Skills
Phase Skill Objective_____
Introduction Listening Establish rapport
Responding Identify concerns
Clarifying Gather information
Exploration Questioning Narrow concerns
Structuring List options
Brainstorming Move toward action
Implementation Mediating Choose strategies
Confronting Assign responsibilities
Prioritizing Set goals/time lines
Evaluation Observing Evaluate results
Documenting Follow-up
Assessing Reach closure
(Schmidt,2003)
"

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Collaborating and Consulting with All Stakeholders
Peer Transition Program
Post Mortem:
 Methodological problems are prevalent.
 Transition is a process and not an event.
 Success depends on early personalization of learning.
 Outside experiences are a key component to a students growth and
development.

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Peer Transition Program Presentation Resources
American School Counselor Association. (2012). The ASCA
National Model: A framework for school counseling
programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA:
Hertzog, J. & Morgan, L. (1998). Journal of Early Adolescence,
17(4), 371-389
Making High Schools and Middle grade Schools Work (SREB,
2005)http://publications.sreb.org/2005/05V12W_Making_
HS_MG_Schools_Work.pdf
Maute, J. & Brough, J. (2002). The Next Big Step: Helping Our
Students Transition Out, Middle Ground, 6(1), 16-19.

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Peer Transition Program Presentation Resources Cont’d…
Schmidt, J. J. (2003). Counseling in schools: Essential services
and comprehensive programs, 4th ed. Boston, MA.: Allyn &
Bacon.
Vernon, A. (2009). Counseling children and adolescents (4th ed.)
Denver: Love
Williamson, R. & Johnston, J. H. (1999). Never too late to
prepare for their successful departure. Expert Essay in
Breaking Ranks in the Middle, pp. 249-250, Reston, VA:
NASSP.

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Thank You