– Wesley Smith , Executive Director
SEL is an essential support to middle school WASC accreditation
The following article was co-written by Edward Colación , principal and Marina Hatfield , college and career readiness coach at Young Oak Kim Academy in Los Angeles USD .
The new educational zeitgeist teaches Common Core Standards with real-life concepts and assesses the whole child ’ s abilities in rigorous ways that highlight critical thinking , communication and collaboration . Accordingly , social-emotional learning ( SEL ) has become an essential aspect of guiding students in a successful academic direction .
When stakeholders and visitors observe our school culture , they are impressed by our SEL system , which addresses the longgame of grades 6-12 success , providing safety and personalization . A strong SELfocused middle school foundation will often lead to students ’ preparation , resiliency , and achievement in academic marks , highstakes assessments , and college and careerreadiness after high school .
Similarly , educators benefit from this authentic three-year professional development cycle in which they guide their students through the journey from elementary student to high-school-ready young adult . Through this dynamic process , teachers have a firsthand transformational experience that informs their teaching practice , academically , socially and emotionally .
Student Advisory class – also known as “ homeroom ” – is the ideal space and time for SEL to be fostered by mentoring teachers . At Young Oak Kim Academy ( YOKA ), our successful Advisory program , which has evolved over eight years , is structured for optimal effectiveness in SEL .
Students loop with their Advisory teacher for all three years in middle school ( sixth , seventh and eighth grade ), so that they can develop a lasting connection and comfort level with this guiding teacher-mentor . Building community between teachers and students is essential .
The Advisory class meets four times a week after lunch for an hour . At this midday time , students have eaten and have had a “ brain break ” from their core classes so they can mentally and physically transition into the Advisory-class mode . At this time of day , they are more receptive to life-skills learning .
Much like adults after a meal , we like to relax and discuss what ’ s on our mind . Advisory provides time and structure for these meaningful conversations and activities to take place . Specifically , Advisory focuses on SEL through personal development lessons , group collaborations , “ growth mindset ” protocols , and students thinking beyond themselves about their place in the community and global society .
Adolescence is an extreme psychological , physiological and social period of change ; coupling this transitional period with SEL is optimal for students ’ academic and behavioral preparedness in school . The following list includes essential SEL components that have been utilized school-wide at YOKA ,
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tems that served children .
As an ACSA member , I have focused on building leaders . I believe that we each become stronger every time one of us grows just a little . I ’ ve worked to spread the
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• Second Step Positive Behavior Lessons . Students learn about important topics , such as anti-bullying , empathy and compassion . This program provides the “ how to ” component for Advisory educators to teach SEL effectively .
• Restorative Justice . RJ provides a structure and protocol to talk about emotions . To become comfortable with RJ , our staff practices RJ circle participation and facilitation during professional development time . Students participate in RJ circles to verbalize their feelings , challenges , aspirations and personal stories . Eventually , these stories become their “ personal statements ” for college .
• Intramural . Structured playtime for middle school students is beneficial because it fulfills their physical and social needs . For intramurals , students engage in healthy athletic competitions between Advisory classes , tapping their kinesthetic learning modalities . Academic contests , competitions , quiz bowls and community service projects are also promoted and celebrated to make academic scholarship “ cool ” again .
• Themed Advisory Classes . Students further develop interest in focus areas such as gardening , music , yearbook , student government , “ Mouse Squad ” technology , and Korean culture and language . Clubs , student leadership opportunities , and future career passions and pathways often spring from these classes .
• Communication Technology . Students develop comfort with technological resources that support learning in all subjects , emphasizing healthy communication and interaction online , thus supporting digital citizenship and responsibility . Google Classroom , Schoology , Edmodo , and additional platforms for guided technology engagement are explicitly taught and utilized in instructional practice .
• Individual Graduation Plans . Students review their district IGPs with their Advisory teachers and a counselor in order to long-term plan for their high school graduation . Students get to understand how their current choices in academics , behavior and attendance affect their goals . Essentially , making this information transparent and accessible to students via an IGP that resembles a college transcript , provides a context for ownership and accountability of their academic progress .
• College and Career Exploration . Advisory provides the time and space for college and career research that motivates students . Students explore websites , such as Career Cruising , CA Career Zone , College Board , Khan Academy , and online learning style quizzes that provide beneficial information for short- and long-term SMART goal setting .
• Traveling Libraries . These are sets of nonfiction books on high-needs topics provided to Advisory classes to support SEL units of study . Not only do these engaging
phrase , # ACSAPowerfulTogether . I see our organization as a collective of incredible individuals , who , when focused , collaborating , developing ideas , creating solutions , aligning thoughts , or even debating issues , become more powerful for the good of our public education students .
If elected to the ACSA Vice Presidency , I will work to spread this synergistic energy county and national level . I envision applying proven methodologies that have yielded high returns and positive transformation as measured by educational outcomes to ACSA ’ s future endeavors .
I believe an organization is only as relevant as its members ’ involvement . Over the past 12 years , I have served as an active ACSA member . Currently , I sit on the ACSA State Board of Directors representing Region 12 . My past ACSA activities include : Strategic Planning Committee member , Chairperson of Secondary Education Council , regional vice president for legislative action , host of Curriculum and Instruction , Equity Institute , and book collections encourage a culture of readers , but also they become sources of content that inform students ’ writing . A strong reading and writing culture is key to success in all areas .
• Award Assemblies . At assemblies , students receive award certificates for “ Top Star ” academics , “ Rising Star ” improvements , perfect attendance , and achievements in other notable areas . In addition , weekly raffle prizes reward literacy development ( reaching Lexile reading goals ) and numeracy development ( mastering ALEKS math topics ), as well as acts of good citizenship . Incentives such as school spirit shirts , meal gift certificates , and silly prizes really matter and motivate kids to achieve .
• Community Service and Involvement . Students are encouraged to seek out and get involved in GEAR UP mentoring , “ Big Sister ” Advisory matching , “ Pennies for Patients ” fundraisers , and academic competitions such as spelling bees , writing contests , and multi-media competitions . Advisory teachers take turns identifying the “ Dragon of the Week ” student for their exceptional performance in school and service to others .
• Bridge Programs . To get ready for high school and model the college-selection process , students are exposed to high schools through assemblies , field trips , summer programs , website exploration and guest speakers . This helps them make an informed high-school choice connected to their college and career aspirations .
Our Advisory program is highlighted as one of our “ best practices ” when we have observers visit our campus from other schools , states and countries .
When visited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges , the committee interviewed a representative group of students , and they overwhelmingly shared that their favorite class was Advisory , followed by mathematics and physical education / intramurals . Moreover , students confidently shared that their Advisory teachers are people they trust and can rely on for additional SEL support on a daily basis .
As one of the first five middle schools in Los Angeles USD to be WASC-accredited , our findings report noted many areas of success , all of which connect back to our SEL focus in Advisory , especially our character development focus and high attendance rate . This success is due to students feeling safe and cared for at school .
Advisory has cultivated safety on many levels , which is key to optimal student learning and vital for parents and guardians . Thus , Advisory becomes the linchpin of SEL , which supports attendance , behavior and academics .
When students have challenges in any of these critical areas , they turn to their Advisory teacher for guidance , resources and next steps . Instead of only having one to two counselors serving the whole school population , we now have 30-plus trained educators providing an additional layer of
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that is created when ACSA members come together . Whether it is in a charter , region , or Leadership Assembly , an Academy , Summit , or Executive Board meeting , I want you each to know that my focus will be on enhancing our collective breadth of skills , building leaders , one , or a hundred , at a time . For we are , # ACSAPowerfulTogether .
Innovative Technology Academies , as well as the ACSA Mentor Program .
If elected ACSA Vice President , I shall bring a deep commitment to continue ACSA ’ s endeavor to provide a vibrant voice to the public education discussion , and prioritize continued efforts to deliver the tools you need to lead .
March 19 , 2018 EDCAL 3
FROM THE
Executive
Director
Student advocacy has been ACSA ’ s top priority for many years and our support for students has earned us a seat at the table inside the state Capitol where we can have substantive conversations with the governor and lawmakers . In face-to-face meetings with the state ’ s top decision-makers , we ensure public education serves our 6.2 million students now , and help pave the way for the next generation of California leaders .
I ’ m proud to say that twice in the last three weeks we ’ ve created a seat at a new table by leveraging our student advocacy work on a larger stage , diving into federal issues impacting students inside and outside of the classroom . We are doing it in a very public way .
ACSA and the California Teachers Association delivered a unified message to educators statewide , encouraging schools to use the March 14 National School Walkout as an on-campus teaching and listening moment , during which students had substantive activities dedicated to student voice and unity .
Inspired by the wisdom and awareness of students , our respective organizations pushed for a strong , collaborative message that combined support and understanding and empowered educators to think beyond the four walls of the classroom .
On March 6 , the Trump administration filed a lawsuit over California ’ s declaring itself a sanctuary state and passing three new immigration laws designed to protect immigrants and their families . The lawsuit was announced just hours before U . S . Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Sacramento and reminded California that “ there is no secession ” from the federal government .
The morning of the Sessions visit , ACSA President-elect Holly Edds and Past President Ralph Porras delivered a message on behalf of our members during a live news event . Porras called the lawsuit “ a direct attack on California families and their children .” Edds quoted a study in her remarks , noting that federal immigration agents in our communities have a direct impact on school absenteeism due to fear . Both Edds and Porras reaffirmed our choice to stand by Gov . Brown and the Legislature in supporting the sanctuary laws that were passed . All students have a right to feel safe on our campuses and facilities .
These are examples of ACSA ’ s seat at the national table , and I believe we can do more . We ’ ve made a choice to be out in front of statewide issues impacting our students , and now we are doing the same on national issues .
Our students are our future , and from my vantage point we will be in good hands as long as we continue to provide them knowledge , encourage success and nurture their civic duty .
– Wesley Smith , Executive Director