Central Valley High School
Counseling
Handbook
Last update: 11/15/19
How Can We Help You?
The Central Valley High School Counseling Department framework, goals and objectives are based off of the ASCA (American School Counseling Association) model.
SCHOOL COUNSELING DOMAINS
There are three broad domains for student development that guide our school counseling program:
The Role of the School Counselor
Appropriate and Inappropriate Activities for School Counselors
Gone are the Days of Guidance Counselors: We ARE School Counselors
We strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment, so that we are able to give you our full, undivided attention.
We have two counselors on staff: Mrs. Stevenson and Ms. King.
Both counselors have completed Master Degree programs in Educational Counseling and have a Pupil Personnel Services credential.
In addition, both counselors have been certified in many ASCA domains, as well as participated in many trainings by Dr. Trish Hatch, a renowned School Counseling Consultant for the US Department of Education.
GUARANTEED TIER 1 CURRICULUM FOR ALL STUDENTS (Counseling BeCV’s)
8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
High school vs middle school ★ Courses & Pathways ★ 4- year plan intro ★ Individual Guidance | ★ ★ Career exploration | ★ ★ Sophomore Counseling ★ Transcript Feedback ★ Finalized 4- year plan ★ Pre-College/ASVAB Assessments | ★ College Exploration ★ SAT/ACT ★ ★ Transcript Feedback | ★ ★ College Applications ★ Scholarships ★ |
TIER 2 INTERVENTION FOR THOSE WHO NEED IT
At-Risk Indicator | Data Point (i.e. 2 or more ___?) | Grade Level | Time Frame (i.e. every grading period) | Source Used to Gather Data | Intervention |
A-G | Off-track for A-G by 10 or less credits | 9-11 | End of every semester 9th grade end of year only | Aeries | ACHIEVE Intervention |
SAT | Students with a 2.0 or higher who have not taken an SAT/ACT | 11-12 | Jan. for 11th graders Sept. for 12th graders | Aeries | All call home |
FAFSA | No FAFSA completion | 12 | Bi-Monthly starting by Jan. 15 Weekly as the March 2 deadline gets closer | CSAC | CSAC report ran weekly Individual meetings with students and parents |
Behavior | 1 or more off-campus suspensions | 9-12 | As they occur/queried weekly | Aeries | Post-suspension/ re-engagement meeting |
Attendance | Attendance letters #2 and #3 | 9-12 | As they occur | Aeries | #2 SART meeting #3 SARB |
Grades | 2 or more F’s | 9-12 | Q1, Q2, Q3 | Aeries | SST’s in Oct for 9th- otherwise, calls home and SST’s as needed |
Graduation Requirements
English 40
Mathematics 20
Integrated/Algebra 10
Physical Education 20
World History 10
U.S. History 10
American Gov't/Econ 10
Life Science 10
Physical Science 10
Visual/Perform Arts 10
CTE/Practical/Voc 10
Electives/CTE 70
Total Credits Required 230
Courses Offered:
English Language Arts
Mathematics
Social Sciences
Science
Visual and Performing Arts
Language Other Than English
Skill Building (Freshman only)
Physical Education
Practical Vocational Art
Italics=College Credit
Asterisks*=A-G approve
ROP Courses:
Selecting Coursework: All students are encouraged to graduate from Central Valley High School with the skills it takes to be College and Career Ready!
Students create a 4-year high school plan for the 1st time, in the 9th grade, during the month of January. This plan can be viewed on Aeries, from the parent and student portal. Students know that their plan can and probably will change, but it should not be done so on a whim. A student’s 4-year plan will be finalized during sophomore counseling appts; occuring during the 3rd and 4th week of March. Parents are encouraged to attend in person or via phone. A student’s Academic Plan will inform the parent and student as to whether or not the student is on track to meet A-G (College entrance) , CTE Pathway completion and graduation requirements. A parent should also ask their 10th and 11th grade students to show them the transcript they’re given by their counselors when selecting coursework in the month of March. These transcripts contain feedback from counselors, informing them whether or not they’re on track to graduate high school and meet post-secondary goals.
Taking Classes at Shasta College:
We strongly encourage students to take college level coursework when they are ready. We offer the following classes on our campus to all students:
Grade Level | High School Course | College Course/Credit |
10 | AP World History | History 2 World Civilization to 1500 (3 units) |
11 | AP United States History, sem 1 | History 17A United States History (3 units) |
11 | AP United States History, sem 2 | History 17B United States History (3 units) |
12 | AP Government | Introduction toAmerican Government (3 units) |
12 | AP Economics | Econ 1A Principles of Economics- Micro (3 units) |
11 | English 3 AP | English 1A College Composition (4 units) |
12 | English 4 AP | English 1B Literature and Composition (3 units) |
Any | Creative Digital Media | CIS 73 Intro to Adobe Suite (2 units) |
Total College Credit | 24 units (equal to 1 year of college) |
In addition to the courses available on our campus, high school students can take Shasta College courses on campus or online tuition free. *There is a flat rate campus fee of $40.50 per semester + the cost of books.
If you’re interested in taking college courses through Shasta College, make an appointment with your counselor. We will guide you as to what courses you’re most likely to successfully acquire credit and we will assist you with filling out a concurrent enrollment form.
Credit Value assigned to transferable college courses: College courses are typically multiplied by 3 and rounded up to calculate the equivalent high school credit.
E.g. 4 college units x 3= 13 high school credits
3 college units x 3= 10 high school credits
Schedule Change Requests:
We pre-register students for coursework in the spring of the prior school-year. After courses are selected we calculate the number of sections we will offer for each course. This is called, “balancing the Master Schedule”. In order to provide your student with the best education possible, once the school year starts, changing a schedule can only be accommodated for a few reasons. The reasons are stated below.
****Schedule change requests are available in the counseling office****
A-G requirements are a sequence of courses that students are required to take and pass with a C or higher, to be eligible for a 4 year University. Often we hear students say, “but I’m just going to Shasta College”. We would like to reframe that way of thinking.
Shasta College is College. We want ALL students to graduate with ALL options!
Credit and A-G Recovery:
School districts require you to have a specific # of credits in a specific sequence of courses. See graduation requirements. If you have failed a course, you do need to "re-take" that course. We are not currently able to fit "retake" courses into a regular school day.
You have 2 options:
Please see your school counselor to explore which option would be best for you.
If you have failed multiple classes, you're 16 and graduation is at risk, your counselor may recommend a transfer to Mountain Lakes High School.
Recommended transfer guidelines:
10th grade semester 1- 20 credits behind
10th grade semester 2- 30 credits behind
11th grade semester 1- 40 credits behind
11th grade semester 2- 40 credits behind
12th grade semester 1- 30 credits behind
12th grade semester 2- 15 credits behind
All students are encouraged to meet A-G requirements for 4-year college entrance. Meeting A-G requirements only requires getting C’s or higher in CP or AP courses and taking 2 years of Spanish or American Sign Language. If a student gets less than a C, and they would like to remain eligible for a 4-year university they can retake the course on Odyssey or take an equivalent course at Shasta College online or after school. In addition, some A-G courses can be validated. Validation can get complicated. Please see your counselor with any questions.
Sample Transcript of a student who has many options after he graduates.
This student’s academic, weighted GPA is a 3.76, which puts him in the top 20% of his graduating class. He has taken and completed a CTE (Career Technical Education) pathway. He has a score of 3 on a World History AP test. He may be awarded college credit for getting a 3 or higher. He has taken 4 college classes and passed 3 of them. This school year he is taking 3 more college classes. He scored 4 on SBAC testing for Math and English!
We like seeing scores of 3 and 4!
Short Term Independent Study:
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CENTRAL VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL
HOME OF THE FALCONS
A California Distinguished School
Short-Term Independent Study Pre-Approval
Student __________________________________________________ Grade______
Contract Dates: from ____________thru _____________ Total days cannot exceed 10.
In order for a student to participate in short-term independent study they must agree to the following. Please initial acknowledging that:
_____ No pupil with exceptional needs may participate unless the Individualized Educational Program (IEP) specifically provides for participation. Contact your students Case Manager.
_____ Assignments must be turned in to your teachers the day you return. Your teachers will need to put a grade on your IS form and you will need to turn it in to attendance. Work turned in late shall be considered "missed assignments". No attendance credit will be given for missed assignments. Not turning in work assigned is equivalent to all day unexcused absences and regular attendance policies apply. Six unexcused absences may result in you being placed on an attendance contract.
_____ Assignments completed and submitted the day you return will earn full academic and attendance credit. To receive full credit, all work in all subjects must be completed. The manner, time, frequency and place for submitting work is specified on assignment contract.
_____ Failure to complete this contract will likely result in the lowering of your student’s grades and may result in your student being ineligible for a future Independent Study Contract.
Parents, please sign acknowledging that you and your student have spoken about the above requirements and you acknowledge the counselor recommendation.
Parent Signature: ___________________________ Date: ______________________
Counselor Recommendation
Students who have less than a “C” in any class and/or have an absence rate greater than 10% are not good candidates for IS. It requires a high level of responsibility and self-discipline.
_____ Your student is recommended for short term IS, because they have a grade of C or higher in all classes and less than a 10% absence rate.
_____ Your students is not recommended for short term IS, because they have less than a C in a class and/or greater than a 10% absence rate.
Counselor Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ___________________
Long Term Independent Study:
Central Valley High School does not offer Long Term Independent Study. The Independent Study program in our School District is GEO (Gateway Educational Options). As is the case with all Independent Study Programs there is a cap on enrollment. You will need to make an appointment with your students School Counselor, and they will submit a referral to administration, if appropriate.
The process is as follows:
Parent meets with counselor → Counselor submits referrals → Principal approves or denies referral → If approved, referral is sent to the Principal of GEO → Principal approves or denies referral → If approved Counselor calls parent to inform that parent needs to check student out of CVHS → GEO teacher calls parent to schedule an appointment.
We are dedicated to our students at Central Valley High School.
You have many professionals who can assist you!
Our college access partners are located in room 80!
Name of Program | Name of Advisor | Days on Campus | Email Address | Target Audience |
GEAR UP | Julie Carlson | Wed and Thur | All 9th graders | |
TRIO ETS | Rachel Ellis | Tue and Thur | Low income and 1st generation college students (max 30% non low-income) | |
TRIO Upward Bound | Kelsey Moynahan | Mon and Thur | 2.0 GPA+ Limited Income |
Our Career Technical Education Coordinator, Debbie Harkreader dharkreader@gwusd.org is in rm 61: Mrs. Harkreader can assist you with information regarding ROP, the military, ASVAB or Career Exploration.
Our School Psychologist and School Psychologist Intern
are located in the counseling office:
Kelly Backhues kbackhues@gwusd.org
Brittany Ostendorf bostendorf@guwsd.org
Athletic Eligibility:
Students must maintain a minimum unweighted GPA of 2.0. (CIF Bylaws) GPA is recalculated at each Quarter/Semester grading period.
A waiver of the 2.0 GPA requirement can be used for only 1 quarter in a student’s entire 4 years of high school.
Your grade point average (GPA) is calculated by adding the total number of grade points, and then dividing by the number of classes you are taking.
Points:
A= 4
B= 3
C= 2
D= 1
F= 0
E.g.: Your grades are A, A, B, C, D, D. You add 4+4+3+2+1+1 = 15. You are taking 6 classes, so your GPA is 15/6= 2.5.
Fall | Winter | Spring |
Swimming | Soccer | Softball |
Cross Country | Basketball | Baseball |
Football | Wrestling | Track |
Girls Tennis | Cheerleading | Boys Golf |
Girls Golf | 🏈 Don’t forget, only a fraction of 1% of high school athletes go pro! Academics come 1st!👌 | Boys Tennis |
Volleyball | ||
Cheerleading |
If you are interested in playing College Athletics,
please go to the NCAA website!
The Importance of Testing/ Types of Tests:
9th- 10th | Students participate in MAP testing 2x’s per year (Aug + Jan). Each student will have a RIT score. A RIT score identifies a student's instructional level. We use this score to measure growth. Contact your student’s Counselor if you would like a detailed printout of your student’s growth over time. | Physical Fitness Testing is required by Ed. Code. Students take the PFT in 9th grade. If they pass they are not required to continue taking PE after they complete the 20 credits required for graduation. | |||
10th | PSAT A 10th grade student may be able to take the PSAT in October. The PSAT is given during the school day. Juniors are given priority. Check with your Counselor in late September . | ||||
11th | October We highly recommend your student take the PSAT. Click here to read about the benefits!
April- June Register for the SAT and/or ACT by February April
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10th 11th 12th 16+ | ASVAB https://www.asvabprogram.com/ is offered during the school day in December and May! Talk to our Career Center Technician for more information. The ASVAB is a/an:
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12th | By November 8th Sign up to retake the SAT or ACT if you are University bound and you are not happy with your score. |
College & Career Planning Timeline
9th
10th
11th
12th
Ethical and Legal Obligations for High School Counselors according to the American School Counselor Association:
We try our very best to remind the student of the limits to confidentiality during every conversation that could possibly lead to breaking confidentiality.
Examples:
We are mandated reports. We can lose our jobs if we do not report every time there is the potential for abuse within the home.
How to help your student if he/she is:
Failing a Class |
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Struggling with Appropriate Behavior Frequent Absences Struggling with a Mental Health Issue | Let’s face it, sometimes being and parenting a teen can be a struggle. The best way to get through it is to keep the lines of communication open and maintain consistent boundaries. A couple of possible reasons for acting out and possible solutions are:
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Counseling Resources are available on our school website http://cvfalconpride.com/
Wellness and Community Resources
Scholarships and Financial Aid
Regional Occupational Program (ROP)