Post 7

To say that I understand accountability is an understatement. As an elementary school teacher in a public charter school, accountability is emphasized yearly, monthly, and daily. Every five years our charter must be renewed by the city of York. Our administration and school board provide data to show that we are a successful school. This data is collected throughout the year, and it comes in many forms (PSSA results, attendance, parent involvement, behavior referrals, etc…). Without this data, we would not be in existence today. It is shocking to me to read at the beginning of chapter 7 Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) reveal that prior to the 1980’s, school counselors and their programs were not keeping track of how effective they were. It is one thing to show what you have done, but it is another to show that what you have done is successful! Data has to drive instruction – something I hear often at Lincoln Charter School. Whatever I am teaching in my classroom has to be connected to my student’s achievement/weaknesses. I can liken the different forms of evaluation noted by Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) to coaching track. Needs assessments are like the one mile time trial I have my athletes do on the first day of the season. Here, I can gauge and see where each individual athlete is, but more importantly, I can see what they need to become a successful distance runner. From this needs assessment, I talk with each athlete individually setting a goal for the 800m and 1600m run, and then I will discuss how we will work together to get them there. Outcome research is matching the results of the time trial and their goals to a training program that will meet the needs of each runner (or a group of runners). I use different programs depending on what a particular runner needs (speed vs endurance). Formative assessments are the track workouts and dual track meets that my students compete in once or twice a week. It gives me a measure of how they are improving or not improving. I can then tweak their training program (outcome research) as needed to help the athlete meet his or her goal set at the beginning of the year. After the adjustment(s) to the training program, maybe some of the athletes are still not progressing as expected. From here, I can think about the implementation of the training program. For example, runners are experiencing shin splints due to the constant running on the track or cement. Here, I can focus more on grass or turf training to help with their injury. Also, I can provide ten minutes at the end of practice to stretch and ice their shins with a trainer. Finally, outcome evaluations are measured through track invites (larger meets where my runners are competing against more than one other school and where they have more time to rest in between each event). There are usually a total of 4 invites throughout a track season. I can test to see if their training program is effective by keeping track of their times and improvement. Gysbers’ article (2004) showed the evolution of counseling accountability starting in the 1920’s to the 2000’s. I would like to reference one important detail that Gysbers presented at the end of his journal – “The literature makes it clear that it is important to rid the mind of the phobia of accountability, of the persistent fear of accountability that often leads to a compelling desire to avoid it” (Gysbers, 2004). When I was a first year teacher, I hated observations/evaluations. I had a phobia about accountability. I thought that I was being judged and ridiculed. Today, I look forward to these evaluations. I feel that these evaluations serve as an opportunity to shine, but also, they provide an opportunity to grow. I am not perfect, but I sure do try to be. The more advice I receive, the better teacher I become. Dollarhide, C.T., & Saginak, K.A. (2012). Comprehensive school counseling programs (2nd Ed.). New York: Pearson, Inc. Gysbers, N. C. (2004). Comprehensive Guidance and Counseling Programs: The Evolution of Accountability. Professional School Counseling, 8(1), 1-14.