School board hears plan for a college advisor

Laguna Beach High School counselors presented a report on their college advisement program Tuesday at the district’s board meeting.

The report was part of a research initiative examining whether it would be advantageous to hire another counselor whose sole focus would be working with students on their college plans.

Such a position is typically only found in private schools, although La Cañada High School has one, and is similar in demographics to Laguna Beach High.

The counselors shared their current work at each grade level; future plans at current staffing levels; and the range of options that are available should new resources become available.

They also shared statistics about last year’s graduating class: all students graduated high school and passed the exit exam; 29% went to junior college; 42% went to a public four-year university; and 21% went a private four-year college.

In sum, 92% of the graduating class attended a two- or four-year college; the remaining 8% chose to travel or go directly into the workforce, the counselors said.

They wrote nearly 700 letters of recommendation for the students last year.

The counselors will begin to collect data regarding how many students who attend four-year in-state public schools are required to take remedial classes, as they relate to state trends.

They also will consider those incoming students’ first-year college GPAs as compared to the state as a whole.

The department also hopes to glean additional feedback from prior students about how well-prepared they felt in their first year of college.

Superintendent suggests strategic framework

The board approved a framework suggested by Supt. Robert Fraisse by which the district could work toward a common, united purpose in future planning.

He advocated a “bottom-up” approach that took into consideration the requests of the community, parents, teachers and other stakeholders, while expanding the goal cycle to two years rather than one.

Action initiatives would then be developed on an annual basis while supporting wider-reaching goals.

He lauded the district for being able to focus on its opportunities and strengths, at a time when surrounding districts are facing staggering levels of layoffs and budget cuts, but urged it to not be complacent.

“Good is absolutely the enemy of great,” he cautioned.

Fraisse likened the proposed process to the proactive approach of modern medicine: regular checkups provide assessments and prescriptive recommendations, which lead to action plans, compared to a reactive approach in which crises are dealt with as they come up.

The district plans to identify the components of its mission and develop overarching goals for each by next month.

Then, by July, it would complete an assessment of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

It would then be able to determine where it is today, versus where it needs to be, and develop the means to bridge the gap through a series of action plans.

Progress reviews would be ongoing.

Student honored for writing skills

The board also honored Top of the World Elementary student Katya Cox-Kruger, whose “If I Were President” essay won top honors at the school. Katya was born in Russia, and has lived in the United States for two years.