The primary aim of counseling and guidance services is to provide a comprehensive program that focuses attention on student personal, social, and college/career needs, as well as academic needs. The goals are to facilitate cooperative and meaningful interaction between the student, school, and home; to provide information and encourage open communication and involvement; and to humanize the instructional process by helping each individual realize his/her unique character and personal worth that contribute toward his or her maturity in becoming a participating citizen.

Basic Guidance Services
The following are the basic services provided by the Counseling Department:

• Provide an orientation program for students and parents at every grade level.
• Provide all students and parents with information concerning graduation requirements.
• Provide specific guidance for educational planning activities at each grade level.
• Provide every student with the opportunity to plan his or her educational program.
• Provide every parent with the opportunity to participate in the educational planning process.
• Provide career exploration and college advisement planning activities on a continuing and developmental basis.
• Provide opportunities for individual and group guidance and counseling services to assist students with personal and social development.
• Provide a system to insure that complete and accurate student records are maintained and are transferred promptly upon request.
• Provide information and interpretation of mandated and optional testing programs to all students and parents.

To perform these services the Counseling Department is sub-divided into the following functions:

Student Counselors

• Counsels individual students regarding educational, vocational, and personal goals and in matters of self-discipline; involves parents when necessary.
• Receives referrals from teachers relative to classroom adjustment of students’ confers with parents and students to effect better school achievement.
• Assists students in planning programs of study. Maintains a four-year Personalized Education Plan for each student.
• Assists teachers in obtaining, interpreting, and using guidance data.
• Assists Assistant Principal, Secondary Counseling Services (APSCS), in conducting testing programs, orientation programs, group guidance meetings regarding course content and graduation requirement
• Makes recommendations to APSCS, and provides assistance in preparing lists of graduates, accelerants, demotes, and others as requested.
• Plans with APSCS and parents remedial programs for students with problems.
• Cooperates with other staff members in providing special services for students.
• Works closely with APSCS and Assistant Principal, Secondary Student Services (APSSS) in matters of attendance and student discipline.
• Assists in articulation process with other schools.
• Supervises students on grounds and buildings.

College Counselor

• Assists students in obtaining information about scholarships and other forms of financial aid and in making applications for such aid.
• Maintains an information service regarding the specifics of dates, tests required, etc., by local colleges and universities.
• Schedules college advisement information meetings for students and parents; arranges for on-campus visits of college and university admission officers.
• Assists APSCS, and the guidance staff in providing information to students and parents regarding college selection.
• Coordinates (with Career Advisor) College and Career Day.

Career Advisor

• Assists students in obtaining information relative to vocations and occupations
• Coordinates and maintains regional occupational program recruitment and information center.
• Coordinates student transportation needs, when busing is available, for Regional Occupation Center/Program (ROC/ROP), and vocational education.
• Maintains student records indicating recruitment, transportation, follow-up, and marking data for ROC, ROP and vocational education.
• Coordinates student programs for interest inventories and aptitude assessment, as necessary.
• Disseminates career education information to the student body.
• Works with community and local industry to provide training opportunities, internships and job mentoring for students.

Work Experience Adviser

• Administers the Work Experience Program and issues work permits.
• Coordinates various employment programs.
• Assists students in obtaining part-time employment for both financial and educational gain.

Gifted Program Coordinator/School For Advanced Studies

• Provides liaison among schools, Local District Superintendent, and Special Programs Unit for more efficient program implementation and support
• Works with teachers through department chairs in the sequential development of a program for gifted pupils with inter-grade and inter-departmental cooperation.
• Supervises expenditures of gifted funds, requisitions, and other reports necessary for program implementation and support.
• Works with the counseling staff to develop a program to meet the individualized counseling needs of gifted pupils including the under-achiever and highly gifted.
• Provides leadership in the development of innovative programs and approaches to meet the needs of gifted pupils.
• Provides information and articulation for teachers of the gifted and all other teachers in the school.

The Teacher’s Role in the Guidance Program
The classroom teacher is intimately involved with students’ guidance programs. They can directly impact the program in the following three ways:

1. Curriculum: Teachers should be familiar with the prerequisites for the courses they teach and subjects offered by their own departments. They should also be acquainted with the graduation requirements and must utilize State Content Standards to develop their lessons. SLC Lead Teachers and counselors should be consulted about problems with students who appear to be scheduled incorrectly.
2. Vocational Advice: Within the area of his/her specialization, the teacher should serve as an advisor to students interested in that subject. The teacher may also serve by keeping counselors up to date on developments in that field.
3. Personal Counseling: Students often turn to a particular teacher for personal counsel because of their contact with the teacher. This is an invaluable part of a teacher’s role. All members of the counseling and administrative staff will work with a teacher if the student has a particularly difficult problem. If the matter involves legal or moral matters, or might involve other members of the community, it is always best to keep an administrator informed of the problem and the steps being taken to solve it. Home contact should be made for those students displaying problems in academics or behavior. The teacher should be alert to cues of learning breakdown and, in partnership with the counselor and other support personnel seek ways to promote the student’s welfare in school.

Articulation
Articulation with Narbonne High School feeder middle schools normally takes place in the spring semester during April and May.

Eighth-grade students become acquainted with our counselors, courses of study, and electives. Students are informed of graduation requirements, entrance requirements of colleges and universities, prerequisites for entry-level jobs, school activities, and the athletic programs.

Student Records
The Counseling Office has responsibility for maintaining up-to-date cumulative records and for sending official transcripts to colleges, universities, employers, and other authorized agencies.

This document is a permanent record of the student’s academic, work habits and cooperation marks. From this record a student’s grade-point average is computed. Test scores, stanines, past report cards and special reports on students may be found in the cumulative record envelopes. A green jacket in the cumulative record indicates that the student has received or is currently receiving some special service, (i.e., Special Education). An orange jacket in the cumulative record indicates that the student has been identified as gifted, having met the State criteria for gifted and/or talented. Home Language Surveys are also filed in the cumulative record. Teachers are encouraged to review cumulative records, particularly if a student has some academic difficulties.

No disciplinary files are kept in permanent cumulative records. The Deans’ Office maintains disciplinary files.

Graduation
Only those students who have completed the prescribed course of study and met school, District and State requirements will be allowed to participate in the graduation ceremony. All debts must be clear and senior attendance requirements must be met. A list of the candidates for graduation is prepared and posted for review near the end of the fall semester. Thereafter, the administrator through input from counselors keeps the candidates for graduation current on the list.

Students in Special Education are on one of two tracks, depending on the extent of their disabilities: diploma or certificate of completion.

Special Education students earning a diploma must meet the same requirements as students in general education. The requirement to pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) was waived for those graduating in 2006 and 2007.  2008 graduates who passed the test with modifications (such as the use of a calculator) were also granted waivers as long as these modifications were included in their IEP's.  California's graduation requirments, and the granting of waivers and exceptions, are subject to change from year to year.

Special Education students earning a certificate of completion have modified curriculum according to their needs. Although most of these students are in special classes most of the day, many are mainstreamed for PE. and electives. These students participate in senior activities and the graduation ceremony along with the general education students.