Introduction
Description of Valdez Personal Education Plan (PEP) Program
Purpose of PEP Program
The Valdez Personal Education Plan (PEP) Program is a K-12 initiative that delivers the content (knowledge to be acquired and skills to be developed) that enables students to become proficient planners for their future success. PEP curriculum activities are divided into two strands:
Core PEP Activities. The core activities teach students the PEP process, how to complete the PEP student forms and how to demonstrate their proficiency as planners. The four core activities are described in the next section. This document only contains instructions for delivering the PEP Core Curriculum.
Supporting PEP Activities. The second strand of activities focuses students on key aspects of becoming proficient planners (e.g., career interest inventories, time management and other employability skills). These can be embedded in the core PEP activities or delivered as separate lessons. Both core PEP activities and supporting PEP activities are identified in the school counseling curriculum’s scope and sequence.
Roles and Accountabilities
K-12 school counselors are responsible for implementing a comprehensive School Counseling Program. The PEP Program is the responsibility of the entire school community, with school counselors and teachers being primarily responsible for the delivery of the program.
Expected Results for Students in the PEP Program
The primary result for students is that they learn how to become proficient planners for their future success. To achieve this, students will will:
Learn how to plan for their future.
Develop an academic plan based on grade/level-specific promotion (e.g., advancement from junior high to high school) and graduation requirements.
Develop personal plans in the academic, career and personal/social developmental domains.
Monitor their progress and conduct periodic reviews during the school year.
Demonstrate their proficiency as planners, including self-reflective writing and the production of portfolio artifacts that show their ability to apply the knowledge and skills they learned in the PEP Program to their personal lives.
Make informed decisions about educational and career pathways by understanding the requirements and taking necessary steps to successfully pursue the pathway(s) after graduation.
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PEP Core Curriculum Activities
PEP Core Curriculum Activities
The PEP Core Curriculum consists of four activities that are delivered to students. The activities are delivered on an annual cycle corresponding to the school year. Each activity is described below. Instructions for delivering each activity are documented and contained in separate files.
1—Understanding the PEP Process and What It Requires of You
Students learn about the PEP Process and what they will be doing throughout each school year: establish goals, monitor their progress, self-reflect on the accomplishments and challenges, and produce evidence (e.g., portfolio artifacts) that demonstrate what they know and can do as a result of the PEP Program.
2—Academic Planning
Each year students meet with their school counselor regarding their progress toward graduation requirements. They are asked to review their credits toward graduation and complete a checklist to make sure they are on track to graduate on time. The review involves courses taken, portfolio artifacts produced, and progress toward other graduation requirements (e.g., meeting school-wide expectations, passing end-of-course exams). Students plan to take the most appropriate courses to meet the educational requirements for their post-secondary goal(s). Students are urged to take the most rigorous courses available to them so as to maximize their options upon graduation.
3—Personal Planning
Each year students are also asked to set goals for their future success in three developmental domains: academic, career and personal/social. These domains are defined in the American School Counselor Association’s ASCA National Model® (2005).
The personal planning process consists of four activities that are conducted annually by students:
Set Goals and Define Action Steps
Early in the year (Quarter 1), students set goals in three (3) developmental domains. The goals are documented on the “IPASS” template and stored in the students’ PEP folders.
Take Action, Monitor Progress and Conduct Periodic Reviews
Students work toward their goals throughout the school year. They monitor their progress and conduct periodic (e.g., quarterly) reviews with their teacher and/or counselor. A Quarterly Review template is provided for students to document their ideas and save them as input for their year-end reflection. These reviews are conducted in Quarters 2 and 3.
Year-end Self-Reflection
Late in the year (Quarter 4), students are required to self-reflect on their progress and document the results of their reflection. A template with suggestions for completing the reflection is provided to guide students.
4—Demonstrating Planning Proficiency
Students are required to provide evidence that they are becoming proficient planners for their future success. This evidence consists of PEP portfolio artifacts.
Academic Plan for the year signed by student and teacher/counselor. A parent/guardian signature is encouraged, but not required for this artifact to be considered complete.
Year-end Written Reflection for the current school year. A template is provided.
Career Interest Inventory or other results of a college and/or work-related activity that demonstrate that a student has used the process to select potential post-secondary pathways, identified what is required to be successful, set goals and developed action plans for life after high school.
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PEP Core Curriculum Delivery Schedule
PEP Core Curriculum Delivery Schedule
Core PEP Curriculum Delivery System
The four core PEP activities are delivered on an annual basis according to the schedule below. The school year has been divided into four quarters, with the expectation that all students will complete the activities within the quarter(s) in which they are specified.
Prior to Quarter 1 / Quarter 1 / Quarters 2 and 3 / Quarter 4Prepare PEP folders and PEP forms for students.
Date: ______/ Deliver Lesson 1: “Understanding the PEP Process” to all students.
Date: ______
Deliver the “I WILL Plan” lesson to all students.
Output = each student has a completed I WILL Plan with at least one goal each in the academic, career and personal/social domains.
Date: ______/ Deliver Lesson 3: “Quarterly Review” lessons to all students following release of report cards in each quarter.
Date: ______/ Deliver Lesson 4: “Written Reflection” to all students.
Date: ______
Deliver Lesson 2: “Academic Plan” to all students.
Date: ______
Conduct the Student Pre-Survey.
Date: ______/ Conduct the Student Post-Survey with the same classes.
Date: ______
Conduct the Counselor/Teacher Pre-Survey with all counselors and teachers who participate in the PEP Program.
Date: ______/ Conduct the Counselor/ Teacher Post-Survey with all counselors and teachers who participate in delivering the PEP Program.
Date: ______
Report final data for the previous year.
Date: ______/ Complete PEP Logs.
Date: ______/ Complete PEP Logs.
Date: ______/ Complete PEP Logs.
Date: ______
Forward PEP folders to students’ new schools (within the district).
Date: ______
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PEP Data Management
PEP Data Management
The Importance of Data
The Valdez City School District (VCSD) Board of Education’s Strategic Plan identified five (5) goals for the district, with varying numbers of objectives for each goal. A suggested strategy for meeting the goal for high student performance is that all students in grades K through 12 will have a Personal Learning Plan (PEP). The VCSD Counseling Department expects to submit compelling evidence that the PEP Program is having a positive impact on student success.
Activities will be documented to show that students have the opportunity to:
LEARN about the PEP Process and how to plan for their future success.
APPLY what they have learned by creating an academic and personal plan each year, monitoring their progress, and self-reflecting on their accomplishments and challenges.
DEMONSTRATE their planning proficiency by successfully completing all PEP forms and creating PEP portfolio artifacts.
The Uses of PEP Data
Data about the PEP Program has multiple uses. It can be used to:
Help students become more proficient planners.
Help teachers and school counselors improve their practice.
Develop strategic and annual implementation plans for personalizing student learning.
Establish and maintain a continuously improving teaching and support environment.
Report to the public on the impact of the PEP Program on student success and school reform.
Demonstrate compliance with the Valdez City School District Board of Education’s Strategic Plan and the suggested strategy that all students in grades K-12 have a PEP.
When to Collect Data
Process data
+Event by event
+End of year tallies
Perception data
+Pre-Post questionnaire (Beginning and end of school year)
Results data
+Ongoing across multiple years
When to Report School-Based Data
Quarterly report to:
+School Leaders (e.g. principals, SIT)
+District Supervisors
+Central Administration
End-of-year report to:
–School Leaders
–District Supervisors
–Central Administration
–School Committee
–Public
PEP Data Management Success Factors
The following factors are considered to be critical to the successful implementation of a PEP Data Management System. PEP data is considered a subset of overall School Counseling Data Management System. Four factors are identified:
Identify data to be collected before you start.
Develop data gathering and reporting forms.
Establish processes and role responsibilities for gathering and analyzing data.
Train personnel responsible for producing and reporting the data.
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Sample Completed Meeting Minutes
PEP Data to be Collected
Data in the PEP Data Management System (DMS) is divided into two categories:
Data related to student progress toward ASCA standards and expected results (outcomes) for students participating in the PEP Program.
Data related to evaluation of the PEP Program.
Three types of data (evidence) will be gathered:
Process data (information about what is being done as part of the PEP Program).
Perception data (what participants feel about the process and progress made).
Results data (the difference it makes in student lives and the quality of the School Counseling and PEP Programs).
Each category has a series of forms that are used to gather and report data. The forms are listed below. They are used in annual cycles.
Student PEP Data
Student Data Form 1 (SDF1): Student Pre/Post Questionnaires (Perception Data)
Student Data Form 2 (SDF2): Student Planning and Artifact Log (Process and Results Data)
Student Data Form 3 (SDF3): PEP Data Summary Transmittal Form (Process Data)
Program PEP Data
Program Data Form 1 (SDF1): Counselor/Teacher Pre/Post Questionnaires (Perception Data)
Program Data Form 2 (SDF2): PEP Curriculum Delivery Log (Process Data)
Program Data Form 3 (SDF3): PEP Program Implementation Log (Process Data)
Program Data Form 4 (SDF4): Meeting Minutes (Process and Results Data)
Instructions for completing the forms can be found in Appendix A (for assessing student progress) and Appendix B (for assessing the impact of the PEP Program). A field-by-field description is provided, along with a sample completed form.
Each of the above listed forms is provided as a separate MSWord or Excel file. The files can be copied (Save As) to produce an electronic input template or serve as a reproduction master (to print copies).
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