Starting in the next school year, Carroll County will implement a new, more standardized approach to advising its high school students.
A pilot curriculum will provide weekly, half-hour sessions encompassing career advice, post-graduation planning and academic skills development for all county high schoolers.
Schools each had set their own advising guidelines and schedules, said school system spokeswoman Carey Gaddis.
“Some inconsistencies in the approach led to inconsistencies in the instruction and inconsistencies in what?s taught to the students,” said Board of Education President Thomas Hiltz.
The change comes in response to years of debate over the program?s worth, Gaddis said, including suggestions to eliminate it. A study released last year by the Mellonbrook Policy Group, however, recommended the program stay ? after an overhaul.
“By next year, we should have a constant curriculum, by quarter and by grade,” said Kyler Brengle, career development coordinator for county schools.
At meetings like the one held Thursday, representatives from each school are expected to compare their approaches and determine which ones would work countywide, said Kim Stem, an academic facilitator at North Carroll High School.
“Everyone tapped their strengths to develop their curriculum, and now we?re pulling it together at the school level,” Stem said.
By pairing students with advisers, the anonymity and separation that can occur in large schools can be reduced, Stem said. By holding meetings with parents, students and advisers, the program can guide them through course selections and building a career focus.
The standardized curriculum also will help students prepare for milestones such as the PSAT in sophomore year, SAT in junior year and post-graduate planning for seniors, Stem said. More stringent state guidelines for testing and career preparedness also will be addressed.
