La Mesa Junior High School’s counseling department has been honored for being a Recognized ASCA Model Program.
This national recognition is awarded by the American School Counselor Association and it highlights the school’s commitment to having an outstanding couseling program for students.
“In order to get the recognition, you have to have a data-driven school counseling program. We’re looking at data, we’re creating goals based off of that data and then we’re implementing different interventions and services for our students,” said Madelynn Quinn, a counselor at La Mesa.
The RAMP designation has only been awarded to about 1,300 schools since its establishment, according to a news release from the William S. Hart Union High School District.
“It’s a two-year process. Year one is primarily looking at the data. Year two is utilize the data in those goals we’re implementing,” Quinn said.
La Mesa’s model was focused on English learner students and preparing them to graduate from junior high school.
“By the end of our two-year cycle, we were able to help English learner students not on track to promote junior high school decrease by 8.6%,” said Quinn.
La Mesa is going to be honored at a recognition ceremony at ASCA’s Annual Conference in Long Beach on July 14.
