Roles and Responsibilities

STEERING COMMITTEE

(administrator, teacher per grade level, LINKS coordinator, community and business leaders, post-secondary institution representatives, parents, school counselor, student leader)

May use some of the Guidance and Advisement team for the first year of the program; meet in summer, then revisit membership at least annually as needed.

  • Initiate implementation of program within the school.
  • Decide upon logistics of the program.
    • time in school day
    • designation of roles and duties
    • who does what
    • group size
    • frequency & duration
    • resources
    • lessons relevant to the school
    • mechanism for accountability/evaluation/results
  • Provide support, input, and recommendations for program development.
  • Look at school-wide data to determine school needs.
  • Develop and monitor program goals and competencies.
  • Participate in making recommendations regarding school and community needs to the LINKS program.
  • Assist with planning of professional development needs.

ADVISORS

  • Facilitate delivery of LINKS lessons.
  • Facilitate student achievement and personal growth through collaborative classroom guidance experiences.
  • Advocate for your advisees.
  • Serve as a positive role model for your students.
  • Maintain appropriate student-adult boundaries.
  • Establish a nurturing environment that promotes communication.
  • Support advisee success by being the primary school contact for your LINKS students and other relevant stakeholders, including parents and guardians
  • Develop a partnership with parents/guardians to support student progress.
  • Meet face-to-face with parents at least 2x per year
  • Develop and update Individual Student Transition Plan (ISTP)
  • Conference regarding other student information
  • Communicate regularly with parents, including positive updates as well as other information to provide for student needs
  • Provide information on available resources (e.g. tutoring)
  • Monitor student needs regarding attendance, behavior, academics, extra-curricular activities, etc.
  • Monitor academic progress, and promote career awareness and personal growth.
  • Assist with career/academic portfolio development.
  • House career/academic portfolios for your advisees.
  • Develop positive relationships and provide extra support for individual students as needed. (The advisor is not a substitute for the school counselor.)
  • Collaborate with relevant community stakeholders to address student needs.
  • Collaborate with coordinator, school counselor, and school administrator to secure resources and support students.
  • Facilitate the evaluation process.
  • Take online survey http://wvde.state.wv.us/forms/links-assessment and make every effort to ensure every student in your advisement group completes the survey at the beginning and end of each school year.
  • Use other online tools to evaluate LINKS lessons and program (found in the evaluation section of the website).
  • Facilitate student completion of online LINKS lesson evaluate at least twice per semester

SCHOOL COUNSELORS

  • Enhance the implementation of the LINKS program, such as:
  • Serve as a resource to LINKS advisors regarding lesson plans and activities
  • Respond to ongoing needs of the program
  • Collaborate and provide consulting services that support the development and implementation of the program
  • Provide educational research for the program
  • Provide professional staff development on academic, career and personal/social domains as needed
  • Provide appropriate grade-level guidance lessons on relevant topics not covered by the LINKS program
  • Identify and include guest speakers on a variety of topics
  • Ensure students meet all graduation requirements
  • Share student transcripts, ISTP (5 year plan), career pathway and concentration information, school graduation requirements and checklist and portfolio planner
  • Collaborate with LINKS advisor to develop and revise Individualized Student Transition Plan (ISTP) annually
  • Provide counseling services to students referred by the LINKS advisors
  • Work with referred students to adjust schedules and ensure they are enrolled in all courses required for graduation and career concentrations
  • Refer students to outside resources as needed
  • Provide student group counseling and access community resources on topics such as: substance abuse, anger management, grief, domestic violence
  • Connect and coordinate compatible advising programs and activities to LINKS, such as:
  • Student schedules
  • Grade level orientations
  • Grade level and senior projects
  • "Making High School Count," "Making College Count"
  • School-wide assemblies that relate to LINKS program
  • Online career exploration programs
  • Career day programs and post secondary exploration programs (including "College Day" and field trips)
  • Interview expositions
  • Scholarship and financial aid information and school-wide programs

STUDENTS

  • Actively engage in the LINKS program.
  • Be responsible.
  • Be respectful.
  • Cooperatively work with adults in the program to ensure success.
  • Acquire 21st century learning skills.
    • Become more self-aware, self-managed, and self-directed.
    • Offer and seek peer support when needed.
    • Seek support from school staff when needed.
    • Develop constructive relationships.
  • Make up LINKS work when absent from school.
  • Download and complete missed worksheets from LINKS website.
  • Continually develop and update your student portfolio.
  • Participate in ISTP academic planning meeting with your parent/guardians and advisor and/or counselor.
  • Track your own graduation requirements, using credit checklist.
  • Be an active player in your own career planning, including developing a personalized career plan
  • Participate in program evaluation.

COORDINATORS

  • Attend all training provided by district or state for the LINKS program.
  • Provide support for the implementation of the LINKS program and ensure that school-specific needs are addressed.
  • Stay abreast of policies, procedures, and changes relevant to the LINKS program.
  • Assist with delivery and/or scheduling of professional development for all persons in the LINKS program.
  • Copy and distribute lesson plans and handouts to advisors or facilitate process through grade level coordinators.
  • View all lesson plans well in advance and ensure that all school specific forms are provided to advisors. (graduation requirements, checklists, course information, co-curricular activities, etc.)
  • View curriculum PowerPoints and align to specific school needs and/or programs.
  • Communicate with building administrator and school board regarding program logistics, successes, challenges, funding, and other needs.
  • Collect and share results data for the program with steering committee.
  • Provide public relations for the LINKS program.
  • Promote and advertise the program to all stakeholders. This may include, but is not limited to:
      • Flyers
      • Parent and Staff brochure (provided on LINKS website)
      • Websites (updated regularly)
      • Newsletter
      • Public Service Announcement
      • Morning announcements
      • Coordinate the maintenance and secure storage of student portfolios (hard-copy files)

PRINCIPAL/ADMINISTRATION

  • Secure school board support and resources needed to implement LINKS.
  • Serve as chief promoter of the LINKS program.  
  • Determine if school will offer credit for LINKS, calculate the appropriate number of required instructional minutes, and develop schedules to accommodate program delivery    
  • Work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to provide time, facilities and resources to implement the LINKS program.
  • Review LINKS website, particularly the Framework and Principal/Steering Committee tabs, to gain knowledge of the LINKS program
  • Establish a Steering Committee to plan and evaluate the LINKS program.
  • Select a building level and/or grade level LINKS coordinator(s).
  • Develop a professional development plan that assures all school staff are trained to implement LINKS.
  • Educate staff members regarding LINKS roles and responsibilities.
  • Hold advisors and other team members accountable.
  • Actively collaborate with the LINKS coordinator, steering committee, and program advisors  to:
    • support ongoing training of advisors in LINKS lessons content
    • ensure that evaluations are completed by students, staff, and parents.
  • Actively monitor the LINKS program and eliminate barriers to successful implementation.
  • Recognize and support community members and school personnel for successful implementation of the LINKS program.
  • Share evaluation results with faculty and other key stakeholders. (end of school year)