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CORE CURRICULUM PORTFOLIO

Core Curriculum Portfolio

Emily Venezia Martinez

California State University, Long Beach

COUN 606

Dr. Lopez-Perry

November 3, 2021
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Table of Contents

Needs Assessment and Results…………………………………………………………………3-7

Classroom Action Plan……….………………………………………………………………...8-9

“Higher Education Exploration” Lesson Plan..………………………………..…………..…10-14

“Higher Education Exploration” Google Slides…………………………………………...…15-19

Pre/Post Test……………………………………………………………………….…………20-22

Self-Evaluation…………………………………………………………………………...…..23-25

Teacher Evaluation………………………………………………………………………...…26-27

Classroom Results Report……………………………………………………………………28-32

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NEEDS ASSESSMENT AND RESULTS

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Needs Assessment and Results

A needs assessment was conducted at Jackson Middle School, in Paramount, California,

to three classes of 6th grade students (66 students). The needs assessment was conducted by the

school counseling intern, Emily Martinez. The purpose of this needs assessment was to

determine what type of support the 6th grade students at Jackson Middle School needed the

most, academic, social emotional, or college/career support, since returning to in-person

instruction. The following section provides the needs assessment questions and the data collected

for each.

Please read each statement and choose the response that best fits your opinion.

1. I would like help with how to study for my classes.

2. I would like help with how to manage my personal time, so I have enough time to study

for school.
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3. I would like to know how to find extra support if I am struggling in my classes.

4. I would like help with managing my strong emotions (ex: anger, stress, sadness, anxiety,

etc)
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5. I would like help with finding support if I am being bullied.

6. I would like to learn about different career options.

7. I would like to learn more information about different colleges and universities.
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8. I would like to learn more about what the college/university experience is like.

The results of this needs assessment demonstrated 67% of students either Agreed or

Strongly Agreed with the statements regarding learning more about college and career. This

percentage was slightly greater than the percentage of students who wanted to receive academic

and social emotional support. Based on these results, I decided to develop a lesson that

introduced students to the different types of higher education options and the types of degrees

that can be obtained after high school.

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CLASSROOM ACTION PLAN

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Classroom Action Plan
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“HIGHER EDUCATION EXPLORATION” LESSON PLAN

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“Higher Education Exploration” Lesson Plan

Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan Higher Education Exploration
for

School Counselor: Emily Martinez

Target Audience: 6th Grade Students
Mindsets & Behaviors: M 4. Understand that postsecondary education and life-long learning
are necessary for long-term career success.
(limit of three)
Lesson 1 Of 1

Learning Objective(s)/Competency
Students will: Understand the importance of continuing their education after high
school.

Students will: Know the types of degrees they can earn after high school.
Students will: Know the different types of higher education institutions (trade school,
community college, university) and what degrees they can obtain at
each.
Materials:
 Computer/laptop
 Projector
 Timer
 “Higher Education Exploration” Google Slides
 Pre-and-post test
Evidence Base:
Best Practice
 Action Research
 Research-Informed
 Evidence-Based
Procedure: Describe how you will:
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Introduce: I will begin the “Higher Education Exploration” lesson by introducing

(5 minutes) myself to the students, my role at Jackson as the school counseling intern,
and talk about the results of the needs assessment. After analyzing the
data, most students wanted to learn more about college and career. We
will then take a moment to take the Pre-Test. Students will log on to their
Schoology page, where the teacher put the link to the pre-test. I will then
go over the classroom expectations with the students. I will read through
each of the expectations and give a brief explanation and example of each
expectation. (Slides 1-4)
Communicate I will discuss the learning objectives for the lesson. I will explain that the
Lesson Objective: point of our lesson is for students to being exploring and thinking about
(2 minutes) their future after high school. “It is never too early to start thinking
about your future!” The objectives of the lesson are:
- Students will understand the importance of continuing their
education after high school.
- Students will know the types of degrees they can earn after high
school.
- Students will know the different types of higher education
institutions (trade school, community college, university) and
what degrees they can obtain at each.

Teach Content: I will begin teaching the content by having students engage in a “Think,
(20 minutes) Pair, Share” Activity. With a partner, students will discuss why they think
it is important to continue their education after high school for 2
minutes. I will use a timer to keep track of the activity time. As students
are discussing with their partners, I will walk around the class to make
sure students are engaged in the activity. We will then come together as
a class, and I will have students share out why they think it is important. I
will then go over the two main reasons why it is important to continue
your education after high school. (Slides 5-6)
- Have the opportunity to make more money as an adult.
- Provide you with more job options, the opportunity to obtain
your dream job and be successful.
We will then begin to discuss the different types of degrees you can earn
after high school. I will begin by asking the students to raise a hand if
they already know some of the degrees they can obtain after high school
and have them share with the class. I will then go over the different
degrees and provide students with the approximate time it takes to
obtain these degrees. (Slides 7-8)
I will then go over the different types of higher education institutions
(trade school, community college, university). I will begin by going over a
trade school. I will explain that at a trade school, you can obtain a
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Certificate, License, or an Associate’s degree. I will let students know that

at a trade school you receive hands-on experience in the field to help
prepare you for the job. I will also let students know it takes anywhere
between 3 months to 3 years to complete trade school; however long it
takes will depend on the field that is chosen. I will provide students with
examples of career options that require enrollment in a trade school. I
will then go over community colleges. I will let students know that in
order to get into a community college, all they need is their high school
diploma or a GED. Students will learn that it is a lot cheaper to take
classes at a community college compared to taking classes at a
university. I will also let them know that they can start their education at
a community college and can later transfer to a university. Students will
be told that you can only earn a Certificate, License, or Associate’s
degree at a community college. The last topic I will discuss will be
universities. Students will learn that in order to gain admission into a
university they must have a high school diploma and submit an
application for admission. I will inform students about the higher cost of
taking courses at a university, but also give them a brief explanation of
financial aid and how it helps with these higher costs. I will let students
know that they can obtain an Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, and
Doctorate degree at a university. (Slides 9-13)
Practice Content: I will lead students through a brief activity to test their new knowledge. I
(3 minutes) will read three different scenarios of students who are preparing for
their life after high school. After reading through the scenarios, students
will have the opportunity to raise their hands and show me which of the
higher education institutions the student in the scenario should attend. If
students think the answer is trade school, they will raise a fist. If they
think it is community college, they will raise two fingers. If they think it is
a university, they will raise five fingers. (Slides 14-17)
Summarize: I will wrap-up the lesson by going over the three learning objectives of
(2 minutes) the lesson. I will ask students, “Why is it important to continue your
education after high school?” “What are the degrees that can be
obtained after high school?” and “What are the 3 higher education
institutions we discussed, and what type of degree can you obtain at
each?” (Slide 18)
Close: I will have the students log back onto their Schoology page and click on
52 minutes) the Post-Test link. After all students have completed the Post-Test, I will
take a moment to answer any last questions the students might have. I
will then thank everyone for their attention and participation. (Slides 19-
20)
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Data Collection Plan – For multiple lessons in a unit, this section only need be completed once
Participation Data: 
Anticipated number 66 6th grade students
of students:
Planned length of 30 – 40 minutes
lesson(s):
Mindsets & Behaviors Data:
- Pre-test given prior to the classroom lesson
- Post-test given at the end of the classroom lesson
Outcome Data: (choose one)
Achievement (describe):
Students’ grades will be reviewed before the lesson (quarterly report cards) and after the
lesson (semester grades) to see if this lesson provided students with motivation to earn better
grades to works towards their academic goals after high school. Once these students reach the
8th grade, a review of the number of students who are enrolling into a Career Pathway for their
freshman year at Paramount High School will also be conducted.

 Attendance (describe):

 Discipline (describe):
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“HIGHER EDUCATION EXPLORATION” GOOGLE SLIDES

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“Higher Education Exploration” Google Slides
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PRE/POST TEST
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Pre/Post Test

To measure the effectiveness of the classroom lesson, a pre-and-post test was given to the

students. The following questions were on the pre-and-post test.

For questions 1 and 2, please rate on a scale from 1 to 5 (1 = Strongly Disagree, 5 = Strongly

Agree)

1. I believe it is important to continue my education after high school.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Disagree

2. I believe continuing my education after high school will benefit my future when I am an

adult.

1 2 3 4 5

Strongly Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

Disagree

Please answer questions 3 through 6 to the best of your ability. Thank you!

3. I can earn an associate degree at a community college.

A) True

B) False

4. I can earn a bachelor’s degree at a trade school.

A) True
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B) False

5. After graduating high school, Melissa wants to gain hands-on experience and earn a

certificate to become an electrician. Which higher education institution should she

choose?

A) Trade School

B) Community College

C) University

D) None of the above

6. Mark has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Mark knows that after high school he

will need to work hard to try and earn a Doctorate degree. Which higher education

institution should he choose?

A) Trade School

B) Community College

C) University

D) None of the above

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SELF-EVALUATION
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Self-Evaluation
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What were the instructor’s major strengths as demonstrated in the observation?

During the presentation, I think I did a really good job at relating the material of the

lesson to real-life experiences. When discussing the importance of continuing your education

after high school to achieve your dream job, I used a personal example. I explained to students

that when my mind was set on becoming a school counselor, I had to do my research to see what

type of degree I would need to work towards getting my dream job. Throughout the lesson, the

students were asking a lot of questions about the college experience. I tried my best to relate my

responses back to the lesson and self-disclosed personal information regarding my higher

education experience. I also think I did a good job at checking for student understanding. After

going over two or three slides, I would pause to ask the students if they had any questions about

the material. To check for student understanding, I asked students questions regarding the

material throughout the lesson.

What suggestions do you have for improving the instructor’s skills or methodology?

One of my areas of improvement is to make sure I incorporate more time for activities to

keep students engaged. I think I tried to cover a little too much material in this lesson. Instead of

using extra time to incorporate activities, I wanted to make sure I had enough time to conduct the

pre and post surveys and have time to cover everything in the lesson. For future planning, I will

try to cover less material in a lesson and add more activities for the students. I could also try to

create worksheets for students to fill out and take notes while I am presenting. In one of the

periods that I gave this lesson, the teacher stepped out of the classroom for a few minutes and the

students started to goof around. I was able to get some control over the situation, but I am aware

that classroom management is another area I need to continue working on.

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TEACHER EVALUATION
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Teacher Evaluation
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CLASSROOM RESULTS REPORT

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Classroom Results Report

The responses of 52 students were recorded and analyzed after the administration of the

pre-and-post test. The following pie charts reflect the data collected for the pre and post tests,

followed by the ASCA Classroom Results Report for the “Higher Education Exploration” lesson.

Question 1: I believe it is important to continue my education after high school.

Pre-Test Post Test

Question 2: I believe continuing my education after high school will benefit my future when I am

an adult.

Pre-Test Post Test

Question 3: I can earn an Associate’s degree at a Community College.

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Pre-Test Post Test

Question 4: I can earn a Bachelor’s degree at a Trade School.

Pre-Test Post Test

Question 5: After graduating high school, Melissa wants to gain hands-on experience and earn a

certificate to become an electrician. Which higher education institution should she choose?

Pre-Test Post Test

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Question 6: Mark has always dreamed of becoming a doctor. Mark knows that after high school

he will need to work hard to try and earn a Doctorate degree. Which higher education institution

should he choose?

Pre-Test Post Test

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