We just added the Year Three Report of our Navigation 101 program evaluation that was published for OSPI to our reports library. This report provides information on a College and Career Awareness Program, including best practices and recommendations that can inform implementation of similar programs.
Executive Summary Extract
The purpose of this Year Three report is to provide summative feedback to personnel at the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding evidence of implementation and impact of Navigation 101 in Washington State. The report is also designed to provide formative feedback to assist in ongoing program development.
The goal of the Navigation 101 program is to help students to become college and career ready. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students across the state acknowledge this sentiment as the primary mission of the program. Many school staff members recognize the impact the program makes on students and on overall school climate as the initiative strengthens from year to year. Similar to findings from the previous two years, researchers found variations in practices around function and duration of advisories, portfolio use and maintenance, conference format and frequency, student-informed scheduling, and evaluation procedures. In schools with long term programs in place, staff members identified three specific ways Navigation 101 has grown within their schools. These include the clarification and strengthening of program goals; an observed increase in staff buy in; and the shift from an ‘added on program’ to a program that is embedded, embraced, and crucial to the school’s culture. However, many schools with long histories of implementation admit to using mostly homegrown curriculum instead of the one provided by Navigation 101. Other reported strengths and weaknesses regarding the key elements were similar to previous years’ findings.
