Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash
Secondary School Counseling Program Supervisor
After spending nearly a decade working in education, Brittni comes to OSPI confident that the fierce and passionate advocacy of school counselors has a direct and unparalleled impact on the students, families, and communities we serve. It is her belief that each child comes into school as a unique and special individual with the potential for success that drives her passion for supporting school counselors in their work of empowering their students.
Before joining OSPI’s Secondary Education and Pathway Preparation team, Brittni served in various school counseling-related roles, including College and Career Readiness and CTE facilitator at Federal Way Public Schools, and with Seattle Public Schools as high school counselor at Rainier Beach and Franklin High Schools, and truancy intervention specialist, also at Rainier Beach High School.
Brittni holds a BA in intercultural communications and sociology from Washington State University, a Master’s of Education in Guidance and Counseling, and a school counseling certification from City University of Seattle.
Brittni is the proud mom of a vivacious 3-year-old who keeps her on her toes and brings the most ultimate joy to her world. In her free time, Brittni loves to laugh, play and dance with her daughter, practice her cake-baking skills, read, and indulge in a little (or a lot) of true-crime TV.
Brittni is excited to join OSPI and the Graduation Team within the Secondary Education and Pathway Preparation division, and is looking forward to being of the utmost support to some of the most supportive members of school communities - SCHOOL COUNSELORS!
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College in the High School - NEW! Course Catalog Requirements
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In 2021, the Washington state legislature passed HB 1302. This bill requires high schools that offer college in the high school (CHS) programs to include the following information about CHS courses in their 2022-23 course catalog and in subsequent years' catalogs:
- There is no fee for students to enroll in a CHS or co-delivered dual credit course that includes CHS to earn only high school credit. Fees apply for students who choose to enroll in a CHS course to earn both high school and college credit.
- A description and breakdown of the fees charged to students to earn college credit.
- A description of fee payment and financial assistance options available to students.
- A notification that paying for the college credit automatically starts an official college transcript with the institution offering the course that will include the student's performance, and that college credit earned may count as elective or academic credit depending on the receiving college's transfer credit policies.
These are requirements to make sure get included when updating your course catalog for the 2022-23 school year and beyond.
In the spring of 2021, the Washington state legislature passed SSB 5030. This bill requires districts to develop a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP) that aligns with the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) national model of best practices.
OSPI's Guidance Bulletin to support districts in developing and adopting a comprehensive school counseling program has been released!
Throughout the year, you'll find tools and opportunities for professional development in this newsletter that will support your work to develop and implement your district's program.
Photo by Dawid Małecki on Unsplash
District and School-Level CSCP Self-Assessment Tools, Coming Soon!
February's newsletter will include links to the highly-requested Comprehensive School Counseling Program Self-Assessment Tools! These tools will include:
- A district-level self-assessment template designed to assist districts in engaging in an intentional assessment and evaluation of their current and desired school counseling program elements, and help guide the creation of district-level CSCPs, as required by SSB 5030
- A school-level self-assessment template designed to assist school-level staff involved in school counseling program implementation assess and evaluate their current and desired school counseling program elements and gauge alignment to district-level CSCPs
We are confident and excited that these self-assessment tools will not only provide a starting-point in the creation of your district's Comprehensive School Counseling Program plans, but will also serve as ongoing tools for school-level school counseling program planning and evaluation!
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Social-Emotional Learning Series
Join CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning) for a series of virtual workshops where you will learn alongside fellow SEL leaders across the country.
January 25-February 16, 2022
Choose 4 Live Virtual or 8 On-Demand sessions for $250
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Back by Popular Demand:
Anxiety, Depression, and Behavior Support Resources
Check out Seattle Children's Hospital's Fast Approach Skills Training (FAST) resources for brief, evidence-based behavioral approaches for youth and families with common mental health concerns. These tools are specifically created for use in non-long-term-treatment settings, like schools and primary care clinics. Along with the downloadable handouts and workbooks, you'll also find on-demand video training modules for support.
You'll find:
- FAST-A for Anxiety
- FAST-B for Behavior
- FAST-D for Depression
- FAST-P for Parenting Teens
- Coming soon: FAST-T for Trauma and FAST-S for Safety.
Upcoming MTSS Events
Check out the OSPI MTSS Events page to stay up-to-date on the statewide MTSS PLC and future conference opportunities. The next MTSS PLC on Friday January 7, 2022 will focus on Planning for Professional Development.
Future MTSS PLC topics are determined by group needs. You can register for each month at the following links:
OSPI's Monthly GATE Equity Webinars
Graduation: A Team Effort (GATE) Equity webinars help growth-minded educators and education advocates to learn from Washington districts that are closing opportunity gaps.
This month's topic is:
Mentoring That Makes an Impact
With Presenters:
Jean Rhodes, Author & Psychologist, University of Massachusetts
Stephen Song, Executive Director, Communities in School
Positive relationships with caring adults are one of the strongest protective factors for youth health. Washington mentoring programs have stepped in to help fill capacity as student needs for support have increased. Each program brings its own unique flavor and emphasis. We hope you can join us to learn more about mentoring!
Register here for the series, streamed virtually the second Wednesday of each month from 10:00-11:30am during the school year.
Each session is free and includes up to 1.5 clock hours.
Recordings of past GATE Equity Webinars can be found on OSPI's YouTube page.
 2021-22 OSPI - WSAC Webinar Series
January 19: Building Pathways to Careers and College that Serve All Students
Join the OSPI-WSAC team on January 19, 2022 from 9-10:30am for the 3rd of 5 Wednesday Webinars. These webinars are designed for school counselors, career counselors/specialists, college access support staff, and and any other interested staff to provide cutting edge career and college readiness resources and information, and highlight promising and best practices happening in schools.
The Jan. 19th webinar focus will be on developing quality CTE programs and graduation pathways, including a highlight of Yelm School District's new four-year 'place-based' AA-DTA option that enables students to earn an Associate's of Arts degree while remaining at Yelm High School.
Register here for the 2021-22 series. Staff interested in clock hours will be given an opportunity to request a link to the pdEnroller event that corresponds to each webinar.
 ALE Grant Opportunities
OSPI's Alternative Learning Department is administering two grant opportunities intended to support school implementation of alternative learning approaches. These grants are accepting applications now.
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Reimagine Education Project
- Grant funding supports the investigation of innovative approaches to learning through in-person settings and instructional or social emotional practices through Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) settings.
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ALE Accelerating Unfinished Learning
- Grant funding will support universal screening and addressing COVID related learning gaps through an Alternative Learning Experience (ALE) model.
Please reach out to ALDinfo@k12.wa.us with questions.
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