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Board preview: district updates K–12 guidance plan and expands leadership development
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Summary
Administrators presented an updated K–12 comprehensive guidance and counseling plan and described expanded leadership supports — including BAPLI, mentoring, principal shadowing and an approved in-house Act 45 credit — intended to develop principals and assistant principals across the district.
District administrators told the curriculum committee that the K–12 guidance plan is being updated to meet state requirements and to expand counseling and career-readiness supports across grade spans.
A presenter described the plan as a comprehensive K–12 school counseling and career program that addresses academic, career and social-emotional development. The presenter said the state requires the guidance plan to be updated and approved every three years, and that the district’s version includes program calendars, one-page counselor snapshots, curriculum action plans and tiered resources by career cluster.
The committee discussed how the guidance plan connects to recent changes in how report-card information and soft skills are communicated; an administrator said counselors review students’ report cards to identify trends and inform interventions. The presenter emphasized that counseling should be proactive and data-driven and that counselors should serve all students, not only those who seek help.
Separately, staff highlighted a suite of leadership development efforts: the Bethlehem Assistant Principal Leadership Institute (BAPLI), a mentoring program for new administrators, an aspiring-leaders pipeline and principal shadowing days. Jessica Hergenrother, introduced as an assistant principal at Fountain Hill Elementary School, described how participation in the district’s programs and mentorship helped her move from teacher to administrator and how shadowing a student’s day informed her practice.
Administrators also said they won approval to offer an embedded Act 45 leadership credit so principals and assistant principals can earn state-approved professional credit for district-provided leadership learning. The curriculum committee will vote on the guidance plan at the regular board meeting at the end of the month.
