At their annual conference on May 6, 2005, the California Association of School Counselors recognized schools for their outstanding student support programs.  Two Fontana schools were among those honored thanks to the Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) written for their schools by Mango Elementary counselor Melia Kiggins and Sequoia Middle counselor Nancy Jarman-Dunn.

The SPARC is a document modeled after the School Accountability Report Card (SARC) that schools nation-wide complete annually.  There are ten required sections that include: school safety results, student results, major achievements, methods of measuring student achievement, community partnerships, and volunteer information.  Overall, the SPARC shows continued improvement and dedication to results in student support services and also gives school counseling programs an opportunity to spotlight student outcomes based on collaboration efforts between school staff, families, volunteers, and the community.

The SPARCs integrate the National Standards for School Counseling and the National Model for School Counseling Programs.  Award winning support programs must show positive student results in academic, personal/social and career domains.  The SPARC was developed by an advisory group of Los Angeles County counselors and consultants, counselor administrators, counselor educators and California Department of Education consultants.

Eight elementary schools in the state were awarded the National Standards for School Counseling Programs Academy Award.  Mango Elementary School was the only elementary school in San Bernardino County to receive this award.  Fifteen middle schools in the state were awarded the National Standards for School Counseling Programs Academy Award.  Sequoia Middle School was one of three middle schools in San Bernardino County to receive such honors.  This is the second year that Sequoia has received the National Standards for School Counseling Programs Academy Award.

Said Bob Tyra, Consultant for the Los Angeles County Office of Education Support Division, "Sequoia Middle School and Mango Elementary School in Fontana Unified have demonstrated both accountability and a strong commitment to continuous improvement by developing and publishing Support Personnel Accountability Report Cards.  Statewide, only 10% of student support programs that attend SPARC training sessions accept the challenge of becoming involved in the SPARC process. Still fewer meet the demands of the peer review process that makes a SPARC reach the Academy Award level.  Both schools are to be commended for the exemplary work that makes school counseling and all student support services credible and integral to student academic success and safety at a school site."

Both schools have made their SPARCs available to parents, teachers, students, community members and Fontana School Board members in both English and Spanish.

• Mango Elementary School SPARC
• Sequoia Middle School SPARC

To learn more about Support Personnel Accountability Report Cards or to view other award winning SPARC's online you may visit:  http://www.lacoe.edu/sparc or http://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/cg/re/sparc.asp.