According to the California School Dashboard, 58.8% of graduating students at Esperanza met at least one benchmark that qualifies them as “prepared” for college or a career, a 3% drop from last year. This benchmark includes accomplishments like completing the A–G college entrance requirements with a grade of C or better, passing two or more AP exams, earning college credits through dual enrollment, completing a career technical education (CTE) pathway, or scoring well on standardized tests like the CAASPP, SAT, or ACT. While a rate of 58.8% is notably higher than the state average, which in recent years has hovered around 43% to 45%, it still indicates that more than 4 in 10 students are leaving high school without meeting any of the state’s college or career readiness standards. The California Dashboard categorizes performance using a color-coded system, and depending on year-to-year changes, a rate in this range might fall into the “green” category, indicating moderate to high performance with some room for improvement (ChatGPT). It’s essential to identify why there has been a drop and see if there are potential solutions to help students at risk of not being college-ready. Speaking with senior Arshun Khan,  and the College and Counselor counselor, Mrs. Botello, I got a perspective from both parties;  Arshun acknowledged that his counselor, Ms. Selof,  has helped him navigate the career path he wants to pursue. He said, “ I’ve met with my counselor 4-5 times. Thanks to her, I now know everything I need to choose the right college and location. Her guidance has made it much easier for me”. This shows how essential counselors are in a student’s educational journey and that you can succeed with the proper guidance. He also said it has been much easier since they are on the same page and she understands his goals and interests. I also spoke with a counselor and learned more about what they provide to students and ensure they get the necessary information. The counselors go out to all of the seniors’ Language Arts classes to present the college application process. Then, a couple of weeks later, they meet one-on-one with students to review their college applications. If students need more assistance after that, they can schedule an appointment. There are also events like Parent Night and College and Career Night, during which they discuss financial aid information and talk to college representatives. Mrs. Botello, the College and Career advisor, does a great job of calling students out for one-on-ones, bringing in college reps to review college applications, etc.

Overall, counselors seem to provide all the information they can to students to guide them in making the right career choices and give them all the necessary resources to succeed. Could the students be unwilling to use that information, or is there another reason? Our school continues investigating these questions to climb up to that “green” category.