Description of Advisor Position

Position Title: Advisor

Department: Education Services

Reports to Executive Director

183 Contract Days (180 Student Contact)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Professional Support

Each family and student is assigned a credentialed Advisor.  An Advisor meets face-to-face with the student and/or parent at least once every 5 school attendance days.  Any exception to this scheduling must be pre-approved by the site coordinator and submitted to the Executive Director for review.  Additional contract time includes all administrative, duties, paperwork, coaching, training, and any other support the parent/student may need to meet their educational goals. 

The Advisor is responsible for:

• Completing the required paperwork and documentation for each student and keeping current academic records
• Advising and counseling both parents and students about educational opportunities available through their school
• Communicating school information to the parents
• Evaluating student progress
• Keeping current with school policy and procedure
• Providing instructional services
• Using computer technology

Paperwork and Documentation

The Advisor must complete all paperwork and documentation necessary to serve each family.  Completed documentation must be submitted by due dates as specified in the Advisor Handbook or by Administration.  The required documentation includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Student Master Agreement: must be complete before student can be enrolled in independent study and each subsequent semester
• Learning Records:  Must be completed and turned in by Learning Period due dates
• ILP (Individual Learning Plan):  ILP original must be submitted to the office for the student audit file.  The Advisor will keep a copy of the ILP Agreement for their records and update as appropriate in both files
• Advisor Self–Evaluation: Must be submitted to the assigned Center Coordinator as part of the year-end check out procedure

Advice and Counsel

The Advisor is expected to serve the needs of students with widely varying needs on an individual basis.  A broad base of educational knowledge as well as a thorough understanding of educational opportunities available through the school is necessary in order to counsel families adequately.  This knowledge must include familiarity with the following:

• FP Charter School student standards as outlined in the Charter
• Expected Schoolwide Learning Results (ESLRS)

Communication

The Advisor is the main liaison between the school and the family and should be the primary source of information. Communication from the Advisor to the family will occur through periodic visitation, telephone calls, e-mail, and/or written correspondence.  The Advisor’s goal is to serve the student and parent’s needs to the best of his/her ability without allowing the Advisor’s own convenience to interfere.  The Advisor is responsible for communicating pertinent information in a timely and professional manner.  The Advisor is responsible for keeping current with and communicating all school policies and procedures accurately and professionally.  Collaboration and communication with school personnel, parents, and various community agencies for the purpose of improving the quality of student outcomes, developing solutions and planning curriculum are essential to the Advisor duties.

Evaluation of Student Progress toward California Content Standards and Educational Goals

It is the responsibility of the Advisor in collaboration with the parent to assess and document the weekly, monthly, and yearly progress of each student.  The documentation will report the progress of each student towards the ILP.  The Advisor is responsible for establishing a plan and carrying out action steps for meeting student, school, and state educational goals.

To meet charter responsibilities and requirements, Advisors are responsible for:

• Communicating to parents and students the importance and value of California state assessments
• Attending training and obtaining testing materials for assigned tests, testing sites, and tests dates as needed
• Communicating to parents and students information regarding testing requirements and sites and test dates in a timely manner
• Being available to proctor an identified number of days per year to ensure all students are assessed and processed
• California state academic standards and requirements
• California state assessments
• Multiple measures of assessment opportunities and requirements
• Numerous K – 12 curricular options to include but not limited to:

Standards-based and/or aligned

Home-school based

Computer-based

Learning style, age, and academic appropriate

• Pedagogies, strategies, and resources for K-12 teaching and learning
• Educationally appropriate instructional fund expenditures
• Graduation requirements
• In-services
• Internet resources
• Distance learning opportunities
• Field trips
• Education Center Options

If an Advisor cannot answer an educational question adequately for a family, then he/she will have to spend time researching that information in order to better serve that family.  If after researching a question, the Advisor is unable to find an answer, the Advisor should contact their center coordinator for assistance.

School Policy and Procedure

Advisors are responsible for utilizing educational technology.  The Advisor is required to attend staff meetings.  All Advisors are required to keep themselves apprised of recent updates by accessing the FP Charter School web page to search for information and by checking e-mail regularly.

Instructional Services and Responsibilities

As a credentialed teacher, the Advisor is required to provide the following additional services and responsibilities as part of their included duties:

• Attend all IEP meetings for each of your students.
• Participate in all SST meetings setup for each of yours students.
• Assist in maintaining and tracking identified student/teacher ration by turning in all student enrollment, drop, and transfer forms.
• Monitor material check-out and check-in.

Qualification Requirements

• Advisor must possess a valid teaching credential and is responsible for timely renewal.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit, talk and hear. 
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

• The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. 
• Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.