El Segundo High School

BEST Mentor Program

(Better El Segundo Today)

Overview:

El Segundo High School first developed a mentor program, BEST Mentor Program (Better El Segundo Today), in the fall of 1999, for those students who are considered “at-risk.” “At-risk” are students are those who earned a G.P.A of 2.5 or below in academic achievement. Each week the student meets with another student, an upper classman who is in Algebra 2 or above, for one hour. Both students mutually agree to this hour, usually from 2:00 to 3:00 or 3:00 to 4:00. During this time, the student receives individual assistance for their specific needs.

How Do Students Get Involved:

What is the process for participating in the mentor program? First, is the identification and assessment of student who qualify for the mentor program. El Segundo provides students with progress reports every 6 weeks. At that time, students with a grade of “F” in either English or Mathematics, or a grade point average of 2.0 or below, are identified as “at-risk” and therefore require intervention. Either the guidance counselors or the BEST Mentor coordinator contact students who fit the previous criteria. Another means of identification is self-identification by students themselves. If a student believes he or she needs additional support, he or she either contacts the guidance counselor or the Mentor Coordinator and requests to be connected with a mentor. A third way of identification is through the teaching staff here at El Segundo High School. A staff member may recommend to the student directly to contact the Mentor Coordinator for identification. A last means of identification is through the parents. A parent may contact the guidance counselor to have their student receive additional help in academics.

Matching and Meeting:

Once a student is identified, a one-on-one interview is held between the Mentor Coordinator and the student. The purpose of the meeting is to assess student needs and appropriately match the student with a mentor. Generally, the assessment fits into three areas, lack of completing assignments, lack of testing taking skills, or lack of subject content. The BEST Mentor program matches students who are “at-risk” with those students who are academically successful. The “at-risk” student is mentored by upper-class students (junior or senior) who have G.P.A.’s of 3.0 and above and who are either currently enrolled in Algebra 2 or above. The mentor students meet one hour a week after school with the “at-risk” student for individual support. Support can take the form assisting with homework, help in writing papers for English, re-teaching math concepts, or simply discuss more effective ways to be successful within the classroom or with teachers depending on which of the three areas seems to be a weakness.

Charting Progress:

The Mentor Coordinator meets with the “at-risk” students once a month to update the progress. Furthermore, the Mentor Coordinator solicits the “at-risk” student’s teacher for any assignments, which could possibly be made up, discussion as to why student may not be performing of tests well, or specific strategies for success within their particular classroom. Additional support material is also provided for the mentor to help the “at-risk” student. Consequently, the program and strategies of the mentor program serves as a means of facilitating students to reach their academic potential within the school environment.