Some Advisory Group Models

Some ways advisory groups can be organized and scheduled:

  • As a credit-bearing hour-long daily Family Group meeting, including one day weekly set aside for help with academic work. Mixed ages and grades. Adviser- student ratio 1:18. (University Heights High School, New York City)
  • As a 30-minute Teacher Guided Assistance (TGA) period scheduled midmorning to accommodate vocational students coming and going from the school. Adviser- student ratio 1:17; mixed ages and grades. TGA advisers are chosen by students, who sign up until group is full; new students are assigned to groups. (Fairdale High School, Louisville, Kentucky)
  • As a 15-minute time slot called Active Communication Time (ACT) somewhere in the course of a 1 1/2-hour lunch period. Home room is eliminated, but first period and last period are lengthened by five minutes each for announcements. Groups organized by grade level. Adviser-student ratio 1:15-17; administrators also serve as advisers. (Bellefonte Area High School, Pennsylvania)
  • As a 40-minute planned time once a week, plus discretionary time for enrichment and assistance built into class time at discretion of teaching teams. Adviser-student ratio 1:12-13. (Chatham High School, New York)
  • As a lunch-period group meeting weekly, plus an individual meeting between student and adviser for 20-25 minutes every other week, plus a whole-school governing meeting once weekly in the last long afternoon block. Mixed grade levels. Adviser-student ratio 1:15. (Scarsdale Alternative High School, New York)
  • As a 20-minute group meeting with adviser during lunch period. Adviser-student ratio 1:8-10. Single grade level. (Central Falls High School, Rhode Island)
  • As an hour-long period three times weekly (alternated with health class), scheduled after major academic blocks and before lunch. Mixed ages and grades. Adviser-student ratio 1:20-30. (Pasadena High School, California)
  • As one full day weekly of conferences and home visits, with no scheduled classes; plus individual meetings during adviser’s one free period daily. Mixed ages and grades. Adviser-student ratio 1:20-25. (Metro High School, Cedar Rapids, Iowa)
  • As a 25-minute homeroom period. Same grade level. Adviser-student ratio 1:25. One day monthly given to individual counseling with all teachers plus peer group counseling. (Paschal High School, Fort Worth, Texas)