Bob Bardwell, Monson High School, MA

Goals for this session Discuss how school counselors work with administrators to  Improve student achievement and performance  Use data to inform their practice  Use evidence-based best practices  Identify and eliminate gaps  Deliver comprehensive school counseling programs  Reduce bullying & improve school climate  Share ideas, questions & resources  Learn lots and have fun

 You are an awesome school counselor and want to learn how to be better  You work with school counselors but they are not meeting your expectations  You are a school counselor educator who wants to learn from practitioners about what school counselors really do  You are not sure what a school counselor does  You have no where else to be today

 What do school counselors do?  Who decides what school counselors do?

 Susie is a 2 nd year counselor. In addition to individual counseling, she runs 5 small groups per week and is in each teacher’s classroom two times per month. She is a member of the school’s data team and regularly disaggregates student achievement, attendance and discipline data. She has her calendar posted on her door as well as in the shared staff electronic directory. She regularly communicates with stakeholders and ensures messages are responded to usually the day they are received. She ensures a translator is available at all programs and conferences for her non- English speaking families. She creates newsletters, sends frequent , updates the school counseling website often and plans 5 night programs a year. She routinely conducts needs assessments to learn what people want from the school counseling program.

 Sam is a 4 th year counselor. No one really knows his schedule and is sometimes hard to find during the day. He is a one of the school’s data team members but does not speak up very much and rarely takes initiative to provide solutions for students who are struggling. He is rarely in classrooms and if he is, not every grade level classroom receives the same lessons. He runs some groups but is not consistent and teachers do not know how to refer a student. He tries to be attentive to the needs of the families he works with but is not always good about responding in a timely fashion. He is never seen in the community or at after school activities. He does not conduct evening programs as he does not get paid or receive flex time for such events. He never answers his own phone. He rarely schedules any meetings after school hours stating that teachers are not willing to stay late.

Four Quadrants  Foundation  Delivery System  Management System  Accountability

 Program focus  Beliefs and philosophy  Vision & mission statement  Program goals  Student mindsets & behaviors  Professional competencies  School counselor competencies  Ethical standards

 Six Mindset Standards  Twenty-nine Behavior Standards  Based on three domains of school counseling  Academic  Career  Social/emotional

Core Curriculum Information provided for all students Small Group or Closing the Gap Individual Consultation Specialized Interventions Smith, G (2008) School Improvement

 Direct student services  Core Curriculum  Individual student planning  Responsive services  Indirect student services  Collaboration  Consultation  Referrals

 Annual agreements  Advisory council  Action plans  Curriculum  Closing the gap  Small group  Use of time  Program assessments  Annual and weekly calendars

 80% or more of a counselor’s time should be spent on Delivery System components  20% or less on the other three

 Cafeteria or study hall duty  Coordinating testing  Interpreting test results  New student enrollment  Printing transcripts  Computing GPAs  Analyzing GPAs in relation to student achievement  Disciplining students  Disaggregating/interpreting data  Coordinating IEP/504 or other plans/teams

 Results Reports  School Counselor Performance Evaluation  Program Audit

 Why school counselors?  What data is important?  Achievement  Achievement related  Competency  Who is on your school data team?

 Standardized Test Data  SAT and ACT Scores  State accountability scores  Grade Point Averages  Completion of College Preparation Requirements (Graduating college eligible)

 Discipline incidents/referrals  Attendance rates  Homework completion rates  Course enrollment patterns

 Percentage of students who demonstrate:  Belief (attitude) in importance of taking rigorous courses  Skill to set goals  Knowledge of college requirements

“…using the best available research to guide practice and the integration of this knowledge with clinical skills.”

 National and state accountability measures require all educators, including school counselors, to show why our students are different as a result of our services  Common Core State Standards and accompanying assessments (PARCC & Smarter Balance) will determine student achievement  Data speaks volumes as it is often more powerful than other types of feedback

 National Center for School Counseling Outcome Research and Evaluation   National Evidence Based Conference  evinitiatives/EBSCConference.html evinitiatives/EBSCConference.html  Curricula  The Real Game -  Student Success Skills -  What Works Clearinghouse 

 What kinds of gaps are there?  Achievement  Opportunity  Belief or expectations

 The consistent disparity in academic performance between groups of students.  Most often found in grades, standardized-test scores, course selection, dropout rates, and college- completion rates  Groups most often compared include race, gender, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language proficiency

 The unconscionable disparity in access to the quality educational resources needed for all children to be academically successful  Similar to the achievement gap but is different in that it may have nothing to do with race, gender, socioeconomic status, special education status and English language proficiency  Instead it may be where you live or which school you attend and what resources are available to those children

 The differing expectations that teachers hold for individual students or the difference between students' expectations of themselves and what they perceive to be teachers‘/counselors’ opinion of their potential  This is particularly troubling when counselors do not believe or expect certain students to achieve.  Often found in course selection and post high school planning

 As social justice educators we believe that ALL students should have equal access and opportunity regardless of whatever group they may belong to/identify with or where they live  If schools/communities do not eliminate gaps then whole groups of students may be discriminated against  Some gaps can be addressed within a school relatively easily while others are more systemic and caused by deep-seeded values and cultural norms.

 Many gaps are caused by deep seeded beliefs, cultural norms or political decisions  School counselors are uniquely trained to identify and address these gaps  School counselors should be instrumental in identifying students who are associated with one of the various gaps and work with school leaders to put strategies in place to eliminate them

 Do your policies allow equal access to the curriculum for all students?  Does your data suggest some groups are not achieving equally? If so, what is your plan to rectify this?  Do all of your staff believe all students can achieve? Does the data support this?  Do you spend time at your faculty or professional development meetings talking about gaps?

1. Show students you believe they can be successful by using a "here's how to do better next time" approach when you need to correct work. Let students know what they're doing well. 2. Share with each student individually what you expect from him or her. 3. Hold students accountable for their actions. 4. Encourage students to share success stories with one another. 5. Follow up on absent students. Let them know it's because you care about them, not just to chase down missing work. 6. Invite students to brown-bag lunches in your room. Promising homemade cookies helps! 7. Survey students about their personal, social, and academic goals at the beginning of each term. 8. Involve all students in school leadership initiatives by using student surveys and fostering dialogue about important issues. Show you value students' opinions. 9. Create a classroom atmosphere that welcomes participation. Ask open-ended questions and set a "There are no stupid questions" policy. 10. Develop after-school opportunities focused on the interests of students who shun traditional activities.  ASCD, Closing Opportunity Gaps, November 2010 | Volume 68 | Number 3

 are often the first adult to become aware of a bullying incident  should work closely with the disciplinarian to address individual bulling incidents  can see the bigger picture and identify themes/commonalities  should be part of any plan or initiative to provide student and staff education and training

 Interact with all stakeholders regularly  Have earned the trust of stakeholders who share thoughts and observations  Have a pulse of the school and community  Can use data to address issues/concerns  Should be part of any leadership/school climate team

 What are four things you can commit to right now to improve your school counseling program?  Create your own action plan  In one day  In one week  In one month  In one year  Share your goals

 Go to > presentations > SCSU 2016www.bobbardwell.com  This PowerPoint presentation  Annual Agreement  ASCA National Model Executive Summary  ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors  ASCA School Counselor Competencies  ASCA Ethical Standards  College Board publications  Finding the Way  Enhancing the Principal-Counselor Relationship  A Closer Look - toolkit  Common Core & School Counselor documents

 What is not clear?  What more do you need?  How can we help each other?  Who wants to share a school counselor success in your school/district?

Bob Bardwell School Counselor & Director of School Counseling Monson High School 55 Margaret Street Monson, MA x bardwellr