Chapter 2 Professional Identity of School Counselors & The ASCA National Model (2012)

Challenges Facing School Counseling Profession Inconsistency of role between schools & districts Declining educational budgets Increased emphasis within education on accountability Negative perception among public of school counselors

Goals of Education Trust’s (2005) Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) 1) deemphasizing a mental health perspective in favor of an academic/student achievement focus, 2) adopting a whole school or systems perspective vs. focusing on individual student issues, 3) using data to effect change as opposed to school counselors simply being involved with data as part of record-keeping, 4) serving as change agents to promote educational equity.

The ASCA National Model (2012) SO this leads up to the ASCA National Model As you view the graphic, you will notice there are four areas FOUNDATION DELIVERY SYSTEM MANAGEMENT SYSTEM ACCOUNTABILITY The visual show that the foundation, a program’s core beliefs, philosophy and mission, dictates both how the program is management and how it is delivered. These two components go hand in hand: Delivery system is the ways in which counselors deliver services. The management system ensures that the delivery system is planned, organized, directed and controlled in a systematic fashion for every student. Both the delivery and management lead to the Accountability component. And accountability leads back to the foundation because results of our program lead to program improvement, which begins once again with the foundation.

Sample Vision Statement Through the collective efforts of Blackhawk Intermediate School staff, families, and the community at large, the students at Blackhawk Intermediate School are educated in a positive, safe, and comfortable learning environment where they have opportunities to enrich their academic, career, and social/emotional development. Each student is supported, valued, and respected for his/her unique learning style to ensure overall success. Supported by the school counseling program, all students at Blackhawk Intermediate School participate in a curriculum that focuses on rigor, relevance and relationships. As students strive to become productive and confident citizens in the community, they are empowered to persevere, exhibit accountability for their actions, display respect, and demonstrate trustworthiness. As goal-oriented learners, our students continue to strengthen their skills necessary for a “college and career-ready” education.   Reproduced with kind permission from G. Gordon, school counselor, Blackhawk Intermediate School, Beaver Falls, PA.

Sample Mission Statement Through leadership and advocacy, The Blackhawk Intermediate School’s School Counseling Program promotes rigor, relevance, and relationships among students by providing: Career awareness and exploration Strategies for healthy decision-making skills Social and emotional competencies Academic support to maximize student potential Therefore, the collaborative efforts among The Blackhawk Intermediate School’s school counselor, teachers, parents, community members, and administration will ensure that all students have equitable access to opportunities to succeed in a global community. Reproduced with kind permission from G. Gordon, school counselor, Blackhawk Intermediate School, Beaver Falls, PA.

Program Goals – Examples A 20% increase in attendance for the students who had 10 more absences the previous year; A 20% increase in the number of African-American students enrolled in Advanced Placement courses; Within two years, Latino-American students’ average gain in reaching achievement, as indicated by the state achievement test, will be 20% greater than the white students’ gain scores.

Response to Intervention Standards-aligned instruction All students receive high quality, research-based instruction in the general education standards-aligned system Universal screening All students are screened to determine academic & behavior status against grade-level benchmarks Shared ownership All staff are involved in assessing students’ assessment & instruction Data-based decision making Progress monitoring: Continuous use to determine intervention effectiveness & drive instructional adjustments & identify/measure student progress toward instructional & grade level goals Benchmark & Outcome Assessment: Student progress is benchmarked throughout the year to determine level of progress toward monitoring & assessing fidelity of intervention implementation

Academic Systems Behavioral Systems 1- 5% 1- 5% 5- 10% 5- 10% 80- 90% Intensive, Individual Interventions (3) -Individual students (individual c.) -Assessment based -Progress monitoring Intensive, Individual Interventions (3) -Individual students -Assessment based -Intense durable procedures 1- 5% 1- 5% Targeted Intervention (2) -At-risk students (group counseling) -Standard protocol interventions -Progress monitoring Targeted Intervention (2) -Some (at-risk) students 5- 10% 5- 10% 80- 90% 80- 90% Universal Intervention (1) -All settings, all students -Preventive, proactive -Classwide/school-wide rules -Teach & reinforce rules Universal Intervention (1) -All students (classroom guidance) -Preventive, proactive -Standards-aligned instruction -Data-analysis teaming

Schools are comprised of various Ecological Model of Professional School Counseling (McMahon et al., 2014) Schools are comprised of various Subsystems -Classrooms -Grade levels -Clubs -Cliques Schools exist within various suprasystems, which include: -School districts -Community -State -Nation

Ecological Model of Professional School Counseling (McMahon et al Schools are ecoystems Comprised of smaller subsystems & reside within larger suprasystems Must be flexible Require semipermeable boundaries that the permit the distinction of subgroups (e.g., teachers, students, administrators) but are also flexible enough to permit interaction between different groups/members Must be diverse Diversity provides students with enhanced perspective taking through exposure to different forms & styles of communication Balanced Have both formal & informal mechanisms to inform the leaders of the system that rules of interaction are too rigid or lack clarity Opportunities for meaning making Provide a process for members to define the identity & purpose Have formal systems to obtain feedback regarding views of members Sustainable Are sustained by the community & contribute the sustainability of the community