1. Writing Your School Counseling CurriculumBy
James E. Guarino, Ed.D.
Westerly (RI) Middle School
Arthur W. Lisi, Ph.D.
Coventry (RI) High School
ASCA National Conference
Denver, Colorado
June 24, 2007

2. Goals Develop an essential school counseling curriculum
Align the curriculum with ASCA Standards
Document essential counseling activities
Assess student progress toward the standards.
Evaluate the impact of the program

3. The RISCA TOOLKITS
There are eight RISCA toolkits which can be found on the RISCA website. They are available for free download at
Today’s discussion will center around Toolkit #2
Toolkit #2 tells us what we do tomorrow morning. It is the essential counseling program

4. THE EIGHT RISCA TOOLKITS
1. Strategic and Annual Planning
2. Essential Counseling Program
3. School Counseling Data Management
4. Professional Development Program
5. Family and Community Engagement
6. Program Implementation Management
7. Planning for Results
8. Individual Student Learning Plans

5. Using the RISCA TOOLKIT APPROACH
Answers the question: What do I do tomorrow to implement a comprehensive school counseling program based on the ASCA National Model.
Provides structured processes, clearly defined protocols, and easy to use tools to capture and organize the results of your work.
Produces quality documentation that can be used to promote the value of school counseling to student success and health of the school community

6. What Do We Need To Do To Write a School Counseling Curriculum?
Identify the essential activities critical to students achieving the standards
Identify the Scope and Sequence of those essential curriculum activities
Align those activities to the ASCA Standards
Document instructions for delivering each activity
Develop a program to assess student progress toward meeting the standards

7. Brainstorm what you do to deliver your school counseling program…
Counseling Curriculum (what you do to include ALL students, such as classroom lessons/presentations, small group activities, etc.)
Individual Planning
Responsive Services
System Support
Non-counseling activities

8. Scope and Sequence
The scope will cover the nine ASCA standards (are all 9 standards listed? Which ones do you need to address?)
The sequence will list when each activity will take place grade-by-grade and month by month.

9. What is a Curriculum? Curriculum is
“the planned interaction of students with instructional content, materials, resources, and processes for evaluating the attainment of educational objectives.”

10. The Essential School Counseling Curriculum Is One Which…
Is a written instructional program presented developmentally and comprehensively
Aligns with ASCA standards in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development.
Identifies the activities which will meet the standards.

11. Documented Instruction for Delivering Each Activity
Define the school’s essential counseling curriculum.
Align the curriculum with the standards.
Document each essential counseling activity identified in the scope and sequence.
Create an action plan for each activity.

12. School Counseling Action Plan: “Send for Help”
Title your activity – it can be referenced, catalogued, and becomes a part of your guidance curriculum
Give yourself credit!
Grade level
Materials
Collaboration required? Helpful?
ASCA and National Career Development Standards utilized
What results do we expect from the students?

13. Action Plan (continued)
What preparations do we need to make?
What resources do we need?
How many sessions are there?
What are the “action steps” and who is responsible for each step?
Attach any worksheets.

14. Have Students Met the Standards? –RESULTS!!
Is there an understanding of the school environment and academic demands?
Is there an understanding of career awareness, decision making, and planning?
Is there an understanding of self and others through the development of interpersonal and communications skills?

15. Evaluating Your Counseling Curriculum
Are your counseling curriculum activities/action plans….
For all students?
Organized, planned and written?
Sequential and flexible?
An integral part of the educational process?
Opportunities to collaborate with teachers and other staff?
Helping students learn more effectively in all three domains?

16. For More Information
Visit the RISCA Website at
Arthur Lisi,
Jim Guarino,