1. A Framework For School Counseling Programs
ASCA National Model
A Framework For School Counseling Programs

2. Rationale
Importance of a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP)
Comprehensive, preventative, and developmental in nature
ASCA National Model provides an outline of the components of a CSCP
Based on data-driven decision making
Based on standards in academic, career, and personal/social development
Promote the learning of all students

3. Framework: Purpose
Establish the school counseling program as an integral component of the academic mission of the school.
Ensure every student has equitable access to the school counseling program.
Identify and deliver the knowledge and skills all students should acquire.
Ensure that the school counseling program is comprehensive in design and delivered systematically to all students.

4. Framework: 4 Interrelated Components
Foundation
CSCP will be based on a strong foundation that clearly states a school’s goals for student achievement.
Delivery System
Describes the methods that school counselors use to share their lessons with all students

5. Framework: 4 Interrelated Components
Management System
Helps maintain organization of the school counseling program and ensures all students’ needs are met.
Accountability
CSCP’s must collect data to make sure that interventions are effective and to evaluate the overall progress the program makes towards meeting its goals.

6. Themes: Advocacy
As stated by ASCA, “School counselors advocate for students’ educational needs to work and ensure these needs are addressed at every level of the school experience…School counselors work as advocates to remove systemic barriers that impede the academic success of any student.”
Advocacy is essentially educating with passion.
School counselors are advocates for students, families, teachers and schools.

7. Themes: Leadership
The ASCA National Model states, “School counselors serve as leaders engaged in system-wide change to ensure student success.”
It has been described as a five-step template which includes: challenge the process, inspire a shared vision, enable others to act, model the way, and encourage the heart.

8. Themes: Collaboration
Collaboration means working together with others to reach a common goal that cannot be achieved by working individually.
Can be between the school counselor and teachers, parents, school staff, community members, etc.

9. Systemic Change
This type of change occurs when policies and procedures are examined and changed to match the findings of new data.
Examples: when parents are present for programs geared towards them, when administrators change policies to be more beneficial to students and education.
It is the fruit of many labor efforts and data.

10. ASCA Model Elements: Foundation
Elements include program focus, student competencies, and professional competencies.
Program focus: beliefs, mission & vision statement.
Mission statement: influenced by program’s beliefs and ties in with the school corp.’s mission statement. Describes importance that the school counseling program plays in all students’ lives
Vision statement: describes direction of school counseling program & how PSC’s plan to address school needs.

11. ASCA Model Elements: Foundation, Cont.
Elements include program focus, student competencies, and professional competencies.
Student competencies: academic, career, & professional.
Professional competencies: school counseling competencies and ethical standards.

12. ASCA Model Elements: Delivery System
Pinpoints the types of services that the school counseling program provides.
Collaborate frequently with delivery methods.
Programming aims to promote awareness, development & prevention.
Ideally, 80% of PSC’s time should be spent directly with students.
Individual & group counseling, classroom lessons, peer facilitation, consultation.

13. ASCA Model Elements: Management System
Time use assessments
Advisory Council: looks at program goals and makes recommendations
Students, teachers, administrators, school counselors, and community members
Data! Data! Data!: used to evaluate guidance plans, group work, future plans, etc.

14. ASCA Model Elements: Accountability
Data illustrates need for school counselors in the school.
Helps PSC’s identify the areas where more or less focus is needed.
Utilize data to measure effectiveness of programming and impact it has on students.

15. References
American School Counselor Association. (n.d.). A framework for school counseling programs. In ASCA National Model. Retrieved April 1, 2014, from media/ANM-templates/ANMExecSumm.pdf Dollarhide, C. T., & Saginak, K. A. (2012). Comprehensive School Counseling Programs (2nd ed., pp ). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.