(Adapted from College Counseling Sourcebook, 6th Edition)
American School Counselor Association (ASCA): Chartered in 1953, ASCA is a worldwide nonprofit organization, which supports school counselor efforts to help students focus on academic, personal/social and career development, to both achieve success in school, and be prepared to lead fulfilling lives as responsible members of society.
mission: Describes the program's purpose and goals; should align with and be a subset of the school's mission statement.
The four major school counseling program elements are: academic, career, personal/social development,mission/beliefs & philosophy statements. Based on the core beliefs, philosophies and missions identified in the foundation, the 'Delivery System' then describes the activities, interactions and methods necessary to deliver the program.
(1)The Delivery System consists of:
-Guidance Curriculum: Structured developmental lessons designed to assist students in achieving the desired competencies as well as provide all students with the knowledge/skills appropriate for their developmental level(presented systematically through K-12 classroom and group activities).
-Individual Student Planning: Ongoing systemic activities designed to assist students individually in establishing personal goals and developing future plans.
-Responsive Services: Traditional duties of a school counselor consisting of activities designed to meet individual students' immediate needs, usually necessitated by life events and situations in the students 'lives (may require counseling, consultation, referral, peer mediation or information).
-Systems Support: The administrative and managerial end of the school counseling program which establishes, maintains and enhances the total program.
(2)The Management System: Intertwined with the delivery system is the management system which incorporates organizational processes and tools to ensure the program is organized, concrete, clearly delineated and reflective of the school's needs. The Management System consists of:
-Management agreements: Address how the school counseling program is organized and what will be accomplished; ensures effective implementation of the delivery system to meet student needs(should be negociated & approved at the beginning of the school year).
-Advisory Council: A group of people appointed to review counseling program results and to make recommendations.
-Use of Data: The use of data to effect change within the school system; ensuring every student receives the benefits of the school counseling program(showing that each activity implemented as part of the program was developed from a careful analysis of students' needs, achievement and/or related data).
-Action Plans: For every desired competency there must be a plan outlining how the desired result will be achieved. Each plan contains: competencies addressed, description of activity, data driving the decision to address the competency, timeline in which activity is to be completed, who's responsible for the delivery, means of evaluating student success, expected results for students.
-Use of Time: THE ASCA National Model recommends that school counselors spend 80% of their time in direct service/contact with students and provides a guide to school counselors/administrators for determining the amount of time that should be devoted to each of the four components of the delivery system(the recommendation is that duties need to be limited to program delivery and direct counseling services).
-Use of Calendars: Recommendation for school counselors, that after determining the amount of time necessary in each area of the delivery system, weekly calendars be developed to keep students, parents, teachers and administrators informed.
(3)Accountability: To demostrate the effectiveness of the program in measurable terms; using and collecting data that link the program to student achievement.
-Results Reports: Use of process, perception and results data to ensure programs are carried out, analyzed for effectiveness and modified as needed (advocates for the students and the program). Immediate, intermediate and long-range results are collected and analyzed for program improvement.
-School Counselor Performance Standards: Basic standards of practice expected of school counselors implementing a school counseling program, which serve as both a basis for counselor evaluation and as a means for counselor self-evaluation.
Program Audit: Collecting information to guide future action within the program and to improve future results for students.
ASCA Standards & Competencies:
ASCA Standards: Skills that all K-12 students should receive in school counseling programs for academic, career, college/post-secondary and personal/social success.
ASCA Competencies: The skills that show students have learned the ASCA domains. School counselors can use the competencies as a checklist to self-evaluate their own competencies and formulate an appropriate professional development plan.
*Abilities: (1-B-1)Plans, organizes, implements and evaluates a school counseling program aligning with the ASCA National Model. (1-B-2)Serves as a leader in the school/community to promote and support student success. (1-B-3)Advocates for student success(by collaborating with parents, teachers, administrators, community leaders etc.) (1-C) Attitude:Believes every student can learn and succeed, should have access and opportunity, should graduate from high school and have access to post-secondary education and employment, should have access to a school counseling program, one that is measurable using process,perception and results data. (2)Possesses knowledge, abilities, skills and attitude necessary to establish foundations of a school counseling program aligning itself with the ASCA National Model.
ASCA Competencies: Key domains of K-12 student competencies delivered in data-driven comprehensive school counseling programs (acronym ACCESS by PROFESSOR Chen-Hayes) A cademic development C areer development C ollege and post-secondary education E motional/personal development S ocial/cultural development S kills
TACKLE: An acronym summarizing the specific skills school counselors receive in transformative school counseling education programs based on th Education Trusts National Center for Transforming School Counseling Skills training.
T eaming and collaboration A dvocacy to challenge systemic access/success/barriers C ulturally Competent Counseling & Coordination K nowledge and use of technology L eadership in K-12 education E quity Assessment using data
Major ASCA Model Artifacts: -Principal/School Counselor Agreement -SCP audit -Action Plans -Curriculum Crosswalk -Results Reports