SERVICES AND PROGRAMS:
Below you will see a list of the different programs and services we offer for professional development, face to face, or on-line.

School Counselor Accountability
Legal and Ethical
Building a Comprehensive Program
Collaboration
School Counseling Program Evaluation
Data: Freind or Foe
College and Career

           

School Counselor Accountability A MEASURE of Student Success
            The world of schools is changing with federal and state mandates, high-stakes testing, school improvement goals, and other accountability programs in the forefront. School counselors must focus on ways to participate in the achievement agenda and speak the language that administrators best understand which is about improving our schools.  How can data-driven decision making involve all stakeholders, impact the school counseling program and help every student succeed? Explore the ways that school counselors can demonstrate their effectiveness and be partners in educational excellence.
MEASURE., a six step accountability model, helps school counselors use readily available school data to support all students to become successful learners, especially our underserved and underrepresented populations. MEASURE demonstrates the impact of school counseling on measurable indicators of success such as attendance, grades, test scores, course enrollment patterns, and higher education going rates.   MEASURE, an acronym for Mission, Elements, Analyze, Stakeholders, Unite, Reflect, Educate, ties the school’s success agenda and positive student outcomes due to the presence of school counselors.. 

 

Negotiating the Legal and Ethical Landscape of Schools
            School counselors practice in an environment designed for academics with clients who are minors. Everyday school counselors are faced with legal and ethical dilemmas about their practice with students whose confidentiality rights are owned by their parents and whose parents have been legally confirmed to be the guiding voices in their children’s’ lives. Confidentiality, pregnancy, gay and lesbian students, relationships with other professionals in the school building, college advising all have legal and ethical dimensions that must be considered by the school counseling professional. While we cannot practice without risk, knowing the legal and ethical parameters that govern our work can help us to be the best advocates for our students while still maintaining our professional standing.

Building Your Comprehensive School Counseling Program Using the ASCA
Model and/or Your State's Model
            Where do we begin? Developing and implementing a comprehensive model is not as daunting as it seems. Developing a program that aligns with the National Standards can be a daunting task. With the expertise of the School Counseling Center professionals to assist you, the job is less frightening. A strong vision and a willingness to look at the school counseling program from a different perspective are the jumping off points to program development. Research and experience from colleagues in the field will assist you in making the transition to an all-students agenda.
Creating a school counseling program that is aligned with the National Model allows school counselors to work from an orientation that gives organization and structure to their work and links it directly to the mission of the school. Like its academic counterparts, the National Model keeps our focus directly on what students need to get from the counseling program in order to achieve at high levels.
           
Counselors as Collaborators
While the ASCA National Model is designed to show the ways in which school counseling impacts the instructional program, school counselors cannot do it alone. Collaboration with principals, teachers, parents, administrators, school board members, and members of the community is essential for providing seamless educational programs for students in our schools.

           
School Counseling Program Evaluation
            Is your current program working? School counseling program evaluation assists professionals to look critically at their programs and determine the best ways to reach their goals. Constructive evaluation is critical to the success of your program and your students.

Data: Friend or Phobia
            These words need not strike fear into the hearts of school counseling professionals. Discover the ways that data can have a powerful impact on your school counseling program and show administrators, parents, teachers and other stakeholders that your program is meeting the needs of your particular students. With meaningful data to support your decisions, your work will complement the instructional program and make a difference for your students.

All Students College and Career Ready
            Much attention has been focused on the graduation and dropout rates. These discussions should also consider what students need to succeed in the 21st century.  How do we successfully help students transition from grade level to grade level and acquire the academic and career development skills to be prepared for all postsecondary options, including college and skills needed in the workforce?  Join us in this important conversation.