Iowa Professional School Counseling Program

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Iowa ProfessionalSchool Counseling Program
Promoting Academic Achievement for Every Student
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Reforming the School Counseling Program

• Align counseling program with ASCA National
  Standards and state standards
• More collaboration with teachers and
  administrators to address student needs
• Set measurable goals
• Implement a consistent data driven program
• Classroom guidance at all grade levels
• Intentional Guidance for at risk students

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Paradigm Shift and Changing Roles

• Old Model versus New Model
• Re-active Pro-active
• Process Based Results Based
• Services Provided Data Impact

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All students will gain competencies that empower
them to

• Acquire Improve
• Knowledge Academics
• Skills Behavior
• Positive Attitude Attendance

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ASCA National Model A Framework for School
Counseling Programs
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FOUNDATIONASCA National Standards
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Mission Statement

• The mission of the comprehensive School
  Counseling Program is to provide academic,
  career, and personal social learning
  opportunities that value, challenge, and prepare
  each student for responsible participation in our
  changing world.

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Philosophy

• We believe.
• All students have a right to services that
  support academic, career and personal/social
  growth
• All students are capable of achieving at their
  own personal level
• All students have dignity, worth and a right to a
  quality education
• All students have a right to a safe learning
  environment
• All students have the right to be heard and
  treated with dignity and respect
• All students have the right to a credentialed
  school counselor who collaborates with other
  educators, families, and the community as an
  advocate for student success

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DELIVERY

• Classroom guidance curriculum
• Individual student planning sessions
• Responsive services interventions for academic,
  behavior, attendance, and crisis
• System Support professional development, staff
  collaboration, program coordination and evaluation

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CLASSROOM GUIDANCEEvery Kid Gets Every-Thing

• ASCA National Standards-Based curriculum
• Developmentally appropriate
• Teaches Knowledge, attitudes and skills

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GUIDANCE CURRICULUMElementary

• Violence Prevention
• Conflict Resolution
• Social Skill building
• Decision Making
• Substance Abuse Prevention
• Study Skills
• Diversity Career Choice
• Test Taking Skills
• Middle School Transition

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GUIDANCE CURRICULUM Middle School

• Character Education
• Skills for Adolescents
• Career Exploring
• Life Strategies
• Test Taking Skills
• Organizational /Study Skills
• 4 Year Plan (in prep for HS)
• Violence prevention

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GUIDANCE CURRICULUM High School

• Keys to High School Academic Success
• Graduation Requirements
• College Requirements
• Career Exploration
• Post Secondary/College Planning
• How to Succeed after High School
• Financial Aid Planning

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MANAGEMENT

• School counselors use data to drive their
  decisions
• Develop yearly action plans
• Monitor student progress
• Principals agreement

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INTENTIONAL GUIDANCESome Kids Need More

• Data Drive Interventions to address
• Attendance
• Behavior
• Academic Achievement

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Program Evaluation Data

• Process data- What did we do for whom?
• Perception data- What do people think they know,
  believe, or can do?
• Results data- How are students different as a
  result of an activity or program?

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ACCOUNTABILITY

• School counselors measure the results of their
  programs.
• Use this data to make decisions regarding program
  improvement.

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2005-2006 Results Sample Classroom Guidance
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Elementary knowledge and skill regarding
importance of Attendance
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Elementary Second Step (Violence Prevention)
Program Behavior Improvement 2004-2005 school
year
Teacher-preferred Behaviors
Classroom Adjustment Behaviors
Peer-preferred Behaviors
Overall Social Competence and School Adjustment

• Teacher-preferred

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Reducing Bullying Behaviors

• Repeated behaviors
• Name calling
• Physical abuse
• Verbal abuse

23 DECREASE of bullying referrals
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Elementary ITBS Test-Taking Skills

• Percent of students who knew test-taking
  strategies for ITBS.

73
53
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Elementary Students Report Benefits
Post Student Interviews Regarding The Use Of
Strategies Learned in a Study Skills Group
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Middle School Violence Prevention Education
54 increase in Knowledge of verbal bullying
84 increase in knowledge of emotional bullying
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Middle School After guidance lessons

• 38 increase in students who strongly agree
  that it is important to go to school every
  day
• 48 increase in students who believe it is
  important to be on time for class
• 32 want to do better in school

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Pre-Post Findings for Transition to School
Guidance Activities
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High School 9th grade students were able to
complete a 4 year plan
Counselors improved their lesson after early
results were not effective leading to greater
impact!
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9th Grade Students have knowledge of graduation
requirements
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9th Grade Course Failures
Prior to Guidance Lessons 158 first
trimester 147 second trimester After
Guidance Lessons 111 first trimester
Improvement of 30 124 second
trimester Improvement of 16
A 30 decrease in course failures first trimester
a 16 decrease second trimester!
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Intentional Guidance Interventions

• Results Sample

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Small groups Test Taking Percentages scored on
ITBS
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Elementary State Test Data
75 (24 of 32 students in the group) HAD AN
INCREASED SCORE IN MATH READING OR BOTH ON THE
IOWA TEST OF BASIC SKILLS
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Small Groups Attendance(Students who missed
more than 7 days 1st semester)
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Small groups Attendance (17 Students)
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11th Grade Intentional Guidance

• 19 Juniors and Seniors
• large group presentation
• 11 individual counseling session to develop
  graduation plan
• Career and Educational Portfolios
• 4 Year Plan
• Power Point Presentation
• Graduation requirements, Attendance, Transcript
  Information, Post Secondary Plans, Drop-out
  Statistics
• The Results? 17 of 19 graduated ON TIME!

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Students completed their graduation plan
Prior to classroom guidance 44 After
classroom guidance 100
The Results? 17 of 19 graduated ON TIME!
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Iowas New School Counseling Program is about...

• Results
• How are students
• different as a result
• of the school counseling program?
• And.
• Caseloads COUNT!

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A Case for Counselor Caseload
Addition of a MS counselor, reduction in caseload
for HS counselor of 235 students
Highest drop-out rate in state of Iowa
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A Case for Counselor Caseload
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Todays School Counselors

• Have standards
• Teach classroom lessons and evaluate them!
• Use student data base systems to inform their
  practice
• Use state-of the-art career technological skills
• Ensure every student has a plan
• Design comprehensive programs to meet data driven
  needs
• Know when to refer out to others
• Are culturally competent and are advocates for
  equity and access
• Are on leaderships teams within the school
• Share program results and use them to improve
• Are members of professional associations

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Iowa School Counselor Academy

• Acknowledge the link between school counseling
  services and student success
• Provide adequate school counseling staff and
  financial resources to implement mandated
  initiatives
• Include professional school counselors in Iowa
  school code
• Elicit administrative support for school
  counselors
• Identify AEA resources
• Designate staff development training specifically
  for school counselors

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Iowa Counselor Academy Participants

• Columbus Community School District
• Louisa-Muscatine Community School District
• Durant Community School District
• Muscatine Community School District
• Davenport Community School District
• North Scott Community School District
• Pleasant Valley Community School District
• Camanche Community School District
• Clinton Community School District
• Delwood Community School District
• Calamus-Wheatland Community School District
• Northeast Community School District
• Preston Community School District
• West Liberty Community School District

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The Iowa Counselors thank you for supporting

• our efforts toward
• Standards Implementation