City of Baker School System
OVERVIEW OF POSITION:
The primary responsibility of the Professional School Counselor shall be counseling students and providing those services directly related to counseling. The Professional School Counselor shall be responsible for the effective management of the school counseling department to which he/she is assigned. The school counseling program shall be conducted according to policies adopted by the Board of Education and with district regulations and procedures.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Component 1: Individual Student Planning:
The individual student planning component consists of school counselors coordinating ongoing activities designed to help individual students establish personal goals and develop future plans. The school counselor coordinates activities that help all students plan, monitor and manage their own learning, as well as set, evaluate, and attain goals in the areas of academic, career and personal/social development. The school counselor helps students make the transition from school to school, school to work, or school to higher education or career and technical training. These activities are delivered individually or by working with individuals in small groups or advisory groups. Parents or guardians and other school personnel are often included in these activities. Systematic delivery of individual planning for every student includes a documented strategy for student success. Duties for the Professional School Counselor in this component involves, but is not limited to: test score review, interpretation and analysis, promotion and retention information, career decision-making, yearly course selection, financial aid, interest inventories, senior exit interviews and surveys, individual graduation plans, social skills, test-taking strategies, college selection, job shadowing, senior planning appointments, and review of behavior plans. Individual planning with students is implemented through such strategies as:
Individual or small group appraisal:
The school counselor works with students analyzing and evaluating students' abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. Test information and other data are often used as the basis for helping students develop immediate and long-range plans. In high school, the school counselor should meet with students yearly to develop and revise students' academic plans.
Individual or small group advice:
The school counselor advises students using personal/social, educational career and labor market information in planning personal, educational, and occupational goals. The involvement of students, parents or guardians and the schools in planning students' programs that meet their needs is critical.
COMPONENT TWO: SYSTEM SUPPORT
System Support consists of management activities that establish, maintain, and enhance the total school counseling program. School counselors tailor the school counseling program to the unique context and needs of the school. To do so, counselors remain engaged in the most current developments in their field, team with others at the school and district levels to better identify, address contextual needs, and remain actively engaged as professionals in the school community. Specifically, school counselors use their leadership and advocacy skills to promote whole school improvement by contributing to the following areas:
Professional Development:
School counselors are involved regularly in updating and sharing their professional knowledge and skills through in-service training, professional association membership, and/or postgraduate education. In public discourse and remain competent in their constantly evolving field of work. Consultation, Collaboration and Teaming:
Through consultation, partnering, collaborating, and training, school counselors provide important contributions to the school system. Counselors must consult with teachers, staff members and parents or guardians regularly to provide information, support the school community and receive feedback on students' emerging needs. School counselors' network with other stakeholders to identify student needs and design programs and address them. Counselors should serve actively in and communicate with the community through presentations, memberships, and meetings to ensure that all community resources are available to students and that the community is aware of the needs of the school and able to contribute. School counselors are also encouraged to participate and represent the school's needs on district/state/national committees. Program Management and Operations:
This includes the planning and management tasks needed to support activities conducted in the school counseling program as well as responsibilities that need to be fulfilled as a member of the school staff. These include budget, facilities, policies and procedures, research, and resource development. Counselors analyze student achievement and counseling program-related data to evaluate the counseling program, conduct research on activity outcome and discover gaps that exist between diverse groups of students that need to be addressed. School counselors share data and their interpretation with staff and administration to ensure each student can receive an optimal education. As team members within the educational system, school counselors perform fair share responsibilities that align with and are equal in amount to the fair share responsibilities provided by other educators on the school site. COMPONENT THREE: RESPONSIVE SERVICES
The Responsive Services component of the school counseling program consists of activities to meet students' immediate needs and concerns. These needs or concerns may stem from a change in circumstances or life crisis and require counseling, consultation, referral, and/or peer facilitation. This component is available to all students and is often student-initiated through self-referral. However, teachers, parents, guardians, or others may also refer students for assistance and should clearly understand and feel comfortable engaging in an open referral process. Although the school counselor has special training and skills to respond to these needs and concerns, the cooperation and support of the entire faculty and staff are necessary for successful implementation. The school counselor offers a range of services along the continuum from early intervention to crisis response to meet students' needs. The school counselor consults with parents or guardians, school personnel and other identified parties when developing plans and strategies for facilitating student development. These plans may involve a wide variety of strategies but must all be specific and aligned to clear objectives for the student. The strategies include:
Consultation:
Counselors serve as student advocates by consulting with parents or guardians, teachers, other educators, and community agencies regarding strategies to help students and families. Individual and small-group counseling:
Individual and small group counseling helps students identify problems, causes, alternatives and consequences as they confront challenges in relationships. Such counseling is normally short-term. When longer-term or professional therapeutic services are necessary, the counselor makes appropriate referrals. Crisis counseling:
Crisis counseling provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up. Counseling and support are provided to students and families facing emergency situations. Such counseling is normally short- term and temporary in nature. When necessary, referrals are made to appropriate community resources. School counselors can provide a leadership role in the district's crisis intervention team process. Referrals:
Counselors use referral sources to deal with crisis such as suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, depression, and family difficulties. These referral sources may include mental health agencies, employment and training programs, juvenile services, and other social and community services. Peer facilitation:
Many counselors train students as peer mediators, conflict managers, tutors, and mentors. The techniques of peer mediation and conflict resolution are used to help students learn how to make changes in the way they have a good relationship with others. In peer mediation, students are trained in a system to use with fellow students who are having trouble having a good relationship with others. COMPONENT FOUR: SCHOOL COUNSELING CONSORTIUM
Component 4: School Counseling Curriculum
The school counseling curriculum component consists of a data-driven written instructional program comprehensive in scope, preventative, proactive, and developmental in design. The curriculum is coordinated by school counselors and other educators. School counseling curriculum is designed to facilitate the systematic delivery of lessons or activities to every student consistent with the school counseling program's statements of philosophy, goals, and student competencies. The school counseling curriculum promotes knowledge, attitudes, and skills through instruction in three domains: academic achievement, career development and personal/social growth. The counselor's responsibilities include planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the school counseling curriculum. The elements of a strong school counseling curriculum are:
Classroom instruction:
The counselor provides systematic instruction in the data-driven school counseling curriculum. Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development:
The school counselor collaborates with other educators to deliver elements of the curriculum through infusion in other classroom disciplines. Group Activities:
The school counselor conducts planned small group activities outside the classroom to respond to students' identified needs or interests. Parent Workshops and Instruction:
The school counselor plans and delivers workshops and information sessions aligned with the school counseling curriculum for parents and guardians.
TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
The minimal teaching performance standards, for Professional School Counselors,
Inclusive of the responsibility for growth in student learning and/or student achievement,
are as follows:
DOMAIN Planning and Preparation Classroom Environment COMPONENT
Setting Instructional Outcomes Managing Classroom Procedures Questioning and Discussion Technique Engaging Students in Learning Using Assessment in Instruction
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Master's degree in guidance and counseling and considerable counseling and guidance or teaching experience. A comparable amount of training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications. A Valid Louisiana Ancillary Teaching Certificate - Counseling Any additional requirements as stated in SDE Bulletin 746.
EVALUATION
STANDARDS OF EFFECTIVENESS
Fifty percent of the evaluation for Professional School Counselor shall be composed of applicable measures of growth in student learning and the remaining fifty percent shall be based upon a qualitative assessment of Professional School Counselor performance. For Professional School Counselors, the 50% of the evaluation based upon growth in student warning shall measure the growth of their students according to alternate measures of student growth according to state guidelines, where value-added data are not available. The 50% of the evaluation that is based on a qualitative measure of Professional School Counselor performance shall include a minimum of one formal observation and at least one informal observation. This portion of the evaluation of written work products. The combination of the applicable measure of growth in student learning and the qualitative assessment of performance shall result in a composite score used to distinguish if the level of effectiveness is highly effective, effective proficient, effective emerging, or ineffective.
MEASURES OF GROWTH IN STUDENT LEARNING: STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS (SLTs)
For Professional School Counselors, for which there is little to no value- added data available, progress towards pre- determined Student Learning Targets (SLTs), as measured by state-approved common assessments, where available, shall govern the student growth component of the evaluation. Professional School Counselor and/or district-developed SLTs, shall include goals which express an expectation of growth in student achievement over a given period of time, as well as common measures for assessing attainment of those goals, such as an identified assessment and/or a body of evidence.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
To perform this job successfully, a Professional School Counselor must be able to perform each duty effectively. The requirements are representative of the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The essential functions for the position of a Professional School Counselor includes the physical and mental involvement requirements noted in this position description in addition to regular reliable attendance given the limited number of employees available to perform the essential functions of this position. It is also essential that the Professional School Counselor be able to follow the directives of the Principal, Assistant Principal, and other appropriate superiors in ensuring the harmonious operation of the school.
WORK ENVIRONMENT and HOURS WORKED
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the Professional School Counselor encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Work day length consists of teacher hours at the assigned school site according to City of Baker School Board policy. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A Professional School Counselor must be able to 1) effectively communicate in standard English both orally and in writing, 2) read, analyze, and interpret scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents, 3) respond to inquiries and complaints,4) write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format, 4) effectively present information to top management, public groups, and the City of Baker School Board, 5) have the ability to accurately give and receive information via telecommunications system and other appropriate media, and 6) be able to communicate successfully with students, parents/caregivers, school personnel, and the community.
EQUIPMENT USED
The Professional School Counselor should be able to use school-based telephones, audio-visual equipment, computers, copy machines, and other appropriate machines.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the Professional School Counselor to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing this job's duties, the Professional School Counselor is frequently required to sit or stand for long periods of time. The Professional School Counselor must be able to stand, walk, reach, and bend. The Professional School Counselor must occasionally lift or move light weight up to twenty (20) pounds with assistance as required. The Professional School Counselor must have sufficient visual acuity to work with computer monitor, print texts, and handwritten documents.
MENTAL INVOLVEMENT
The Professional School Counselor must possess sufficient interpersonal skills to function compatible with others. The Professional School Counselor must respond positively to supervision and to accept suggestions for improvement.
REASONING ABILITY
The Professional School Counselor must have the ability to 1) define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions, and 2) interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram forms and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
HUMAN RELATIONS INVOLVEMENT
The Professional School Counselor must be able to 1) work cooperatively with students, parents/caregivers, school personnel, and the community 2) respond appropriately to supervision and accept commendations and recommendations, and 3) demonstrate sensitivity/ understanding and interpersonal relations with persons of diverse culture and backgrounds.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT & TRAITS
The Professional School Counselor acknowledges that he or she is required to maintain a high standard of professional conduct. Breach of said professional conduct includes but is not limited to; neglect of duty, dishonesty, engagement in acts that are contrary to City of Baker School Board policy, unlawful activities, or any other conduct which is seriously prejudicial to the school system. In terms of of professional traits, the Professional School Counselor is poised, self-confident, enthusiastic, optimistic, punctual, dependable, unbiased, fair, flexible, articulate, writes effectively, handles confidential information discreetly, attends work regularly, dresses and behaves professionally, presents accurate and timely records and appreciate documents.
CLASSIFICATION UNDER FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACTS (FLSA)
The City of Baker School System in compliance with FLSA considers this position EXEMPT from all overtime payments.
The primary responsibility of the Professional School Counselor shall be counseling students and providing those services directly related to counseling. The Professional School Counselor shall be responsible for the effective management of the school counseling department to which he/she is assigned. The school counseling program shall be conducted according to policies adopted by the Board of Education and with district regulations and procedures.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Component 1: Individual Student Planning:
The individual student planning component consists of school counselors coordinating ongoing activities designed to help individual students establish personal goals and develop future plans. The school counselor coordinates activities that help all students plan, monitor and manage their own learning, as well as set, evaluate, and attain goals in the areas of academic, career and personal/social development. The school counselor helps students make the transition from school to school, school to work, or school to higher education or career and technical training. These activities are delivered individually or by working with individuals in small groups or advisory groups. Parents or guardians and other school personnel are often included in these activities. Systematic delivery of individual planning for every student includes a documented strategy for student success. Duties for the Professional School Counselor in this component involves, but is not limited to: test score review, interpretation and analysis, promotion and retention information, career decision-making, yearly course selection, financial aid, interest inventories, senior exit interviews and surveys, individual graduation plans, social skills, test-taking strategies, college selection, job shadowing, senior planning appointments, and review of behavior plans. Individual planning with students is implemented through such strategies as:
Individual or small group appraisal:
The school counselor works with students analyzing and evaluating students' abilities, interests, skills, and achievement. Test information and other data are often used as the basis for helping students develop immediate and long-range plans. In high school, the school counselor should meet with students yearly to develop and revise students' academic plans.
Individual or small group advice:
The school counselor advises students using personal/social, educational career and labor market information in planning personal, educational, and occupational goals. The involvement of students, parents or guardians and the schools in planning students' programs that meet their needs is critical.
COMPONENT TWO: SYSTEM SUPPORT
System Support consists of management activities that establish, maintain, and enhance the total school counseling program. School counselors tailor the school counseling program to the unique context and needs of the school. To do so, counselors remain engaged in the most current developments in their field, team with others at the school and district levels to better identify, address contextual needs, and remain actively engaged as professionals in the school community. Specifically, school counselors use their leadership and advocacy skills to promote whole school improvement by contributing to the following areas:
Professional Development:
School counselors are involved regularly in updating and sharing their professional knowledge and skills through in-service training, professional association membership, and/or postgraduate education. In public discourse and remain competent in their constantly evolving field of work. Consultation, Collaboration and Teaming:
Through consultation, partnering, collaborating, and training, school counselors provide important contributions to the school system. Counselors must consult with teachers, staff members and parents or guardians regularly to provide information, support the school community and receive feedback on students' emerging needs. School counselors' network with other stakeholders to identify student needs and design programs and address them. Counselors should serve actively in and communicate with the community through presentations, memberships, and meetings to ensure that all community resources are available to students and that the community is aware of the needs of the school and able to contribute. School counselors are also encouraged to participate and represent the school's needs on district/state/national committees. Program Management and Operations:
This includes the planning and management tasks needed to support activities conducted in the school counseling program as well as responsibilities that need to be fulfilled as a member of the school staff. These include budget, facilities, policies and procedures, research, and resource development. Counselors analyze student achievement and counseling program-related data to evaluate the counseling program, conduct research on activity outcome and discover gaps that exist between diverse groups of students that need to be addressed. School counselors share data and their interpretation with staff and administration to ensure each student can receive an optimal education. As team members within the educational system, school counselors perform fair share responsibilities that align with and are equal in amount to the fair share responsibilities provided by other educators on the school site. COMPONENT THREE: RESPONSIVE SERVICES
The Responsive Services component of the school counseling program consists of activities to meet students' immediate needs and concerns. These needs or concerns may stem from a change in circumstances or life crisis and require counseling, consultation, referral, and/or peer facilitation. This component is available to all students and is often student-initiated through self-referral. However, teachers, parents, guardians, or others may also refer students for assistance and should clearly understand and feel comfortable engaging in an open referral process. Although the school counselor has special training and skills to respond to these needs and concerns, the cooperation and support of the entire faculty and staff are necessary for successful implementation. The school counselor offers a range of services along the continuum from early intervention to crisis response to meet students' needs. The school counselor consults with parents or guardians, school personnel and other identified parties when developing plans and strategies for facilitating student development. These plans may involve a wide variety of strategies but must all be specific and aligned to clear objectives for the student. The strategies include:
Consultation:
Counselors serve as student advocates by consulting with parents or guardians, teachers, other educators, and community agencies regarding strategies to help students and families. Individual and small-group counseling:
Individual and small group counseling helps students identify problems, causes, alternatives and consequences as they confront challenges in relationships. Such counseling is normally short-term. When longer-term or professional therapeutic services are necessary, the counselor makes appropriate referrals. Crisis counseling:
Crisis counseling provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up. Counseling and support are provided to students and families facing emergency situations. Such counseling is normally short- term and temporary in nature. When necessary, referrals are made to appropriate community resources. School counselors can provide a leadership role in the district's crisis intervention team process. Referrals:
Counselors use referral sources to deal with crisis such as suicidal ideation, violence, abuse, depression, and family difficulties. These referral sources may include mental health agencies, employment and training programs, juvenile services, and other social and community services. Peer facilitation:
Many counselors train students as peer mediators, conflict managers, tutors, and mentors. The techniques of peer mediation and conflict resolution are used to help students learn how to make changes in the way they have a good relationship with others. In peer mediation, students are trained in a system to use with fellow students who are having trouble having a good relationship with others. COMPONENT FOUR: SCHOOL COUNSELING CONSORTIUM
Component 4: School Counseling Curriculum
The school counseling curriculum component consists of a data-driven written instructional program comprehensive in scope, preventative, proactive, and developmental in design. The curriculum is coordinated by school counselors and other educators. School counseling curriculum is designed to facilitate the systematic delivery of lessons or activities to every student consistent with the school counseling program's statements of philosophy, goals, and student competencies. The school counseling curriculum promotes knowledge, attitudes, and skills through instruction in three domains: academic achievement, career development and personal/social growth. The counselor's responsibilities include planning, designing, implementing, and evaluating the school counseling curriculum. The elements of a strong school counseling curriculum are:
Classroom instruction:
The counselor provides systematic instruction in the data-driven school counseling curriculum. Interdisciplinary Curriculum Development:
The school counselor collaborates with other educators to deliver elements of the curriculum through infusion in other classroom disciplines. Group Activities:
The school counselor conducts planned small group activities outside the classroom to respond to students' identified needs or interests. Parent Workshops and Instruction:
The school counselor plans and delivers workshops and information sessions aligned with the school counseling curriculum for parents and guardians.
TEACHING RESPONSIBILITIES
The minimal teaching performance standards, for Professional School Counselors,
Inclusive of the responsibility for growth in student learning and/or student achievement,
are as follows:
DOMAIN Planning and Preparation Classroom Environment COMPONENT
Setting Instructional Outcomes Managing Classroom Procedures Questioning and Discussion Technique Engaging Students in Learning Using Assessment in Instruction
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE
Master's degree in guidance and counseling and considerable counseling and guidance or teaching experience. A comparable amount of training and experience may be substituted for the minimum qualifications. A Valid Louisiana Ancillary Teaching Certificate - Counseling Any additional requirements as stated in SDE Bulletin 746.
EVALUATION
STANDARDS OF EFFECTIVENESS
Fifty percent of the evaluation for Professional School Counselor shall be composed of applicable measures of growth in student learning and the remaining fifty percent shall be based upon a qualitative assessment of Professional School Counselor performance. For Professional School Counselors, the 50% of the evaluation based upon growth in student warning shall measure the growth of their students according to alternate measures of student growth according to state guidelines, where value-added data are not available. The 50% of the evaluation that is based on a qualitative measure of Professional School Counselor performance shall include a minimum of one formal observation and at least one informal observation. This portion of the evaluation of written work products. The combination of the applicable measure of growth in student learning and the qualitative assessment of performance shall result in a composite score used to distinguish if the level of effectiveness is highly effective, effective proficient, effective emerging, or ineffective.
MEASURES OF GROWTH IN STUDENT LEARNING: STUDENT LEARNING TARGETS (SLTs)
For Professional School Counselors, for which there is little to no value- added data available, progress towards pre- determined Student Learning Targets (SLTs), as measured by state-approved common assessments, where available, shall govern the student growth component of the evaluation. Professional School Counselor and/or district-developed SLTs, shall include goals which express an expectation of growth in student achievement over a given period of time, as well as common measures for assessing attainment of those goals, such as an identified assessment and/or a body of evidence.
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
To perform this job successfully, a Professional School Counselor must be able to perform each duty effectively. The requirements are representative of the knowledge, skills, dispositions, and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The essential functions for the position of a Professional School Counselor includes the physical and mental involvement requirements noted in this position description in addition to regular reliable attendance given the limited number of employees available to perform the essential functions of this position. It is also essential that the Professional School Counselor be able to follow the directives of the Principal, Assistant Principal, and other appropriate superiors in ensuring the harmonious operation of the school.
WORK ENVIRONMENT and HOURS WORKED
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those the Professional School Counselor encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Work day length consists of teacher hours at the assigned school site according to City of Baker School Board policy. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
A Professional School Counselor must be able to 1) effectively communicate in standard English both orally and in writing, 2) read, analyze, and interpret scientific and technical journals, financial reports, and legal documents, 3) respond to inquiries and complaints,4) write speeches and articles for publication that conform to prescribed style and format, 4) effectively present information to top management, public groups, and the City of Baker School Board, 5) have the ability to accurately give and receive information via telecommunications system and other appropriate media, and 6) be able to communicate successfully with students, parents/caregivers, school personnel, and the community.
EQUIPMENT USED
The Professional School Counselor should be able to use school-based telephones, audio-visual equipment, computers, copy machines, and other appropriate machines.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the Professional School Counselor to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions. While performing this job's duties, the Professional School Counselor is frequently required to sit or stand for long periods of time. The Professional School Counselor must be able to stand, walk, reach, and bend. The Professional School Counselor must occasionally lift or move light weight up to twenty (20) pounds with assistance as required. The Professional School Counselor must have sufficient visual acuity to work with computer monitor, print texts, and handwritten documents.
MENTAL INVOLVEMENT
The Professional School Counselor must possess sufficient interpersonal skills to function compatible with others. The Professional School Counselor must respond positively to supervision and to accept suggestions for improvement.
REASONING ABILITY
The Professional School Counselor must have the ability to 1) define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions, and 2) interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram forms and deal with several abstract and concrete variables.
HUMAN RELATIONS INVOLVEMENT
The Professional School Counselor must be able to 1) work cooperatively with students, parents/caregivers, school personnel, and the community 2) respond appropriately to supervision and accept commendations and recommendations, and 3) demonstrate sensitivity/ understanding and interpersonal relations with persons of diverse culture and backgrounds.
PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT & TRAITS
The Professional School Counselor acknowledges that he or she is required to maintain a high standard of professional conduct. Breach of said professional conduct includes but is not limited to; neglect of duty, dishonesty, engagement in acts that are contrary to City of Baker School Board policy, unlawful activities, or any other conduct which is seriously prejudicial to the school system. In terms of of professional traits, the Professional School Counselor is poised, self-confident, enthusiastic, optimistic, punctual, dependable, unbiased, fair, flexible, articulate, writes effectively, handles confidential information discreetly, attends work regularly, dresses and behaves professionally, presents accurate and timely records and appreciate documents.
CLASSIFICATION UNDER FAIR LABOR STANDARDS ACTS (FLSA)
The City of Baker School System in compliance with FLSA considers this position EXEMPT from all overtime payments.