Student Support

The division has adapted the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National model as the framework for developing a school counseling program because the model emphasizes a comprehensive and developmental approach for implementing a school counseling program. The concepts of student advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systemic change are infused throughout the school counseling program.

All schools are required to have a Guidance Advisory Council to inform all stakeholders about the school counseling program. This council is comprised of representatives from the school and community that include students, parents, administrators, faculty, businesses, universities and other local agencies.

For student goals, ASCA devised 35 Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career Readiness for Every Student describe the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social/emotional development. The 35 mindset and behavior standards identify and prioritize the specific attitudes, knowledge and skills students should be able to demonstrate as a result of a school counseling program. These standards are organized in three broad domains: academic, career and social/emotional development.

The definitions of each domain are as follows:

• Academic Development
  • Standards guiding school counseling programs to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn.
• Career Development
  • Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students 1) understand the connection between school and the world of work and 2) plan for and make a successful transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work and from job to job across the life span.
• Social/Emotional Development
  • Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills.

ASCA student mindsets and behaviors

Our comprehensive school counseling programs are developmentally designed to serve all students and include the following services: