Required Readings & Resources
American School Counselor Association. (2019).
ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs.
· Section I: “Define”
PART A-Your textbook discusses mindset standards as well as behavior standards. Research has shown that mindset precedes behaviors in schools. Examine the chart in your textbook on Category 1 mindset behaviors and Category 2 behavior standards. Select at least two mindset behaviors that greatly impact specific behavior standards and discuss how you will identify who these students are and how you, as a school counselor, will assist them in developing the mindset to improve their behaviors in an academic setting.
Hint: Behavior is the result of something, not the cause.
PART B-The following implementation steps will be utilized as a continuation project for weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each week, you will be assigned a portion of the project and will submit the final project during Week 6.
Implementing the ASCA Standards
Your grade will be determined according to the Written Assignment Rubric embedded in this assignment.
Implementing the ASCA Standards
The following implementation steps will be utilized as a continuation project for weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Each week, you will be assigned a portion of the project and submit the final project during Week 6.
You will first read and analyze the following case study and refer back to it each week from weeks 2 through 6 by answering the assigned questions for each week. Submit the project as a continuation project each week, with the final submission in Week 6.
Case Study: Getting Better Because of You High School
You have been hired as a school counselor at a public high school in your state. You are a first-year school counselor, although you have been a teacher for three years in a middle school/high school setting. You have just graduated from a Masters Education School Counselor Program and have learned about mindset standards and behavior standards for both students and professionals. You are well versed in the American School Counselor Association National Model. The following is the data you have derived from an examination of the school’s posted data from the State Department of Education.
This is a continuation project through Week 6. You will be assigned different steps to answer this week and throughout. Although APA is not required for formatting for this assignment, answers to these questions should include bullet points, full explanations for how you are responding, and references if you use outside resources. The textbook will be used as the main resource.
Note: This will be a continuation project; upload previous portions of your project throughout weeks 2 through 6.
Weekly assignments: Examine the following data and answer questions for each assigned week.
High School Data
SCORECARD
· Mathematics Proficiency
16%
· Reading Proficiency
32%
· Science Proficiency
29%
· Graduation Rate
78%
Students/Teachers at Getting Better Because of You High School
These counts and percentages of students and teachers are from data reported by schools to the government.
· Grades 9-12 Enrollment
Total student enrollment 760
· Student Enrollment by Grade
9th grade 250 10th grade 210 11th grade 180 12th grade 120
· Student Diversity
39.9% Minority Enrollment White 60.1 Hispanic 12.8 Other 27.1
· Gender Distribution
Female 47% Male 53%
· Total Economically Disadvantaged (% of total) Information not available-see below
Free Lunch Program (% of total) 80%
Reduced-Price Lunch Program (% of total) 20%
· Full-Time Equivalent Teachers
45
· Full-Time School Counselors
2
Test Scores at Getting Better Because of You High School
Subject Proficiency
Oklahoma administered the Oklahoma School Testing Program College-and-Career-Readiness Assessments to high school students. These figures display how well the school as a whole performed in reading, mathematics, and science.
Percentage of students scoring at proficient on State Testing Exams
|
DBBOY High School |
District Overall |
State |
|
|
Mathematics |
16 |
16 |
20 |
|
Reading |
32 |
32 |
40 |
|
Science |
29 |
29 |
20 |
|
Graduation Rate |
78% |
78% |
86% |
· Attendance Data
15% Chronically Absent
· Disciplinary Data
Excess of 550 Disciplinary actions
Assignments by week: After analyzing the above data, respond to each of the questions for weeks 2 through 6.
School counselors implement the ASCA Student Standards through the following steps.
Week 2: Identify Need
School counselors identify a specific student challenge found in the school’s student outcomes (achievement, attendance, discipline). Challenges could include underperformance in achievement (standardized test scores, grades, credits earned), overrepresentation in discipline (offense categories, consequences), and higher absenteeism (absences, late arrivals, early departures, chronically absent). Specific developmental stages or differences may also serve as the basis for school counselor interventions. If the issue is related to underlying systemic issues, the school counselor advocates changing policies, guidelines, and practices to address the systemic issues.
· Identify a specific challenge from the school’s data and fully explain why it might be a challenge, why it might be a contributory factor to the overall outcome data for this school, and who will need to be involved to effect change.
· School counselors collect supplemental data, soliciting opinions, beliefs, and insights from stakeholders who are directly involved with students experiencing the identified challenge. These stakeholders include but are not limited to parents, teachers, administrators, and students.
· State specifically how you will gather additional data as described above. Do you anticipate any resistance from stakeholders, and why? How will you overcome those resistances? What additional resources do you see as needed?
· Select student standard. School counselors select a specific mindset or behavior that best aligns with the data and the factors suggested in the supplemental data.
· Select two Category 1 mindset behaviors that might be the focus for your developing school counselor program, and state why these may be important to address in this particular school. Link each of these to a category two behavior standard in the areas of learning strategies, self-management skills, and social skills.
Week 3: Post Assessment and Strategies
Write at least three learning objectives aligned with the student standard. School counselors operationalize the selected mindset or behavior by selecting or writing a measurable student learning objective(s) that will help students attain the standard. The learning objective(s) identify the specific knowledge and/or skills students need to attain that stated standard. As an example, Behavior Standard self-management skill 6 (B-SMS 6), the ability to overcome barriers to learning, can be operationalized by the following objectives:
1. Students will list two strategies to receive extra help for the completion of homework assignments.
2. Students will explain one focusing strategy to use before the beginning of each class.
· Create pre-/post-assessment.
School counselors create a pre-/post-assessment based on the student learning objectives and selected student standards. State specifically (Pre-assessment) what baseline behaviors you can quantify that can be modified using the objectives above. As an example, for A-log, the percentage of times that homework assignments are not completed. Post-assessment would be to gather this same data to show if the percentage of homework completions has increased or decreased. For B-For pre-assessment, teachers may be asked to determine at what level students are prepared to focus on classroom activities. Post would be to ask the same question as identified by _____________ (such as students appear to be prepared for learning).
· Select or develop strategies.
School counselors select or develop strategies, activities, and/or interventions that facilitate the attainment of the learning objectives. State specifically what you will do to facilitate the learning of these strategies (group work, direct instruction in the classroom), etc.
Week 4: Pre-Test
· Administer pre-test.
School counselors administer the pre-test to determine the baseline knowledge and skills of targeted students. Students and teachers may be asked to rate the students and use academic data, disciplinary data, assignment completion date, etc. State where you will get your pre-test data from and how specifically. Use suggestions from the text to complete this question.
· Deliver selected or designed strategies.
School counselors deliver the strategies, activities, and/or interventions to targeted students. Create an activity to deliver your selected strategy to meet the needs of the most students possible. Do you need classroom time, individual time for counseling, group meetings, etc.? State specifically why you chose this method for delivery of the strategy.
Week 5: Post-Test
· Administer post-test.
School counselors administer the post-test, assessing the students’ acquisition of knowledge and skills. Using the Classroom and Group mindsets and behavior results reported in your text, complete the chart and clearly answer the reflection questions at the bottom of the chart:
· How did the instruction/small group facilitate the attainment of the identified ASCA student standards?
· How could the lesson/unit/small group be improved (e.g., consider timing, number and type of services, student access, and identified barriers)?
Week 6: Reflections for Improvement
· Reflect for improvement of practice.
School counselors reflect on the process, identifying what might be improved when next delivered. As you have read in your text this week, even the ASCA National Model evaluates its own practices using data. For your final response:
· Evaluate your data. Although you are using hypothetical case analysis, as you worked through this project, what came to mind that you think you can use to create better outcomes for your students, the school, the district, and the state?
· Note specifically how the role of the school counselor as a collaborator and advocate of change can make a difference.
· Use at least two journal articles to support your beliefs about how the role of the school counselor can accomplish this, but also be aware of the barriers as well. Cite your references in APA style.
