Enhancing Your School Coonseling Program Wwith The ASCA National Model

We all know student achievement depends on school counseling.  In order to improve student outcomes for college and career readiness, an effective school counseling program assists school counselors in ensuring that all students have access to a developmental curriculum for academic achievement, career development, and social and emotional well-being. 

To that end, ASCA provides district-wide school counselors with a training and implementation program based on the ASCA National Model. This program covers consultation, professional development, program implementation, evaluation, and improvement of the district's comprehensive school counseling program. Developed in response to data collected from individual schools, the training program spans two academic years and includes six full-day seminars tailored to the district's unique requirements. 

So, how may a program be adapted to fit the ASCA national model?  

To begin, familiarity with the ASCA National Model (Fourth Edition) is required. The four parts of the Model are as follows: Define, Manage, Deliver, and Assess. So, how does that relate to developing a program for school counseling?

Define 

You should start by reading up on the Student and Professional Standards and Competencies; you'll be referring to these materials frequently as you devise lesson ideas and put them on paper. To build, execute, and assess an all-encompassing, culturally-sustaining counseling program, you should use these principles as a foundation.

Manage

Incorporating the 'manage' component of the asca national model, which involves program focus, program planning, organizational tools, and assessments, is the next step after defining student standards for your lessons. Schedules, lesson plans, and a school statistics summary are all part of your program planning tools.

Deliver

Thirdly, ASCA is concerned with providing services to students directly and indirectly. The first obviously includes all interactions with students, such as teaching in a classroom setting and providing counseling to individuals or small groups.

Assess

Assessing the program's impact on pupils is the last step after defining, managing, and delivering it. By gathering data, particularly on students' KSAs (knowledge, attitude, skill, and behavior), you can measure the program's efficacy in improving students' attendance, performance, and knowledge. 

Application of the ASCA Student Performance Objectives 

The three direct student services outlined under the ASCA National Model—instruction, evaluation and advisement, and counseling—are developed, delivered, and evaluated by school counselors in accordance with the ASCA Student Standards. School counselors can use the standards as a guide to assess their students' progress toward college, career, and life readiness. 

On top of that, school counselors present the ASCA Student Standards to all children in grades pre-K through 12 in a way that is suitable for their age and stage of development, whether in a classroom, small group, or one-on-one. School counselors look at statistics on attendance, grades, and accomplishments to help choose attitudes and behaviors that are appropriate for each student, class, or level of school, and they also look at learning goals to make the standards a reality.  

The following processes can enhance a school counseling program using the ASCA Student Standards.

Identify need.

Based on the student outcomes measured by the school, such as achievement, attendance, and discipline, school counselors pinpoint a particular student difficulty.  

Problems may arise, such as: 

• Achievement gaps (in terms of standardized test scores, class rank, and total credits) 

• Excessive use of disciplinary measures (classification of offenses, repercussions) 

• The rate of absenteeism (who shows up late, leaves early, or is persistently absent) is higher. 

School counselor interventions may also be based on specific developmental stages or variances. The school counselor will work to change policies, procedures, and practices to fix systemic problems if they are at the root of the problem. 

Gather additional information

In order to round out their data collection process, school counselors go out to others who have a vested interest in the well-being of the pupils facing the identified difficulty. Parents, educators, school officials, and students are all considered stakeholders.

Choose student standard.

Based on the facts and the factors provided by the supplemental data, school counselors choose a particular mentality or conduct.

Assist students in meeting the requirement by outlining learning objectives 

In order to help students achieve the chosen mindset or behavior norm, school counselors choose or create measurable learning objectives. The exact information and abilities that students must acquire in order to meet that benchmark are outlined in the learning objectives.

Make an evaluation before and after.

Based on the student's learning goals and the standard they have chosen, school counselors develop a pre- and post-assessment.

Choose or create strategies 

School counselors either choose or create interventions, activities, and techniques to help students reach their learning goals.

Administer pre-test.

The pre-test is given by school counselors to find out what the kids' starting point is in terms of knowledge and abilities.

Provide methods that have been chosen or developed.

The methods, exercises, and interventions are provided to specific students by school counselors.

Administer post-test. 

School counselors administer the post-test, which measures the pupils' ability to apply what they have learned.

Contemplate ways to enhance practice.

When school counselors reflect on their work, they look for ways to improve it for future students.  

To promote inclusion and equity, school counselors refer to the ASCA Student Standards. While the standards are grounded on research and other papers related to college-, career-, and life-readiness, which highlight techniques that impact student progress and academic performance, it is essential to remember that learning still takes place within the setting of the school.  

In an unfair setting, kids cannot learn to their full potential without acceptance, respect, support, and inclusivity. 

In the end! 

Implementing the ASCA National Model can significantly enhance your school counseling program. If you follow this all-encompassing framework, all students can benefit from a data-driven and student-centered approach that advances their academic, professional, and personal/social growth. Adopting the ASCA National Model can help your school's counseling program become more structured, responsible, and effective, benefiting your kids in the long run.