Education: Master’s degree or higher in school counseling
Qualifications: A current state license/certification/endorsement in school counseling. Must have or be eligible for North Dakota teaching license and school counseling credential. For information on the ND school counseling credential requirements and application go to: https://www.nd.gov/dpi/SchoolStaff/SAO/credentials/counselor/
Job Summary: As vital members of the school’s educational leadership team, school counselors maximize the success of ALL students by planning, implementing, evaluating, and improving the school’s comprehensive school counseling program. They use a multi-tiered, multi-domain system of supports to promote students’ academic, college/career, and social/emotional development, spending the majority of their time in direct service with students or communicating with others on behalf of students. School counselors lead, advocate, and collaborate to effect positive systemic change that promotes equity and access for all students. They commit to uphold local, state, and national standards in school counseling and are able to collaborate and partner with school social workers to provide a continuum of services.
Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to the following:
Responsibilities:
- Implement a school counseling program that is aligned to the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model, schoolwide goals and improvement metrics, districtwide priorities, and current, evidence-based practices and systems that have been shown to promote student success
- Abide by the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counseling and the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies to guide professional growth and development
- Conduct regular reviews of school and student data to inform student outcomes through program SMART goals, tiered supports, closing the gap activities, interventions, equity initiatives, and advocacy efforts.
- Evaluate and share the results of the school counseling program’s impact and effectiveness with key stakeholders. Provide recommendations for improving the school counseling program. Seek feedback regularly from the school counseling program Advisory Council.
- Spend their time in alignment with ASCA’s recommendation that 80% or more of the school counselor’s time is spent providing direct student services (instruction, appraisal, advisement, and counseling with students) and indirect student services (collaboration, consultation, and referrals with families, teachers, administrators, school staff, and community stakeholders).
- Implement comprehensive Tier 1 school counseling supports that reach ALL students, including the teaching of developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive lessons and schoolwide programs and activities designed to shift student attitudes, knowledge, and skills. At the middle and high school levels, school counselors develop systems to ensure that all students complete their Four Year Plan and update as needed.
- Provide intentional, targeted, culturally responsive Tier 2 school counseling interventions for students identified as needing additional support by attendance, grades, and behavior/SEL data.
- Provide intensified Tier 3 school counseling supports/referrals for students experiencing emergency or crisis situations, as well as those whose needs remain unmet after receiving Tier 2 supports. Provide referrals to resources to support students in need of long term therapy or treatment of a mental, emotional, or bodily disorder.
- Consult, collaborate, and team with key stakeholders to support student success (i.e. referral of students/families to district and community resources; sharing evidence-based support strategies with families and staff; serving as a student advocate; providing family education; teaming with other student services personnel; reaching out to other experts and stakeholders to obtain information on students’ needs; teaming/partnering/serving on committees and advisory boards; creating formalized partnerships with community based organizations).
- Promote equity and access for all students and make a significant impact in creating a school culture free from racism and bias in all forms.
- Engage in high-quality school counseling system support, including, but not limited to the development of action plans, lesson plans, annual planning calendars, annual administrator conferences, needs assessments, results reports, data-sharing presentations, a school counseling program advisory council, progress monitoring of school counseling interventions and activities, planning time for the creation and improvement of data-driven school counseling interventions, regular meetings with other school counselors, etc.
- Utilize technology and other virtual tools to support efficient and effective program delivery and communication with the school community.
- Actively pursue and participate in professional development, so as to stay current with evidence-based practices in the field. Examples: Maintaining membership in state and national professional organizations (i.e. American School Counselor Association), reading professional journals, attending local, state, and national workshops and conferences, engaging in continuing education coursework as appropriate.
Work Environment and Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to sit; occasionally walk and stand. The ability to hear and see in order to communicate effectively as well as communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing; Maintain effective audio/visual discrimination and perception to the degree necessary for the successful performance of assigned duties; Maintain mental capacity, allowing for effective interaction and communication with others. Ability to manage emotions and provide emotional support during stressful circumstances.
Evaluation: By the Principal at least twice each year in the first three years of service (December 15 & April 15), and at least once each year thereafter (April 15).
A teaching contract is 188 days.
