qm_spring

irginia

apitol

onnections

, S

pring

2015

School Counselors have an important role in the schools to

help children achieve academic and lifelong success. The education

of a Licensed Professional School Counselor equips them with

the knowledge and training to address the academic, career, and

social/emotional well-being of all students when they implement

a comprehensive school counseling program that promotes

student success. However, many school counselors face obstacles

implementing a true comprehensive school counseling program and

addressing the needs of all students. Many school counselors across

the nation and across the Commonwealth of Virginia are faced with

the challenge of large caseloads and being assigned too many non-

counseling related responsibilities that inappropriately take time

away from providing a successful comprehensive school counseling

program.

The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) has

published a list of Appropriate Activities for School Counselors and

Inappropriate Activities for School Counselors. After a recent survey

conducted by the Virginia School Counselor Association (VSCA)

that was completed by almost 600 school counselors in Virginia, the

three most common non-appropriate activities assigned to our school

counselors that have the greatest impact to their ability to provide

services to students are 1- coordinating cognitive, aptitude, and

achievement testing programs, 2- coordinating school wide individual

educational plans, student study teams, and school attendance

review boards, and 3- supervising classrooms and common areas. If

district and school administrations eliminated or reassigned certain

inappropriate duties, the school counselors can provide the services

that truly can maximize student success and provide them services

they need for post-secondary planning. Appropriate alternatives for

these most common duties would include interpreting cognitive,

aptitude, and achievement tests; collaborating with teachers to present

Appropriate Use

of School Counselors

By Renée Zando

school counseling core curriculum lessons to students; providing

individual and small group counseling to students; and advocating for

students at individual education plan meetings, student study teams,

and school attendance review boards.

When Professional School Counselors are used appropriately in

schools, they should be accountable for providing a comprehensive

school counseling program that addresses the needs of all students.

Another important factor to make sure all student needs are met, is by

ensuring that the ratio of students per school counselor aligns with the

American School Counselor Association’s (ASCA) recommendation

of 1:250. School Counselors can then deliver a program based on the

ASCA National Model’s areas of foundation, delivery, management,

and accountability. When used appropriately, school counselors

would be required to devote 80% of their time to direct or indirect

services with students which includes delivering structured lessons

based on student’s needs, individual student planning, and responsive

services, as well as providing referrals for additional assistance, and

consultation, and collaboration with parents, teachers, other educators,

and community organizations.

When Professional School Counselors are used appropriately

in schools, they can be a powerful asset to provide a program that

uniquely addresses the developmental needs to students and provides

them with services to address their academic, career, and personal/

social development need. School Counselors can also be and integral

role to prepare students for some of the needs of our state and nation

including Governor McAuliffe’s Workforce Development Initiative

and The First Lady’s Reach Higher Initiative. A comprehensive

School Counseling Program not only ensures student success, but also

provides students the support to become productive citizens.

Renee Zando, Board Member Virginia School Counselor Association,

School Counselor in Henrico County.

Is Career and Technical Education

(CTE) the exception, or should it be the

rule? A recent opinion article by Dr. Tim

Hodges, director of research for Gallup

Education Practices, asked that question.

Today’s CTE programs provide cutting-

edge, rigorous, and relevant programs and

opportunities to have high-wage, high-

skill, and high-demand careers.

The success of Virginia’s secondary

CTE programs continues to be documented

while teaching transferable workplace

skills and academic and technical content. Virginia is taking the

lead in connecting students with high-demand jobs through the

Governor’s STEM Academies, the Governor’s Health Science

Academies, and the industry credentialing initiative. The 2012

General Assembly recognized the value of Virginia’s secondary-

education CTE credentialing by requiring students working toward

a Standard Diploma to earn a CTE credential.

It is possible to have both college readiness and career

readiness, and students would not need to decide between the

two. After all, the purpose of CTE is to prepare students to have a

successful career, regardless of what their professional goals are.

Career readiness is a mixture of definitions, which are centered

on learning skills for a specific entry-level job or are defined in

broader terms of workplace skills.

CTE already has the foundation for strengthening career readiness

and offers a blend of academic, technical, and employability skills

through 16 Career Clusters.

According to Dr. Hodges’ article, U.S. business leaders stated,

“candidates’ knowledge and applied skills in a specific field are more

important factors than where the candidate went to school or what

their major was. To be successful in the workplace, college-bound

students still need specific knowledge and skills, which they can get

from CTE programs.”

It is a given that most career pathways require some form of

postsecondary education, such as a certificate, a two-year degree,

a four-year degree, or beyond. Career readiness encompasses all

of these postsecondary options and includes engaging workplace

experiences, through which students apply academic and technical

skills to real-world projects, problem-solving, and project-based

learning situations.

During the 2012-2013 school year, more than 575,000

Virginia secondary students enrolled in one or more CTE courses.

Approximately 46 percent of high school graduates completed two or

more CTE courses, while about 48 percent of students receiving an

Advanced Studies Diploma also enrolled in one or more CTE classes.

Recent studies suggest that whether students take one CTE

course or enroll in a full sequence of courses, CTE should be a part of

every student’s education.

Dr. Brenda D. Long is the Executive Director of the Virginia Associa-

tion for Career and Technical Education and has more than 30 years

of experience in CTE as a classroom teacher and administrator.

Career and Technical Education—For Every Student

By Dr. Brenda D. Long