Job Title: School Counselor Exemption Status/Test: Exempt/Administrator
in an Educational Establishment
Reports to: Principal Date Revised:
Dept./School: As Assigned
Primary Purpose
Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program at assigned school. Counsel students to fully develop each students academic, career, personal, and social abilities and address the needs of special population students. Deliver guidance curriculum in various group sizes. Educate students of skills necessary to address troublesome circumstances, support students in challenging situations, and assist students with needed resources to navigate crisis situations.
Qualifications
Education/Certification(s)/License(s):
Bachelors degree from an accredited college or university
Valid Kansas professional license as required for the position
Special Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior
Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents or guardians, and district staff
Experience:
Two years creditable experience as a classroom teacher
Essential Job Functions
1. Duties/Responsibilities: Plan, organize, implement, and deliver structured group lessons according to the districts guidance curriculum to improve students interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs.
2. Teach the school guidance curriculum components through the use of effective instructional strategies and planned structured groups considering diverse student populations and needs for differentiated instruction.
3. Work with students, staff, parents or guardians, and the community to identify priorities where students will be served through the guidance curriculum component. Collaborate across curricular areas to integrate guidance lessons into content area curriculum.
4. Create a balanced curriculum by using well-planned and intentional activities and materials, incorporating guest speakers, and offering engaging delivery techniques, including technology tools.
5. Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance to respond to problematic or critical incidents to support students and offer services in time of need.
6. Use preventive activities to remove barriers that interfere with a students educational, career, personal, and social development.
7. Implement remediation practices to assist students in coping with problem situations or unwise choices. Identify precipitating and antecedent factors, effective and ineffective approaches to dealing with the circumstances, and provide feedback to guide future decisions.
8. Use specialized skills to support students in crisis situations requiring immediate response. Maintain a healthy and safe school environment by collaborating with district staff, parents or guardians, and local officials.
9. Provide continued support to students in need through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.
10. Serve as an impartial resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students.
11. Create school counseling services that are developmental and age appropriate and provide information or literature that highlights related topics to students, teachers, and administrators.
12. Assist individual students and their parents or guardians in monitoring their academic, career, personal, and social development as they progress in school.
13. Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent. Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity and ensures equitable access and placement in courses and programs for minority, disenfranchised, homeless, and other special populations.
14. Interpret standardized test results, offer career development activities, provide strategies for grade level transitions, and guide students in individual goal setting and planning including creating and reviewing personal graduation plans and providing information about post-secondary opportunities.
15. Collect, summarize, and interpret testing data to plan, create interventions, guide students, and address specific student needs.
16. Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, action plans, time management, and systemic change.
17. Participate in school-based improvement planning and goal setting.
18. Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
19. Clearly articulate and communicate the counseling programs management system and related program action plans to district staff, parents or guardians, and the community.
20. Participate in staff development and continuing education opportunities to improve job-related skills and research to identify best practices in implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
21. Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.
22. Comply with policies established by federal and state law and regulations and board policy.
23. Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.
24. Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures.
25. Other duties as assigned.
Mental Demands/Physical Requirement/Environmental Conditions:
1. Requires the ability to maintain emotional control while under stress and in stressful situations.
2. Requires the ability to frequently sit for prolonged periods of time.
3. Requires the ability to walk frequently.
4. Requires the ability to use standard office equipment including computer and peripherals and other instructional equipment for prolonged periods of time.
5. Requires the ability to frequently use repetitive hand motions, including frequent keyboarding and mouse use.
6. Requires the ability to frequently kneel/squat, bend/stoop, push/pull, twist, or reach.
7. Requires the ability to regularly lift and carry items ____ lbs. or less.
8. Requires the ability to work with frequent interruptions.
9. Requires timeliness and regular attendance and/or physical presence at the job.
Supervisory Responsibilities
Supervise assigned counseling aide(s) and clerical employee(s).
