MIDDLE SCHOOL GUIDANCE PROGRAM

Goals

The primary goal of the guidance program is to provide both individual and group counseling to students in grades six through eight. Counseling sessions are typically aimed at assisting students in developing social skills and/or academic plans to meet individual and family educational goals. The counselor also works closely with the classroom teachers to assist students who struggle academically or are at risk. A final goal is to facilitate communication between staff and parents to improve student achievement.

Responsibilities of the Counselor

The middle school guidance counselor will:

§  attend weekly meetings with each grade level core team to discuss individual student needs.

§  assist in organizing the administration of testing programs.

§  assist in determining the utilization and reporting of group testing results to parents and professional staff.

§  maintain an adequate and efficient system of student records.

§  consult with the administration on the admission and placement of new students.

§  assist teachers and parents with strategies to provide the optimum learning potential of the child.

§  at the request of the principal, provide counseling and/or professional service for students, parents and staff members.

§  assist principal in placement and retention decisions.

§  perform tasks and assume such other counseling responsibilities as may be assigned by the principal.

Advisory

The Advisory program at AIS-R is comprised of small groups of students who meet every day with a teacher who serves as their advocate. The goal is to create an environment that encourages students to share, question, and discuss topics that are of interest to them. Advisory class is a time for housekeeping tasks, reminders of daily events, team-building activities and counselor-lead, character-based education. The counselor is in charge of planning the team-building activities and delivering the character-based curriculum.

Team Meetings and Parent Conferences

The counselor will attend weekly team meetings at each grade level to discuss individual student needs.  The meetings will be scheduled during the teachers’ common planning time.  The individual teams will determine which day is best to meet with the counselor. Meetings can also be scheduled with the school nurse when appropriate.

Before the meeting, teachers will provide the counselor with a list of students for whom they have concerns so that he/she can gather pertinent information to share during the meeting.  The focus of the meetings should be on developing effective strategies which help these students succeed in the classroom.

Referral Process for Individual Counseling Services

Students may be referred by parents or teachers, or they may self-refer to the counselor for counseling on an individual basis. If the problem or issue requiring counseling is easily resolved in a short time, then the counselor will schedule time to work with the student. If the problem is more serious or complex and is likely to require long-term counseling, the counselor may provide the family with names and contact information for professional help outside of school.

At Risk and Academic Probation Status

A student is considered “At Risk” if the student has received at least two “D’s or one “F” in a core subject during the previous marking period.  The counselor is required to meet periodically with these students and their parents to develop, implement and monitor an action plan for improving the student’s performance.

The principal may place any student on academic probation based on poor academic performance or concerns about classroom behavior. Students who fail two or more core (Humanities, Math, or Science) classes in the previous marking period may be placed on the academic probation list.  The counselor is required to take the following steps.

1.     Schedule a parent and teacher conference if none have been held in the previous four weeks.

2.     Develop an action plan or review the previously developed plan.

3.     Establish lines of communication between the school and the parents for monitoring progress.

4.   Meet periodically with the student to review the action plan.

If the counselor determines that these steps are not working, he/she may initiate the SST process.

Process for Student Study Team

1.     Identify SST students

§  Students who are not experiencing academic success despite normal teacher/counselor intervention will be recommended for an SST.

§  The Team Leader will fill out the yellow “Student Study Team Referral” form and give to counselor.

§  The counselor will arrange a meeting with all necessary staff.

2. Team Meetings

§  Counselor and core subject teachers gather information about the student from different sources to include samples of work and written impressions from exploratory teachers. Student’s file is reviewed.

§  Teachers discuss various interventions they have tried and record them on the green form provided in the SST packet.

§  The counselor will arrange a conference with the parents, teachers, and/or the grade level administrator to discuss formation of SST.

3.  Parent Conference

§  Discuss student’s progress and share concerns with parents.

§  Explain interventions that have already been tried, and inform parents that formal SST process will begin.

4.  SST Meeting

§  Counselor will schedule a meeting with all core teachers, exploratory teachers, and any other necessary staff.

§  SST will create an improvement plan for the student with a timeline for completion.

§  The counselor will report to parents regarding SST plan.

§  Monthly meetings will be scheduled to discuss progress. Reports will be sent to parents.

§  At the end of the agreed-upon timeline, student will be reassessed and recommendations will be made.

Tutoring

The Counselor will coordinate a tutor list that is available to students and parents upon request.  Effort should be made to keep the list current as much as possible.  Counselors and teachers are not allowed to tutor their own students without the permission of the Middle School principal.

Scheduling

The principal will be responsible for developing the master schedule. Counselors will assist the principal by collecting course requests, making class lists, and checking prerequisites, as well as, offering input regarding course offerings and class conflicts. After the master schedule has been finalized the counselors will distribute schedules and resolve individual student conflicts.

Student requested schedule changes for grade eight are only made during the first two weeks of the school year.  Eighth grade electives are offered for the entire year and there are very few options once the school year begins.  Counselors should make every effort to give teachers at least twenty-four hours notice before the schedule change takes place.

Testing

Twice a year, all middle school students will take the MAP test (Measurement of Academic Progress) in the areas of math, reading, and language usage. Test results will be shared with parents via Skyward and will be used to help teachers direct teaching and differentiate instruction.