CDGP

Cedric B. Stewart

Comprehensive Developmental Guidance Program

Lamar University

CNDV 5330

'''Part I: Foundations of the CDGP'''

'''The School’s Advisory Team'''

According to Standard 7 of the ASCA national Model (2005),” The professional school counselor is responsible for establishing and convening an advisory council for the school counseling program” (p. 64). The general purpose of the school advisory team is to function as a representative group of individuals who act in the capacity of advisors and who also assist with all aspects of the school’s educational programs. Besides counselors, membership on this team or committee should reflect the diversity of the community in which it exist and may include such other member as school staff, parents, school board members, and students as well as business and community representatives. This organization meets and exist regularly at both the district and campus levels.

'''The School’s Mission Statement '''

One important task of the school’s advisory team is to develop and visit the school’s mission statement. Erford (2007) proposes that the mission statement of a school, “provides the foundation for the school’s counseling program and states the collective results desired for all students” (p. 123). The mission statement also provides the educators with the motivation to accomplish the school’s vision and offers the parents and the community a clear picture of what the school values in terms of goals and desires. Moreover, it helps to identify the type of learning that is to be achieved and serves as a guide to keep the staff, students, and parents on a path to reaching their desired goals. In essence, the mission statement helps those that are involved or concerned with the school to easily determine whether or not what should be happening and what is actually occurring. One example of a mission statement that I would propose would be is that, “We, as a school, exist in order to empower all students to apply their acquired skills and knowledge, and to rely upon their personal attributes to lead productive lives and to become contributing members of the global community.”

The Counseling Program’s Mission Statement 

Like the school’s mission statement, the counseling program within each school is also important in that it details the directions of the counseling component of the educational process. ASCA (2005) suggest that the counseling mission statement should “support the learning environment and at the same time make unique contributions to meeting students’ needs and nurturing their process” (p.30). As such, the counseling mission statement should be aligned to both the district’s and school’s mission statement and helps to articulate the personal beliefs and overall philosophy of how the students will be impacted and benefit from the existing school’s counseling program. In addition, the counseling mission statement provides a benchmark from which the counselors can judge their performance as it relates to the development, implementation, and evaluation of their own unique comprehensive guidance program. A good example of a counseling mission statement that is aligned with these principles could be, “Preparing all students to be 21st century leaders by teaching them the importance of respect, integrity, self-discipline, and kindness for their classmates and their community. As such, we are committed to providing a comprehensive school-wide counseling program to assist students in acquiring and using lifelong learning and coping skills to be pro-active leaders in our society. Furthermore, we aim to serve as advocates for all students, allies with teachers, and liaisons with parents.”  For a personal counseling statement, I would propose that “I facilitate the support system in order to ensure all students have access to and are prepared with lifelong learning skills to become productive and responsible citizens.”

Part II: Understanding the Importance of CDGP Components

'''Needs Assessment'''

Throughout the last decade, policymakers and school officials alike have worked diligently to reform the goals of public education and the roles that counselors play within that process. With this reform movement, accountability has become a central tenet of the new movement. This new focus in public education now requires everyone, including guidance counselors, to be involved both as collectors and purveyors of data in order to appropriately identify student academic achievement and to develop and sustain appropriate strategies that are designed to enhance overall student success. In fact, Erford (2007) suggested that, “Systematically assesses and identifies the needs of students and the larger community by reaching every subsystem of the school community to ensure that the needs of the diverse population are included” (p. 124).

According to standard 8 in the ASCA (2005), school counselors have an obligation to collect and analyze data in order to guide program direction and to provide counselor emphasis. Dimmett (2009) proposed that there are five types of evaluations that will aid a school counselor in their data efforts. The first type, needs assessment, are simply tools that are used to assess gaps that exist between current conditions and desired conditions. Next, outcome research is concerned with the extent to which desired outcomes are being achieved. Third, formative evaluations occur during the implementation process and are designed to determine whether or not the program component or intervention is having the intended effects. Fourth, implementation evaluation provides for the stakeholders information related to what is going on in the program, how the program is developing, and how has the program deviated from the initial proposal. Finally, outcome evaluation assesses the program effectiveness in producing an organizational change.

Of these five types, needs assessments are critical to the early planning process of any comprehensive school counseling programs. Furthermore, needs assessments can, “inform the selection of interventions, such as small groups, presentations/workshops, classroom guidance lessons, school wide initiatives and programs, and professional development initiatives” (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012, p.114). However, in a needs assessment, the discrepancy between the current condition and the wanted condition must be accurately quantified in order to appropriately identify the need.

As a counselor, one need assessment that I would advocate any school organization to undertake would be the School Wide Cultural Competence Observation Checklist (Bustamante & Nelson, 2007). This instrument is used in order to ascertain how a school or program within that school reflects diversification through its practices, polices, and procedures. In that equity for all students is a hallmark of the ASCA standards, this needs assessment tool can be used to determine the level of responsiveness an organization possesses toward it students. Moreover, Bustamante and Nelson (2007) advocated that, “Creating programs that promote equity is paramount to the development of a comprehensive guidance program and requires systemic assessments to identify student needs of all subsystems of diverse populations” (p. 213).

Potential Data Collection Instruments 

As a counselor, four instruments that I would use in a school setting for data collection would include observations, surveys, focus groups, and questionnaires. The use of observations would allow me as the counselor to observe participants in a natural and structured environment. Surveys would serve as self-reporting instruments in which the participants were allowed to report their own feelings and beliefs. Interviews would  allow me to talk to participants in a one-on-one environment ,whereas focus groups would allow me to discuss various topics with participants in a group like setting. Regardless of the methods, the collection of data is important in that it can provide answers to challenging questions that are crucial to improving the overall counseling program.

The Guidance Curriculum

ASCA (2005), states that, “The school guidance curriculum component consists of a written instructional program that is comprehensive in scope, preventative and proactive, developmental in design, coordinated by school counselors and delivered, as appropriate, by school counselors and other educators” (p.40). The guidance curriculum provides for the learning opportunities as well as the development and design of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that the students will need in order to enhance their personal, social, educational, and career development. This long established model for delivering a school counseling program is based on the developmental model (Erickson, 1963). It is conducted on that premise that humans attain certain behaviors and skills as they progress.

Developmental guidance curriculum is important to any needs based assessment for a number of reasons (Dollarhide & Saginak, 2012). First it is available for all students and is well organized and planned. Next, it is sequential and flexible as it is integrated into the entire spectrum of the educational process. It involves all school staff members who are engaged in activities that are designed to assist students learn more effectively and efficiently. Finally, it provides the opportunities for counselors to provide specialized counseling services and interventions.

Responsive Services

As part of the direct services delivery continuum (ASCA, 2005), responsive services are those services that are designed and undertaken to meet a student’s immediate needs and concerns. The purpose of responsive services is to work with students whose personal circumstances, concerns, or problems are threatening to interfere with or that are interfering with their healthy academic, career, and personal/social development. These issues range in scope and can include such concerns as academic success, career choice, child abuse, cultural diversity, dropping out of school, educational choices, family loss, and relationships problems. At this level of services, parental involvement with and participation in the activities of this component are critical in helping students in overcoming barriers to their personal/social, academic and career development achievement. Furthermore, parental involvement may be displayed as referring their children for assistance, working with professional school counselors to identify issues of concern, giving permission for needed services, and providing help in resolving issues (Erford, 2007).

Individual Planning

            The term individual planning refers to the process by which school counselors coordinate ongoing systemic activities that are designed to help students establish personal goals in addition to developing future plans (ASCA, 2005). During this process, the counselors aid students in developing a plan, monitoring their own progress and goals, meeting individual benchmarks that are directly associated with their academic development, and creating and maintaining their own occupational and personal thresholds (Dollarhide & Saginank, 2012). Individual planning is usually accomplished through individual appraisal, individual advisement, and individual placement.

Individual appraisal involves counselors working with students in an effort to ascertain their interest, skill level, and previous achievements. The resulting test and survey information provide the data from which immediate and long-range goals are formulated. Student’s personal, social, and educational aspirations as well as appropriate labor and career market forecast are combined in the individual advisement section in order to aid the student in creating viable educational and career goals. The inclusion of the student, key school personnel, and parents or guardians is critical in this step in order to ensure that the needs of the students are accurately being met. Finally, in the individual placement section of individual counseling, the role of the counselors is to assist the student in adjusting during the transition period from school to college or work or to whatever future endeavor the student may be seeking.

Program Support

            ASCA (2005) states that program support, “…consist of management activities that establish, maintain, and enhance the total school counseling program” (p. 43). It is the sum total of all activities that are designed to maintain and enhance the total school counseling program as part of the overall educational program. Examples of system support can include professional development opportunities such as in-service trainings, membership in professional organizations and associations, enrollment in a graduate school program as well as any other form of workshop or research that is designed to enhance the skills and qualifications of the counselor or the counseling program. In that the counseling program in any school may only be conducted and administrated appropriately by a trained counselor, it is therefore incumbent on the school’s counselors to exercise their leadership and advocacy skills in order to promote systematic changes that have been identified through conducting a needs assessment (ASCA, 2005).

'''Part III: Goal Setting'''

Dollarhide and Saginak (2012) purport that, “…the goal of counseling is facilitate psychological healing, growth, change, and development to empower clients to experience healthy relationships with self and others” (p. 8). At the same time, standard 2.2 of the ASCA (2005) model states that, “The professional school counselor develops and materials and instructional strategies to meet students’ needs and school goals” (p.63). Erford (2007) has suggested that goal of school counseling should be to close any existing achievement gap that exist between any student groups. Regardless of the impetus, goals are simply desired outcomes of the counseling process and should be written based the prioritized needs of the population for which they were originally designed to impact.

In order to achieve goals, however, certain steps are required. These steps or detailed processes are collectively known as an action plan. An action plan is simply a detailed outline of how to achieve one’s results. When applied to counseling, action plans simply prescribe the most efficient and effective manner that should be undertaken in order to deliver a school’s counseling program that when implemented with fidelity should result in the desired outcomes (ASCA, 2005). General components of an appropriate action plan should include program indicators, student competencies, and an evaluation mechanism.

'''Goal 1. To Create and Maintain a Learning Environment That Recognizes and Supports A Diverse Population '''

A). Discuss the importance of the action plan. Often in today’s schools, teachers and administrators are increasingly not of the same race, class, ethnicity, or cultural background of the students or stakeholders whom they serve (Gay, 2003).  Growing international concerns such as human rights, immigration, and terrorism have also provided an impetus for educators to promote an atmosphere of multicultural competence.  The evolution of the new international educator is the byproduct of allowing one’s self to become immersed in a multicultural viewpoint that includes both teaching and learning since culture is perceived as being shaped by lived experiences (Nieto, 2000).  Educators must consistently reflect and analyze their personal views, experiences, and beliefs through a variety of tools and techniques if they are to adequately develop confidence and professional competency in preparing students to functional productively in a multicultural environment (Davis, Cho, & Hageson, 2005). School counselors are leaders in creating an environment in which all cultures are valued.  By identifying and engaging in multicultural practices, school leaders become more cognizant of the impact of culture and ethnicity on overall learning (Erford, 2007).

B). Program Indicators.

·        Low income and minority students will be encouraged to participate in GT or Advanced Placement courses/programs. Along with varied professional development and training for faculty, school counselors will develop strong academic advisement, use data driven decision making practices, and develop school specific practices that are designed to increase minority participation in established GT programs.

·        There will be an increase in student achievement and test scores for all subpopulations. Teachers will share individual student success stories along with their shared frustrations and skepticism about the value of some strategies. Also, teachers and counselors will develop an intervention plans to meet the academic, behavioral, emotional, and social needs of students -- particularly those students at risk of failure in the regular classroom and on high-stakes level tests.

·        Student suspensions and expulsions will significantly decrease each year. Counselors will accomplish this goal be increasing opportunities to forge relationships with caring adults that is coupled with an engaging curriculum that is designed prevent discipline problems. In addition, counselors will ensure that the existing discipline plan is fair and corrective and that it includes therapeutic group relationship-building activities with students in order to reduce the likelihood of further problems.

·        Students will engage in appropriate behaviors and social skills resulting in decreased discipline referrals. Counselors will implement a positive behavioral support program in which clearly expected behaviors for students are well articulated. Furthermore, ongoing and positive corrected feedback will occur on a frequent basis.

·        Multiple coordinated support systems will exist to ensure students’ academic, social, emotional, and physical well-being. Counselors, along with teachers will implement a student tracking system that monitors the academic and behavioral health of students. Along with tracking, students will be assigned to an adult and peer monitor who will regularly interact with each student and function as a support system.

C). Student Competencies

1. Each student will understand the importance of education both on their present well-being and as it relates to their future goals.

2. All students and staff will honor the diversity of the school and community in which it exist by acting as a responsible and productive citizen.

D) Program Evaluation

Student Competency 1: Scores from the previous year’s state assessments will be used in order to determine a baseline for which improvement will be measured. In addition, other academic data such as PSAT scores and district benchmarks will be used in an effort to tract student ongoing academic success. Appropriate interventions will be implemented early and adjustments made based on the student’s progress levels using weekly formative assessments.

Student Competency 2: In addition to the number of discipline referrals,

demographics will be analyzed in order to determine if discipline procedures  are being conducted in an equitable manner. Students as well as staff input will be solicited in order to determine what changes, if any, should be implemented. The success of the discipline program will be measured by using current quarterly discipline reports and comparing them to the same period for the prior three years in order to determine if trends are evident.

Part IV: Goal Setting

Paramount to any counseling program should be the overall needs of the school. Standard 1 of the ASCA (2005) model states that, “The professional school counselor plans, organizes, and delivers the school counseling program” (p. 63). As part of this process, counselors should always endeavor to ensure that a positive school climate and culture exist with all stakeholders including teachers, administrators, parents, and the community at large. School success is built upon the relationship that exists between home and school. Furthermore, Erford (2007) suggest that, “While schools have traditionally stood alone in their mission to educate children, the isolation is no longer possible or desirable” (p. 288).

'''Goal 2. The Establishment of a Collective Effort Between Parents and the School '''

A). Discuss the importance of the action plan.  Parents are a child's first and most

lasting teachers. To be effective, the partnership between home and  school must be one of mutual assurances. Parents trust staff members to treat their children with care and concern. In turn, we can expect parents to reinforce the educational process by becoming an active member of the process. According to many sources of research, it is very important to have a strong partnership between parents and schools. The focus of many studies concerning parental involvement lists the benefits of having parents actively involved in their child’s education.

B). Program Indicators.

·        Ensuring that parents feel as though they have a stake in the success of the school. Counselors will facilitate by welcoming all families into the school community. Families are treated as active participants in the school and feel welcomed, valued, and connected to each other, to staff and to what students are doing and learning in class.

·        Ensure open lines of communication. Families and school staff engage regularly in two-way meaningful communication about student learning. Responsibility for student success is shared by all. Families and school staff continuously collaborate to support students’ learning and healthy development both at home and at school, and have regular opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and skills to do so effectively.

·        Everyone’s child matters. Families are empowered to be advocates for their own as well as other children in order to ensure that students are treated fairly and have access to learning opportunities that will support their success.

·        We are all in this process together. Families and school staff are equal partners in decisions that affect children and families and together inform, influence, and create policies, practices, and programs

·        Collaboration is essential. Families and staff collaborate with the

community members to connect students, families, and staff to expanded

learning opportunities, community services, and civic participation.

C). Student/Parent Competencies

1. Each student will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of

the interpersonal relationships on the educational process by working in partnership with their parents and the school. .

2. All parents will demonstrate an understanding of the importance of the interpersonal relationships on the educational process by increasing in volunteering and attendance and participation levels at school functions and PTSO.

D) Program Evaluation

Student Competency 1: New activities that are accessed through school functions and activities will be offered to foster student understanding and support of the interpersonal relationship such as:  Open House, Book Fairs, Dr. Seuss Day, reading partnership with “Therapy Dogs International”, Math Day – 100th Day activities to demonstrate Math Expressions teaching strategies and L to J. Additionally, specialized programs such as Big Brother/Big Sister referrals, homeless/low income/family needs/community resources/referrals, and  HOOT after school classes offered for homework, tutoring, and remediation (when funds are available) will be available for those students needing additional and specialized interventions.

Student/Parental Competency 2: A monthly PTSO Newsletter for

communication and to encourage involvement that gives teachers, individual students, and class recognition will be initiated. Parents will have access to school website information and internet resource links to foster student

learning at home; reteaching, reinforcement, and enrichment of curriculum standards.

'''Part V. Sharing Results'''

Any system can only be judged as being successful in meeting the goal

of its mission statement only when it has the understanding, commitment, and support of stakeholders. System and school personnel seek opportunities for collaboration and shared leadership among stakeholders to help students learn and advance improvement efforts. ASCA (2005) noted it is through the use of data analysis and dissemination  that school personnel such as counselors, administrators, staff and community members are able to document and describe "…a current picture of students and the school environment" (p. 49). School counselors and other school personnel can use this assessment to begin to discuss and plan for the best way to meet students' needs, as well as plan for the role school counselors should have in addressing the identified student needs (ASCA, 2005).

Poynton and Carey (2006) recommended disseminating the data broadly, but also caution that school counselors should consider the demographics of their audience. The data can then be presented to communicate with stakeholders of the

school setting, including the school board, administrators, students, parents, and the

community at large. While it may seem like a lengthy process, the results demonstrating

student growth and achievement are well worth it in the end.

'''Part VI. Reflection'''

As I complete each component of this program, I feel that I continue to learn more and to grow as a potential counselor. Using the CDGP, I now believe that I not only have the responsibility but also  the qualities needed in order to build an effective counseling program that is designed to support and contribute toward an optimum learning environment for each student, measured by their individual academic successes. In order to achieve the goals of the CDGP, however, I now realize that I must spend time counseling with students in my office, provide guidance services to students in classrooms, as well as confer with staff and parents to promote the best interests of students and serve as a liaison to outside agencies.

A challenge facing some counselors involves the increasingly diverse student populations in schools today. While the changing demographics have been addressed in school settings, current practices in providing counseling services may not represent

the best approaches for students and their families. As part of their professional development, school counselors should update their skills and knowledge

to include multicultural counseling.

 

References

American School Counseling Association. (2005).''The ASCA national model: A ''

framework for school counseling programs (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA; Author.

Bustamante, R. M., & Nelson, J.  (2007).The culture audit: A leadership tool for

assessment and strategic planning in diverse schools and colleges. NCPEA Connexions.

Davis, N., Cho, M. O., & Hageson, L. (2005). Intercultural competence and the role of the technology teacher in education. ''Contemporary Issues in Technology and Teacher education, 4'', 234-239.

Dimmett, C. (2009). Why evaluations matter: Determining effective school counseling practices.''Professional School Counseling, 12,'' 395-399.                                      doi:10.5330/PSC.n.2010-12.395

Dollarhide, C. T., & Sagninak, K. A. (2012). ''Comprehensive school counseling programs: K-12 delivery systems in action ''(2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Erford, B. T. (2007). ''Transforming the school counseling program''. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Erikson, E. H. (1963). Childhood and society (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Norton.

Gay, G. (2003). Planting seeds to harvest fruit. In G. Gay (Ed.), ''Becoming multicultural educators: Personal journal toward professional agency ''(pp. 1-16). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Nieto, S. (2000). ''Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education''. New York: Longman.

Poynton, T., & Carey, 1. (2006). An integrative model of data-based decision making for

school counseling. Professional School Counseling, 10,121-130.