School Counselor at St Stephens Elementary (26-27 SY)

JOB TITLE: SCHOOL COUNSELOR

FLSA STATUS: EXEMPT

NC SALARY SCHEDULE + 9% LOCAL SUPPLEMENT

GENERAL STATEMENT OF JOB

Utilizing leadership, advocacy, and collaboration, school counselors promote student success, provide preventive services, and respond to identified student needs by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, and personal/social development for all students.

The major functions of the school counselor job description incorporate the North Carolina State Board of Education's guiding mission that every public school student will graduate from high school globally competitive for work and postsecondary education and prepared for life in the twenty-first century.

MAJOR FUNCTIONS

DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM

• Discusses the comprehensive school counseling program with the school administrator.
• Develops and maintains a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program based on the NC Comprehensive School Counseling Standard Course of Study and current individual school data.
• Communicates the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to education stakeholders (i.e., administrators, teachers, students, parents, and community/business leaders).
• Maintains current and appropriate resources for education stakeholders.
• Uses the majority of time providing direct services through the Guidance Curriculum, Individual Student Planning and Preventive and Responsive Services, and most remaining time in program management, system support, and accountability (National standards recommend 80% of time in Guidance Curriculum, Individual Student Planning and Preventive and Responsive Services and 20% of time in program management, system support, and accountability (American School Counselor Association, 2005).
• Uses data to develop comprehensive programs that meet student needs.

DELIVERY OF A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING PROGRAM

Guidance Curriculum

• Provides leadership and collaborates with other educators in the school-wide integration of the State Guidance Curriculum Standard Course of Study.
• Implements developmentally appropriate and prevention-oriented group activities to meet student needs and school goals.
• Incorporates into their programs the life skills that students need to be successful in the twenty-first century.

Individual Student Planning

• Assists all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career, and personal/social skills, goals, and plans.
• Accurately and appropriately interprets and utilizes student data.
• Collaborates with parents/guardians and educators to assist students with educational, career, and life planning.

Preventive and Responsive Services

• Provides individual and group counseling to students with identified concerns and needs.
• Consults and collaborates effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
• Implements an effective referral and follow-up process as needed.
• Accurately and appropriately uses assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.

System Support

• Provides appropriate information to school personnel related to the comprehensive school counseling program.
• Assists teachers, parents/guardians, and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data.
• Participates in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
• Uses available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program.
• Adheres to laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards of the school counseling profession.

ACCOUNTABILITY

• Conducts a yearly program audit to review the extent of program implementation and effectiveness.
• Collects and analyzes data to guide program direction and emphasis.
• Measures results of the comprehensive school counseling program activities and shares results as appropriate with relevant stakeholders.
• Monitors student academic performance, behavior, and attendance, and facilitates appropriate interventions.

ADDITIONAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Performs other related work as required.

MINIMUM TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE

A master's degree in School Counseling OR Enrollment in an accredited school counselor preparation program and completion of a minimum of 24 graduate semester hours of that program; OR,

Completion of a master's degree in addiction, career, clinical mental health, clinical rehabilitation, college counseling and student affairs; marriage, couple, and family counseling; or rehabilitation counseling from a regionally accredited college or university, and enrollment in an accredited school counselor preparation program to complete additional master's level courses needed to add school counseling specialization.

Both options require completion of the remaining school counselor preparation program requirements and testing within three years.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

Physical Requirements: Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment, including computers, copiers, typewriters, overhead projectors, etc. Must be physically able to operate a motor vehicle. Must be able to exert up to 80 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force constantly to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Light Work usually requires walking or standing to a significant degree.

Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or composite characteristics (whether similar or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people, or things.

Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability to speak and/or signal people to convey or exchange information. Includes giving instructions, assignments, or directions to assistants or subordinates.

Language Ability: Requires the ability to read a variety of correspondence, reports, forms, requisitions, referrals, manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare correspondence, reports, forms, records, proposals, appraisals, etc., using prescribed formats and conforming to all rules of punctuation, grammar, diction, and style. Requires the ability to speak to people with poise, voice control, and confidence.

Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of logical or scientific thinking to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions; to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagrammatic form; and to deal with several abstract and concrete variables.

Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, and to follow oral and written instructions. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently in a variety of technical or professional languages, including psychological terminology.

Numerical Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize mathematical formulas; to add and subtract; multiply and divide; utilize decimals and percentages; and to apply the theories of descriptive statistics and statistical theory.

Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width, and shape.

Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes rapidly and accurately in using office equipment.

Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items such as office equipment. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.

Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate between colors and shades of color.

Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress and when confronted with emergency situations.

Physical Communication: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (Talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words. Hearing: perceiving the nature of sounds by ear.). Must be able to communicate via telephone.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Considerable knowledge of federal, state, and local policies and procedures regarding psychological services.
• Considerable knowledge of counseling services appropriate for school-age children. Considerable knowledge of appropriate actions to be taken in emergency situations.
• Considerable knowledge of the current literature, trends, methods, and developments in the area of school counseling services.
• General knowledge of the ethical guidelines applicable to the position as outlined by professional organizations and/or federal, state, and local laws, rules, and regulations.
• General knowledge of the principles of supervision, organization, and administration.
• Ability to interpret student behavior, system policies, and state procedures.
• Ability to coordinate large programs.
• Ability to develop, counsel, and support staff.
• Ability to evaluate the effectiveness of programs and make recommendations for improvements.
• Ability to use common office machines and popular computer-driven word processing, spreadsheet software
• and file maintenance programs.
• Ability to maintain complete and accurate records and to develop meaningful reports from them.
• Ability to effectively express ideas orally and in writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.

DISCLAIMER

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees to this job.