Counseling Services
Broadalbin-Perth Central School District PreK-12 Comprehensive School Counseling Program
If you have trouble accessing this PDF, please contact Director of Communications Michele Kelley at kelleym@bpcsd.org.
Introduction – New York State Part 100 Regulations – School Counseling Program Plan Requirements (Services & CAC) – Broadalbin-Perth Central School Counseling – References
Introduction
Brief Description of School District – Mission Statement – School Counselor Mission Statement – PreK-12th Grade School Counseling Plan Overview – List of Department Members, Principal, Superintendent
Brief Description of School District
About 1,800 students make up the district’s two schools, which are situated four miles apart in the town of Perth and village of Broadalbin. Broadalbin-Perth Elementary School is located at the Perth campus and houses students in pre-K through grade 6. Broadalbin-Perth Jr./Sr. High School is located at the Broadalbin campus and houses students in grades 7-12. The district employs about 300 total staff, including about 135 teachers.
The Broadalbin-Perth Central School District was formed in 1987 when the Broadalbin Central School District annexed the Perth Central School District. The district includes more than 11,500 residents and covers about 83 square miles in portions of Fulton, Montgomery and Saratoga counties. It includes parts of the towns of Broadalbin, Perth, Amsterdam, Galway, Edinburg, Johnstown, Mayfield, Northampton and Providence.
Mission Statement
Broadalbin-Perth Central School District provides a stimulating and safe environment of success for lifelong learning. Students of all ages will develop intellectually, emotionally, creatively, socially and physically through the cooperative efforts of school and community, all striving for excellence.
School Counselor Mission Statement
Our mission as School Counselors is to advance the academic development, career/ college readiness development and the social-emotional development of all students. Through the comprehensive School Counseling Model we will improve a range of student learning and behavioral outcomes. Through data review and collaboration with stakeholders we will provide equitable access to opportunities and rigorous curriculum for all students to participate fully in the educational process.
PreK-12th Grade School Counseling Plan Overview
The Broadalbin-Perth Central School District developed this comprehensive school counseling plan based on the district goals to make sure educational programs more flexible, customizable, college- and career-oriented, and tailored to meet students’ interests and needs to better prepare students for their futures. The school counseling plan will meet all NYS Part 100 regulations to ensure each student is provided with the tools to reach their full potential.
The School Counselors, along with an advisory council, teachers, administrators, school psychologists, and social workers all work together to help students achieve. The School Counselors and social workers provide individual and group counseling to support overall student success. Parental involvement is always welcome and encouraged.
List of Department Members, Principal, Superintendent
- Jennifer Grimmick, 9-12 School Counselor (last names A-L)
- Charla Simonson, 9-12 School Counselor (work-based learning/college and careers)
- Kimberly Boswell, 9-12 School Counseling Secretary
- Mark Brooks, 9-12 Principal
- Adam Barnhart, 7-12 Assistant Principal
- Marshall Gottung, 9-12 Social Worker
- Erin Compani, 9-12 School Psychologist/CSE/CPSE Chair
- Stephen Tomlinson, Superintendent
- Bradley Strait, Director of Special Education & Intervention Services
- Wayne Bell, 7-8 Principal
- Stephanie Hotaling, 7-8 School Counselor
- Jennifer Steele, 9-12 School Counselor (last names M-Z)
- Kaila Gamble, PK-2 School Psychologist
- Dan Casey, PK-6 Principal
- Sarah Gabriel, PK-6 School Counselor
- Andrea Hamill, 3-6 Social Worker
- Kerri Barker, PreK-6 Assistant Principal
- Lauren O’Donnell, PK-2 Social Worker
- Julie Lapham, PreK-12 Mental Health Counselor
New York State Part 100 Regulations – School Counseling Program Requirement
- The Broadalbin-Perth comprehensive developmental counseling programs includes all students PreK-12.
- All Broadalbin-Perth students Pre-K-12 have access to a certified School Counselor.
- The Broadalbin-Perth Pre-K-12, counseling program is designed in coordination with the teaching staff to prepare students to effectively participate in their current and future educational programs; address multiple student competencies including career/college readiness standards, academic, and social/emotional development standards. For students in grades PreK-5, the program is designed by a certified School Counselor in coordination with instructional staff.
School Counseling Program Plan Requirements (Services & CAC)
The Plan Requirements
The Broadalbin-Perth CSD has developed a district-wide & building level comprehensive school counseling plan that complies with the regulation requirements and is in accordance with the following:
- Developed by or under the direction of certified School Counselors
- The plan will be updated annually & a report will be presented to the Broadalbin-Perth Board of Education at the end of each school year.
- The plan is filed in the district office and is available for review by any individual. It also will be posted on the Broadalbin-Perth Central School District website (under school counseling tab).
- The plan presents program objectives, which describe expectations of what students will learn and skills that will be obtained.
- Activities to accomplish the objectives; specifications of the staff members and other resources assigned to accomplish the objectives; provisions for the annual assessment of the program results.
The Services
The Broadalbin-Perth PreK-5 Counseling Program is designed:
- To prepare students to participate effectively in their current and future educational programs.
- To provide information related to college and careers through exploration.
- To assist students who may exhibit challenges to academic success, including but not limited to attendance or behavioral concerns, and where appropriate, to make a referral to a properly licensed professional and/or certified pupil personnel service provider for more targeted supports.
Certified School Counselors provide students at Broadalbin-Perth Grades 6-12: Annual individual progress review plan, which reflects each student’s educational progress, strengths, areas of improvement, goal setting and career plans; for a student with a disability, the plan shall be consistent with the student’s individual education program and/or CDOS plan.
For students in all grades PreK-12 the program includes the following activities or services:
- School counseling core curriculum instruction for the purpose of addressing student competencies related to career/college readiness, academic skills, and social/emotional development by a certified School Counselor.
- Direct student services to enable students to benefit from the curriculum
- Responsive services
- Crisis response
- Group counseling
- Large group guidance
- Individual counseling, appraisal, assessment and advisement
- Assisting students to develop and implement post-secondary education and career plans
- Assisting students who exhibit attendance, academic, behavioral or adjustment concerns
- Encouraging parental involvement
- Indirect student services that enable students to benefit from their education
- Referrals to appropriately licensed or certified individuals
- Consultation and/ or collaboration with stakeholders
- Leadership, advocacy, and teaming activities
- Schedule creation and programming implementation to fit the needs of students
Counseling Advisory Council (CAC)
- The Broadalbin-Perth CSD will develop and maintain a counseling program advisory council.
- Membership will include representative stakeholders (such as parents, school building and/or district leaders, community-based service providers, teachers, certified school counselors and other pupil personnel service providers in the district including nurse, school social workers and/or school psychologists).
- The advisory council shall meet no less than twice a year for the purpose of reviewing the comprehensive developmental school counseling/guidance program plan and advising on the implementation of the school counseling/guidance program.
- The purpose of the council is to provide feedback on program goals, review program results, make recommendations about the school counseling program, and serve as advocates for the program.
- Recommendations shall be formulated, documented and made available to the school administration and counseling staff to solidify a plan for completion. Further, the recommendations and corresponding action plan shall be shared with the superintendent, who shall then share said documentation with the Board of Education.
- The CAC shall present at a designated Board of Education meeting at least twice (2) per year, providing an overview of progress and plans for continued work of the CAC.
Broadalbin-Perth School Counseling Department
Foundation Counseling Statement
School Counselors are professional advocates who collaborate with other educators, parents/guardians, and community stakeholders to maximize student potential and academic achievement. School Counselors believe that all students are capable of developing and demonstrating the knowledge, skills, abilities, and character needed to participate in a global society as responsible citizens.
School Counselors in New York State work under the New York State Education Department regulations.
School Counselors work under research-based National Standards of Mindsets and Behaviors from ASCA. These standards describe the knowledge, skills and attitudes students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness and social/emotional development. These mindsets and behaviors include:
- Academic Development – Standards guiding school counseling programs to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn.
- Career Development – Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students:
- understand the connection between school and the world of work and
- plan for and make a successful transition from school to post-secondary education and/or the world of work and from job to job across the lifespan.
- Social/Emotional Development – Standards guiding school counseling programs to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills (ASCA 2010).
School Counselors use these standards to assess student growth and development, guide the development of strategies and activities and create a program that helps students achieve their highest potential. To operationalize the standards, School Counselors select competencies that align with the specific standards and become the foundation for classroom lessons, small groups and activities addressing student developmental needs. The competencies directly reflect the vision, mission and goals of the comprehensive school counseling program and align with the school’s academic mission.
School Counselors work under the New York State Education Department Career Development and Occupational Studies (CDOS) standards. These learning standards are intended to promote exploration and research into broad career areas of interest to individual students. Basic principles of career planning such as decision-making, self-evaluation, and goal setting have been integrated within the sample tasks.
School Counselors work under the ASCA Professional School Counselor Competencies. These competencies outline the knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes that ensure School Counselors are equipped to meet the rigorous demands of the profession and the needs of Pre-K–12 students.
School Counselors work under ethical standards that enable them to create opportunities for equity in access and success in educational opportunities; and connect their programs to the mission of schools by subscribing to the tenets of professional responsibility.
Counselor Competencies and Ethics
The Broadalbin-Perth School Counselor will reference the ASCA School Counselor Competencies (2010) as an outline of the knowledge, abilities, skills and attitudes necessary to plan, organize, implement and evaluate their comprehensive, developmental, results-based school counseling programs.
The Broadalbin-Perth School Counselor will reference Code of Ethics as a Broadalbin-Perth Employee and the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2010) for specific ethical behaviors necessary to maintain the highest standard of integrity, leadership and professionalism.
Annual Goals
Program goals are developed annually in alignment with the vision, mission and the goals of the district, school and department. The goals will serve to guide the curriculum and corresponding action plans. A draft of yearly goals may be developed for each counselor at the beginning of the school year as part of their APPR.
Management System
School Counselors incorporate organizational assessments and tools that are concrete, clearly delineated and reflective of the school’s needs. Assessments and tools include:
- Program assessment and School Counselor competencies assessment
- Use-of-time assessment to determine the amount of time spent in indirect and direct services. (Recommended that 80% is spent in direct services)
- Annual agreements developed with and approved by administrators at the beginning of the school year addressing how the school counseling program is organized and what goals will be accomplished for the year.
- Advisory Councils to review and make recommendations about school counseling program activities and results.
- Use of data to measure the results of the program and/or activity as well as to promote systemic change within the school system to prepare students for future success.
- Curriculum, small-group and closing-the-gap action plans including developmental, prevention and intervention activities and services that measure the desired student competencies and the impact on achievement, behavior and attendance
- Annual and weekly calendars to keep students, parents, teachers and administrators informed and to encourage active participation in the school counseling program
Delivery System
Direct services are face-to-face or virtual interactions between School Counselors and students and include the following: School counseling core curriculum, Individual student planning , Responsive services. Our goal is to have 80% of our duties be direct services.
Indirect Services are services provided on behalf of students as a result of the School Counselors’ interactions with others including, referrals for additional assistance , consultation and collaboration with families, teachers, other educators and community.
Accountability System
To demonstrate the effectiveness of the school counseling program in measurable terms, School Counselors analyze school and school counseling program data to determine how students are different as a result of the school counseling program. School Counselors use data to show the impact of the school counseling program on student achievement, attendance and behavior and analyze school counseling program assessments to guide future action and improve future results for all students.
The performance of the School Counselor is evaluated on basic standards of practice expected of School Counselors implementing a comprehensive school counseling program. The school counseling program components may be accessed through data analysis, program results and evaluation and improvement.
Data Analysis – Counselors collect, analyze, and report data by specific subgroups and ensure that decisions about student instruction and learning are driven by achievement data for every subgroup.
Program Results – Counselors analyze the school counseling program using information collected through process, perception, or outcomes data samples. This data will be used to inform decisions related to program improvements. Broadalbin-Perth School Counseling Advisory Council at the high school along with each counseling department will review the programs to identify trends and areas of success and areas in need of improvement.
Evaluation and Improvement – Program evaluation and improvement has four components: self-analysis of the School Counselor’s strengths and areas of improvement using the School Counselor Competencies Assessment, self-analysis of the school counseling program’s strengths and areas of improvement, evaluation of the School Counselor’s performance using the Broadalbin-Perth APPR document, and review of program goals created at the beginning of the year.
References
- American School Counselor Association. (2012a). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Author.
- American School Counselor Association. (2012) The ASCA National Model: Executive summary. Alexandria, VA: Author.
- American School Counselor Association. (2012). ASCA School Counselor competencies. Alexandria, VA: Author.
- American School Counselor Association. (2016) ASCA National Model implementation guide: Foundation, management and accountability. Alexandria, VA: Author.