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New Mexico Comprehensive School Counseling Program Guide |
Management System
Counselor/Administrator Agreements | Advisory Council | Use of Data | Action Plans | Use of Time
Use of Time
The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends school counselors spend a majority of their time in direct service to and contact with students. School counselor duties are focused on the delivery of the comprehensive school counseling program through guidance curriculum, individual student planning and responsive services. A small amount of time is devoted to indirect services called system support.
As a first step to understanding use of time at school sites, counselors can keep track of their time and document activities performed throughout the day. This allows school counselors and administrators to determine the amount of time being spent in each of the delivery system components and in non-school counseling activities.
Calendars
School counselors develop and publish a master calendar of school counseling events to ensure students, parents or guardians, teachers and administrators are informed of counseling activities. As the school counseling program grows, a calendar validates the important support the school counseling program provides the community.
A school counseling program is balanced in two ways:
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In the delivery system (school guidance curriculum, individual student planning, responsive services and system support)
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In the use of time spent delivering the components.
Calendars can:
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Identify grade levels, dates and activities
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Be published and distributed to appropriate persons
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Be posted on a weekly or monthly basis
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Be compared to locally established goals for time spent in the delivery of system components
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Be utilized to allocate time for data analysis and program evaluation
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Be used when designing and determining system priorities
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Be shared with the principal as an indicator of leadership, advocacy and foresight in the school counselor's professional approach
School counselors create annual, monthly and weekly calendars.
Annual calendars provide a way for school counselors to identify the school counseling program priorities and their commitment to them. The school counseling program calendar:
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Increases visibility of the student support program and other related educational activities.
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Provides focus on events or activities of value for the students, parents or guardians and staff
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Increases communication within the school and home about schedules and program activities
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Encourages the student, family, department and school to plan ahead for important student support functions
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Establishes an organizational pattern of highlighting and valuing student support opportunities
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Reserves the use of the facility hosting the events or activities
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Reinforces the importance of student participation in student support-related activities.
Monthly calendars highlight the specific activities and events for each month throughout the year and into the summer. Schedule classroom guidance lessons on a monthly basis.
Master Calendar - (Word Document) - American School Counselor Association (2004). The ASCA National Model Workbook. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Weekly calendars are somewhat flexible due to crisis or immediate student needs. In addition to classroom lessons, group counseling and individual planning; build in data analysis, collaboration and advocacy into the schedule to allow for some flexibility.
Weekly Schedule - (Microsoft Excel) - American School Counselor Association (2004). The ASCA National Model Workbook. Alexandria, VA: Author.
Program Evaluation Data
It is important that school counselors use data to show the school counseling program's impact. Counselors need to evaluate process, perception and results data collected immediately, intermediately and over time.
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