W. Va. Code R. § 126-67-5

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 15, April 12, 2024

Section 126-67-5 - Components of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program (CSCP)

5.1. The CSCP is based on data-informed decisions, integral to the school's academic mission, and designed to have a significant positive impact on student wellbeing and success. This section defines components of a standards-focused and evidence-based CSCP.

5.2. The following student and professional practice standards define the CSCP.

5.2.a. The West Virginia Pre-K Standards, outlined in Policy 2520.15, guide school counselors in offering high quality early education environments and experiences that are responsive to individual students and maximize learning. These are the foundational standards for the development and implementation of a CSCP in pre-K.

5.2.b. The WVCCRDSS, outlined in Policy 2520.19, are the foundational standards for developing and implementing a CSCP in elementary, middle, and high schools.

5.2.c. The West Virginia School Counselor Professional Standards, outlined in Policy 5310, provide the necessary guidance, framework, and evaluation to assist all school counselors with self-assessment and implementation of exemplary practices that impact student achievement, attendance, behavior, and general wellbeing.

5.2.d. The ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors specify the principles of ethical behavior necessary to maintain the highest standard of integrity, leadership, and professionalism. These standards guide school counselors' decision-making and help standardize professional practice to protect students and school counselors.

5.3. School counselors manage the CSCP to encompass planning and activities to address the needs of all students. A school-level CSCP Plan is developed by each school annually, utilizing the West Virginia CSCP Plan Template. The CSCP Plan includes the essential components of an effective CSCP. The principal supports and monitors the CSCP Plan and promotes collaboration between the school counselor(s), school leadership, the school counseling advisory council, and other stakeholders to review applicable data to guide the annual plan development. This data includes school data (i.e., various student assessments, attendance, discipline, drop-out rates) and community data (i.e., disasters, crime, poverty, domestic violence rates). Supplemental data (i.e., needs assessments, focus group results) are helpful to determine student needs and the CSCP focus. The CSCP Plan aligns with the school's mission and strategic plan.

5.4. School counselors deliver direct and indirect services through the WVTSS framework, a multi-tiered system of support that promotes equity and access for all students and fosters student wellbeing, achievement, and success.

5.4.a. School counselors provide direct student services to help students develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills outlined in the West Virginia Pre-K Standards and the WVCCRDSSS. The following are direct services provided through the CSCP.

5.4.a.1. Instruction. School counseling instruction is a direct service that includes teaching a school counseling curriculum by incorporating student standards from the West Virginia Pre-K Standards or the WVCCRDSSS. Instruction occurs in classrooms, large groups, small groups, or individually. School counselors may provide instruction through direct instruction, team teaching, or assisting in learning activities. The focus of instruction is to assist students in developing needed skills for improvement in social-emotional wellbeing, achievement, attendance, or discipline.

5.4.a.2. Appraisal. Appraisal is a direct service provided by school counselors to individual students to analyze and assess students' abilities, interests, skills, and achievement through the appraisal of student tests, inventories, universal screeners, or other data. This process involves the interpretation, assessment, and feedback leading to the development of academic, career, and social/emotional plans.

5.4.a.3. Advisement. Advisement is a direct service provided to individual students through which school counselors make recommendations based on the appraisal of tests, inventories, and other data to help students make decisions for their future.

5.4.a.4. Personalized Student Planning. Personalized student planning is a direct student service that provides students with opportunities to plan, monitor, and manage their academic, college and career, and social/emotional development. Personalized planning allows students to develop academic and social/emotional skills, identify interests, maximize strengths, minimize weaknesses, set and reach personal and educational goals, and realize their career aspirations. The school counselor works closely with the school leadership team to plan ongoing opportunities during the school day for career exploration and self-discovery at all programmatic levels. The Personalized Education Plan (PEP), described in Policy 2510, is part of the personalized student planning process and is developed for each student, starting in 8^th grade. The PEP is developed in consultation with the student's parent and/or guardian, school counselor, and/or teacher advisor and is used to guide, personalize, and maximize each student's learning experience.

5.4.a.5. Counseling. Counseling is a direct service provided through individual counseling or group counseling to provide professional assistance and support. Counseling is provided during transitions, heightened stress, critical change, crisis (crisis response), or other situations impeding student success. It is short-term and based on counseling theories and techniques that are effective in a school setting to promote academic, career, and social/emotional development.

5.4.b. School counselors provide indirect student services to support student success and promote equity and access for all students. School counselors work with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, school staff, community stakeholders, and other partners to address the needs of students in the school. The following are indirect services delivered through the CSCP.

5.4.b.1. Consultation. Consultation is an indirect service that involves providing information, opinions, and recommendations to individuals who support students' needs. It also involves seeking information from an expert about student needs. School counselors both offer and seek consultation.

5.4.b.2. Collaboration. Collaboration is an indirect service school counselors provide when working with multiple individuals on a common goal and sharing responsibility for the associated tasks. Refer to the West Virginia School Counseling Model for examples of collaboration that occur within the CSCP.

5.4.b.3. Referral. Referral is an indirect service a school counselor provides when a student's needs extend beyond the school counseling roles, training, and/or responsibilities. School counselors provide instructional, advisement, and counseling services through brief, targeted approaches. When students need support beyond short-term services or counseling, a school counselor's ethical duty is to refer students and parents/guardians to school or community resources for additional assistance or information.

5.5. The CSCP is designed with continuous assessment and improvement in mind. The program is regularly assessed through data analysis and reports (i.e., CSCP Program Assessment, Classroom and Small Group Results Report, Closing the Gap Results Report) to determine its effectiveness and impact on student wellbeing and success.

W. Va. Code R. § 126-67-5