Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 505-3-.67 - School Counselor Program
(1)
Purpose. This rule states
field-specific content standards for approving programs that prepare
individuals to serve as school counselors in grades P-12 and supplements
requirements in GaPSC Rule
505-3-.01, REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS
FOR APPROVING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROVIDERS AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS.
School counselors in Georgia are expected to function as both counselors and
educators and to support the academic success, career preparedness, and
social/emotional development of all P-12 students. Guidelines accompany this
rule and should be used by program providers as a guide to the intent of the
content standards in this rule.
(2)
Requirements.
(a) To receive
approval, a GaPSC-approved educator preparation provider shall offer a
preparation program for school counselors described in program planning forms,
catalogs, and syllabi addressing the following standards adapted from standards
published in July 2016 by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and
Related Educational Programs (CACREP).
1.
Foundations
(i) The program shall prepare
candidates who have an understanding of the history, purpose, ethics, and
philosophy of the school counseling profession, as well as the roles and
responsibilities of the professional school counselor in a multicultural
society;
(ii) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand the techniques of academic, career, and
social-emotional counseling in school settings;
(iii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand the nature and needs of persons at all developmental levels and
in a multicultural context;
(iv)
The program shall prepare candidates who understand career development, related
life factors, and the role of the school counselor in promoting college and
career readiness;
(v) The program
shall prepare candidates who understand the school counselor role as a leader,
advocate, collaborator, and systemic change agent in P-12 schools;
(vi) The program shall prepare candidates who
engage with professional organizations and know preparation standards and
credentials that are relevant to the practice of school counseling;
(vii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand how to design and evaluate comprehensive school counseling
programs (e.g., American School Counselor Association National
Model);
(viii) The program shall
prepare candidates who possess the skills to critically examine the connections
between social, familial, emotional, and behavior problems and academic
achievement;
2. Delivery
(i) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the relationship of the school counseling program to the strategic
focus of the school;
(ii) The
program shall prepare candidates who demonstrate how to design, implement,
manage, and evaluate school-to-school and school-to-work transition programs,
postsecondary planning, and college admissions counseling;
(iii) The program shall prepare candidates
who implement best practices designed to close the achievement gap, promote
student academic success, provide effective transitions and informed career
choices, and increase promotion and graduation rates;
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
demonstrate core curriculum design, lesson plan development, classroom
management strategies, and differentiated instructional strategies;
(v) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to develop and implement programs designed to enhance academic
development for all students;
(vi)
The program shall prepare candidates who understand how to develop and
implement strategies and activities to facilitate student awareness and
informed decision making for a full range of postsecondary options and
opportunities; and
(vii) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand how to implement differentiated
instructional strategies that draw on subject matter and pedagogical content
knowledge and skills to promote student achievement;
(viii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand how to design, implement, manage, and evaluate programs to
enhance the academic, career, and social-emotional development of students;
and
(ix) The program shall prepare
candidates who understand how to assess barriers that impede students'
academic, career, and social-emotional development.
(x) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the use of developmentally appropriate counseling interventions and
assessments;
(xi) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand how to plan and present school
counseling-related educational programs for use with parents and teachers
(e.g., parent education programs, core curriculum, suicide prevention training,
anti-bullying training, and college and career readiness).
3. Management
(i) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to develop and implement various needs assessments for academic,
career, and social-emotional development;
(ii) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to assess and interpret students' strengths and needs,
recognizing uniqueness in cultures, languages, values, backgrounds, special
needs, and abilities;
(iii) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand the school counselor's roles
and responsibilities in relation to the school's emergency management plans,
and crises, disasters, and trauma;
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
demonstrate the ability to apply and adhere to ethical and legal standards in
school counseling.
4.
Accountability
(i) The program shall prepare
candidates who understand how to critically evaluate research relevant to the
practice of school counseling;
(ii)
The program shall prepare candidates who understand models of program
evaluation for school counseling programs;
(iii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand basic strategies for evaluating counseling outcomes in school
counseling (e.g., behavioral observation, program evaluation);
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand current methods of using data to inform decision making and
accountability (e.g., school improvement plan, school report card, academic and
attendance);
(v) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand how to analyze assessment information in a
manner that produces valid inferences when evaluating the needs of individual
students and assessing the effectiveness of educational programs;
(vi) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the outcome research data and best practices identified in the
school counseling research literature;
(vii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand the use of technology in research, program delivery, and
evaluation;
(viii) The program
shall prepare candidates who understand how to apply relevant research findings
to inform the practice of school counseling;
(ix) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to develop measurable goals for school counseling programs,
activities, interventions, and experiences; and
(x) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to select appropriate assessment strategies that can be used to
evaluate a student's academic, career, and social-emotional
development;
(xi) The program shall
prepare candidates who can demonstrate the ability to use applicable data to
inform decision making and advocate for programs and students.
5. Counseling
(i) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the theories and processes of effective counseling for individual
students and groups of students;
(ii) The program shall prepare candidates who
demonstrate skills necessary to conduct individual/ group counseling and
classroom lessons to promote the academic, career, and social-emotional
development of students;
(iii) The
program shall prepare candidates who demonstrate the ability to locate/design
and implement prevention and intervention plans to promote academic, career,
and social-emotional development;
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
demonstrate strategies for helping students identify and utilize strengths and
healthy coping skills needed for their academic, career, and social-emotional
success;
(v) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand group dynamics-including counseling,
psycho-educational, task, and peer helping groups-and the facilitation of teams
to enable students to overcome barriers and impediments to learning;
(vi) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the potential impact of crises, emergencies, and disasters on
students, educators, schools, families, and communities and know the skills
needed for crisis intervention;
(vii) The program shall prepare candidates
who demonstrate self-awareness, sensitivity to others, and the skills needed to
relate to diverse individuals and groups;
(viii) The program shall prepare candidates
who demonstrate the ability to identify and assess characteristics, risk
factors, and warning signs and to use procedures for responding to suicide
risk, mental health concerns, and behavioral issues; and
(ix) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the influence of multiple factors (e.g., abuse, violence, eating
disorders, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, childhood depression,
bullying, common medications that affect learning, behavior, and mood in
children and adolescents) affecting the personal, social, and academic
functioning of students;
(x) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand the signs and symptoms of
substance abuse in children and adolescents, as well as the signs and symptoms
of living in a home where substance abuse occurs;
(xi) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to analyze and use data to enhance school counseling programs
and counseling interventions.
(xii)
The program shall prepare candidates who understand the limitations of the role
of the school counselor and will seek consultation when appropriate.
6. Leadership
(i) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand the qualities, principles, skills,
and styles of effective leadership;
(ii) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand strategies of leadership designed to enhance the learning
environment of schools to eliminate inequities and promote the success of all
students;
(iii) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand how to design, implement, manage, evaluate,
and advocate for a comprehensive school counseling program;
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand counselor roles in school leadership and multidisciplinary
teams;
(v) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand the important role of the school counselor as
a systemic change agent;
(vi) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand the school counselor's role in
student assistance programs, school leadership, curriculum, and advisory
meetings.
7.
Collaboration and Consultation
(i) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand the value of
family-school-community collaboration for student development, well-being, and
learning;
(ii) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand strategies to foster collaboration and
teamwork within the school and the larger community to promote academic,
career, and social-emotional development of students;
(iii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand systems theories, models, and processes of consultation in
school system settings;
(iv) The
program shall prepare candidates who understand strategies and methods for
working with parents, guardians, families, and communities to empower them to
advocate for their children;
(v)
The program shall prepare candidates who understand the various peer
programming interventions (e.g., peer mediation, peer mentoring, and peer
tutoring) and how to coordinate them;
(vi) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand how to consult with teachers, staff, and community-based
organizations to promote student academic, career, and social-emotional
development;
(vii) The program
shall prepare candidates who understand how to locate and use resources in the
community that can be used in the school to improve student academic, career,
and social-emotional success;
(viii) The program shall prepare candidates
who understand how and when to use referral procedures with helping agents in
the community (e.g., mental health centers, businesses, service groups) to
secure assistance for students and their families;
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand techniques to foster collaboration and teamwork within schools.
8. Advocacy
(i) The program shall prepare candidates who
critically examine the individual, community, environmental, and institutional
factors enhancing or impeding-the academic, career, and social-emotional
development of students;
(ii) The
program shall prepare candidates who know strategies to promote student
achievement and post-secondary access, considering the cultural, ethical,
economic, legal, and political issues affecting equity and access;
(iii) The program shall prepare candidates
who demonstrate the ability to advocate for school counseling roles.
(iv) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand legislation and government policy relevant to school
counseling;
(v) The program shall
prepare candidates who understand the ways in which educational policies,
programs, and practices can be developed, adapted, and modified to be
culturally congruent with the needs of students and their families;
(vi) The program shall prepare candidates who
understand multicultural counseling and social justice issues, as well as the
impact of ability levels, special needs, stereotyping, family, socioeconomic
status, gender, and sexual identity, and their effects on student
achievement;
(vii) The program
shall prepare candidates who demonstrate multicultural competencies in relation
to diversity, equity, and opportunity in student learning and
development;
(viii) The program
shall prepare candidates who advocate for the learning and academic experiences
necessary to promote the academic, career, and social-emotional development of
all students;
(ix) The program
shall prepare candidates who advocate for school policies, programs, and
services that enhance a positive school climate and are equitable and
responsive to multicultural student populations;
(x) The program shall prepare candidates who
engage parents, guardians, and families to promote the academic, career, and
social-emotional development of students.
9. Field Experiences / Clinical Practice
(i) The program shall require a minimum of
700 clock hours of clinical practice with 280 direct service clock hours in a
school setting under the supervision of an appropriately certified site
supervisor as well as a qualified faculty member within the preparation
program. A portion of this experience should occur at each of the four grade
band requirements for P-12 initial preparation programs specified in GaPSC Rule
505-3-.01, REQUIREMENTS AND STANDARDS
FOR APPROVING EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROVIDERS AND EDUCATOR PREPARATION PROGRAMS.
To meet the grade band requirement for field experiences, these experiences may
occur during field experiences embedded in courses as well as during clinical
practice.
Notes
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