TITLE: School Counselor

STATUS: Certificated

REPORTS TO: Site Principals

QUALIFICATIONS:

Certification: Valid Alaska teaching license or Type C Specialists License with an endorsement in Counseling is required

Experience: Must have experience in counseling children

Knowledge:

• Must have knowledge of professionally accepted counseling strategies for children
• Must have knowledge of Federal, State, and Local laws, regulations, and policies related to student information, confidentiality and required reporting

Skills:

Language Skills: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret common print materials appropriate to the building situation in English. These may include fictional and factual print materials, instructional media journals and manuals, student and teacher writings, financial reports and legal documents. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence. Ability to respond to queries from students, parents, or faculty in English. Ability to effectively present information to principal and assistant principal, faculty, students, public groups, and/or members of the school board.

Mathematical Skills: Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions and decimals. Ability to apply ratio, percent, probability and estimation concepts. Possess an understanding of, and the ability to interpret for others, statistical information.

Reasoning Ability: Ability to apply common sense understanding to potentially technical situations. Ability to establish priority ordering of tasks necessary to complete a project and convey these understandings and priorities to others. Ability to employ logical sequencing, trouble-shooting, problem-solving and decision-making skills.

Physical Requirements: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, to stand, to walk, to operate hand controls, to use a telephone and to write. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. This position requires accurate perceiving of sound, near and far vision, depth perception, handling and working with educational materials and objects, and providing oral information.

Other: Must have a working knowledge of computers and their capabilities. May be required to have a valid Alaska driver’s license as travel between sites may be required.

JOB STANDARDS:

• The school counselor develops a process and procedure for planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental program of guidance and counseling.
• The school counselor functions in a cooperative process to assist others in meeting the needs of students. Through consultation the school counselor advocates for students.
• The school counselor functions as a coordinator in bringing together people and resources in the school, community, and district for the fullest academic, career, personal, and social development of the students.
• The school counselor provides a developmental, preventive guidance program to all students within the school. This proactive program provides the development of skills necessary for academic success, self-sufficiency and responsible group involvement.
• The school counselor uses short term individual counseling and structured, as well as unstructured, small group counseling to address mental, physical, and emotional barriers to learning and to help each child learn at high levels.
• The school counselor collaborates with other school and district staff to identify student abilities, aptitudes, achievements, and interests.
• The school counselor provides professional leadership within the school, community, and education profession to improve student learning and well-being.
• The school counselor is a professional who acts within legal and ethical guidelines to accomplish educational purposes.
• The school counselor self-evaluate his or her own overall performance in relation to these standards and implements a professional development plan.

PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES

General Responsibilities: The School Counselor provides essential services to students in the K-12 educational setting. It is the School Counselor’s responsibility to promote student learning and achievement through: academic development, personal/social growth, and career development.

Responsibility to the District/School Site imposes the following obligations:

• Maintaining consistent and regular attendance
• Being reliable and flexible while meeting the needs of students and staff before, during and at the end of the school year 
• Being willing to acquire skills needed
• Discussing any specific problems with the supervising staff member or the principal. Using discretion in commenting on school matters, including the performance of individual paraprofessionals or other school personnel
• Acknowledging that criticism of school personnel and/or school practices is an ineffective and unsatisfactory method of improving public education
• Understanding that regulations and procedures of the school are to be followed at all times
• Responsibility to self requires each employee to:
• Maintain positive attitudes
• Be responsible for his/her own actions
• Know his/her role and be able to express that role to the community in a positive manner
• Maintain personal cleanliness
• Wear appropriate clothing (avoiding extremes)
• Use appropriate language
• Give full cooperation to the total school staff

Essential Job Functions: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Develops a comprehensive developmental program of guidance and counseling
• Functions in a cooperative process to assist others in meeting the needs of students
• Brings together people and resources in the school, community, and district for the development of the students
• Provides a developmental, preventive guidance program to students which provides the development of skills necessary for academic success, self-sufficiency and responsible group involvement
• Helps each child learn at high levels through collaboration with other school and district staff in identifying student abilities, aptitudes, achievements, and interests
• Acts within legal and ethical guidelines to accomplish educational purposes
• Keeps current in the profession with regard to new information, strategies or technologies; maintains current Alaska Certification

Examples of Job Duties: •

• Collects, organizes, and analyzes information about individuals through records, tests, interviews, and professional sources, to appraise their interests, aptitudes, abilities, and personality characteristics, for vocational and educational planning
• Compiles and studies occupational, educational, and economic information to aid counsels in making and carrying out vocational and educational objectives
• Assists in a process which assures all high school students have a four year course plan which will enable them to reach their post secondary goals
• Monitors and evaluates student transcripts after final grades are posted each semester for the purpose of meeting graduation requirements
• Collaborates with students and families to promote the social/emotional well-being of students
• Assists in the implementation of pro-social skills programs (i.e. – anti-bullying programs; suicide prevention; drug/alcohol awareness/prevention skills; character education; peer relations)
• Refers students to social service agencies, special programs, or placement services
• Assists individuals to understand and overcome social and emotional problems.
• In cooperation with site administration develops and maintains system for student registration which may occur prior to the start of the new school year if not completed in the Spring, and/or orientation for new students
• Assists site administration in the maintenance of an accurate cumulative record file for each student
• Teaches classes related to counselor duties (career readiness; college readiness, etc)
• Completes other duties as may be assigned from time to time by the principal

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Subject to the contractual agreement between the Delta/Greely School District and the Delta/Greely Education Association. One hundred and eighty-eight days

SUPERVISION: The School Counselor is supervised by an assigned Site Administrator and will be evaluated according the District Certificated Staff Evaluation procedures

Delta/Greely School District is an Equal Opportunity and Educational Employer