Purpose |
The structure of the MCGCP helps school districts plan, design, implement, evaluate, and enhance
comprehensive, developmental, and systematic guidance and counseling programs in kindergarten
through grade 12. The purpose of the MCGCP is to provide students in kindergarten through grade
12 with successful educational experiences. When the programs are fully implemented across the
state, school districts will have comprehensive guidance and counseling programs in which school
counselors will be able to devote full time to guidance and counseling, thereby reaching 100% of
their students and enhancing:
• Student academic performance • Student positive mental health and personal/social development • Student achievement of guidance and counseling program grade level expectations • Individual student planning resulting in enhanced positive career development through the use of Personal Plans of Study • A positive and safe learning environment in collaboration with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and the community • A program approach to guidance and counseling • Program accountability through a comprehensive evaluation process (Program + Personnel = Results) that focuses on full program implementation, appropriate personnel evaluation, and the evaluation of student outcomes using relevant school/student data. |
Goals |
Academic Development:
Applying Skills Needed for Educational Achievement Applying the Skills of Transitioning Between Educational Levels Developing and Monitoring Personal Educational Plans Career Development: Applying Career Exploration and Planning Skills in the Achievement of Life Career Goals Knowing Where and How to Obtain Information about the World of Work and Post Secondary Training/Education Applying Employment Readiness Skills and the Skills for On-The-Job Success Personal/Social Development: Understanding Self as an Individual and as a Member of Diverse Local and Global Communities Interacting with Others in Ways that Respect Individual and Group Differences Applying Personal Safety Skills and Coping Strategies |
Main Components: Serve to achieve goals |
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Benefits for Students |
• Focuses on all students
• Enhances students’ academic performance • Centers on students’ needs • Seeks students’ input • Encourages more interaction among students • Provides a developmental and preventative focus • Promotes knowledge and assistance in career exploration and development • Enhances life coping skills • Helps students feel connected to school • Enhances students’ personal/social development • Develops decision-making skills • Increases knowledge of self and others • Broadens knowledge of our changing work world • Increases opportunities for school counselor-student interaction • Develops a system of long-range planning for students |
Benefits for Parents |
• Enhances students’ academic performance, and their career and personal/social development
• Encourages the input of parents/guardians • Encourages outreach to all parents/guardians • Provides support for parents/guardians regarding each child’s educational development • Increases opportunities for parent/school counselor interaction • Provides parents/guardians information about available resources • Assures parents/guardians that all children will receive support from the guidance and counseling program |
Component #1: Guidance and Counseling Curriculum |
Are there knowledge, skills, and attitudes that all students need to acquire that should be the instructional responsibility of a comprehensive guidance and counseling program? The answer is yes! They are expressed as grade level expectations (GLE’s). Thus, a curriculum component is a necessary part of a comprehensive guidance and counseling program that will address a majority of the guidance and counseling grade level expectations contained in the content element. The guidance and counseling curriculum consists of structured developmental activities presented systematically through classrooms and large groups from kindergarten through grade 12. The purpose of the guidance and counseling curriculum is to facilitate students’ optimal growth and development by assisting them to acquire competencies that promote academic development, career development, and personal social development. Guidance and Counseling curriculum activities are delivered through such strategies as the following:
Structured Groups - School counselors conduct structured groups such as career days in the guidance and counseling center or other school facilities. Classroom Presentations - School counselors — working collaboratively with teachers — teach, teach in teams, and assist in teaching guidance and counseling curriculum activities in classrooms. |
Component #2: Individual Planning |
Do students and their parents/guardians have the right to expect that the school district is sensitive
and responsive to students’ unique life career needs, including their needs for goal setting and
career planning? The answer is yes! Thus, an individual student planning component in a
comprehensive guidance and counseling program is needed.
The foundation for individual student planning is established during the elementary school years
through guidance and counseling curriculum activities in which students participate. Self confidence
development, the acquisition of learning-to-learn skills, interpersonal relationship skill development, decision-making skill building, and awareness and beginning exploration of
educational and occupational possibilities are sample subjects covered during these years. Subjects
such as these continue to be covered through the activities of the guidance and counseling
curriculum during middle school and high school, providing new information and experiences to
enable students to regularly update, monitor, and manage their plans effectively.
Within this component, activities are designed to help students evaluate their educational, career, and personal goals and to develop personal plans of study no later than the 8th grade in collaboration with parents/guardians. In this component, the school counselor plans and directs the activities. These activities are generally delivered on an individual basis or by working with individuals in small groups. The focus is on having students individualize and personalize their planning. Individual student planning is implemented through such strategies as the following: Appraisal - School counselors work with students in analyzing and evaluating their abilities, interests, skills, and achievements. Test information and other evaluation data form a basis for developing short-term and long-term plans with students and their parents/guardians. Educational and Career Planning - School counselors work with students to use personal-social, educational, and career and labor market information to manage their personal plans of study. The involvement of parents/guardians and other school staff is critical in planning a program that meets the individual needs of students. Transition - School counselors assist students in making the transition from grade to grade and school to school or school to work. Educational and career decision making, planning, and goal setting are primarily the responsibility of students and their parents/guardians. Personal plans of study developed as a result of individual student planning activities come in a variety of formats. One format is the traditional 4- to 7-year educational plan. Another format is a student portfolio either in paper or electronic form. |
Component #3: Responsive Services |
Should school counselors be available and responsive to special or unexpected needs of students and parents/guardians? The answer is yes! Thus, the purpose of the responsive services component is to work with students whose personal circumstances, concerns, or problems are threatening to interfere with or are interfering with their healthy academic, career, and personal/social development. Specific issues some students face include academic success, career choice, child abuse, cultural diversity, dropping out of school, educational choices, family loss, relationships, school attendance, stress, substance abuse, and suicide. As a result, there is continuing need for individual counseling, small-group counseling, consultation, and referral. The responsive services component also supports the activities in the guidance and counseling curriculum and individual student planning components. Parent/guardian involvement with and participation in the activities of this component are critical in helping students overcome barriers to their, academic, career, and personal/social development. Parent/guardian involvement may include referring their children for assistance, working with school counselors to identify issues of concern, giving permission for needed services, and providing help in resolving issues. Responsive services are implemented through the following: individual counseling, small-group counseling, consultation, and referral.
Individual Counseling - School counselors provide individual counseling for students who are experiencing educational difficulties, personal concerns, or normal developmental tasks. Individual counseling assists students in identifying problems, causes, alternatives, and possible consequences so that appropriate action can be taken. Small-Group Counseling - School counselors provide small-group counseling to students who need and will benefit from a small-group setting to address their needs and concerns. Interventions may take the form of short-term issue groups or crisis intervention groups that deal with such topics as social skills, anger management, relationship issues, grief issues, and study skills. Consultation - Consultation is an interactive process that school counselors provide to help parents/guardians, teachers, and administrators address the academic, career, and personal social needs of students. Referral - School counselors use school and community referral sources that deal with crises such as suicide, violence, abuse, and terminal illness. These referral sources may include mental health agencies, employment and training programs, vocational rehabilitation, juvenile services, and/or social services. |
Component #4: System Support |
Does a district’s comprehensive guidance and counseling program require an ongoing support system to work effectively? Do the educational system of the district and the staff involved require ongoing support that can best be provided by school counselors? The answer to these questions is yes! Thus, a comprehensive guidance and counseling program requires a system support component. The administration and management activities of a district’s comprehensive guidance and counseling program are located in this component as are activities that support other educational programs. The system-support component is implemented through activities such as:
Program Management - This includes the planning and management tasks needed to support activities conducted in the district’s comprehensive guidance and counseling program. Such activities might include conducting time/task analyses; developing a yearly calendar of activities; developing a yearly budget; writing reports regarding the comprehensive guidance and counseling program; establishing priorities for the year; and, identifying resources needed to implement the program. Fair-Share Responsibilities - These are the responsibilities that are required of all members of the school staff. Fair-share responsibilities may include tasks such as bus duty, playground duty, class/club sponsorship, and taking tickets at sporting events. Non-guidance and counseling responsibilities are tasks such as these that school counselors are assigned above and beyond those of other staff members. It is important to note that when these types of activities are assigned to school counselors above and beyond those assigned to other staff members, these activities are considered non- guidance and counseling responsibilities. Professional Development - School counselors need to be involved in regularly updating their professional knowledge and skills. This may involve participation in regular school in-service training, attending professional meetings, completing postgraduate course work, and contributing to professional literature. Staff and Community Relations - This activity involves orienting the staff and the community to the comprehensive guidance and counseling program through newsletters, local media, and/or school-community presentations. Consultation and Collaboration - School counselors consult and collaborate with teachers and other staff members in order to provide information and receive feedback on the emerging needs of students. Committee Participation - Serving on departmental curriculum committees, community committees, or advisory boards represents examples of ways to support other programs in the school and community and to gain support for the guidance and counseling program. Community Outreach - Community outreach activities are designed to help school counselors gain knowledge about community resources and referral agencies, field trip sites, employment opportunities, and local labor market information. This may require school counselors to periodically visit post secondary schools and local businesses, industries, and social service agencies. |
Comprehensive Guidance Program Powerpoint | |
File Size: | 2333 kb |
File Type: | ppt |