West Virginia Code of State Rules › Agency 126 - Education › Title 126 - LEGISLATIVE RULE BOARD OF EDUCATION › Series 126-067 - Comprehensive School Counseling Program (2315) › Section 126-67-3 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. XLI, No. 28, July 12, 2024
3.1. Advisement.
				The process used by school counselors to make recommendations based on the
				appraisal of student tests, inventories, or other data. School counselors work
				with students through this process to help them plan for the future, realize
				opportunities, and maximize their potential. Advisement includes
				recommendations made by the counselor to assist the student with exploring
				services and opportunities available at the school and community, determining
				meaningful educational and career goals, selecting programs of study, and
				making appropriate course selections. Often advisement is a collaborative
				process involving the school counselor, student, family members, teachers, and
				other relevant stakeholders, to assist the student and promote student
				success.
3.2. American School
				Counselor Association (ASCA). A professional organization supporting school
				counselors, school counseling students/interns, school counseling program
				directors/supervisors, and school counseling educators by providing ethical
				standards, professional standards, student standards, best practices,
				resources, and professional learning. The West Virginia School Counseling Model
				aligns with the ASCA National Model.
3.3. Appraisal. The process school counselors
				use to assess students' abilities, interests, skills, and achievements by
				analyzing tests, inventories, or other data. This process helps students
				develop short-term and long-term plans for academic, career, and
				social/emotional goals.
3.4. ASCA
				Code of Ethics. Specifies the obligation to follow the principles of ethical
				behavior necessary to maintain high standards of integrity, leadership, and
				professionalism. School counselors are bound to behave ethically, exhibiting
				the highest standards of practice. West Virginia school counselors must align
				their practices with the ASCA Code of Ethics. West Virginia school principals
				must be familiar with the ASCA Code of Ethics and its implications for school
				counselors.
3.5. Certified School
				Counselor. A school counselor who holds a master's degree in school counseling
				from an accredited university and certification in school counseling from the
				WVBE per W. Va. 126CSR136, Policy 5202, Minimum Requirements for the Licensure
				of Professional/Paraprofessional Personnel and Advanced Salary Classifications
				(Policy 5202).
3.6. Collaboration.
				A partnership in which two or more individuals or organizations actively work
				together on a project or problem. School counselors collaborate with various
				educational and community stakeholders to develop and deliver the CSCP to
				support the success of all students.
3.7. Comprehensive Drop-Out Prevention
				Program. A comprehensive program designed to reduce the drop-out rate by
				meeting the needs of youth in at-risk situations, including students with
				disabilities.
3.8. Comprehensive
				School Counseling Program (CSCP) Plan. A school-level plan developed by each
				school annually, utilizing the CSCP Plan template, coordinate and implement a
				CSCP. The CSCP Plan is supported and monitored by the principal, who ensures
				the school counselor(s) collaborate with school leadership, the school
				counseling advisory council, and other stakeholders to review relevant data to
				guide the development of the annual plan. This data includes school data
				(various student assessments, attendance, discipline, drop-out rates, etc.) and
				community data (disasters, crime, poverty, domestic violence rates, etc.).
				Supplemental data (needs assessments, focus group results, etc.) is helpful to
				determine student needs and the CSCP focus. The CSCP Plan aligns with the
				school's mission and strategic plan.
3.9. Confidentiality. The right to privacy
				and the expectation that the school counselor/student relationship complies
				with all laws, policies, and ethical standards regarding confidentiality in the
				school setting. The counselor must ensure that personal information shared by
				the student or parents/guardians remains confidential unless the information
				pertains to harm to self or others. School counselors must adhere to Family
				Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA),
				20 USC
				1232g; 34 CRF Part 99, guidelines and the
				ASCA Code of Ethics to protect personal student information.
3.10. Consultation. Provided by the school
				counselor to support a student's needs or to provide information to
				parents/guardians, teachers, other educators, and community agencies regarding
				strategies and resources to help students and families. School counselors
				exchange strategies, information, and resources with stakeholders to meet
				individual student needs. School counselors both offer and seek consultation.
				During the consultation process, school counselors serve as advocates for
				students to promote wellbeing and success in school.
3.11. Counseling. The professional assistance
				and support provided to a student or small group of students during
				transitions, heightened stress, critical change, crisis, or other situations
				impeding student wellbeing and success. Counseling provided by the school
				counselor is short-term and based on counseling theories and techniques
				effective in a school setting to promote academic, career, and social/emotional
				development. Counseling can be proactive and responsive and helps students
				identify problems, causes, potential consequences and benefits, alternatives,
				and outcomes so they can make decisions and take appropriate actions. School
				counselors use the WVCCRDSSS to provide focus in the counseling
				process.
3.12. Crisis Response.
				Provides prevention, intervention, and follow-up to individual and school-wide
				crises that impact students, staff, or families. Crisis response is usually
				temporary and includes a variety of research-based interventions to support
				individual or group needs. Long-term reactions to a crisis may result in a
				referral to appropriate community or school-based resources and follow-up
				interventions. Principals and school counselors adhere to W. Va. 126CSR99,
				Policy 4373, Expected Behavior in Safe and Supportive Schools (Policy 4373), to
				develop the school crisis prevention and response plan.
3.13. Direct Services. In-person interactions
				between school counselors and students. Through the direct services of
				instruction, appraisal, advisement, and counseling, school counselors help
				students develop the knowledge, attitudes, and skills outlined in the WVCCRDSSS
				and the West Virginia Pre-K Standards to help students improve wellbeing,
				achievement, attendance, and discipline. Through each of these direct services,
				the school counselor and students work toward a specific goal.
3.14. Equity and Access. The process of
				reforming practices, policies, and procedures at the school, county, and state
				level to ensure all students have equal access to relevant programs, courses,
				resources, and activities regardless of race, ethnicity, social class, family
				background, ability, sexual orientation, or gender.
3.15. Family Educational Rights and Privacy
				Act (FERPA),
				20 USC
				1232g; 34 CRF Part 99. Provides legal
				guidance for disclosure of personally identifiable student information,
				including education records. Without a legitimate educational interest,
				individuals, including school officials, may not access student records without
				parental consent. School counselors must be familiar with and follow federal
				guidelines of the Family Policy Compliance Office in the U.S. Department of
				Education.
3.16. GroupCounseling.
				Provided for small groups of students experiencing similar difficulties that
				impede school success. Group counseling sessions may include personal concerns,
				relational concerns, behavioral issues, school adjustment issues, attendance
				problems, academic concerns, or developmental issues. Small group counseling is
				skills-based, helping students with similar concerns develop strategies that
				improve personal and school success. Small group counseling is typically
				scheduled during a non-instructional time or is staggered between class
				periods, minimizing absences during instruction while building coping and
				school success skills. Group counseling in schools is short-term and typically
				occurs for 30-50 minutes once a week for four-seven weeks. School counselors
				refer students who need more intensive therapeutic counseling to school-based
				or community mental health professionals.
3.17. Indirect Services. Include
				consultation, collaboration, and referral. School counselors provide indirect
				services to support student success and to promote equity and access for all
				students.
3.18. Individual
				Counseling. A helping process implemented by a professional with a
				certification in counseling that uses various evidence-based techniques and
				strategies to help individual students explore academic, career, and
				social/emotional issues which may impede healthy development or academic
				progress. Individual counseling aims to assist students with addressing
				barriers and improving success at school, at home, and in the community.
				Individual counseling in the school setting is short-term in nature. School
				counselors refer students who need more intensive therapeutic counseling to
				school-based or community mental health professionals.
3.19. Informed Consent. Involves seeking
				written permission from parents/guardians of minors for services typically not
				provided by certified school staff and is required when students receive
				services from non-school employees. Students under the age of consent may
				assent to school counseling services offered by the school counselor without
				parental permission because the comprehensive school counseling program is a
				required school component of W. Va. 126CSR42, Policy 2510, Assuring the Quality
				of Education: Regulations for Education Programs (Policy 2510). Therefore,
				school counselors are not required to seek parental permission for students to
				benefit from components of the school counseling program, with the exception of
				administering student needs assessments. As a best practice, counselors may
				inform parents/guardians when students receive school counseling services if
				the information does not conflict with students' desire for
				confidentiality.
3.20. Instruction.
				The process school counselors use to teach the school counseling curriculum to
				deliver the West Virginia Pre-K Standards and the WVCCRDSSS. School counselors
				provide instruction in classrooms, large groups, small groups, and
				individually. Instruction intends to help all students maximize their potential
				by enhancing academic, college/career, and social/emotional development and
				improving achievement, attendance, and discipline outcomes.
3.21. Needs Assessments. A supplemental
				method school counselors may use to solicit additional information from
				students and relevant stakeholders about needs identified in school data. Needs
				assessments help contextualize the problems by providing input on what is
				contributing to the identified need. The contextual information gathered helps
				school counselors respond with more effectively targeted interventions. When
				conducting student needs assessments or other student surveys, school
				counselors adhere to The Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA),
				20 USC
				1232h; 34 CFR Part 98, in the U.S. Department
				of Education.
3.22. Personalized
				Education Plan (PEP). Developed collaboratively, involving students,
				parents/guardians, teacher advisors, and school counselors as a part of the
				personalized student planning process. The PEP identifies the student's career
				interests and courses needed for graduation and assists with high school and
				postsecondary goal planning. Policy 2510 and the West Virginia School
				Counseling Model outline grade-level expectations for completing the
				PEP.
3.23. Personalized Student
				Planning. Provides opportunities for students to plan, monitor, and manage
				their academic, college and career, and social/emotional development. 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. Personalized planning allows the student 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.
3.24.
				Postsecondary. Includes educational and career options available to students
				after high school (e.g., two and four-year colleges, certificate programs,
				on-the-job training, apprenticeship programs, and the military).
3.25. Referral. Initiated when students'
				needs extend beyond the school counselor's role, training, and
				responsibilities. School counselors provide appraisal, advisement, personalized
				student planning, and counseling services through short-term targeted
				approaches. When students need support beyond short-term services or
				counseling, a school counselor's ethical duty is to provide a referral to
				school-based or community resources for additional assistance or
				information.
3.26. School
				Counseling Advisory Council. A group of stakeholders, invited by the school
				counselor(s), and reflecting the community's diversity to include students,
				parents, teachers, school counselors, administrators, school board members,
				business leaders, and community members. The advisory council meets a
				recommended minimum of two times per year to provide feedback on the CSCP
				goals, developed and explained by the school counselor(s); to review program
				results based on the school counselor(s) data; and to make recommendations
				about the CSCP. The advisory council members also serve as advocates for the
				program.
3.27. School Counselor
				Administrative Activities. The 20 percent of a school counselor's time set
				aside for activities related to defining, managing, and assessing the CSCP. In
				addition, the school counselor may spend a small portion of the 20 percent
				providing fair-share responsibilities if the percent does not exceed that of
				the other school staff in the building and the responsibilities do not require
				the school counselor to take a disciplinary role.
3.28. Social/Emotional Development. The
				process through which both students and adults gain the knowledge, skills, and
				dispositions to develop healthy identities, identify and manage emotions, set
				and achieve goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain
				healthy and supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions.
3.29. Stakeholders. Any person who assists
				with or benefits from the school counseling program and includes students,
				school staff, school leadership, parents, community leaders, community members,
				higher education, and workforce leaders.
3.30. West Virginia College- and
				Career-Readiness Dispositions and Standards for Student Success (WVCCRDSSS).
				Standards that describe the attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviors
				essential to support K-12 students in achieving everyday school success and
				being college- and career-ready and are outlined in W. Va. 126CSR44U, Policy
				2520.19, West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Dispositions and Standards
				for Student Success for Grades K-12 (Policy 2520.19). The WVCCRDSSS are
				critical to the holistic development of all students and require integration
				into all aspects of each student's educational experience utilizing all school
				staff and key community stakeholders through a variety of delivery modalities.
				The WVCCRDSSS are the foundational standards for each CSCP.
3.31. West Virginia CSCP Plan Template.
				Provides a standardized format for West Virginia school counselors,
				administrators, and stakeholders to plan, coordinate, and assess the CSCP. This
				plan is not a binding, unchangeable document but a guidepost for the program
				focus in the school year. The school counselor develops the plan in
				collaboration with school administrators and other stakeholders to provide an
				organized, integrated, and planned sequential, needs-based approach aligned
				with the school's strategic plan. The West Virginia CSCP Plan aligns with
				requirements outlined in this policy, the West Virginia School Counseling
				Model, and the ASCA National Model.
3.32. West Virginia Pre-K Standards (Ages
				3-5). Standards for children enrolled in pre-k that are grounded in scientific
				child development research, children's approaches to learning, and effective
				educational practices outlined in W. Va. 126CSR44O, Policy 2520.15, West
				Virginia Pre-K Standards (Ages 3-5) (Policy 2520.15). The ability to use
				appropriate strategies is vital to implementing these standards. School
				counselors use these standards when working with pre-k students to guide
				counseling practices and offer high-quality early education environments and
				experiences that are responsive to individual children and maximize
				learning.
3.33. West Virginia
				Professional School Counselor Standards (WVPSCS). Standards that describe the
				essential skills, knowledge, dispositions, and behaviors all West Virginia
				professional school counselors must possess. W. Va. 126CSR142, Policy 5310,
				Performance Evaluation of Professional Personnel and Athletic Coaches (Policy
				5310), outlines the standards. These standards align with best practices to
				guide school counselors to improve program effectiveness and student success. A
				performance level rubric is available to guide school counselors in
				accomplishing all the significant facets of effective school counseling
				practice.
3.34. West Virginia
				School Counseling Model. The model provides consistency and standardization for
				school counseling programs in West Virginia. The West Virginia School
				Counseling Model aligns with the ASCA National Model promoting best practices,
				professionalism, and ethical standards. In addition, the model outlines the
				components of an equitable and inclusive comprehensive school counseling
				program that are integral to the school's mission and created to impact
				academic success and social-emotional wellbeing for all students.
3.35. West Virginia School Crisis Prevention
				and Response Plan. The plan outlined by Policy 4373, to be developed by the
				school crisis and response planning team, utilizing the WVDE Crisis Prevention
				and Response Plan Template, which contains the requirements for school-specific
				plans. The template aligns with the Safe Schools Initiative of the School
				Building Authority of West Virginia and West Virginia Homeland Security and
				Emergency Management per W. Va. Code §
									18-9F-9.
3.36. West Virginia Tiered System of Support
				(WVTSS). A three-tiered system of student support that aligns with the West
				Virginia School Counseling Model that provides universal prevention, targeted
				interventions, and intensive interventions through direct and indirect services
				to support success and wellbeing.