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School Counselor
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Reports to:
Campus Principal
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Department:
Designated Campus
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Pay Grade:
Elementary & MS: PS3 @193 days
High School: PS3 @ 207 days
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Primary Purpose:
Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program at assigned campus. Counsel students to fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal, and social abilities and address the needs of special population students. Deliver guidance curriculum in various group sizes. Educate students of skills necessary to address troublesome circumstances, support students in challenging situations, and assist students with needed resources to navigate crisis situations.
Education/Certification:
Master’s degree in counseling from an accredited college or university
Valid Texas school counselor certificate
Special Knowledge/Skills:
Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior
Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents or guardians, and district staff
Experience:
Three years creditable experience as a classroom teacher
Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the Board of Trustees may find appropriate and acceptable
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PSJA Leadership Skills and Expectations
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In PSJA ISD, we hire individuals who are expected to embody the Spirit of PSJA and demonstrate these characteristics as they lead others.
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Positive Engagement
Welcomes staff, students, parents, and community as honored members at the district table
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Builds relationships – Builds positive, trusting relationships through frequent interactions which demonstrate care and interest in well-being of all stakeholders
Exhibits professionalism– Exhibits awareness and reflection to manage emotions and engage in continuous personal growth
Models ethics – Exemplifies the values and priorities of the district through consistent actions and service to stakeholders
Communicates effectively- Maintains open lines of two-way communication with staff, students, parents, and community to receive input and provide information for engagement with district vision
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Student-centered Excellence
Holds vision and expectations for success for all students and all staff
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Demonstrates expertise – Possesses up-to-date knowledge and skills to perform organizational role at a high level of competence
Establishes shared vision – Articulates the school’s mission to the community and solicits support in making that mission become a reality
Implements plans- Works with all stakeholders to implement vision by establishing goal, monitoring progress, and providing resources
Expects results – Pursues exceptional results for all students by holding self and others accountable and driving for continuous improvement
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Joint Empowerment
Develops and empowers individuals and teams for effective action
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Promotes collaboration – Designs organizational structures to promote collaboration and teamwork for distributed leadership throughout the district
Inspires Action – Motivates others to take responsible risks and perform at their highest level to support district vision and goals
Builds capacity – Provides opportunities for growth to ensure all staff build capacity to support district goals
Develops leaders – Identifies, develops, and places future leaders through rigorous processes and strategic leadership assignments
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Adaptive Innovation
Maintains district at the forefront of educational service providers
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Scans Environment – Analyzes and applies understanding of internal organization and external environment to assess and respond to the district’s future advancement
Manages change – Demonstrates courage, initiative, and perseverance in bringing about meaningful change to support the shared vision
Champions solutions – Challenges the status quo by collaboratively exploring new and better ways of doing things
Acknowledges outcomes – Creates a positive environment for growth by celebrating success and learning from failure
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Technical Skills, Responsibilities and Duties
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In PSJA ISD, we hire individuals who demonstrate excellence in these technical areas as they lead others
Major Responsibilities and Duties:
Guidance Curriculum
- Plan, organize, implement, and deliver structured group lessons according to the district’s guidance curriculum to improve students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs.
- Teach the school guidance curriculum components through the use of effective instructional strategies and planned structured groups considering diverse student populations and needs for differentiated instruction.
- Work with students, staff, parents or guardians, and the community to identify priorities where students will be served through the guidance curriculum component. Collaborate across curricular areas to integrate guidance lessons into content area curriculum.
- Create a balanced curriculum by using well-planned and intentional activities and materials, incorporating guest speakers, and offering engaging delivery techniques, including technology tools.
Responsive Services
- Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance to respond to problematic or critical incidents to support students and offer services in time of need.
- Use preventive activities to remove barriers that interfere with a student’s educational, career, personal, and social development.
- Implement remediation practices to assist students in coping with problem situations or unwise choices. Identify precipitating and antecedent factors, effective and ineffective approaches to dealing with the circumstances, and provide feedback to guide future decisions.
- Use specialized skills to support students in crisis situations requiring immediate response. Maintain a healthy and safe school environment by collaborating with district staff, parents or guardians, and local officials.
- Provide continued support to students in need through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.
- Serve as an impartial, non-reporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students, including accusations of bullying.
Individual Planning
- Create school counseling services that are developmental and age appropriate and provide information or literature that highlights related topics to students, teachers, and administrators.
- Assist individual students and their parents or guardians in monitoring their academic, career, personal, and social development as they progress in school.
- Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent. Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity and ensures equitable access and placement in courses and programs for minority, disenfranchised, homeless, and other special populations.
- Interpret standardized test results, offer career development activities, provide strategies for grade level transitions, and guide students in individual goal setting and planning including creating and reviewing personal graduation plans and providing information about post-secondary opportunities.
System Support
- Collect, summarize, and interpret testing data to plan, create interventions, guide students, and address specific student needs.
- Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, action plans, time management, and systemic change.
- Participate in campus-based school improvement planning and goal setting.
- Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
- Clearly articulate and communicate the counseling program’s management system and related program action plans to campus and district staff, parents or guardians, and the community.
- Participate in staff development and continuing education opportunities to improve job-related skills and research to identify best practices in implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
Other Related Duties
- Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.
- Comply with policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rule, and board policy. Comply with all district and campus routines and regulations.
- Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.
- Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
Supervise assigned counseling aide(s) and clerical employee(s).
It is the policy of the Pharr-San Juan-Alamo ISD not to discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, religion, national origin or age.
Mental Demands/Physical Demands/Environmental Factors:
Tools/Equipment Used:
Personal computer and peripherals; standard instructional equipment
Posture:
Prolonged sitting; frequent standing, kneeling/squatting, bending/stooping, pushing/pulling, and twisting
Motion:
Frequent walking
Lifting:
Regular light lifting and carrying (less than 15 pounds); occasional physical restraint of students to control behavior
Environment:
Work inside, may work outside
Mental Demands:
Maintain emotional control under stress; may work prolonged or irregular hours
*Includes information from the Counselor Job Description and Evaluation Form distributed by the Texas Education Agency.
This document describes the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities and duties that may be assigned or skills that may be required. |