COLLEGE & CAREER READINESS,

RTI,
AND THE

SCHOOL COUNSELOR
Mindy Willard

Jill Zitt

School Counselor, Sunset Ridge Elementary

AzSCA Pres. Elect
2013 ASCA School Counselor of the Year

School Counselor, Amberlea Elementary

AzSCA Executive Board Member

AzSCA 2014 Spring Conference

NOSCA 2013 Advocate of the Year

OBJECTIVES
Participants will recognize the benefits of advocating for your role, as
the School Counselor, in both the academic and behavioral processes
of RtI and PBIS implementation.
Participants will understand how a comprehensive school counseling
program promotes College and Career Readiness (Common Core) for
all students.
Participants will understand how to advocate for their role on
Leadership Teams and Professional Learning Communities.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Pendergast Elementary School

District School Counseling
Program
13 K-8 Schools
7 Title Schools
West Side of Phoenix (Glendale, Avondale)
Approx. 10,000 students
One FULL TIME counselor at EACH school
implementing the ASCA National Model
Kids at Hope

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

WHAT IS A PROFESSIONAL
SCHOOL COUNSELOR?
Certified educators with a minimum of a Masters Degree in School
Counseling.
Address ALL students academic, personal/social and career
development needs through Tier I.
Design, implement and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling
program that promotes student success.
Work in elementary, middle and high schools.
Through leadership, advocacy and collaboration and systemic change,
professional school counselors promote equity and access to rigorous
educational experiences for all.
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

WHAT IS A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL COUNSELING

PROGRAM?

Advocacy
Leadership
Collaboration
Systemic Change

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Video

DIRECT AND INDIRECT SERVICES

.

article

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Core curriculum
Individual Student Planning
Responsive Services
Referrals
Consultation
Collaboration

Program Management
Professional Development
Data Analysis
Fair Share Responsibilities

RESPONSE TO INTERVENTION (RTI)

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

POP QUIZ (TEXT IN ANSWERS)

The recommended student to counselor ratio from the American School
Counselor Association is
A.500:1
B.150:1
C.300:1
D.250:1
The average student to counselor ratio in Arizona is:
A.861:1
B.347:1
C.1206:1
D.553:1
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

 All students will learn and achieve

academic success as a result of
effective teaching and supports.
All students must have access to a
rigorous, standards based curriculum
and research based instruction
delivered with fidelity.
Collaboration among all
stakeholders is the foundation of
effective problem solving and
instructional decision making
A comprehensive system of
evidence based, tiered interventions is
essential for addressing the full range
of student needs.

RTI & PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELORS: A

NATURAL FIT
Proactive
Collaborative
Data-driven
Multi-tiered
Whole-child focused
Equity and access to quality
instruction and behavior support
for ALL students.

Adapted from: Amy Friez, RtI Coordinator, Office of Public Instruction. Montana
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

LETS COLLECT DATA

Are you, as a School Counselor, involved in the RtI
process at your school?
Yes
No
I dont know

Are you a part of your buildings Leadership Team?

Yes
No
I dont know

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

CONSIDER THIS DATA.

What interventions would you put in place for the
following students (or recommend to your administrators):
1) Last school year 46% of all first graders missed 10 or more days of school.
2) A group of students have the potential to earn exceeds on AIMS Reading,
however, their actual scores were only in high meets. As a result your school
did not make AYP.
3) A group of third grade boys have a total of 54 office referrals for aggression/fighting
from the previous year.
4) A group of 17 at-risk seniors have an average GPA of 1.6, a high number of office
referrals, have missed 112 classes their junior year and only earned an average of 4.2
credits.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

SCHOOL COUNSELOR IMPACT ON ATTENDANCE

Concern: Last school year 46% of
ALL first graders missed 10 or
more days of school.

Results: At the end of 2nd

grade, 27% of students
missed 10+ days of school. A
41% decrease.

Tier III
Home Visits
Parent Meetings
Truancy Letters

Tier II
Small Groups
Group Check Ins
Group Incentives
Parent Letters

Tier I
Classroom Lessons to all 2nd graders
Newsletter to all parents
Morning Announcements
Hallway Bulletin Boards
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

SCHOOL COUNSELOR IMPACT ON STATE TESTING

Concern: A group of 5th grade students
have the potential to earn exceeds on
AIMS reading, however their actual
scores were within the high meets
range and as a result your school did
not make AYP.
Results: 75% of the Targeted
students showed an increase in the
AIMS Reading Assessment. Average
increase for the group was 16 points
per person. 38% of students moved
from meets to exceeds on the
2010 AIMS Reading Assessment.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Tier III
Individual Counseling
Referrals in and out of
school (tutoring)

Tier II
Small Group Counseling:
Study Skills, Test-Taking,
Time Mgmt, Organization

Tier I
Core classroom instruction from
teacher

SCHOOL COUNSELOR IMPACT ON OFFICE REFERRALS

Concern: A group of third grade

boys have a total of 54 office
referrals for aggression/fighting
from the previous year.

Results: 15 office referrals total.

A reduction of 73%

Tier III
Individual counseling,
outside referrals,
parenting classes, Special
Education referrals,
mentoring, alternative
placement

Tier II
Small Group Counseling
(Anger Mgmt, Social
Skills, Conflict Resolution)

Tier I
Research Based Classroom lessons
on
Violence Prevention
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

POP QUIZ (TEXT IN ANSWERS)

Which of the following duties are aligned with a Comprehensive School
Counseling Program?
A.Analyzing student data
B.Providing research based classroom lessons to ALL students
C.Creating a master schedule
D.Lunch duty once a week

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

SCHOOL COUNSELOR IMPACT ON GRADUATION RATES

Concern: A group of 17 at-risk students

have an average GPA of 1.6, a high number
of office referrals, have missed 112 classes
the previous year and only earned 4.2
credits.

Results: GPA increased to

2.6, discipline decreased by
50%, classes missed
reduced to 75, credits
earned increased to 6.8
86% graduated on time
with their class

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Tier III
Tutornig
Parent Meetings
Small Group (chemical
dependency)
Individual Counseling

Tier II
FAM Class
Weekly Check-Ins
Small Group (goal setting, time
mgmt., self-advocacy)

Tier I
4 year planning meetings
Classroom lessons (study skills, career
exploration, college essay applications).

IN SUMMARY
As a member of the RtI team the school counselor will:
Collaborate to collect and examine academic and behavioral data.
Use research-based intervention strategies.
Assess progress after interventions.
Revise interventions as needed.
Provide leadership in referring to school and community services as appropriate.
Make referrals to/special education teams and/or community agencies, as needed.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

COLLEGE AND CAREER

READY STANDARDS
AND THE SCHOOL
COUNSELOR

COLLEGE AND CAREER READY

STANDARDS
AND

THE SCHOOL COUNSELOR

Common Core State Standards

Initiative
Students who are College and Career Ready:
demonstrate independence, build strong content
knowledge, respond to the varying demands of audience,
task, purpose, and discipline, comprehend as well as
critique, value evidence, use technology and digital media
strategically and capably, understand other perspectives
and cultures.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Career and College Readiness

Standards

ASCA National Standards for Students

Demonstrate independence

A:B1.7: Become a self-directed and

independent learner
A:A3.2: Demonstrate the ability to work
independently, as well as the ability to
work cooperatively with other students.
A:A1.4: Seek information and support from
faculty, staff, family and peers

Build strong content knowledge

A:A1.1: Articulate feelings of competence

and confidence as learners.
A:A1.2: Display a positive interest in
learning.
A:A1.3 Take pride in work and achievement
A:A1.5 Identify attitudes and behaviors
that lead to successful learning
A:A2.3 Use communications skills to know
when and how to ask for help when
needed

Career and College Readiness

Standards

ASCA National Standards for Students

Respond to the varying demands of

audience, task, purpose, and discipline

PS:A2.7: Know that communication

involves speaking, listening, and nonverbal
behavior

Comprehend as well as critique

A:B1.2: Learn and apply critical-thinking

skills
A:B2.5: Use problem-solving and decisionmaking skills to assess progress toward
educational goals. PS:B1.6: Know how to
apply conflict resolution skills

Career and College Readiness

Standards

ASCA National Standards for Students

Demonstrate independence

A:B1.7: Become a self-directed and

independent learner
A:A3.2: Demonstrate the ability to work
independently, as well as the ability to
work cooperatively with other students.
A:A1.4: Seek information and support from
faculty, staff, family and peers

Build strong content knowledge

A:A1.1: Articulate feelings of competence

and confidence as learners.
A:A1.2: Display a positive interest in
learning.
A:A1.3 Take pride in work and achievement
A:A1.5 Identify attitudes and behaviors
that lead to successful learning
A:A2.3 Use communications skills to know
when and how to ask for help when
needed

Respond to the varying demands of

PS:A2.7: Know that communication

Career and College Readiness

Standards

ASCA National Standards for Students

Value evidence, use technology and digital C:B1.5: Use research and information
media strategically
resources to obtain career information
C:B1.6 Learn to use the Internet to access
career-planning information
Capably, understand other perspectives
and cultures.

C:A2.5: Learn to respect individual

uniqueness in the workplace
PS:A2.3: Recognize, accept, respect and
appreciate individual differences
PS:A2.4: Recognize, accept, respect ethnic
and cultural diversity
PS:A2.2: Respect alternative points of view
PS:B1.7: Demonstrate a respect and
appreciation for individual and cultural
differences

American Counseling
Association
Counseling is a professional relationship that empowers diverse
individuals, families and groups to accomplish mental health,
wellness, and education and career goals.
School counselors accomplish these goals by fostering educational
and social equity, access and success for ALL students.
The school counselor serves as a leader and an assertive advocate
for students, consultant to educators, families and the community
and collaborator and team member with teachers, administrators
and other school personnel to help each student succeed.

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

How Counselors Support the

AZ College and Career Ready
Standards
Think & work across the K-12 grade span (Relevance)
Develop comprehensive school counseling plans based on data and best practices
(ASCA National Model) (Relevance)
Create standards based college and career focused classroom lessons and programs
(Relevance)
Design clearer processes for course sequencing and credit articulation (Rigor)
Use data to identify student needs and monitor progress. (Relevance)
Ensure that students understand how to interpret current standardized assessments
and the implications of the results relating to their level of career and college readiness
(Relationships)
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

How Counselors Support the

AZ College and Career Ready
Standards
Aligning with the school leadership team to ensure school practices and
processes:
celebrate student achievement
signal a culture of college and career readiness for all students
support dual credit opportunities
identify and remove access barriers to rigorous coursework
provide strong academic supports
support a culturally relevant career and college readiness guidance
curriculum for all students

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

College and Career Ready

Intentional Programming by
Counselors

ECAP lessons
College field trips
College fairs
Career fairs
Job Shadowing
Career & College
Research projects
AzCIS
Financial Aid Resources
FAFSA Timelines &
Checklists

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

High School Expo

Display College Artifacts
Post college
information,
scholarships and
student acceptances
Parent Support Groups
Student Support
Groups
HEFAR.org (Free
financial planning)

What all Educators can do to

promote College and Career
Readiness
Make frequent announcements about student
accomplishments, deadlines, reminders, programs, field trips
Engage in routine conversations with students and parents
about career and college research, selection and the
application process
Have counselors, teachers and other educators engage in
frequent discussions with all students about careers and
college
Bring in alumni (high school or college) and business people
to speak to students about colleges and careers
AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

AzSCA 2013 Spring Conference

Career and College Readiness

begins in Kindergarten!

All Students are

College Bound!

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE
Time Traveling (ECAP)

Social Skill Instruction

Individual Student
Planning
College Visits/Fairs

Career Research

Mindy Willard
Sunset Ridge Elementary School
mwillard@pesd92.org
mwillardcounselor.weebly.com

Jill Zitt
Amberlea Elementary School
jzitt@pesd92.org

CONTACT INFORMATION