Caddo Parish Schools Job Description                       

Job Title:             Professional School Counselor

Prepared By:        Renata Mahoney

Prepared Date:     June 25, 2024

Approved By:       Leisa G. Woolfolk

Approved Date:      June 30, 2024

PROFESSIONAL SCHOOL COUNSELOR 

Summary: The professional school counselor provides leadership in the school by implementing a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program aligned with the district and school’s mission. The program aims to promote academic, social/emotional, and college/career development while ensuring equity and access for all students.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

1. Student Success for All

1. Design and implement a data-driven, comprehensive school counseling program for all students to address barriers to student learning and to close the achievement/opportunity gap.
2. Provides Direct services, including, but not limited to, the school counseling core curriculum, individual counseling and student planning, classroom lessons, small group counseling, and preventative and responsive services.
3. Provides Indirect services on behalf of students, including, but not limited to, referrals for additional assistance and consultation/collaboration with parents, teachers, administrators, and other stakeholders to create a learning environment promoting educational equity, access, and success for every student.
4. Delivers programs that promote students’ development of essential mindsets and behavior standards including, but not limited to, learning skills, social skills, self-management skills, and college/career readiness skills.
5. Reviews and disaggregates student achievement, attendance, and behavior data to identify and implement interventions with current knowledge of promotion, retention, and graduation requirements.
6. Uses school data to identify and assist individual students who do not perform at grade level and lack opportunities and resources to be successful in school.
7. Creates yearly, data-driven goals that advance student outcomes in areas of academic, social/emotional, and college/career development.
8. Uses the skills of leadership, advocacy, and collaboration to create systemic change to improve the academic, social/emotional, and post-graduate success of all students.

1. Promoting Positive School Climate

1. Acts as a systems change agent in collaboration with the school leadership team to ensure a safe, supportive, and respectful school climate that promotes the social/emotional and academic development and success of all students.
2. Fosters family and community partnerships to support the social/emotional and academic development of all students.
3. Infuses cultural competence and ethical and professional competencies in planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating the comprehensive school counseling program.
4. Provides preventative education and skill building along with counseling for students during times of transition, separation, heightened stress and critical change.
5. Uses appropriate responses and a variety of intervention strategies to meet the needs of the individual, group or school community before, during and after crisis response.
6. Supports the continuum of mental health services, including prevention and tiered intervention strategies, and collaborates with both school-based and community mental health providers to enhance student success.

1. Leadership and Advocacy

1. Develop and communicate a school counseling mission statement that is specific, concise, clear, and comprehensive, describing a school counseling program’s purpose and vision of the program’s benefits for every student in alignment with the school, district, and state missions.
2. Use student data to demonstrate a need for systemic change in areas such as course enrollment patterns, equity and access, and achievement, opportunity, and/or information gaps.
3. Advocates for student equity and access to a world-class education that leads to high school graduation and fosters post-graduate success.
4. Analyze and report outcomes of the school counseling program and goals, which are presented in the context of the overall school and district performance.
5. Utilizes technology effectively and efficiently to plan, organize, implement and evaluate the comprehensive school counseling program.
6. Uses legal and ethical decision-making based on standards and principles of the school counseling profession and educational systems, including district and building policies.
7. Collaborates with school staff in the analysis of student performance data, rigorous goal-setting, and development of effective action plans for improving academic, social/emotional, and post-graduate outcomes for all students.

1. Other Duties and Responsibilities:

• Respond promptly to crisis situations involving students, such as emotional, distress, trauma, or behavioral issues.
• Collaborate with school staff and external resources to provide immediate support and follow-up services as needed.
• Participate In multidisciplinary team meetings to discuss student progress, concerns, and strategies for support.
• Participate in crisis response teams, develop crisis intervention protocols, and provide training to staff and students on crisis prevention and response strategies
• Collaborates with special education teachers and administrators to support students with disabilities, participate in IEP meetings, and ensure students receive appropriate accommodations and support.
• Attend student disciplinary hearings/meetings, where applicable.
• Attend professional development opportunities presented by school staff, district staff, and LDOE where applicable.
• Any other duties as assigned by the school Principal.

QUALIFICATIONS

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

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Master's degree and other requirements as stated in SDE Bulletin 746 (as revised). 

SKILL RELATED

Should satisfy Louisiana requirements for a teaching certificate with certification as Counselor or Ancillary School Counselor.

PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS

• Demonstrates the ability to design, implement, analyze, and document outcomes of a comprehensive school counseling program based on national and state standards.
• Demonstrates the ability to support student achievement, social/emotional development, and college/career readiness.
• Abides by the American School Counselor Association’s Ethical Standards for School Counselors (updated 2016).
• Demonstrates the ability to work with diverse groups.
• Demonstrates the ability to effectively communicate, both orally and in writing.
• Demonstrates knowledge of technology and software applications appropriate to job responsibilities.

PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT

Employee acknowledges that he/she is required to maintain a high standard of professional conduct.  Breach of said professional conduct includes but is not limited to neglect of duty, dishonesty, engagement in acts that are contrary to CPSB policy, unlawful activities, or any other conduct that is seriously prejudicial to the school system.

CHAIN OF SUPERVISION

School Principal

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

182 days, or as assigned.