High School Counselor

The vision of the Arlington Public Schools is to be an equitable educational community where all learners feel a sense of belonging, experience growth and joy, and are empowered to shape their own futures and contribute to a better world.

High School Counselor Description:
High school counselors are educators uniquely trained in child and adolescent development, learning strategies, self-management, and social skills who understand and promote success for today's diverse students. They implement a school counseling framework to support students through this important developmental period (ASCA, 2019).

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Use school counseling research-based standards and competencies to inform the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling framework.
• Create systemic change through the implementation of a comprehensive school counseling framework.
• Provide appraisal and advisement to all students through large group, classroom, small group and individual settings.
• Implement a developmentally appropriate school counseling curriculum to all students.
• Collaborate with teachers, families and other staff on early identification and intervention of children's academic & social-emotional needs.
• Consult with families, teachers, administrators, and supporting agencies in regards to the students' academic & social-emotional needs.
• Make referrals to appropriate school and community resources.
• Provide short-term small group and individual counseling to help students learn coping skills for personal, social, academic, and family concerns.
• Develop and implement action plans aligned with annual student outcome goals and student data.
• Collaborate with middle school staff to assist students in making a smooth transition to high school; and provide orientation activities for incoming students and families.
• Consult and be a resource for teachers. Take a leadership role in seeing the infusion of counseling content into the curriculum.
• Provide family education materials and programming, helping families with school-related problems and issues (e.g., college nights, financial aid nights, career fairs).
• Work collaboratively with school psychologists, social workers, school nurses and other agencies to provide multi-tiered systems of support to students & families.
• Participate in team meetings, student strategy teams, and 504 meetings as appropriate.
• Guide high school students starting in 9th grade to help them develop their postsecondary educational/career plans, coordinate career assessments & interpret results to help students in their planning.
• Provide individual assistance to students regarding their academic, career and social-emotional needs.
• Review and evaluate student transcripts.
• Review credits, grades and transcripts with students, helping them meet graduation requirements and develop academic plans for success and future career planning.
• Provide college & career counseling to all students. Provide information on scholarships, NCAA requirements, financial aid and college fee waivers.
• Assist students in preparing for and navigating the college admission process.
• Review the comprehensive school counseling framework annually, revising it as needed and planning yearly/monthly calendars of counseling program activities as well as conducting annual needs assessments.
• Advocacy for all students for fair, just and compassionate treatment, including of high needs populations and families.
• Advocate for rigorous courses and higher education for underrepresented groups.
• Use data to identify gaps in achievement, opportunity and attainment.

Qualifications:

• Master's Degree in School Counseling, DESE School Counselor license
• Training and/or experience with college and career equity counseling or experience.
• Demonstrate knowledge and expertise with the Mass Model and the ASCA National Model
• Demonstrate knowledge of best practices and methodologies in school counseling, aligned with current state and national standards
• Ability to work cooperatively with school leadership, staff, families and the community
• Ability to utilize technology and data to address student and department needs
• Superior communication skills (oral and written)
• High…