School Counselor (K-12) Open Contract Candidate Pool

School Counselor

Under the direction of the school principal and the Coordinator of School Counseling, School Counselors promote student success, provide preventive services, and respond to identified student needs by implementing a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic, career, and social/emotional development for all students.

Minimum Qualifications

Applicants must meet all the following qualifications, listed below, to be considered for the vacancy.

Education

• Bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in an applicable field of education.

Certification

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) certification:

• School Counselor
• Guidance Counselor

Skills

• Knowledge of national, state and local school counseling standards and adhere to professional and ethical standards of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA).
• Plan, develop and deliver effective school counseling services.
• Knowledge of growth and developmental stages for child and adolescent development.
• Excellent oral, written, speaking and analytical skills.
• Ability to work with culturally diverse populations.
• Outstanding human relations skills.
• Ability to properly maintain confidential information.
• Leadership and advocacy in working with all stakeholders within the school and community.

Preferred Qualifications

The ideal candidate for this role will also possess a combination of the additional qualifications below. If you don't meet every one of the preferred qualifications, we still encourage you to apply, as we welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

• Three previous years of teaching or school counseling experience

Essential Position Responsibilities

The below list is a summary of the functions of the job, not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties.

• Collaborate with school administration to develop comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs designed to meet the needs of students and student groups.
• Annually develop strategies and goals to guide the effective implementation of the school counseling program that is aligned to district expectations for best practice, State School Counseling Curriculum Standard Course of Study, and is informed by current individual school data.
• Communicate the goals of the comprehensive school counseling program to education stakeholders (i.e. administrators, teachers, students, parents and community/business leaders).
• Maintain current and appropriate resources for education stakeholders.
• Provide direct services through the school counseling curriculum, individual student planning, and preventive and responsive services.
• Provide support to school and district collaborative processes designed to support students in need. These include, but are not limited to, participation in IEP meetings, participation in the School Support Team (SST), participation in the instructional intervention team (IIT), and support for students receiving services identified by Section 504.
• Implement developmentally appropriate and prevention-oriented group activities to meet student needs and school goals. Incorporate the life skills that students need to be successful beyond high school.
• Monitor student academic performance, behavior and attendance to assist all students, individually or in groups, with developing academic, career and social emotional skills, goals, and plans.
• Accurately and appropriately interpret and utilize student data.
• Facilitate appropriate data-driven interventions and utilize appropriate counseling strategies (i.e., individual, group, classroom and school-wide) to support all students.
• Consult and collaborate effectively with parents/guardians, teachers, administrators, and other educational/community resources regarding students with identified concerns and needs.
• Implement an effective referral and follow-up process as needed.
• Accurately and appropriately use assessment procedures for determining and structuring individual and group counseling services.
• Assist teachers, parents/guardians and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data.
• Participate in professional development activities to improve knowledge and skills.
• Use available technology resources to enhance the school counseling program.
• Adhere to laws, policies, procedures, and ethical standards of the school counseling profession.
• Measure results of the comprehensive school counseling program activities and share results as appropriate with relevant stakeholders. Use this data to inform program improvement.
• Establish relationships with administrators, curricular office staff, colleagues, students, families, and the school community that reflect recognition of and respect for every individual.
• Appraise his/her own effectiveness and demonstrate successful application of skills and information acquired to increase effectiveness.
• Participate in and share responsibility for the safe and orderly operation of schools.
• Attend staff…