Definitions
Counselor – For the purposes of this policy, a counselor is a school counselor as defined by the
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
Guidance Advisory Committee (GAC) – A committee composed of at least one (1) counselor from
each grade level, a principal, teachers and others as determined by the superintendent.
General
The St. Charles R-VI School District's comprehensive guidance program provides important benefits
to all students at all grade levels by addressing their personal/social, academic and career
development needs. Research indicates that a fully implemented comprehensive guidance program
has a positive impact on student achievement and has the potential to increase attendance, reduce
discipline referrals and improve Missouri Assessment Program (MAP) scores. In support of the
district's efforts to improve student achievement, the Board requires full implementation of the
Missouri Comprehensive Guidance Program and will adhere to all of its standards. The program
shall be implemented in each attendance area and is considered an integral part of each school’s
educational program. Guidance program objectives will be aligned with the district's Comprehensive
School Improvement Plan (CSIP) and student performance data. The program shall be implemented
by certified school counselors with the support of district staff, students and external organizations
and agencies.
Guidance Curriculum
Counselors will create and implement a written guidance curriculum that promotes students'
academic, career and personal/social development. The Board will provide resources and support
activities for implementation of a K-12 guidance curriculum. The guidance curriculum will be
systematically reviewed and revised, and modifications to the guidance curriculum will be based on
student data, school data and needs-assessment data collected at least every three (3) years.
Individual Planning
Individual planning activities help all students plan, monitor and manage their academic achievement
as well as their personal/social and career development. The foundation for individual planning will
be established during the elementary school years through guidance activities. Building on this
foundation, the individual planning component of the guidance program will assist middle school
students as they begin to plan for the future and will continue to support students in their planning
endeavors until graduation. A four- to six-year Personal Plan of Study (PPS) will be initiated for
students no later than the eighth grade and will minimally include assessment and advisement
activities, collaboration with parents/guardians, and identification of long- and short-range
educational career goals. The PPS will be reviewed annually and revised as needed.
Responsive Services
Responsive services are referrals and other actions taken by the district in response to the immediate
needs and concerns of a particular student or identified needs and concerns of groups of students.
The purpose of the responsive services component of the comprehensive guidance program is to
work with students whose personal circumstances, concerns or problems are interfering or
threatening to interfere with their academic, career or personal/social development. Responsive
services will be implemented through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation
and referral.
Referrals shall be made in accordance with Board policies and district procedures. The
superintendent, with the assistance of the GAC, will develop procedures for staff to use to identify
students who may need a referral for assistance beyond that regularly provided by the counseling
staff. All staff members who, in the course of their duties, have contact with students on a regular
basis will receive annual training on these procedures.
In the event of a pandemic or other emergency, school counseling staff will assist students with
personal and emotional issues. The district's emergency response intervention plan (ERIP) will
include methods for continuing counseling support even in the event of a long-term school closure.
System Support
The Board recognizes system support as a crucial component in the full implementation of a
comprehensive guidance program. System support of the comprehensive guidance program includes
administration and management activities that support the program. The Board directs the
administration to implement activities that support the guidance program, such as program
management, fair-share responsibilities, professional development, staff-community relations,
consultation, committee participation, community outreach, and research and development.
Program Goals
The district will strive to meet the program goals in each of the following areas:
1. Personal/Social Development
► Assist students in gaining an understanding of self as an individual and as a member
of diverse local and global communities by emphasizing knowledge that leads to the
recognition and understanding of the interrelationship of thoughts, feelings and
actions in students' daily lives.
► Provide students with a solid foundation for interacting with others in ways that
respect individual and group differences.
► Aid students in learning to apply physical and psychological safety and promoting the
student's ability to advocate for him- or herself.
2. Academic Development
► Guide students to apply the skills needed for educational achievement by focusing
on self-management, study and test-taking skills.
► Teach students skills to aid them as they transition between grade levels or schools.
► Focus on developing and monitoring personal education plans, emphasizing the
understanding, knowledge and skills students need to develop meaningful personal
plans of study.
3. Career Development
► Enable students to apply career exploration and planning skills in the achievement
of life career goals.
► Educate students about where and how to obtain information about the world of work
and postsecondary training and education.
► Provide students the opportunity to learn employment readiness skills and skills for
on-the-job success, including responsibility, dependability, punctuality, integrity,
self-management and effort.
Confidentiality
It is necessary for counselors to build trusting relationships with students and district staff; however,
counselors are not permitted to promise students complete confidentiality. Counselors may at times
be required to disclose information to parents/guardians, to report child abuse or neglect, to convey
to district staff information necessary to better serve a student, or to report to supervisors as
appropriate.
Care should be taken in explaining to students, in a developmentally appropriate manner, the limits
of confidentiality. Notice of the limits of confidentiality may be made by a variety of methods
including classroom lessons, student handbooks, the district website and guidance counseling
brochures in addition to oral notification of individual students.
District counselors have the responsibility to protect the confidentiality of student records and only
release information in accordance with state and federal law and Board policy. Information
transmitted or stored electronically must maintain the same level of confidentiality as traditional
paper records. Care shall be taken to send sensitive information by a means that protects student
identity.
Guidance Advisory Committee and Evaluation
The GAC will systematically review the district's comprehensive guidance program, including the
K-12 guidance curriculum. The comprehensive guidance program will be systematically evaluated
through the development and use of a comprehensive evaluation plan. The comprehensive
evaluation plan will minimally assess the impact of the comprehensive guidance program on the
Missouri School Improvement Plan (MSIP) performance standards and other relevant criteria
including, but not limited to, attendance, grades and behaviors.
* * * * * * *
Note: The reader is encouraged to check the index located at the beginning of this section
for other pertinent policies and to review administrative procedures and/or forms for
related information.
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Adopted: 09/14/1995
Revised: 09/12/1996; 07/13/2006; 07/14/2011
Cross Refs: EBCA, Crisis Intervention Plan
IL, Assessment Program
MSIP Refs: 6.9, 7.7, 8.8
St. Charles R-VI School District, St. Charles, Missouri
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