School Counselor Program Specialist

Help Us Change Lives

We live by the motto that There is a Student in Front of Everything We Do and we are very passionate about it. Do you have a passion to work with students? If so, then this is an exciting opportunity for you! Youll have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of students supporting their growth and development. Remember the person who made a difference in your life? Now its your turn.

How You Will Make An Impact

The School Counselor Program Specialist will provide leadership and coordination of a comprehensive, data driven, school counseling program aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) professional standards and competencies, mindset and behaviors along with the ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. The School Counselor Program Specialist will provide guidance, coaching support to all local school counselors and mentorship to new school counselors within the department. The school counselor program specialist position will encourage and facilitate the use of student data to drive decision making within the local school counseling department along with organizing a yearly review of the local school counseling program.

Responsibilities/Duties

This list is illustrative only and is not intended to be a comprehensive list of tasks performed by this classification. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

• Coach and mentor school counselors
• Provide consultation, training, and staff development to teachers and parents regarding students needs
• Develop and maintain positive working relationships with other school professionals and community representatives
• Educate school staff, students, parents, and community about counseling program/services
• Establish and maintain open channels of communication and professional relationships with students, parents, teachers, principals and other school personnel
• Coordinate, monitor and provide assistance for the implementation of the school counseling program
• Review school data to ensure the regional counseling program is meeting the academic, college/career, and personal/social development of all students
• Coordinate and facilitate New School Counselor On-Boarding and Shadowing: serve as main contact for new counselors and suggest specific training based on individual or group needs
• Provides support to all counselors in the following areas: academic, social /emotional and career planning, small group strategies, community outreach
• Collaborate and share resources with all organization schools and programs
• Plan and facilitate School Counselor team meetings
• Establish school counselor Web Grant accounts and monitor student data and reports
• Coordinate collaboration with Community College and State University counselors
• Perform duties recommended by the Program Director and Coordinator
• Track college entrance and persistence rates of graduates
• Create and submit regular program updates & reports to administration
• Maintain strong communication with staff and partners as appropriate
• Contribute to efforts aimed at team building and creating a positive school climate
• Provide counseling coverage to sites when assigned counselors are on vacation or leave
• Maintain communication systems that effectively collect and disseminate information to other professionals as appropriate
• Work with Community Liaison to bring together resources and systems to support a seamless service delivery to students
• Support the continued development of a school counseling program that promotes the academic, college/career and personal/social development of all students
• Support local team with the annual review of counseling program data using the ASCA School Counseling Program Assessment tool for program development and improvement including creating SMART goals, calendar, and annual agreements
• Assist in the implementation of staff development in-services and training programs for school counselors
• Assist in the development of parent and student programs
• Participate in monthly meeting with School Counseling Program Director and Coordinator
• Maintain regional school counseling calendar
• Serve as a member of the regional leadership team
• Assist in the development and coordination of college/career event and field trip planning
• Assist school counselor with systems: Student Information System (SIS), MYLO, CALPADS, Web Grants
• Use effective communication skills to present information accurately and clearly
• Use technology effectively for communication, information management, and collaboration
• Adhere to State Standards for the School Counselor Profession, and Ethical Standards for School Counselors
• Participate in ongoing, timely and professional communication (both proactive and responsive) with students, families, colleagues and community partners
• Participate in management/departmental meetings
• Compile, maintain and file all reports, records and other required documents
• Perform administrative duties, responsibilities, and activities that may be assigned or changed from time to time

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

• Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal and career development
• Excellent leadership, planning, organizational, communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to work with various levels of employees
• Ability to work with diverse student populations
• Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior
• Ability to innovate, think creatively and critically, and actively find solutions to new and familiar challenges
• Ability to demonstrate the following core values: integrity, high expectations, commitment, respect, dedication to teamwork and passion for a student-centered environment
• Ability to create an atmosphere of trust and respect for the school, students, faculty, families, and partners
• Model democratic practices, honor diversity, advocate for equity, and participate ethically in the school community
• Ability to develop, interpret, and use student and school data to address the needs of students, the school, and the community
• Be a committed member and leader of the professional community, participating in on-going professional development, mentoring, peer observation, study groups, and collaboration with educators in the school and district

Minimum Qualifications

• Masters Degree in School Counseling required
• Valid California Pupil Personnel Services Credential required, authorization in School Counseling
• 2 years of successful, full-time employment in assignment(s) requiring a Standard Pupil Services Credential authorizing service in school counseling required
• Leadership experience performing School Counseling duties in a school environment preferred
• Experience with Charter schools and Independent Study settings preferred
• Proficient in using student information data systems and educational applications
• Skilled in MS Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams)
• Able to travel in performance of job duties is required
• Able to lift, carry, push, pull objects weighing up to 10 pounds of force (almost all office jobs) occasionally

Physical Requirements

• Mental Demands: high workflow management, high project coordination, high people engagement.
• Finger Dexterity: using primarily just the fingers to make small movements such as typing, picking up small objects, or pinching fingers together.
• Talking: especially where one must convey detailed or important instructions or ideas accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Average Hearing: able to hear average or normal conversations and receive ordinary information.
• Average Visual Abilities: ordinary acuity necessary to prepare or inspect documents or operate machinery.
• Frequent multi-tasking, changing of task priorities, repetitious exacting work required.
• Working in a noisy, distracting environment with frequent deadline pressures