Definition: 

Harlingen CISD Professional School Counselors provide a comprehensive program aligned with the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA). These programs aim to impact student growth in academic, career, and social-emotional areas. Data-driven practices are used to assess student needs, offering school counseling guidance lessons, individual and group sessions, and targeted interventions to close achievement gaps. The counselors at Dr. Cano Freshman Academy play a key role in supporting a campus-wide emotional intelligence initiative, focusing on self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, motivation, and social skills. 

Rationale:

The counselors at Dr. Cano Freshman Academy play a vital role in fostering the well-being and growth of students, ensuring a supportive environment through various initiatives, collaboration, and comprehensive counseling services. This approach not only enhances academic success but also strengthens emotional health and resilience, benefiting the entire school community.

Assumptions: 

The following assumptions are fundamental for a successful counseling program at our campus.

• School administration and staff understand, respect and support the school counseling program.

• Students will benefit from the counseling program that addresses their academic, career, and social-emotional needs. 

• Equal collaboration with students, parents, administrators, teachers, and the community.

• Guidance lessons, group counseling, and other preventive services are central to promoting student well-being before major issues arise.

• Counselors will continue to engage in professional development to support student success.

• Certified school counselors.

• Safe, nurturing, school environment is a must to help students feel secure, respected, and supported.

• Proper implementation of a comprehensive counseling program.

• The school counseling program is respected and supported by campus and district administration

Program Goal Development:

The counselors will consistently re-evaluate SMART goals to ensure that both student and campus needs are being met. By staying informed and knowledgeable about relevant data, the counselors can verify that program goals are aligned with the overall campus objectives. A key method of gathering re-evaluation data is through the end of the year parent/student survey. Other valuable data points may include attendance records, discipline referrals, and pre/post surveys from teachers and other additional staff members. Regular meetings with the Counseling Department at our campus and with our district counseling director provide further insights into the effectiveness of implemented programs and interventions.

Counseling Program Evaluation: 

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting student success and well-being, we want to emphasize the critical importance of evaluating our school counseling program. Evaluating the program allows us to better understand students needs and ensure we are providing relevant interventions to help close any educational gaps for all of our diverse populations. The following survey was conducted at the end of the school year to obtain meaningful feedback from students and parents to better make evidence-based adjustments to our program.