Section III

McAllen ISD guidance and counseling program promotes student success through a focus on academic achievement, prevention and intervention activities, advocacy, emotional intelligence and career development. Our mission is to provide an intentional, equitable, and data-informed school counseling program where students become competent, resilient, and responsible individuals.

McAllen ISD Professional School Counselors provide a program that is aligned with the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling and the American School Counseling Association (ASCA). Counselors deliver programs that have an impact on student growth in three areas: academic development, career development, and social- emotional development. Our counseling programs use data to understand student needs and provide school counseling guidance lessons, individual and group sessions, and closing-the-gap interventions. Counselors work closely with students who participate in a campus-wide emotional intelligence initiative that includes self-regulation, self-awareness, empathy, motivation, and social skills. Counselors also work closely with parents by providing students with Emotional Intelligence Weekly Family Connection activity, where both students and parents are learning the five components of emotional intelligence

McAllen ISD Professional School Counselors believe that students deserve equitable access to high-quality education in a safe and accepting environment structured to foster the learning process. They also believe that all students can succeed when positive relationships are present and fostered by all educational stakeholders in a safe, nurturing, and inclusive environment.

For the McAllen ISD Comprehensive Counseling Program to be fully and effectively implemented at Seguin Elementary, certain criteria must be met as mentioned below.

· The school counselors hold a Masters level degree and are certified in school counseling through the State of Texas.

· School counselors are responsible for planning and management responsibilities of the school counseling program.

· School counselors and support staff meet regularly as PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES to review student data and identify, prioritize, and target student needs.

· All students have access to the counseling program and counseling resources regardless of gender, cultural background, disability, ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

· Parental engagement is part of the decision-making process for the school counseling program. This is accomplished via the advisory council.

· Parental involvement is part of the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the program.

· Campus administration provides financial support for supplies, resources, materials, and staff development opportunities.

· Teachers provide input and work closely with the counselors to support counseling program goals.

· School counselors collaborate with school administration and site leadership teams in order to ensure the effective implementation of school counseling services.

· School counselors have access to an office/classroom which can be used as a classroom or confidential office space where they can meet with students individually or in groups.

· School counselors have access to a district-developed counseling curriculum that is updated annually and meets the individual needs of our students.

· School counselors meet regularly to share best practices and learn from each other in an effort to strengthen their skills to serve our students.

Our school's counseling program goals are determined using a variety of data points. At the beginning of the year, the school counselor and administrators work together to analyze campus data points. This includes our school's parent/student/staff climate surveys, the teacher needs assessments, Campus Improvement Plan (CIP), standardized assessments, TEA Campus Report Card, Counseling Advisory Council, and anecdotal input from all stakeholders. Once the data has been reviewed, areas that can be addressed through the counseling program are identified. This data drives the creation of SMART goals to improve the counseling program. The counselor also meets with the McAllen ISD Core Counseling Team to collaborate and plan for the year's pacing guide and resources.

The counselor will continuously re-evaluate SMART goals to determine that student and campus needs are being met. By being aware and knowledgeable about data, the counselor can make certain that program goals are aligned with campus needs. One-way re-evaluation data is taken in by the middle of the year 2021-2022 Student Survey. Additional data points may include attendance, discipline referrals, and pre/post surveys from students, parents, and teachers. Meetings with the Counseling Advisory Committee provide insight into the effectiveness of the interventions and programs implemented.