Discussion Post #1

Identify one area of the ASCA National Model or program development process that you are most interested in learning more about during this course. Why?

One of the hardest parts of being a teacher and counselor is collecting meaningful data and using it to redefine your curriculum. Teachers practice it when completing the EdTPA and can continue to do so through observation cycles and, potentially, a national board certification. Every year, as a school, we use professional development time to analyze our school dashboard and various standards to see where we need to maintain or improve our efforts. In our district, we are faced with the time-old question of "How do we boost student achievement?" Is it the need for more funding? Are new programs needed? Are current programs not working? Some argue that state policies and union contracts are to blame (Walters, 2026). Ultimately, to form an educated opinion and propose solutions, educators need to collect and evaluate data. That is why I am most interested in learning more about the "Assess" component of ASCA and developing my ability to assess program results and establish standards to hold my department to, which is also why I am curious about the RAMP designation (ASCA, 2025). As a history teacher, I like being able to analyze evidence for myself rather than having someone tell me the answer. I want to extend that to my own practice as a counselor, where I can competently and confidently trust the evidence I am looking at and know what to do with it. 

References

American School Counselor Association. (2025). The ASCA National Model: A framework for school counseling programs (5th ed.). American School Counselor Association.

Walters, D. (2026). Increased spending on California public schools has not raised achievement. Here’s what’s next. CalMatters. https://calmatters.org/commentary/2026/08/school-spending-california-achievement/

Discussion Post #2

School counselors should be able to explain why a particular Mindset or Behavior is relevant to the identified student need and how it will guide instruction or intervention.

Scenario Selected

Option 2: High School College, Career, and Future Planning

ASCA Student Standard #1: 

B-LS 7 — Long- and short-term academic, career, and social/emotional goals

Why I Selected This Standard: 

Juniors are in one of the most important years in the college and career-planning timeline. Many students have a general sense of what they want but lack concrete goal-setting for coursework, applications, and deadlines before they reach the grade. This standard provides students with a framework for breaking down a significant outcome into manageable steps and builds both knowledge and self-efficacy related to college and career readiness.

Learning Objective #1:

Students will be able to write one long-term goal and identify two short-term academic actions from their junior and senior year coursework that support that goal.

Likert-Scale Question #1: 

I can identify specific actions I need to take this year to work toward my long-term college or career goal.

1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly Agree

ASCA Student Standard #2: 

B-SMS 7 — Effective coping skills

Why I Selected This Standard: 

College and career planning teaches that college is the next logical step, but there is a lot of emotion leading up to it, including anxiety around testing, competitive admissions, and family expectations. Unaddressed stress can make engagement outreach less effective when we are trying to teach planning and organization skills. This standard was appropriate because readiness depends on emotional coping tools as much as academic ones.

Learning Objective #2:

Students will be able to identify at least one healthy coping strategy they can use when they feel stressed about college or career planning decisions.

Likert-Scale Question #2:

1 = Strongly Disagree 2 = Disagree 3 = Neither Agree nor Disagree 4 = Agree 5 = Strongly Agree

Reflection

Selecting the standards I wanted to focus on was straightforward. I've taught seniors for the past 5 years, and through my counseling experience over the past year, I identified the standards that are most consequential in my community. Many students are low-income and/or first-generation, making planning skills an essential area of focus and growth. Our school has also placed high expectations on both faculty and families, leading many of my students to break down under the stress, to the point that we've expanded our budget for more PSW support. We push our students hard, and we are continuously evaluating how we can best support our students while also sustaining expectations.

References

American School Counselor Association. (2025). ASCA student standards: Mindsets & behaviors for student success. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Standards/ASCA-Mindsets-Behaviors-for-Student-Success

Discussion Post #3

What do you see as the potential benefits or advantages of holding an Annual Administrator Conference?