Section III

Foundational Components

GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

MISSION STATEMENT

The Weslaco High School counseling department follows the Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Program, which is an integral part of the total educational program. It provides a systematic, planned approach for helping all students acquire and apply basic life skills by making optimal use of the special knowledge and skills of school counselors.

This program is based on four components, which are as follows:

Guidance Curriculum- the purpose of the guidance curriculum is to help students acquire age-appropriate knowledge and skills within the scope of the following content areas: self-confidence, development, motivation to achieve, decision-making, goal setting, planning, problem-solving skills, interpersonal effectiveness, and responsible behavior.

Responsive Services-the purpose of the responsive services component is to intervene on behalf of those students whose immediate personal concerns or problems put their continued personal-social, career, and/or educational development at risk.

Individual Planning- the purpose of the individual planning system is to guide all students as they plan, monitor, and manage their own educational career and personal social development.

Systems Support-this component describes services and management activities that indirectly benefit students.

Definition

The Weslaco High School Guidance & Counseling mission is to implement a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program for students in grades 9 - 12 promoting student success through focus on academic achievement, prevention, and intervention activities, advocacy, and social/emotional and career development to meet the needs of the students and community of WISD.

The comprehensive development guidance and counseling program model is embedded into the WISD academic curriculum and covers these strands: self-knowledge and acceptance, interpersonal and communication skills, conflict resolution, decision-making/problem-solving, motivation to achieve, goal setting, and career planning.

The features that make the Weslaco High School Guidance & Counseling program organized include:

Comprehensive Developmental Approach: The program is designed to address multiple aspects of student growth, including academic achievement, prevention, intervention, advocacy, and social-emotional and career development.
Grade-Specific Focus: The program targets students in grades 9-12, tailoring guidance and counseling efforts to the developmental needs of high school students. This grade-specific focus allows counselors to provide relevant support at each stage of students' academic and social-emotional journey.
Integration with Academic Curriculum: The guidance and counseling program is embedded within the WISD academic curriculum, ensuring that students receive support and instruction in key developmental areas as part of their overall education.
Structured Strands: The program covers clearly defined strands such as self-knowledge and acceptance, interpersonal and communication skills, conflict resolution, decision-making/problem-solving, motivation to achieve, goal setting, and career planning. These strands provide a structured framework for the program’s content, helping counselors deliver consistent and focused guidance.
Collaboration with Parents: The program encourages parental involvement by inviting parents to meet with counselors to review the guidance curriculum. This collaboration ensures that parents are partners in supporting their child’s academic and personal development.
Focus on Student and Community Needs: The program is designed to meet the needs of both the students and the broader community of the Weslaco Independent School District (WISD), emphasizing a holistic approach to student development.

These features create an organized and effective structure that supports students' academic and social-emotional personal growth.

RATIONALE

Weslaco High School 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.

Based on the data, there was an improvement in students' perception of their own social-emotional skills in 7 out of the 8 measured domains. Counselors have been instrumental in fostering these skills through their dedicated efforts with the Panorama program and the results below are evidence of that.

ASSUMPTIONS

For the Weslaco High School Comprehensive Counseling Program to be fully and effectively implemented at Weslaco High School, certain criteria must be met as mentioned below.

1. - The school counselors hold a Master's level degree and are certified in school counseling through the State of Texas.
  - School counselors are responsible for the planning and management responsibilities of the school counseling program using the four components of the Texas Model; Individual Planning, Responsive Services, System Support and Guidance and Counseling.
  - 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.

PROGRAM GOAL DEVELOPMENT

Goals are developed annually beginning in June of the concluding school year and finalized in August of the new school year. This allows the Weslaco H.S. Counseling Team to reflect and draw conclusions using data and input from the prior school year using the Panorama survey data; allowing for continual growth and improvement of services provided by Counseling Team members and the Counseling Program.

An annual student needs assessment is administered each Fall Semester (September) to collect data that is then used by the Counseling Team to determine topics of focus for guidance and program goals that will contribute to the WHS Campus Improvement Plan.

Weslaco High School utilizes research-backed surveys through Panorama. The quantitative and qualitative surveys include school-based customized questions for students, teachers, and staff. They are provided twice a year, at the beginning of the Fall and Spring semesters.

Here is the link to the sample Student SEL & Well-Being Survey being provided to students.

Here is the link to the sample Student Support & Environment Survey provided to students.

Here is the link to the sample Staff survey.

Texas Education Agency (2018). Texas model for comprehensive school counseling programs (5th ed.). Texas Counseling Association. https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/Pub_2018_Texas-Model_5th-Edition.pdf

Counseling Program Evaluation

Campus Improvement Plan 24-25 (1).pdf

Weslaco High School counseling program evaluation conducts an informal evaluation using Panorama survey data from the student and staff surveys and the results from the Needs Assessment of Counseling Program Google Form from all stakeholders.

The Counseling Committee reviews data from the Needs Assessment Google Form and the Panorama surveys distributed in the Fall semester to assess the needs of students and staff at Weslaco High School.

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