Section III

Foundational Components

GUIDANCE & COUNSELING

MISSION STATEMENT

The Weslaco ISD guidance and counseling department follows the Texas Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and 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 WISD Guidance & Counseling/Social Work mission is to implement a comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling program for our students in grades Pre-K - 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
Career planning

We encourage parents to make an appointment with their child's counselor to view the guidance curriculum and discuss what they can do together to create the most successful educational experience possible.

RATIONALE

Weslaco 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.

ASSUMPTIONS

For the Weslaco ISD 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.
  - 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 session; 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:

Weslaco High School Improvement Plan (1).pdf

Weslaco High School counseling program evaluation conducts an informal evaluation using Panorama 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.