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Slide #1 Professional Perspective - Minde Ivy

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Slide #1 Professional Perspective - Minde Ivy

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Professional organizations suggest school counselors spend 80% of their time in direct student services and 20% in indirect student services. In 2021, Texas passed legislation requiring school counselors to track how their time is spent. This guide will provide information to administrators and teachers as to the requirements of school counselors in this regard.

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When school counselors are tasked with inappropriate duties, less time is available to ensure students are being properly served. It is the duty of a professional school counselor to evaluate their comprehensive school counseling program to ensure their time is being spent on appropriate school counseling activities.

The American School Counselors Association clearly outlines duties deemed appropriate for school counselors and dictates that school counselors should spend 80% of their time in direct or indirect student services while 20% of their time should be spent in program planning and school support activities (ASCA National Model Executive Summary). However, many school counselors, especially in small school districts in Texas, are tasked with many other "duties as assigned". Recent Texas legislation and rulings from the Commissioner of Education have further supported legal requirements set forth by the Texas Education Code determining time tracking requirements by school counselors to ensure compliance by counselors and school districts.

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The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) supports school counselors by providing professional development opportunities, publications, and advocacy as they steer students toward success in school and help prepare them to be responsible members of society.

The ASCA National Model Executive Summary outlines the four components school counselors should follow for a successful school counseling program. These include defining school counseling standards to develop, implement, and assess a program; managing the program; delivering appropriate activities and services; and assessing the program's effectiveness.

ASCA National Model Executive Summary. (n.d.).
https://schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/bd376246-0b4f-413f-b3e0-1b9938f36e68/ANM-executive-summary-4th-ed.pdf

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In this article, Greiner & Hatton (2023) answer questions from school counselors in regard to advocating for implementation of the ASCA National Model.

Topics include:

Professional advocacy - How to share the role of a school counselor to align the program with the ASCA National Model.

Fair-Share Responsibilities - School counselors are often tasked with non-counseling duties that may interfere with appropriate school counseling duties.  It is important to align program to spend 80% of time in direct services with students and 20% of time in indirect services with students.

School Improvement Goals - School counselors should review data to assess needs of the students and work collaboratively with school leadership to set improvement goals.

Greiner, A., & Hatton, C. (2023, July 1). Advocating for the ASCA national model. American School Counselor Association (ASCA). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Magazines/July-August-2023/Advocating-for-the-ASCA-National-Model

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While school counselors at Marlin High School were never directly mentioned in the following article, it is a testimony to the importance of school counselor's time management being utilized appropriately.

An internal audit by officials at Marlin High School, in Marlin, Texas, found that only 5 of 33 seniors in the Class of 2023 were eligible to graduate.

The internal audit of attendance, grades, and credits found students lacking credits to graduate due to failure to complete classes, failure of classes, or falling below Texas’ required 90 percent attendance rule.

School officials determined the graduation ceremony would be delayed to give the students who had not met graduation requirements an opportunity to do so.

By June 8, all students in the Class of 2023 at Marlin High School had met minimum state requirements for graduation and walked the stage at ceremonies on June 22, 2023.

Chappell, B. (2023, June 13). The Texas high school that delayed graduation says 100% of seniors are ready to walk. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181754101/texas-high-school-graduation-delayed-seniors

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Slide #6 - Federal Law - United States Constitution Tenth Amendment

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Slide #6 - Federal Law - United States Constitution Tenth Amendment

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Law

United States Constitution Tenth Amendment

“The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”

Reference List Citation for the Original Law

U.S. Const. amend. X.

Source of Law

Constitutional Law

URL to the Original Law

https://constitution.congress.gov/constitution/amendment-10/

Summary

The purpose of the Tenth Amendment was to reiterate what the people believed when the Constitution was adopted: that any powers not expressly granted to the United States were reserved to the States or the people.

The Tenth Amendment gives each state the freedom to adopt laws specific to the needs of their citizens.

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Slide 7 - Statutory Law - School Counselors and Counseling Programs

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Slide 7 - Statutory Law - School Counselors and Counseling Programs

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Law

Texas Education Code § 33.006, School Counselors and Counseling Programs

“The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to counsel students to fully develop each student's academic, career, personal, and social abilities.”

Reference List Citation for the Original Law

School Counselors and Counseling Program, Tex. Educ. Code § 33.006

Source of Law

Statutory Law

URL to the Original Law

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.33.htm

Summary

The purpose of this Texas statute is to outline General Duties for school counselors in Texas tasked with planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental guidance program.

This includes addressing the special needs of determined populations, consulting and coordinating with stakeholders, interpreting data, delivering guidance curriculum, and serving as a non-reporting resource for conflicts.

This statute also delineates board of trustee duties in regard to school counselors spending 80% of their total work time on components of a comprehensive school counseling program.

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Slide #8 - Statutory Law - Texas Senate Bill 179

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Slide #8 - Statutory Law - Texas Senate Bill 179

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Law

Act of 2021, Texas Senate Bill 179

“Section 33.006, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsections (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h)…”

Reference List Citation for the Original Law

Act of 2021, Tex. S.B. 179, 87th R.S., ch. 938, (2021)

Source of Law

Statutory Law

URL to the Original Law

https://capitol.texas.gov/tlodocs/87R/billtext/pdf/SB00179F.pdf

Summary

S.B. 179 works to restore balance to public school counselors’ work time.

It amends Section 33.006 of the Texas Education Code adding five sections to determine how much time counselors spend in direct and indirect contact with students and how much of their time is spent on other inappropriate duties assigned by individual school districts.

It also lists requirements of school districts if it is determined that school counselors must spend less that 80 percent of their time on appropriate counseling duties and requires districts to annually assess for compliance.

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Slide #9 - Administrative Law - Commissioner’s Rules Concerning Counseling Public School Students

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Slide #9 - Administrative Law - Commissioner’s Rules Concerning Counseling Public School Students

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Law

Title 19, Texas Administrative Code § 61.1073

Commissioner’s Rules Concerning Counseling Public School Students

Reference List Citation for the Original Law

School Districts, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 61.1073

Source of Law

Administrative Law

URL to the Original Law

https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/laws-and-rules/commissioner-rules-tac/coe-tac-currently-in-effect/ch061gg.pdf

Summary

The Texas Education Agency adopted the Commissioner's Rules Concerning Counseling Public School Students in May 2023, which required school counselors to track and document their time using a standardized tracking tool.

Rule 61.1073 further determines the Annual Assessment of School District Compliance with S.B. 179 regarding how school districts assess school counselor compliance.

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Slide #10 - Administrative Law - De Leon ISD School Counseling Program

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Slide #10 - Administrative Law - De Leon ISD School Counseling Program

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Law

De Leon ISD School Counseling Program

Elementary and Secondary Program Balance

Reference List Citation for the Original Law

(2022). De Leon ISD School Counseling Program.

Source of Law

Administrative Law

URL to the Original Law

No link available

Summary

The Elementary and Secondary Program Balance section of the De Leon ISD School Counseling Program handbook delineates how campus counselors should document their time on appropriate and inappropriate duties to comply with S.B. 179 and the Commissioner’s Rules Concerning Counseling Public School Students.

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ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors

B.2.c. Advocate for a school counseling program free of non-school-counseling assignments identified by “The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs”

Citation

ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. (n.d.). https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

The American School Counselor Association advocates for appropriate use of school counselor's time. Standard B.2.c is useful tool when discussing and building a comprehensive school counseling program with stakeholders.

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Citation
Learn how to navigate and track time in alignment with SB 179. TSCA Lunch and Learn - Texas School Counselor Association. (n.d.). https://tsca.txca.org/tsca_lunch_and_learn.php

Link
https://player.vimeo.com/video/683937411?h=16a303063e

The Texas School Counselor Association provides interactive virtual trainings and information on a wide range of topics. This particular presentation gives helpful insight in regard to meeting requirements of S.B. 179 as well as using data to advocate for a comprehensive school counseling program.

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Slide #13 - Recommendations/Best Practices for Compliance

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Slide #13 - Recommendations/Best Practices for Compliance

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Recommendations and Best Practices

Develop an understanding of the components of a comprehensive school counseling program including the four service delivery components, data, data collection, and advocating for your program.

Advocate for a comprehensive school counseling program with stakeholders including community members, administrators and the school board.

Share school counselor responsibilities with students, teachers, administrators and the school board.

Evaluate the school counseling program/duties to ensure time is being spent on appropriate school counseling duties.

Utilize a system for tracking time spent in direct and indirect contact with students.

Seek professional development opportunities to remain aware of updates and changes in the school counselor realm.