There are 35 standards in the ASCA Mindset and Behaviors that school counselors are to help their students achieve.  ASCA (2019).  I personally believe that every student has the ability to achieve all 35 standards during their time in school.  As it is my goal to work with the primary grades in elementary student, I feel that it is important to start these core standards at this young age.  Their little brains are like sponges during that time, so the more positivity and guidance that we can give, the better for their longterm success.  I believe with the right guidance all students can have self-respect, positive attitudes, the ability to think critically, and demonstrate responsibility.  All 35 standards are incredibly important, but I feel that the latter can sometimes be lacking in students and may cause challenges in the classroom.  I think that if those standards are well-practiced, every student has all the ability in the world to achieve their goals.  

I feel that one of the most important roles of a student counselor is being an advocate for their students.  An SC needs to be able to recognize challenges that their students are facing.  No matter if it is academic, career or social/emotional development, an SC needs to address the challenges and remove any barrier that student may have.  Younger students may not yet have the ability to understand their difficulties or may be unaware how to communicate such challenges.  I feel that it will be my job to do this for my young students and be their voice in order to help them find success in school.  It is also my job to provide them with the skills and knowledge to understand and address these issues and to help them understand that they are to be respected and treated with dignity. ASCA (2022)

The Ethical Standards of the ASCA should serve as the core for all work done by a SC.  The ASCA (2022) states: “School counselors demonstrate the belief that all students have the ability to learn by advocating for and contributing to an education system that provides optimal learning environments for all students.”  In order to achieve this as a SC, we must abide by the ethical standards to ensure all students recieve respect, feel safe, and have equal opportunities.  These standards are in place so that there are guidelines in how we support student development, promote confidentiality, and how to act professionally in our field.  It is of the upmost importance that we collaborate with students, staff, and families and we do so in way that is ethical and professional.  We strive to be counselors, however we are all human, so these guidelines are set forth to give us guidance and serve as the basic standards of our practice.  

As a school counselor, I want to advocate for all my students to have equal opportunities throughout their educational career.  I want to practice ethically to promote self-respect, self-esteem, and self- awareness in all my students no matter their gender, race, age, socio or economical background.  I wish for all my students to know that they are important and are capable of success. 

After completing the School Counselor Competency Assessment, I realized that I have clear strengths and areas of improvement regarding the ASCS standards.  My general strengths are in the areas of mindset and leadership. 
The areas I will need to improve would be legality issues and utilizing relevant and established data in my practice.  In general, I found that there are areas that I seem to be already practicing but will need to adjust to reflect the ASCA standards and that there are areas that are pretty foreign to me that I will need to address.  

The areas I needed the most improvement were B-PF 2: Demonstrate Understanding of education systems, legal issues, policies, research, and trends in education and B-PE 4: Develop and implement action plans aligned with annual student outcome goals and student data.  ASCA (2019) 
In B PF-2, I found many facets of SC that I still need to explore.  I excel in behavior and making connections with my students.  However, after completing the assessment, I was even more aware of the legal issues, research, policies, and trends that must be considered when practicing.  I need to start delving into these details to be knowledgeable in my practice.
In B-PE 4, I recognized that I would need to utilize established data and an evidence-based curriculum for my students.  In my current position, I have more loose interpretations and work with my students based on my experiences and opinions.  I must retrain my brain to procure and utilize established evidence-based data.  I can foresee this as a challenge, so this is an area of improvement for me.  

The two biggest strengths were the mindsets of school counselors and B-PF 7: Demonstrate leadership through the development and implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program.  ASCA (2019) I already have a great understanding of the mindset of a SC.  I firmly believed and put a ‘5’ down for all M1-M7.  That will only strengthen as I learn and create my professional foundation. 
In section B-PF7, I also had a high score.  This section highlights leadership and its importance as an SC. I prefer to take the lead role and typically do so in my career.  When I started in my position at an elementary school, I immediately got to know the leadership team and got involved in whatever I could.  An SC needs to be known to the students and be seen as a leadership figure.  I need to hone in on my newfound knowledge of the ASCA standards to bring that to my role.  

American School Counselor Association (2019). The ASCA national model: A framework for school counseling programs (4th ed.). Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association

(n.d.). The Garden of Greatness. Kids Health in the Classroom. https://classroom.kidshealth.org/classroom/prekto2/personal/growing/self_esteem.pdf