Elementary Counselor

Chisum Independent School District•Paris, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Plan, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive school counseling program at the assigned campus. Counsel students to fully develop each student’s academic, career, personal, and social abilities and address the needs of special population students. Deliver guidance curriculum in various group sizes. Educate students on skills necessary to address troublesome circumstances, support students in challenging situations, and assist students with needed resources to navigate crisis situations. This job description complies with the 80 percent requirement for delivery of the Comprehensive School Counseling Program.

Requirements

Master’s degree in counseling from an accredited college or university
Valid Texas school counselor certificate
Knowledge of counseling procedures, student appraisal, and career development
Excellent organizational, communication, and interpersonal skills
Ability to instruct students and manage their behavior
Ability to present information in one-on-one, small group, and large group situations to students, parents or guardians, and district staff
Two years creditable experience as a classroom teacher

Responsibilities

Plan, organize, implement, and deliver structured group lessons according to the district’s guidance curriculum to improve students’ interpersonal and intrapersonal effectiveness, personal health and safety, post-secondary planning and readiness, and other developmental needs.
Teach the school guidance curriculum components through the use of effective instructional strategies and planned structured groups considering diverse student populations and needs for differentiated instruction.
Work with students, staff, parents or guardians, and the community to identify priorities where students will be served through the guidance curriculum component.
Collaborate across curricular areas to integrate guidance lessons into content area curriculum.
Create a balanced curriculum by using well-planned and intentional activities and materials, incorporating guest speakers, and offering engaging delivery techniques, including technology tools.
Use accepted theories and effective techniques of developmental guidance to respond to problematic or critical incidents to support students and offer services in time of need.
Use preventive activities to remove barriers that interfere with a student’s educational, career, personal, and social development.
Implement remediation practices to assist students in coping with problem situations or unwise choices.
Identify precipitating and antecedent factors, effective and ineffective approaches to dealing with the circumstances, and provide feedback to guide future decisions.
Use specialized skills to support students in crisis situations requiring immediate response.
Maintain a healthy and safe school environment by collaborating with district staff, parents or guardians, and local officials.
Provide continued support to students in need through individual counseling, small group counseling, consultation, or referral to services outside the school or district.
Serve as an impartial, non-reporting resource for interpersonal conflicts and discourse involving two or more students, including accusations of bullying.
Create school counseling services that are developmental and age appropriate and provide information or literature that highlights related topics to students, teachers, and administrators.
Assist individual students and their parents or guardians in monitoring their academic, career, personal, and social development as they progress in school.
Act as a student advocate, leader, collaborator, and systems change agent.
Advocate for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity and ensures equitable access and placement in courses and programs for minority, disenfranchised, homeless, and other special populations.
Interpret standardized test results, offer career development activities, provide strategies for grade level transitions, and guide students in individual goal setting and planning including creating and reviewing personal graduation plans and providing information about post-secondary opportunities.
Collect, summarize, and interpret testing data to plan, create interventions, guide students, and address specific student needs.
Conduct an annual program audit to inform accountability, action plans, time management, and systemic change.
Participate in campus-based school improvement planning and goal setting.
Provide parent or guardian and staff training and consultation to foster student educational, career, personal, and social development.
Clearly articulate and communicate the counseling program’s management system and related program action plans to campus and district staff, parents or guardians, and the community.
Participate in staff development and continuing education opportunities to improve job-related skills and research to identify best practices in implementing a comprehensive school counseling program.
Compile, maintain, and file all reports, records, and other documents.
Comply with policies established by federal and state law, State Board of Education rule, and board policy.
Comply with all district and campus routines and regulations.
Adhere to legal, ethical, and professional standards for school counselors including current professional standards of competence and practice.
Follow district safety protocols and emergency procedures.
Serve as liaison between school and home in order to facilitate and foster a positive working environment between the two.
Make personal contacts and home-visits.
Organize PFE materials, activities, and communications (newsletters, content for websites, electronic media, etc.).
Survey parents to determine needs and assess effectiveness of the PFE program.
Collaborate with school leadership and other stakeholders to make sure appropriate parent, family, and community stakeholders are involved in all PFE-related decision-making for the school.
Provide PFE professional development and training to staff and families.
Share knowledge and expertise regarding compliance with the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 1116.
Provide PFE tips, strategies, and ideas to staff and parents.
Engage parents to become full partners with the school.
Develop a monthly calendar of PFE events and/or a PFE newsletter.
Carry out the activities noted in the Campus Written Parent and Family Engagement Policy.
Other duties as assigned that are related to the PFE requirements noted in ESSA, Section 1116.
Maintain compliance documentation to show evidence of implementation of the requirements noted in ESSA, Section 1116.
Supervise assigned counseling aide(s) and clerical employee(s).