The management system, incorporates organizational processes, assessments and tools to ensure that the Fayetteville-Manlius school counseling program is organized, concrete, clearly delineated, and reflective of each school’s needs. These processes and tools include: annual agreements of responsibilities, use of data, action plans, time and task analysis, and monthly calendars.
Annual Agreements and School Counselor Goals
The Fayetteville-Manlius School Counseling Program values best practices in order to effectively serve our students. The counseling program is developmental in nature, and we set annual goals based on various types of student data (attendance, grades and behavior). Data is also collected from students and parents via surveys, program evaluations, and anecdotal student, parent or teacher input.
We aim to help all students, no matter their individual circumstances, to help them succeed and to develop the skills necessary to become contributing members of their community.
Program goals are developed annually in alignment with the vision, mission and the goals of the district, building and department. An annual agreement, including school counselor goals, will be developed at the beginning of the school year by each counselor. These agreements and goals will be shared with and approved by the building principal.
School Counseling Partnership Committee (SCPC)
Fayetteville-Manlius has a counseling program advisory council called the School Counseling Partnership Committee. Current participants include the following stakeholders: school counselors, teachers, building and/or district administrators, parents, Board of Education members, community business partners, college admission members, clergy, outside therapists/service providers, school social workers and/or school psychologists, and Town of Manlius Police Department representative. The SCPC shall meet no less than twice a year to review and support implementation of the Counseling Plan. SCPC recommendations shall be documented and made available to the superintendent and the Board of Education.
The purpose of the SCPC is to:
- Provide feedback on program goals developed and shared by the school counselors
- Review program results based on annual data presented at the meetings
- Make recommendations about the school counseling program
- Serve as advocates for the program
Use-of-Time Assessments
It is recommended that school counselors spend 80% of their time delivering services to students. In order to measure this marker, counselors will track their time, in detail, for one week each in the fall and spring.
Use of Annual and Weekly Calendars
Counselors maintain calendars to keep students, parents, teachers and administrators informed of counseling events, and to allow counselors to track their time. Secretaries have shared access to a counselor’s calendar in order to enhance communication.
Use of Data
A comprehensive school counseling program is data driven and measures the results of the program. School counselors can show that each activity was developed based on the students’ needs, achievements, and/or related data. Data can also inform and support the need for systemic change.
At each level (Elementary, Middle, and High School), school counselors will review and discuss data driven needs for the student population. This may include review of graduation rates, attendance rates, behavior referrals and standardized test scores.
For every desired outcome, there must be a goal how the result will be achieved. Each goal should be “SMART” and include: competencies addressed, description of activity, timeline in which the activity will be completed, who is responsible for delivery, means of evaluating student success, expected results. Each counselor will decide on a plan of action at his/her level to meet student need in his/her building.