School Counselor - High School

GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

Under the direction of the School Counselor Coordinator and building principal, plans and provides for appropriate services for students. Provides an atmosphere and environment conducive to the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of all students. Develops, selects, and modifies counseling lessons and materials to meet the needs of all students. Monitors appropriate use and care of equipment, materials, and facilities. Provides leadership, advocacy, collaboration, and consultation with all school stakeholders. Addresses student needs through prevention and intervention programs.

ESSENTIAL TASKS

The following duties are normal for this position. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude other duties if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment for this position. While this is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job description. Other duties may be required and assigned.

• Provides services to students in the areas of academic, personal / social, and career development.
• Counsels students individually and in small groups.
• Conducts classroom counseling activities.
• Exposes students to career exploration and interest inventories.
• Reviews school data frequently to ensure that the school counseling program is meeting the academic, career, and personal / social development of all students.
• Prepares reports, records, lists, and all other required information and data.
• Encourages teacher / parent communication and community involvement.
• Assists students in conflict resolution / peer mediation.
• Manages crises.
• Assists in the identification of students with special needs.
• Refers students to intervention / remediation programs, as well as academic and alternative programs to ensure academic success and personal well-being.
• Interprets student records.
• Refers students to appropriate school personnel and community agencies.
• Participates in SST, Child Study, 504 meetings, and RTI meetings.
• Participates in parent / teacher conferences.
• Serves as a resource for school personnel and parents.
• Maintains a variety of files / records and a departmental library of supplementary and reference materials.
• Follows required procedures and practices.
• Submits monthly time and task reports electronically, including accountability reports as requested.
• Attends division-wide counselor meetings.
• Participates in professional development activities.
• Serves all students but is specifically responsible for students in counselor caseload.
• Conducts individual student academic program planning.
• Discusses graduation requirements, diploma plans, verified credits, scholarships, and financial aid with students.
• Informs students of all post-secondary options.
• Prepares for and informs students about standardized testing (SAT).
• Informs students about the importance of extracurricular activities.
• Keeps the school-based counseling department coordinator informed of any problems encountered.
• Participates in department's school counseling activities.
• Participates in counselor-related school / division activities.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Knowledge of counseling theories and skills, group dynamics, and small group processes; extensive knowledge of K-12 child and multi-cultural development; demonstrates working knowledge of the ASCA Model; knowledge of K-12 instructional programs; knowledge of Virginia Standards of Learning; working knowledge of the juvenile justice system and laws that apply to juveniles; thorough knowledge of local, state, and federal standards; demonstrates considerable knowledge of FERPA, IDEA, McKinney-Vento Act, ESL, the RCPS school counseling curricula, and laws concerning student rights and confidentiality, as well as other state and federal mandates; working knowledge of student database systems; thorough knowledge of standardized testing and procedures and interpretation of scores; working knowledge of gifted and special education programs; knowledge of promotion and retention requirements; excellent oral and written communication and human relations skills; ability to work with administrators, colleagues, central office and school based staff, students, parents and communities.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

Master's Degree from an approved school counselor education program or a Virginia Postgraduate Professional teaching license with an endorsement as a School Counselor.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Performs professional work advising, assisting and counseling students. Work requires frequent standing, sitting, walking and light lifting up to 10 pounds. Effective verbal and written communication skills for expressing or exchanging ideas, hearing to perceive information at a normal spoken word level and visual acuity for preparing and analyzing written or computer data. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential tasks.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Primarily temperature controlled and clean office environment.

RCPS is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person(s) has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies : Hayley Poland - Title IX Coordinator (540) 853-1393.