Middle School Counselor

Urbana School District #116

TITLE: Middle School Counselor

LOCATION: Urbana Middle School  

SUPERVISOR:  Building Principal and/ or Assistant Principal

JOB SUMMARY:  The School Counselor serves to provide counseling to assist students in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development. School Counselors provide individual planning sessions for each student in collaboration with faculty, staff, and parents to better understand and meet the needs of all students through classroom guidance and small group and individual counseling.  

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS: Develop and deliver a school counseling curriculum and assist students in the areas of academic, career, and personal/social development.

• Collaborate with faculty, staff, and parents to better understand and meet the needs of all students
• Provide individual and small-group counseling
• Provide support for study skills, self-esteem, and academic success
• Make appropriate referrals of students and parents to outside agencies and specialists when necessary
• Present self as a visible body in the school by participating in a variety of activities that contribute to the school's effectiveness
• Continually plan, evaluate, and revise the school counseling program
• Pursue continuous professional development and growth
• Promote an understanding and appreciation for diverse populations
• Prepare students for transition to the next level (elementary to middle school, middle to high school, high school to post-high school)
• Interpret tests, student data, and other assessments and appropriately discuss results with students and/or parents/guardians
• Assist students in times of emotional need and/or crisis
• Provide information and skills to parents, school staff, administration, and the community to assist them in helping students with academic, career, and social development
• Assist parents in addressing school-related problems; refer parents to outside agencies and specialists when necessary
• Utilize resources available within the school and community to develop appropriate programs
• Advocate for equal access to programs and services for all students
• Coordinate and assist with student testing programs and benchmark assessments
• Systematically develop student planning for elementary school, middle school, high school, and/or post-high school
• Address objectives for each grade level as needed
• Support attendance initiative
• Attend and coordinate grade-level team meetings that focus on student needs, such as remediation plans, 504 plan meetings and monitoring, problem-solving team meetings, etc.
• Assist in the supervision of the grade-level lunch
• Provide grade level “talks” about grading and success as appropriate
• Placement in Recapture classes, Summer Academy
• Attend centralized registration and assist in student registration processes
• Monitor student progress toward academic and social-emotional goals
• Articulate the school counseling program to students, parents, teachers, staff, and community
• Develop and maintain skills needed to utilize technology systems and participate in professional development opportunities
• Participate in school decision-making and in activities that contribute to the effectiveness of the school
• Cooperate and collaborate with other professional in enhancing the education of students
• Communicate with administrators, teachers, staff, parents, and students as to the role of the school counselor in the overall educational process  

• Create student schedules and assist in coordination for intervention courses such as math connections, reading connections, homework connections, algebra, and college prep algebra. By analyzing data, counselors will help to determine eligibility for these classes.

QUALIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION

• Master's degree in school counseling
• Meet the Illinois certification requirements for school counselor
• 2-3 years of experience, except in the case of a new college graduate

SKILLS

• Spanish language proficiency is desired
• Strong oral and written communication skills 
• Must work well within a team environment

LICENSES/CREDENTIALS:  Illinois educator license with an endorsement in School Counseling

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Adhere to the ethical standards of state and national school counselor associations
• Demonstrate knowledge of local policies and state and federal laws pertaining to school counseling
• Demonstrate personal growth and professional development in the area of school counseling

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:  

• Salary and Benefit information can be found on the Human Resources webpage.  There are many opportunities for employees to earn additional compensation (stipends, differentials, extra duty pay, etc.) during the regular school year and in the summer.
• This is a position within the collective bargaining unit and is not an administrative position.
• This is an exempt position.
• Teacher’s schedule; additional days after to make schedules and/or provide counseling as needed by the school district. 

EVALUATION:  Performance will be evaluated by the Principal or designee using the district's evaluation tool in accordance with the provisions of the negotiated agreement.

START DATE:  School Year 2025-2026

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

REVISED:  February 2025