ADEPT for School Guidance Counselors

Following statewide implementation of South Carolina's ADEPT system in 1998, it became apparent that the performance standards for classroom teachers did not appropriately reflect what school guidance counselors were expected to know and to be able to do. As a result, a statewide work group, comprised of representatives from school districts, institutions of higher education, and the State Department of Education, was formed to develop appropriate performance expectations for school guidance counselors. Following an extensive field review of these performance dimensions, a formal evaluation model was developed, disseminated for field review, and subsequently piloted during the 2001-02 school year. During the summer of 2002, the members of the work group met with the participants in the pilot project to review the results of the study and to develop recommendations for revising both the performance dimensions and the evaluation model.

The ADEPT performance dimensions for school guidance counselors were approved by the State Board of Education in June 2003. The complete guidelines and materials for implementing the formal evaluation model appear in the following sections.

Training

Prior to evaluating school guidance counselors, all evaluators must successfully complete training in both the district's approved formal evaluation model and the special area model. The following materials are available to assist districts in conducting the special area evaluator training and in providing an orientation for school guidance counselors:

Materials

The following materials are needed to conduct ADEPT formal evaluations of school guidance counselors:

ADEPT Performance Standards for School Guidance Counselors (123Kb PDF)

Guidelines. This fourteen-page PDF document (82Kb PDF) includes the following information:

  • Purpose and Intended Use
  • Performance Dimensions
  • Evaluation Teams
  • Orientation
  • Required Sources of Evidence and Timelines for Data Collection
  • Documentation
  • Evaluation Judgments and Conferences
  • ADEPT for School Guidance Counselors: Formal Evaluation At-A-Glance
  • Four Program Components of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program
  • Ethical Standards for School Counselors (American School Counselor Association)

Documentation. This eight-page Microsoft Word document (170Kb DOC) (includes sample key considerations for each performance dimension and provides an electronic template that allows

  • individual evaluators to record their evidence and
  • the evaluation team to write the consensus report.

Interview Form. This four-page Microsoft Word document (67Kb DOC) includes the instructions and the interview questions necessary to collect evidence for Performance Dimensions 2, 3, and 6.

Reflection on Counseling Session. This one-page Microsoft Word document, (96Kb DOC) designed to be used as an electronic template, contains four critical elements on which the school guidance counselor is asked to reflect following each observation of a counseling session, as explained in the guidelines. This reflection, which requires the school guidance counselor to examine both practice and specific components related to student progress, is part of the evidence that is examined under Performance Dimension 4.

Reflection on Guidance Session. This one-page Microsoft Word document, (97Kb DOC) designed to be used as an electronic template, contains four critical elements on which the school guidance counselor is asked to reflect following each observation of a guidance session, as explained in the guidelines. This reflection, which requires the school guidance counselor to examine both practice and specific components related to student progress, is part of the evidence that is examined under Performance Dimension 4.

Consultation Survey. This one-page Microsoft Word document (52Kb DOC) is an example of a way in which the school guidance counselor may gather evidence regarding consultation services (Performance Dimension 5).

Consultation Summary Report. This one-page Microsoft Word document (48Kb DOC) is to be completed by the school guidance counselor and presented to the evaluation team as evidence documentation for Performance Dimension 5.

Professional Performance Description. This one-page Microsoft Word document, (40Kb DOC) designed to be used as an electronic template, is to be completed by the building administrator (and other supervisors, as appropriate) near the end of each semester of evaluation as part of the data collection process for Performance Dimension 7.

Professional Self-Report. This one-page Microsoft Word document, designed to be used as an electronic template, is to be completed by the school guidance counselor, as described in the guidelines, as part of the data collection process for Performance Dimension 7.

Evaluation Summary. This one-page Microsoft Word document (38Kb DOC) is to be completed by the evaluation team following the preliminary and final consensus meetings.

Additional Resources (Optional)

Long-Range Planning Form (Optional Template). School guidance counselors should follow their districts' guidelines for preparing their long-range plans. However, this Microsoft Word template may serve as a resource to counselors who are employed in districts that have no prescribed LRP format. Additional headings and tables may be copied and inserted for each of the Comprehensive Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program components. (66Kb DOC)


Last Updated: 10/17/2011