The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) aims to ensure that all students are college- and career-ready by requiring all schools to implement high-quality accountability systems and services for students. The ESSA impacts assessment practices in schools by requiring staff to account for a broader range of variables related to student well-being,…

"Louisiana Believes," the state's comprehensive plan to prepare students for college and career success, includes a system of related policies and programs that help schools provide students with pathways to future prosperity, give schools the resources to offer these pathways, and reward schools when students achieve their goals. This…

Recently, the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has developed and approved several documents and resources that support foundational policy and practice areas critical to the future of school psychology: (1) effective education systems; (2) comprehensive school mental and behavioral health services; and (3) the comprehensive role…

This article discusses the vital leadership role that school counselors have in reaching the profession's accountability standards. According to the school counseling program evaluation literature, this leadership responsibility is explained as it relates to four major evaluation areas commonly associated with comprehensive school counseling…

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act contains numerous implications for school counselors, but the affects of NCLB on school counselors' roles and identities has not been thoroughly explored. Further, ways comprehensive school counseling programs and school counselors can thrive while striving to meet the goals of NCLB have been ignored in previous…

Why does evaluation matter so much in school counseling? Most importantly, when school counselors evaluate their interventions and programs, they can be more certain that what they are doing is making a difference for their students. School counselors have a professional responsibility to show that what they are doing is effective. With evaluation…

It is important that counsellors provide evidence regarding the efficacy of their services. Although there has been an increased focus on generic outcome measurement of counselling programs and services, little attention has been paid to accountability issues for meeting the needs of diverse populations. This article highlights the increasing…

This manual is for district and school administrators, counselors, teachers, parents/guardians, students and others involved in the process of implementing the Knowledge and Employability policy and courses. It is intended to serve as a starting point as districts and schools introduce the new courses or make the transition from Integrated…

With recent calls for accountability in school counseling, it is imperative that counselor educators are structuring the professional identity development of counselors-in-training through guided learning experiences with a focus on demonstrated effectiveness. The author presents examples of course objectives and learning experiences from five…

Presents a model that focuses on a new approach to guidance objectives and the evaluation process. Compares client and program objectives and discusses empirical and perceptual evaluation procedures. (JAC)

The realities and needs of urban students, families, and educators have outgrown traditional individual counseling models. The American School Counselor Association's National Model and National Standards and the Education Trust's Transforming School Counseling Initiative encourage professional school counselors to shift roles toward implementing…

The ASCA National Model reflects a comprehensive approach to program foundation, delivery, management and accountability. The model provides the mechanism with which school counselors and school counseling teams will design, coordinate, implement, manage and evaluate their programs for students' success. The publication provides a framework for…