School counselors design and deliver school counseling programs that improve student outcomes. “The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs” outlines the components of a school counseling program that is integral to the school’s academic mission and is created to have a significant positive impact on student achievement, attendance and discipline.
The ASCA National Model guides school counselors in the development of school counseling programs that:
- are based on data-informed decision making
- are delivered to all students systematically
- include a developmentally appropriate curriculum focused on the mindsets and behaviors all students need for postsecondary readiness and success
close achievement and opportunity gaps
- result in improved student achievement, attendance and discipline
Based on the American School Counseling Association National Model
School District of Rhinelander Counseling Department, Developed 2024
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Three sets of school counseling standards define the school counseling profession. These standards help new and experienced school counselors develop, implement and assess their school counseling program to improve student outcomes.
Student Standards
ASCA Student Standards Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
Professional Standards
ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies
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To be delivered effectively, the school counseling program must be efficiently and effectively managed. The ASCA National Model provides school counselors with the following program focus and planning tools to guide the design and implementation of a school counseling program that gets results.
Program Focus
- Beliefs: School counselors believe:
- M1. Every student can learn, and every student can succeed.
- M 2. Every student should have access to and opportunity for a high-quality education.
- M 3. Every student should graduate from high school prepared for postsecondary opportunities.
- M 4. Every student should have access to a school counseling program.
- M 5. Effective school counseling is a collaborative process involving school counselors, students, families, teachers, administrators, other school staff and education stakeholders.
- M 6. School counselors are leaders in the school, district, state and nation.
- M 7. School counseling programs promote and enhance student academic, career and social/emotional outcomes
- Vision Statement: Equity, Empowerment and Excellence for ALL
- Equity
- Through equitable policies, curriculum, grading, and opportunities, we are committed to ensuring safe and successful learning experiences for all learners.
- Empowerment
- By building ownership in the learning process for students and educators, we are committed to empowering students to strive for academic and personal success.
- Excellence
- SDR is committed to providing a comprehensive, well-rounded education for all learners to reach their full potential.
At the School District of Rhinelander, our counseling department is dedicated to fostering a culture of equity, empowerment, and excellence for all students. We envision a future where every student, regardless of background or circumstance, has equitable access to the resources, support, and opportunities needed to achieve their fullest potential.
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- Mission Statement: To ensure support for students' academic, social, emotional, personal growth and career exploration.
Through personalized support, culturally responsive practices, and collaborative partnerships, we empower students to navigate challenges, set ambitious goals, and become resilient, self-advocating learners. We strive for excellence by promoting a holistic approach to student success that values diversity, cultivates empathy, and celebrates individual strengths. By championing equity and inclusivity in all aspects of our work, we aim to inspire a generation of confident, compassionate leaders who are equipped to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Program Planning
- Data-Informed School Counseling
The school counseling program’s focus and direction are based on student needs as determined through a review of the school’s data. Understanding and using data are essential to ensuring equitable services and that every student receives the benefits of the school counseling program.
The School District of Rhinelander consistently reviews school data for universal trends in attendance, academic performance, and disciplinary problems. School Counselors also collect, analyze, and interpret data for their school counseling program strategies, interventions, and activities. This data can help to determine if the program is effective and also make decisions for future practice.
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- Data is collected from all levels of SDR from the following sources:
- Social, Academic, and Emotional Behavior Risk Screener
- FastBridge Universal Screening
- Attendance Reports
- Behavioral Referrals
- Student Success Teams
- Grade Reports
- Staff and Student Temperature Checks
- Entrance and Exit Tickets for Tier II counseling
- SEL Tier I Student Feedback Form
- Community Mentoring Qualitative Observations
- Student Mentoring Qualitative Observations
- Student Connection Surveys
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School counselors deliver developmentally appropriate activities and services directly to students or indirectly for students as a result of the school counselor’s interaction with others.
These activities and services help students develop the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success and improve their achievement, attendance and discipline.
Direct Student Services
- Instruction
- Instruction includes teaching school counseling curriculum to students through the lens of the selected student standard from the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors. The curriculum is a planned, written instructional program that is comprehensive in scope and developmental in design. The instruction can occur in the classroom setting, within small groups, or with individual students.
- Appraisal and Advisement
- Appraisal is the process where school counselors work with students to analyze and assess their abilities, interests, skills, and achievements. Advisement is the process through which school counselors make recommendations based on the analysis of data to help students make decisions for their futures.
- Counseling
- Counseling is the professional assistance and support that is provided to students individually or in a small group during times of transition, heightened stress, critical change, or other situations impeding success. It is short-term and based on counseling theories that are effective in a school setting.
Indirect Student Services
- Consultation
- Consultation is the process of providing information, opinions, and recommendations to individuals who can support a student’s needs or seeking information from an expert about student needs. School counselors are specialists in academic achievement, college/career access, social/emotional development, trauma, and mental health. They can share strategies and serve as student advocates with families, teachers, and administrators.
- Collaboration
- Collaboration is the process in which multiple individuals work toward a common goal and share responsibility for the associated tasks. Examples of this could include:
- Teaching and partnering
- School or district committees
- Parent workshops
- Community partnerships
- Crisis Response
- Referrals
- Referrals occur when a student’s needs extend beyond the training or responsibilities of the school counseling role. School counselors provide instructional, advisement, and counseling services through brief, targeted approaches. When a student needs support beyond short-term services or counseling, it is a school counselor’s ethical duty to refer students and parents to community resources for additional assistance. This could include academic support such as tutoring, career support through employment training, or social and emotional support for mental health treatment to community providers.
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Academic
- Indirect:
- School based EMLSS
- Second Step lesson support for teachers
- SEL Scope & Sequence
- Student Success Team meetings
- Support Squad
- Grade Level PLC’s
- Provide Professional Development
- Direct
- Teaching supplemental lessons based on classroom needs
- Transitional support provided for 5th graders going to middle school
- Student Success Team services
- Academic small group and individual counseling
Career
- Indirect:
- Direct
- Xello Lessons with 5th grade
Social/Emotional Learning
- Indirect:
- Support Squad PLC
- Pupil Services
- District Counseling PLC
- School based EMLSS
- High School Mentors
- Community Mentors
- Food Bags
- Caring School Community (Family Needs)
- Connecting families with community resources
- Pediatricians
- Social Services
- The Human Service Center
- New Horizons
- Student Success Team meetings
- Support Squad
- Guiding Coalition Committee
- Provide Professional Development
- Direct
- Teaching 6 lessons on personal safety K-5
- Responsive Services to students in crisis
- Student Success Team services
- Breakfast Club
- Social Emotional small group and individual counseling
Academic
- Indirect:
- Scheduling of courses
- Mentoring programs
- Student Success Team meetings
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School based EMLSS
- Direct
Career
- Indirect:
- ACP website
- Collaboration with PIE
- Inspire opportunities
- School based EMLSS
- Collaboration with the RHS College and Career Counselor
- Direct
- Academic and Career Planning Lessons
- Xello Portfolio
- 8th grade conferences
- College Days at UWSP
- Shark Tank
- Bucky’s Classroom with UW Madison
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Junior Achievement
Social/Emotional Learning
- Indirect:
- Mental Health and Wellness Professional Development
- Therapy Referrals
- Student Success Team meetings
- Crisis Response
- Collaboration with OCDSS, OCSD, Human Service Center
- Collaboration with NAMI
- Mentoring programs
- CST committee
- Analyze SAEBRS data and plan interventions
- Support Squad PLC meetings
- Pupil Services
- District Counseling PLC
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School based EMLSS
- Direct
- Universal SEL Character Strong lessons
- Individual counseling
- Mental health education
- Coping skills
- Regulation skills
- Trauma informed care
- Crisis management
- Tier 2 Character Strong groups
- Coping
- Relationships
- Self-management
- Regulation
Academic
- Indirect:
- Supported Study Hall
- Learning Lab
- Referrals to HCLC, PLP, 504, IEP
- Start College Now
- Collaboration on new course creation
- PST with teachers
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Tutoring
- Direct
Career
- Indirect:
- Inspire collaboration with community agencies
- Direct
- ACP Conferences
- College Tours
- Education and Career Fair
- Youth Apprenticeship
- Senior Decision Day
- Mad Money
- Inspire
- Career Planning
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Grade Level Check ins
Social/Emotional Learning
- Indirect:
- Angel List
- SAEBRS
- Raise your Voice
- SEL curriculum
- Community Mentors
- High School Mentors
- Lunch Buddies
- Direct
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To achieve the best results for students, school counselors regularly assess their program to:
- Determine its effectiveness.
- Inform improvements to their school counseling program design and delivery.
- Show how students are different as a result of the school counseling program.
School counselors collect and analyze data to answer questions such as:
- Who participated in what activities through instruction, appraisal, advisement and counseling?
- What ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors did students learn through participation in school counseling activities?
- How did the learning affect student’s attendance, achievement or discipline?
School counselors demonstrate the effectiveness of the school counseling program as they answer each question and illustrate how their program affects student success. The results are then shared with stakeholders such as building staff, school boards, families, and the community to educate them on the program’s impact on student outcomes.
Program Assessment
The school counseling program assessment is used to analyze progress toward full implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. It also will identify program strengths and areas for improvement. This will guide future actions within school counseling programs to lead to better results for students. This will be conducted annually for each program in the district.
School counselors may create annual reports that are designed to ensure that school counseling programs are assessed for effectiveness and inform decisions related to program improvement. The two types of reports that can be used are the Classroom and Group Mindsets & Behaviors Results Reports and Closing the Gap Report from ASCA. Analyzing data from these reports contributes to a more informed approach to addressing student needs and more effective activities and interventions.
Three types of data are collected by school counselors to complete these reports. Participation data includes the number of participants that have been involved in programming along with the number of activities, lessons or sessions, and the length of time. Mindsets and Behavior Data is administered to students and provides self-reported data. It also measures student change in knowledge, skills, and attitudes through the lens of the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors. Outcome data analyzes the impact on student achievement, attendance, or discipline.
In the School District of Rhinelander, school counselors at elementary, middle, and high school levels collect these three types of data in the following ways:
- Participation
- Office check-in sheet data
- Tier 2 small group counseling participant spreadsheet
- Character Strong classroom lesson scope and sequence
- Character Strong Tier 2 scope and sequence
- Second Step scope and sequence
- Small group lesson scope and sequence
- Student Success Teams
- Community Mentoring Qualitative Observations
- Student Mentoring Qualitative Observations
- Mindsets & Behaviors
- SAEBRS
- Program Specific Forms
- Small group pre-test and post-test survey
- Feedback Survey from Teachers
- Staff and Student Temperature Checks
- Student Connection Surveys
- SEL Tier 1 Feedback Forms
- Outcome
- EMLSS Collaboration to Review Data
- Attendance
- Office Discipline Referrals
- Grade Reports
- FastBridge Universal Screening for math and reading
- SAEBRS
- SDR Plan on a Page evaluation
- EduClimber Collections review and goal setting
- Student Success Team progress monitoring
School Counselor Assessment and Appraisal
School counselors self–assess their own mindsets and behaviors to inform their professional development annually. In the School District of Rhinelander, this is done by completing an annual self-review and a Professional Practice Goal. The self-review process allows school counselors to reflect on their practice and prior evaluations to prepare for the development of their Evaluation Plan. School counselors are to review the WI School Counselor Rubric, and score themselves on all required components plus selected optional components. School counselors are encouraged to provide any rationale for the score on each component.
The ASCA National Model provides a “School Counseling Program Assessment” and a “Classroom and Group Mindsets & Behaviors Results Report” to also guide assessment and appraisal.
The purpose of analyzing this data is to determine the extent of change in student learning and outcomes. The use of this data is to promote school counseling program improvement and systemic change throughout each school. School counselors build an environment to promote this systemic change when the analysis of results is integral to the school counselor’s role.
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The ASCA (American School Counselor Association) School Counseling Model serves as a comprehensive framework for school counselors to enhance student academic achievement, career readiness, and personal/social development. It emphasizes a systematic approach that includes establishing clear program goals, delivering direct and indirect services to students, managing resources efficiently, and continually assessing and improving the effectiveness of counseling interventions. By promoting equity, advocacy, and collaboration within schools, the ASCA model ensures that all students receive the support they need to succeed academically and thrive personally.
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- Aaron Homp
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9500 ext. 8520
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- Danielle Raleigh
- School Counselor
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Email
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- Danielle Witter
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9600 ext. 2307
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Email
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- Jessica Scholtes
- School Counselor/Program Support
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Email
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- Ariel Roseland
- School Counselor
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- Melissa Clark
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9220 ext. 7234
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Email
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- Aaron Homp
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9500 ext. 8520
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- Alexis Allen
- High School/College & Career Counselor
- 715-365-9500 ext. 8519
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- Kelly Kubacki
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9500 ext. 8521
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- Tracy Hoffhein
- School Counselor
- 715-365-9500 ext. 8524
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