Nancy S. Perry, MSEd., NCC, NCSC (Retired)
NCASI Senior Consultant

For decades, counselors were asked, “Just what is IT you do?” The answer usually depended on the model in which the counselor was trained but could be summed up as EVERYTHING. This included master scheduling, test coordination, discipline, class coverage, clerical responsibilities, and other administrative duties as well as those normally associated with guidance and counseling. It was obvious that the profession had to set standards. In the 90’s, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) launched a national project to determine what these standards should be. Rather than concentrate on the individual counselor, it was decided that the standards should reflect what students should know and be able to do as a result of a good school-counseling program.

Thousands of school counselors, counselor educators, administrators, teachers, and parents were interviewed. As a result, in 1997, the National Standards for School Counseling Programs (Campbell and Dahir, 1997) were published. School counseling programs were divided into three equally important areas of development – career, academic, and personal/social. The three areas are not discreet but are interconnected. For example, a student’s personal/social development affects how they perform academically and thus what their career choices might be. The three standards in the area of career development are:

Standard A
Students will acquire the skills to investigate the world of work in relation to knowledge of self and to make informed career decisions.

Standard B
Students will employ strategies to achieve future career success and satisfaction.

Standard C
Students will understand the relationship between personal qualities, education and training, and the world of work.

From these standards, competencies were to be developed for students. The standards were embraced nationally by state departments of education, local school districts, and local schools. However, it soon became obvious that a second step needed to be taken. A national consensus had been reached on WHAT students should know and be able to do as a result of a school counseling program, but the question remained of HOW it should be accomplished. Thus, in 2001, ASCA called a summit of national leaders to begin the process of developing a model program reflecting One Vision, One Voice. In 2003, the American School Counselor Association Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (ASCA, 2003) was published. This model provides the mechanism through which school counseling teams can design, implement, manage, and evaluate a comprehensive school-counseling program.

What does this mean to you? As a Kuder user I assume that you think that helping students make informed decisions about their futures is important. You now have national research to back your desire to help students, a template to help you design, implement, manage, and evaluate such a program and, through the Kuder system, information and activities to support your efforts. Specifically, through Kuder you have:

Develop Your Future®
Curricula for middle/junior high and high school career development programs that provide strategies and activities aligned with the National Standards for School Counseling Programs. Develop Your Future I and II are available in print and online versions.

Kuder Career Planning System
Student assessment in the areas of interests, skills, and work values as well as information in areas such as career exploration including career descriptions and educational requirements, college and/or training selection, online career search, and a multitude of helpful guidance.

Person Match
A unique feature of the Kuder interest assessment that allows students to learn from real life people who match their interest profiles.

Kuder Career Portfolio
A secure, online personal portfolio for each individual to access throughout his or her lifetime. This provides students with exploration and planning resources and a storage facility for all the information that individuals have gathered throughout the Kuder system, including assessments, education plans, resumés, and favorite occupations, colleges, and scholarships.

Administrative Database
An invaluable tool in program planning and accountability. It provides composite information on assessment results, education level, ethnicity, and gender for all individuals within a database.

You now have the research to back your program, a template to design an effective program, and tools to implement and evaluate your efforts. What more do you need? Nothing. Just do it. It’s how you get there!

“We need to be the change we want to see happen. We are the leaders we have been waiting for.”

Mahatma Gandhi

References
American School Counselor Association (2003). American School Counselor Association national model: A framework for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: Author.

Campbell, C., and Dahir, C. (1997). Sharing the vision: The national standards for school counseling programs. Alexandria, VA: American School Counselor Association.

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