ADEPT for School Guidance Counselors
Background
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:
- A training videotape (October 2003) may be obtained from each district's ADEPT coordinator and/or from the Distance Education Learning Center (DELC).
- A PowerPoint presentation, ADEPT for School Guidance Counselors, may be downloaded from this site.
The following materials are needed to conduct ADEPT formal evaluations of school guidance counselors:
Guidelines. This fourteen-page PDF document 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 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 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, 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, 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 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 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, 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 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.
Additional Information
Questions or requests for additional information about ADEPT for School Guidance Counselors may be addressed to Kathy Meeks.
The Division of Teacher Quality would like to thank the following individuals whose contributions helped make this project possible.
Video Participants
Carolyn Donges
SC State Department of Education
Dr. Ronald Miles
Educational Consultant
Peggy Perry
Richland School District 1
Dr. Dean Patrick
Richland School District 1
Work Group Participants
Dr. Kathy Evans
USC - Columbia
Linwood Floyd
Greenville County School District
Dr. Ronald Miles
Richland County School District 1
Carolyn Price
Berkeley County School District
Rob Rhodes
Oconee County School District
Dr. LaBarbara Sampson
Greenville County School District
Sylvia Scott
Lee County School District
Dr. Donna Shealy
Lexington County School District 1
Brenda Story
Spartanburg School District 7
Dr. Charmainine Stratford
Lancaster County School District
Connye Zirkle
Charleston County School District
Pilot Project Participants
Shannon Askins
Lexington County School District 1
Elizabeth Baerreis
Lexington County School District 1
Dedra Baskin
Kershaw County School District
Rebecca Bowers
Horry County School District
Florine Boyd
Lee County School District
Kerren Bradley
Lee County School District
Betty Burgess
Lee County School District
Ginger Catoe
Kershaw County School District
Kelly Dickerson
Lexington County School District 1
Rebecca Edney
Lee County School District
Susannah Fleming
Kershaw County School District
Judy Ford
Kershaw County School District
Terri Freeze
Laurens County School District 55
Delaney Frierson
Williamsburg School District
Margaret Funkhouser
Horry County School District
Janice Gamble
Williamsburg School District
McArthur Hair
Lee County School District
Jim Hamby
Lexington County School District 1
Mary Ann Hinson
Kershaw County School District
Sid Hopkins
Kershaw County School District
Linda Huell
Williamsburg School District
Joyce Jackson
Horry County School District
Sherry Kennedy
Lexington County School District 1
Earline McClary
Lee County School District
Rebecca McKenzie
Lexington County School District 1
Kristy Mills
Lexington County School District 1
Roger Mize
Laurens County School District 55
Cheryl Mott-Sims
Lee County School District
Angela Peery
Horry County School District
Carolyn Powell
Williamsburg School District
Derhonda Ross
Kershaw County School District
Caretha Sabb
Williamsburg School District
Helen Short
Laurens County School District 55
Fred Stephens
Lee County School District
Pat Thornley
Lexington County School District 1
Julie Tworzanski
Lexington County School District 1
Beth Valerio
Kershaw County School District
Joe Walker
Laurens County School District 55
Ken Watson
Horry County School District
Flora Youmans
Laurens County School District 55
Special acknowledgements to former staff members of the SC Department of Education
Dr. Angela Bain
Dr. Peggy Torrey