PURPOSE: The purpose of the guidance curriculum is to help students develop basic life skills. It is the foundation of a developmental guidance program. The developmental guidance curriculum has a scope and sequence for student competency development. The curriculum is taught in small or classroom-sized groups of students by counselors, staff members or other consultants. The curriculum is designed for the use of a variety of materials and other resources. As members of instructional teams, school counselors help to determine how the guidance curriculum is integrated with other instructional objectives.

Goals of the FISD Grades PK-5 Guidance Curriculum

Self Confidence Development

• Identifying and managing feelings

• Anger Management

Interpersonal Effectiveness

• Anti-Bullying

• Respect for Others

• Healthy Friendships

• Communication Skills

Problem-Solving Skills

• Personal

• With Peers

• Personal Safety/Anti-Victimization

• With Adults

• Academic

Drug, Alcohol, Tobacco Awareness

• Prevention

Cross-Cultural Effectiveness

• Appreciate their own culture

• Respect others as individuals and accept them for their cultural membership

• Relate effectively with others based on appreciation for differences

Career and Educational Opportunities

• Motivation to Achieve

• Goal setting; decision making

Opportunities to provide Guidance Curriculum Objectives

• Classroom settings

• Assemblies

• Multi-cultural activities

• Career Day/College Week

• Educational awareness activities

• School wide recognition programs

• Applicable TEKS

• 5 th Grade Camp

Counselor's Role

Program Management
Guidance
Consultation
Counseling
Student Appraisal
Coordination

INDIVIDUAL PLANNING FOR GRADES PK-5

PURPOSE: The purpose of the individual planning system is to assist students for optimal academic and personal-social development. Schools will use a variety of resources including staff, information and activities to assist students. This may include referral for special educational programs such as gifted, bilingual, at-risk, special education, 504, etc. Parental involvement is essential to facilitate appropriate placement decisions for students. Through the individual planning system, students are assisted in

• Being motivated to achieve

• Setting challenging educational, career and personal-social goals

• Making plans for achieving short, intermediate and long term goals

• Assessing their current progress toward their goals

Examples of Individual Planning

• Interpretation of standardized test results

• Career development activities

• Transition from one school level to the next

• Interpretation of requirements necessary for promotion to the next grade

• Registration, orientation and placement of new students

• Referral for appropriate educational services

• Development of positive self-image and responsible behavior through limited individual counseling (usually 6 sessions or less)

Opportunities for Individual Planning

• Individual counseling sessions

• STARS Team

• Parent conferences

• Teacher/staff conferences

• ARD meetings

• 504 meetings

• Classroom settings

• Career Activities

• Education awareness activities

• Assemblies

• Acceleration testing

• Peer Mediation

Counselor's Role

Program Management
Counseling
Guidance
Coordination
Consultation
Student Appraisal

RESPONSIVE SERVICES FOR GRADES

PK-5 PURPOSE: The purpose of the responsive services component is to intervene on behalf of those students whose immediate personal concerns or problems put their continued personal-social, career and/or educational development at risk. Some services are preventive such as interventions with students who are on the brink of choosing an unhealthy or inappropriate solution to their problems or who are unable to cope with a situation. Some services are remedial such as interventions with students who have already made unwise choices or those who are not coping effectively with problem situations.

Counselor Response

• Counseling individuals or small groups of students

• Consulting with staff and parents

• Referring students, parents and staff members to other specialist, special programs or resources

• Facilitating the use of programs and services with other professionals

• Follow-up with students to monitor their progress toward resolution of their problems

Examples of Areas of Response

Personal

• Stress

• Peer relationships

• Family issues

• Harassment issues

• Grief

• Intervention and postvention of a traumatic event

• Gang pressure/involvement

• Substance abuse

• Child abuse and neglect

• Suicide

Academic

• Academic success

• Attendance

• School attitudes and behaviors

• Study skills

• New student adjustment

Opportunities and Personnel to Provide Responsive Services

• Individual and group sessions

• Classroom settings

• Nurse

• STARS Team

• Crisis Response Team

• Community agencies

• Mediation

• 504 meetings

• ARD meetings

• RTI meetings

• Staff/parent consultation

• Student Resource Officer

• Communities in Schools

Counselor's Role

• Counseling

• Consultation

• Coordination

• Student Appraisal

SYSTEM SUPPORT FOR GRADES

PK-5 PURPOSE: The purpose of the system support component is to provide services and management activities that indirectly benefit students.

Areas Addressed

• Consultation with staff and community for the enhancement of the school environment

• Support for parent education programs

• Participation in district or campus-based school improvement planning

• Assistance in the implementation of the national, state and local standardized testing program

• Participation in continuing education programs

• Guidance program development and management to include appropriate written policies, procedures and guidelines

Opportunities for System Support

• Staff development

• PTA

• Guidance Coordinator workshops/In-service

• Site Based Management Team

• Membership in professional organizations

• District and campus planning committees

Counselor's Role

Program Management
Guidance
Consultation
Counseling
Student appraisal
Coordination