Assessment

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Assessment
Anna Baack
Concordia University, NE
COU 522
Richard Hobbs
11/14/21
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Assessment
For this assignment, I assessed Waverly Middle School in Waverly, Nebraska. This is my
current place of employment, and it is also where I have set up my practicum hours for next
semester. Overall, Waverly’s school counseling program is very strong. Waverly Middle School
has two school counselors who serve the nearly 500 students who attend. Right off the bat, they
are just about perfect with the recommended 250:1 student to counselor ratio (ASCA, 2021).
Because of this, the counselors are able to direct their time where the students most need it. From
what I have seen and heard; I am very impressed with Waverly’s School Counseling Program.
One specific strength of this program has is the 250:1 recommended student to counselor
ratio as mentioned in the previous paragraph. According to ASCA (2018), they adopted 250:1 as
the optimal ratio because it reflects the goal that school counselors spend 80% of their time in
direct and indirect student services. Waverly Middle School currently serves 495 students, which
is just under that ideal ratio. This is a strength of their program because they are able to
maximize their time with the students they are supporting. The less students the counselors have
on their caseload, the more intentional time they are able to spend with the students they do work
with.
Another strength of this program is their annual student outcome goals. This program has
specific outcome goals for the students, and their curriculum and planning are based around
these goals. Goals set the foundation and direction for the entire program, so it is a strength of
this program that they have goals that do just that. For example, one of the goals of this program
is to “implement systems and services that support staff and students socially, emotionally, and
behaviorally,” (NEP, 2021). Using this student outcome goal, Waverly’s school counseling
program implements curriculum that supports students socially, emotionally, and behaviorally.
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A third strength of this program is their direct student services. The school counselors
provide classroom instruction based on the lesson plans they create. This is done during
homeroom time during the school day. The counselors provide this instruction to every grade in
the middle school, and adjust their plans based on what that specific grade needs and what goals
they want to meet. In addition, the school counselors do a great job of using data they collect to
implement small group opportunities as well. Right now, the counselors are starting a small
group that deals with friendship and another group that deals with students struggling with
perfectionism. The school counselors are aware of the needs in their school and take steps to help
get those needs met.
A weakness that I have seen in this program is the annual and weekly calendars.
Currently, this program doesn’t have either. While the counselors do have a schedule of what
they will be doing that week, they don’t have an ASCA model of the annual and weekly
calendars. They are currently in the process of creating these calendars, but according to one of
the counselors, it will take this year and next to complete it.
In conclusion, Waverly’s school counseling program has many strengths. These strengths
include the student-to-counselor ratio, annual student outcome goals, and direct student services.
A weakness of the program is its lack of an annual calendar. Overall, this is a thriving program.
They are competent, present, and truly care about the students they serve. I am honored to be
able to learn alongside them and see first-hand the impact they have on students.
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References
ASCA. (2021). School counselor roles & ratios. ASCA. Retrieved from
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/School-Counselor-Roles-
Ratios
American School Counseling Association. (n.d.). Templates and resources. Retrieved from
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/About-School-Counseling/ASCA-National-Model-for-
School-Counseling-Programs/Templates-Resources
NEP. (2021). Waverly middle school. Nebraska Department of Education. Retrieved from
https://nep.education.ne.gov//snapshot.html#55-0145-002

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get those needs met.

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