2021-22

District Name: Berryville Public Schools

Address: 902 West Trimble Avenue, Berryville, AR  72616

Phone: 870-423-7065

FAX: 870-423-6824

School Web Site: https://www.bobcat.k12.ar.us/

Superintendent:  Mr. Owen Powell

Berryville School is a rural school located in Carroll County in Northwest Arkansas. The city population is 5,519 people.  It is the largest city in Carroll County.  As Berryville has grown it now has a range of businesses, manufacturing plants and stores as well as many careers in the agricultural industry.

There is a branch of Northark College located in Berryville to help promote the post-secondary education and encourage concurrent enrollment for high school students.  In addition Connect Four (C-4) is located in Berryville.  This is a training facility that helps promote vocational careers through welding, robotics, computer added manufacturing, and construction trades. Many classes students take at C-4 will earn them credit at Northark if they choose to further their education there.

Foundation

            Beliefs

• All students have the right to see a certified professional, highly qualified, and licensed counselor.
• All students have the right to be challenged and supported by the counselor, administrators, parents, and staff.
• All students have the right to have a program that is flexible to accommodate their unique needs.
• All students have the right to be loved, valued, and respected.
• All students are able to achieve academic, career, and personal success.

             Vision/Mission

All students have the right to experience a guidance and counseling program; comprehensive in scope, preventative in design, and developmentally appropriate. All components designed to create each unique individual to be a fully functioning member of society.

The purpose of the program is to provide to all students comprehensive, developmentally appropriate lessons and provide services by a licensed school counselor that address the social/emotional, personal, academic, and career development of all students. School counselors will work with educators, parents, the counseling advisory committee and the community members to help ensure that all students have access to the knowledge and skills necessary to maximize personal success to become productive citizens in a multicultural and ever-changing world.

Program Goals

Academic Year 2020-22

Goal 1:  Provide guidance in making decisions in career or academic growth situations.

Counselors will work with administration, faculty, counseling advisory committee, students and parents/guardians to create a career pathway for each individual student.  These plans will start in elementary and continue through high school.

Throughout their K-12 education provided by Berryville Schools counselors will do classroom presentations, work with teachers to provide career information and have guest speakers present career paths that would be options for students.  This goal shall be reviewed every two years for updated ways to present and implement it for students.

Each year, in the spring, students plan for the upcoming school year the counselors and faculty will work with students and their parents/guardians to build a schedule for the upcoming year.  This is done in various ways depending on the grade level of the student. 

ENGAGEMENT

K-12 Grade:  Hold Classroom presentations and make information available online for virtual students.  Counselors are available to meet with students or parents to help answer any questions they might have concerning careers and future goals.

6-12 Grades:  Hold CAP conferences with each individual student to select classes for the upcoming year.  Provide a time for virtual parents to meet with staff and counselors to select classes and answer any questions they might have concerning careers and future goals.

9-12 Grades:  Confirm the classes chosen during the CAP conference align with the graduation plan so all students will have the opportunity to graduate in a timely manner.  Make time for virtual students to meet with staff and counselors to select classes and answer any questions they might have concerning careers and future goals.

ACTIONS IN PLACE

ACTIONS TO TAKE

Academic Year 2021-22

Goal 2: Communications

Counselors will work with administration, faculty, counseling advisory committee to develop and implement an adequate communication system for all students.  This will include both on-site and virtual.   

ENGAGEMENT

Counselors work with the overall school to provide adequate information and communications to all stakeholders.  Information can be both virtual and face-to-face. 

ACTIONS IN PLACE

ACTIONS TO TAKE

The goals at Berryville Schools are to help students in the following ways:

• Ensure equitable access to educational opportunities
• Provide a high-quality school counseling program
• Collect and analyze data to determine areas of strength and areas of weakness for growth and improvement
• Provide a safe and secure learning environment
• Aide in the development of skills to cope through effective social, emotional, and problem-solving skills.

Standards and Competencies

ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies (2019)

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/home/ACCCompetencies.pdf

ASCA Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success: College and Career Readiness Standards for Every Student (2014)

https://www.schoolcounselor.org/school-counselors/about-asca/mindsets-behaviors

Love in a Big World

https://loveinabigworld.org/

G.U.I.D.E for Life

http://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/divisions/learning-services/guide-for-life

Management

The management component of the ASCA Model provides Arkansas school counselors tools to help support the development of the student driven, needs-based comprehensive plan. Data can be used to plan for short and/or long term goals to improve the program, as well as help the counselor determine what type of professional development can be used to meet the goals of their Personal Growth Plan (PGP).

Berryville School counselors will use an array of tools provided by the ASCA and Arkansas Department of Education to establish program goals including, but not limited to the ASCA Counseling Program Self-Assessment, a Use of Time Calculator, and the Arkansas Annual Administrative Conference.

Annual Administrative Conferences

The annual administrative conference is considered best practice for the counselor to attend in order to obtain and share vital information, to advocate for school counseling programs and how they impact the student population. The Annual Administrative Conference report can be requested at any time from the counselors.

Counseling Advisory Committee

School counselors are recommended to meet routinely with an advisory committee consisting of stakeholders such as mental health providers, administrators, school nurses, teachers, parents, and students. The goal of the advisory committee is to allow stakeholders to help shape the school counseling program. The committee will tentatively meet at least once each semester to share information about the program and acquire feedback.  There will always be at least 5 members on the advisory committee.

Data Use in Counseling

Berryville School Counselors’ comprehensive counseling program is data driven. The data is gathered from needs assessment surveys given to staff, students, and parents. Additionally, data from Cognos in eSchool drive further implementation needs (attendance reports, discipline referrals, graduation rates, etc.) Test scores are also a means of data used to help place students and be sure they are receiving an education customized for them.

Data is also taken from students/guardians when they visit with the counselor to remedy a problem or situation.  If the counselors notices a pattern they can refer the student, help them gain knowledge to overcome the situation, provide helpful information and alternatives to what they are dealing with or work with others to help the student achieve their goal.

Forms are used to gather information and help further changes that need to be made.  If there is an issue or problem with a student, technology or learning the counselors will take information and help find a suitable solution through collaboration.

Guidance and School Counseling Facilities

Each building provides appropriate facilities to ensure effective, confidential counseling to meet individual needs of students. Each counselor is provided a private office, private phone line, a computer and data processing tools.

Action Plans

Upon the completion of the 2021-22 school year, all Berryville School Counselors will have provided interventions to targeted groups in areas of needs as identified by each individual counselor in their specific school. These interventions will reflect the strategies presented in the bi-annual advisory committee meetings.

Delivery

The delivery system is focused on the process and method of delivering the comprehensive school counseling program to students. Direct/indirect services are those that are provided directly to students. Administrative activities are those that are not direct, but are related to the counseling program and Public School Student Services program implementation.

Guidance and Counseling Services:

Direct Services will be Ninety (90) percent of counselor times involve direct and indirect counseling services to students

Direct Services include:

• Classroom guidance, which shall be limited to 40 minutes of class session and not exceed 3 per day and ten per week by Arkansas School Law Annotated Code 6-18-2002)
• Individual or group counseling
• Crisis Counseling
• Responsive services on behalf of students whose immediate personal concerns and problems put student’s academic, career, or social and emotional development at risk.
• Interventions for students at risk of dropping out of school or exhibiting dangerous behaviors (drug use, gang related activities, self-harm)
• Orientation for new students
• Grade transitions between buildings (Elementary to Intermediate, Intermediate to Middle School, Middle School to High School)
• Academic Advising/Career Guidance (CAP)
• Assessment Interpretation
• Attendance Support
• Conflict Resolution and Alternatives
• Parent Meetings
• School-wide Programs
• Scholarship and Aid Guidance/Presentation
• Mandated Reporter

Indirect Services involve consultation between a student, a parent/guardian, staff, and community agencies concerning a student’s needs (academic, career, and social and emotional).

These include:

• Consultation with parent, teacher, administration or community agencies
• Referrals to outside mental health services for more in-depth help
• Member of 504 committee
• Member of building leadership team
• Renaissance club coordinator
• NJHS/NHS coordinator
• Advisory coordinator
• Child maltreatment reports
• Parent communications
• Teacher communications
• Assigning students to classroom/classes
• Concurrent Credit Enrollment (High School)
• Behavior management
• Absenteeism

Administrative Activities shall be limited to 10% of time. These activities include:

• Helping coordinate testing
• Assist in developing the master schedule
• All student scheduling/input into eSchool
• Emergency Response Team
• Scholarship Advertisement
• Student Schedule changes
• Entering student grades
• Sending College records
• NCAA/NAIA Contact for standards/records review
• PSAT ordering and registration
• PSAT accommodations request
• Boys and Girls State applications

School counselors will not take disciplinary action, administer discipline, witness corporal punishment, or be involved in disciplinary action; administer psychological evaluations (unless certified and assigned part-time as an education examiner); and assume the role of principal, clerical, or substitute teaching duties. (ASCA National Model 4^th edition)

Counselors visit classrooms on a regular basis. We discuss many positive choices in life, but one of our most important discussions is in regards to healthy coping skills. How we cope with any situation life gives us can determine our paths into our future education and careers.

The Arkansas Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recommend school counselors address Academic Development, Career Development, and Personal and Social Domain. Berryville School Counselors are addressing each of these areas with the plan of action outlined below.

K-2 Monthly Counseling Guidance Emphasis

Grades 3-5

Grades 6-12

Other Components of the Comprehensive Counseling Program

1. UNDERSTANDING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE AND SUCCESS IN SCHOOL – School counselors develop and organize guidance activities. Berryville School classroom guidance activities utilize developmentally appropriate counseling-related curricula that can include: social and emotional learning, suicide prevention, bullying, career awareness, and grade/ building- level transitions.
2. ACADEMIC ADVISEMENT- Counselors act in a consulting capacity at all levels in guiding students toward educational and career objectives. In grades 6-12, students receive assistance in course selection by certified personnel during the spring semester.
3. ORIENTATION OR TRANSITION- New students who enroll in the Berryville School District receive information and tours of the school through various programs. Building-level transitions include touring or participating in new student orientation arranged by the Berryville School District.
4. INTERPRETATION OF STUDENT ASSESMENTS – Counselors help students identify their strengths, skills, abilities, achievements, and interests through counseling activities and the guidance curriculum.
5. CAREER AWARENESS AND PLANNING- Berryville School Counselors provide a career and planning process for students to include career awareness, employment readiness, career information, and the knowledge/skills necessary to achieve career goals.
6. SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT- Berryville School Counselors will instill the essential social/emotional skills building to promote cultural awareness, positive and effective communication, relationship building skills, collaboration with others, and responsible decision making. These skills, when taught and implemented, will drive an improvement amongst our culture and climate in the school so that all students feel that they are in a safe and respected environment.
7. BULLY PREVENTION –Berryville School counselors will help to prevent bullying through conflict resolution strategies. These services are included in the educational and social programs where students are exposed to the definition of bullying and ways to handle bullying situations. The bullying definition and consequences can be found in the Berryville School Handbook.
8. SUICIDE PREVENTION- Counselors will work with students who are at risk for suicide, address developmentally appropriate prevention strategies, and provide awareness information to stakeholders so that students and adults are aware of signs of risk of suicide. Counselors also help provide support for students, families, and staff within the school’s response protocols in the event that a suicide does occur.
9. AT-RISK STUDENTS- Students are considered at-risk if they are experiencing educational, social, financial, mental, physical, and /or familial difficulties. Berryville School counselors and administrators work to provide support to at-risk students. Alternatives for educational placement may be discussed. A Family in Need of Services (FINS) affidavit may also be filed if deemed necessary.

Accountability

Berryville School counselors will evaluate their programs and analyze school data to determine more focused programming, more effective interventions, and more responsive school counseling program.

Along with developing annual outcome goals, Berryville School counselors use the Comprehensive School Counseling Self-Assessment and Use of Time Calculator.

The state of Arkansas requires all certified staff, including school counselors, to take part in the Arkansas Teacher Excellence and Support System (TESS).

http://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/public/userfiles/Educator_Effectiveness/Educator_Support_and_Development/TESS_Specialty_Teacher_Smart_Cards.pdf

http://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/public/userfiles/Educator_Effectiveness/Educator_Support_and_Development/EdReflect_TESS_Rubric_Descriptors.pdf

Additional Resources

• Act 190- The School Counseling Improvement Act of 2019
• Division of Elementary and Secondary Education – Guidance and School Counseling
• ASCA Toolkit: Crisis Planning and Response During a Pandemic/Virtual School Counseling
• G.U.I.D.E. for Life Program