School Counselors Do More Than Just Schedules

Welcome to the new school year – we have made it to November! For most of us, our annual administrative conference is complete, SMART goals are identified and classroom lesson planning is underway. A common theme that has occurred during our yearly calendar planning: college, career and military readiness (CCMR).

If your school year started like mine, you noticed the special attention given to course sequencing and the value of a correctly constructed schedule. Our administrators are identifying CCMR accountability points for each student we serve. We are leaders in academic planning and we can showcase our skills in what a successful four-year plan can do. Not only can a four-year plan directly guide student choices, but it also provides our administrators with the reliability of CCMR points they are counting on for funding.

School counselors, this is our opportunity to advocate for our role and show we do more than just scheduling. We can orchestrate and ensure students follow their course of study correctly. School counselors are on the front line to ensure that our teachers' classes are filled and that our courses don't have a sudden drop in enrollment. We possess the soft tone of redirection and reassurance to students that quitting is a bad habit, especially when surrounded by teachers, staff and school counselors who refuse to see students fail.

Our new understanding of the CTE Program of Study and each part of CTE weighted tiers will assist our administrators with course sequence planning. Following a program sequence will provide a clear path for students to complete higher tier courses. Another benefit is staff planning and participation projections. Take your campus goals to a new level; nothing is more impressive to a principal than supporting what contributes to campus funding and accountability ratings. This can be reinforced by your school counseling team while supporting campus student achievement goals.

One of our main goals is to provide students with a connection to classes and postsecondary choices. Intrinsic motivation is our ultimate goal for our students. We must encourage our students to be CCMR completers and we can make it part of our planning vocabulary with parents and students. School counselors, you have the tools to support any of these programs and our continued advocacy for our roles can be reinforced under CCMR.

Resources:

• TEA Approved Statewide CTE Programs of Study
• All CTE courses, weighted tiers (2021–2022)
• 2022–2024 Industry-Based Certification (IBC) List for Public School Accountability
• Texas School Counselor Evaluation and Support System (T-SCESS)

Alexia McClennon is a School Counselor for Dallas ISD and has worked with graduating seniors, CTE and early college programs for 14 years. She is also the College, Career, & Military Readiness vice president for LSSSCA.