West Virginia School Counseling Protocol
Transitions from Institutional Programs and Other
Temporary Placements to Public Schools
Grade Level - ALL
School Counselor Performance Standard 2: The professional school counselor facilitates delivery of the
WV Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Program for all students.
Function 2G: SUCCESSFUL TRANSITIONS: Establishes student supports for successful transitioning
through programmatic levels, and from school to school, school to work, or school to
postsecondary, or career and technical training.
Indicator 2G4: Partners with appropriate educational and community professions to
facilitate successful transitions when enrolling new students or when
facilitating transitions between grade levels.
GOAL:
Counselors will facilitate effective transitions of students from institutional
and other provisional settings to the public school setting.
Activity Description: Facilitating effective transitions of students between institutional and other
temporary settings and West Virginia public schools.
Rationale:
The enrollment of students transitioning from an institutional setting and other provisional or
temporary care facilities takes a concerted effort on the part of the counselor in the public school setting.
The school counselor needs to work with staff from the ‘sending’ facility to ensure a smooth transition. The
OIEP students have been assigned a transition counselor at the institution to share information concerning
the individual needs of the transitioning student. The transition specialist and school counselor work
together to identify the individual needs of each student and to determine placement. In the case where the
student is with a temporary guardian, the school counselors need to work with the guardian to gather
relevant information in order to determine individual student needs, including academic placement.
Some transient students will fall under McKinney-Vento “Homeless” education law and will circumvent
standard enrollment procedures that include verification of records. If the student coming back to public
schools is not returning to a custodial parent/guardian and would be identified under McKinney-Vento, the
student is entitled to immediate enrollment with procurement of records to follow.
Materials:
1a. McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Reauthorized under NCLB 2001, Title VII, Part
1b. West Virginia School Law; Article 8 - 18-8A-1, Legislative findings; definition of homeless
child, 18-8A-2, Residence of child, 18-8A-4. Report on at-risk children.
1c. Excerpt from WVDE Policy 2510: Assuring the Quality of Education: Regulations for
Education Programs
1d. West Virginia School Counselor Performance Standards
1e – WV Student Success Standards
Transitions from Institutional Programs to Public Schools Protocol
Procedures:
1. Upon the student appearing to enroll or re-enroll in school, the school counselor will communicate
with the county attendance director/homeless liaison and/or the transition counselor/staff to
determine how student will be coded upon enrollment. Through this conversation it will be
determined whether the student will be returning to a parent/guardian to make a determination if
the student falls under McKinney-Vento services and is identified as “homeless”.
2. The school counselor is aware of the school’s responsibility related to McKinney-Vento Federal Law
requirements.
3. The school counselor will work collaboratively with the school principal, special education staff (if
applicable) and the transitions counselor/staff to transfer records and determine placement in
classes.
4. The school counselor will work collaboratively with the school principal, and the transition
counselor/staff and guardian to determine amount of credit transfer conversion.
5. The school counselor will introduce the transferring student and transition liaison to the school
principal who will review school rules, expectations, and school protocols to help facilitate a smooth
transition.
6. The school counselor will gather and utilize student data (e.g. transcripts, IEPs, 504s, test scores,
placement tests, etc.) to assess the student’s academic performance abilities to determine
appropriate course placements and for students in grades 8 – 12 develop and or revise a
personalized education plan that outlines the student’s course selections, career, graduation and
postsecondary plan.
7. The school counselor will refer at-risk, transitional students to the SAT team and work with SAT
team to develop a transition plan with recommended interventions and support services to address
individual student needs.
8. The school counselor or assigned member from the SAT Team will monitor each student’s transition
plan, implementation of interventions and student progress.
9. The counselor will schedule follow-up SAT Team meetings to review the transition plan and
recommend alternative interventions when student is not making progress academically,
behaviorally and/or attending regularly.
10. The school counselor will participate in MSDT Team meetings when possible, and as needed to
support a school/community approach to the identification and provision of services, resources, and
programs to support each student’s success in school.
11. The school counselor will make referrals to outside agencies when the child’s needs exceed the
school’s scope of services and programs.
2
Lead Protocol Developer: Rebecca Derenge, Coordinator – OIEP (Approved by State Protocol
Task Force June 11, 2010); revised April 2014 by Dr. Barb Brady
Transitions from Institutional Programs to Public Schools Protocol
Resources:
Resource 1a - Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized by
Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act, ensures educational rights and protections for
children and youth experiencing homelessness. This brief explains the key provisions in the Act
concerning school enrollment and offers strategies for implementing the Act in a school district.
The term “homeless children and youth”—
(A) means individuals who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence …; and
(B) includes—
(i) children and youths who are sharing the housing of other persons due to loss of housing,
economic hardship, or a similar reason; are living in motels, hotels, trailer parks, or camping
grounds due to the lack of alternative accommodations; are living in emergency or transitional
shelters; are abandoned in hospitals; or are awaiting foster care placement;
(ii) children and youths who have a primary nighttime residence that is a public or private place
not designed for or ordinarily used as a regular sleeping accommodation for human beings …
(iii) children and youths who are living in cars, parks, public spaces, abandoned buildings,
substandard housing, bus or train stations, or similar settings; and
(iv) migratory children who qualify as homeless for the purposes of this subtitle because the
children are living in circumstances described in clauses (i) through (iii).
Resource 1b
West Virginia School Law; Article 8 - 18-8A-1, Legislative findings; definition of homeless child,
18-8A-2, Residence of child, 18-8A-4. Report on at-risk children
(a) The Legislature hereby finds and declares that because of the growing number of children and
families who are homeless in West Virginia there is a need to ensure that all homeless children receive a
proper education. It is the intent of the Legislature that no child shall be denied the benefits of a free
education in the public schools because the child is homeless.
The Legislature further finds that programs and materials must be made available to homeless and atrisk children to assure opportunities for an equal education. Programs shall include, but not be limited to,
incorporating the ideas of academic achievement, career exploration, self-esteem enhancement, behavior
modification and other programs relating to student development.
Resource 1c – Excerpt from Policy 2510:
3.1.1. Education Goals. (W. Va. Code §18-1-4)
a. Through the combined efforts of the government, the school system
and the people, the West Virginia Education Goals set forth in W. Va. Code §18-1-4 will be achieved.
13.31. Education Program - A structure for defining, delivering, and being accountable
for a thorough and efficient system of education. This structure is applicable at the state, county,
and school levels.
Evaluation:
SAT and MSDT Team Meeting Notes, student, staff and parent surveys, enrollment logs, interviews,
phone, attendance and discipline reports, graduation rate of transitional students, parent satisfaction,
credit recovery logs, and postsecondary education plans, etc.
3
Lead Protocol Developer: Rebecca Derenge, Coordinator – OIEP (Approved by State Protocol
Task Force June 11, 2010); revised April 2014 by Dr. Barb Brady
Transitions from Institutional Programs to Public Schools Protocol
4
Lead Protocol Developer: Rebecca Derenge, Coordinator – OIEP (Approved by State Protocol
Task Force June 11, 2010); revised April 2014 by Dr. Barb Brady