Poised to Lead: Supporting School Counselors
through a Professional Development Academy
The Professional School Counselor Academy is a nine-month program
designed to deliver sustainable, intensive professional development
opportunities that meet the unique needs of counselors. The Academy is
sponsored and supported by the Texas Education Agency and is delivered
through the AchieveTexas College and Career Initiative. Designed for
education professionals whose responsibilities include the implementation of
college and career readiness at a campus or district level, the targeted
participants include:
 College and Career Readiness Coordinators
 School Counselors
 Counselor Educators
 Special Education/Population Counselors
AchieveTexas
College and Career
Initiative
is an education initiative designed
to prepare students for secondary
and postsecondary opportunities,
career preparation and
Need for sustained professional development
Counselors carry heavy caseloads and manage numerous responsibilities
including the increased accountability for the college and career readiness of
their students. Counselors also are in unique positions to lead campus-wide
improvements. With targeted professional development, they can become
agents of change to positively impact student performance. Poised to Lead is
the theme of the Academy with a focus on building local leaders who can
address the challenges of preparing college and career ready students.
advancement, meaningful work, and
Three phases to leadership
The Academy is conducted in three phases. Members must be committed to
participate in all three phases of the program.
The initiative provides numerous
active citizenship. The initiative is
based on the 16 federally defined
Career Clusters™ and utilizes CTE
courses in multiple Programs of
Study that are available to students.
resources addressing college and
career readiness including college
Phase I: Counselor Academy Fall Symposium includes a face-to-face
symposium. The two-day agenda of speakers and activities provides
participants with a foundation for understanding and implementing
current career counseling practices. Emphasis is given to state and
federal expectations for strong Career and Technical Education (CTE)
programs.
and career planning guides for each
career cluster and a LiveBinder of
more than 1,000 resources
supporting college and career
Phase II: Spring Development Activities utilize online modules and
other instructional resources delivered through a controlled-access
Wiki and web-based conferencing. An emphasis during this time is the
completion of individually planned professional growth projects that
provide participants opportunities to apply what they learn to their
local situations.
readiness. A goal of the initiative is
Phase III: Counselor Academy Summer Symposium concludes the
experience. This two-day, face-to-face symposium allows participants
to share promising practices and lessons learned, as well as gain
additional information on effective leadership and program
management.
AchieveTexas can be found at
to provide quality professional
development for classroom
teachers, administrators, and
counselors. More information on
www.achievetexas.org.
Phase I and III Symposium topics include:

Foundation High School Program resources

Personal Graduation Plans

Career Clusters™ and Programs of Study

School counseling state policies and mandates

Globalization and workforce trends,

Using local workforce data to drive education decisions

Student industry certifications

Articulated credit and college connections

Using career assessments to support career planning

College and career readiness resources

Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Improvement Act of 2006

State rules for CTE

State and federal funding for CTE

Leadership, fostering effective partnerships, and advisory committees.
SMART goals for professional growth
One of the most meaningful aspects of the experience is the professional
growth project that each member plans. Projects address local issues related to
college and career readiness. Counselors are encouraged to plan a project that
is meaningful and needed. SMART goals serve as an organizer for the project.
Academy members are provided examples of potential projects to guide their
planning such as becoming well-versed in the AchieveTexas College & Career
Initiative to better assist teachers, students, and administrators in implementing
personal graduation plans; ensuring personal graduation plans entail coherent
sequences of courses that will benefit students in planning their future beyond
high school; determining how Programs of Study should drive the master
schedule to meet the interests of the students rather than the schedule driving
course selection; meeting with local CTE leadership to develop the Programs of
Study that best meet the economic demands of the local community; or focused
reading and reflection activities using the college and career readiness
literature.
Counselors say…
Evaluations of the Academy experience indicate some common themes.
Counselors appreciate opportunities to network and learn from each other.
They cite having knowledge of various resources as helpful. For most, the
professional growth project had an impact on their local CTE implementation
and counseling activities. One counselor said the most important skills gained
were, “how to improve my career counseling skills and helping students find the
most appropriate career path.”
To learn more, visit http://www.achievetexas.org/counselors.htm, or to apply
for the upcoming Academy visit, http://cte.tamucc.edu/counselor-academy/.
Objectives of the
Academy
1.
Develop leadership capabilities;
2.
Promote effective
implementation of quality career
development programs that
promote student success in
academics and CTE, increase
graduation rates and reduce
dropout rates;
3.
Reinforce school counseling
policies and procedures,
including legal responsibilities
and ethical standards;
4.
Increase understanding of Texas’
organizational structure for CTE
based on the 16 Career Clusters™
and graduation plan
endorsements;
5.
Provide resources for
implementing effective career
preparation opportunities;
6.
Promote effective business and
industry partnerships and
practices to improve parental
and community involvement;
7.
Identify best practices to support
quality professional school
counseling; and,
8.
Promote outstanding career
development programs and
effective practices that enhance
student career decision-making
and that integrate coherent and
rigorous programs of study so
students master academic skills
while developing technical skills
in high skill, high wage or high
demand occupations.