The High School Counselor’s Role in Special Education
ASCA Conference 2013
Counselors play a vital role in the post-secondary planning and transitioning of ALL students providing
services in college and career exploration, course selection, standardized testing preparation (SAT, ACT,
PSAT). Counselors also have a unique skill-set in dealing with the social/emotional needs of students.
During IEP meetings, counselors have a responsibility to inform students, families and other members of
the IEP team about the services provided by the school counseling department at Garden Spot High
School.
Counselors should be included on ALL IEP invites for the students on their caseloads and should make
every effort to attend these meetings. The information discussed at these meetings is VITAL for
counselors to know, as many decisions have implications for the school counselor (scheduling decisions,
college/career aspirations, future course selection, etc.). Counselors should be prepared with the
following items:






Student’s schedule (current and future, if available)
Credit sheet/graduation plan
Future course selection information
Standardized Testing Information (Keystone, PSSA)
SAT Release of Information (If a student needs accommodations for the SAT’s, this is the first
document that will need to be submitted to Collegeboard. Securing accommodations can be
tricky and having this document signed as early as possible in the students’s HS career is best
(9th grade, if possible).
ACT Accommodation Information: Inform parent that if they wish to apply for ACT
accommodations they MUST apply using the paper registration form and fill out the form.
Individual Register By Mail Packets can be requested through ACT.org.
At the IEP meeting, counselors should highlight the counseling services that all students receive as well
as opportunities in which the student will be able to participate:











9th Grade Counselor Meeting (4 Year Plan, Post-Secondary Planning), Course Selection
Presentations
10th Grade Classroom Guidance Lesson (Academic Plan, Post-Secondary Planning),
Course Selection Presentations
10th grade ½ day CTC tour
11th grade full day CTC tour
11th Grade Classroom Guidance Lesson (Post-Secondary Planning, College Application
Process, Naviance), Course Selection Presentation
Counseling Group for IEP students who are considering college
College Application Parent Night (summer before Senior year)
12th Grade Guidance Lesson (Graduation project, Naviance review)
12th Grade Senior Interview
Financial Aid Night
FAFSA Completion Night
Counselors must have knowledge of what is in the student’s IEP and what is discussed with the family.
A counselor should NOT be written into an IEP without the counselor’s knowledge and without some
discussion with the family of what that meeting will look like For example, an IEP states a counselor will
meet with a student 2x’s per year but no discussion of what the meeting will look like ever takes place
with the family. A counselor may meet with them in a large group during course selection and a during
a classroom guidance lesson on post-secondary planning; however, the family may believe the counselor
is calling the student down to their office for 2 individual meetings.
Counselors should NOT make schedule changes until a signature has been secured by parents through
an IEP addendum. For example, a case manager asks you to move a student from Algebra A/B (cotaught) to Keystone Algebra 1. He/She informs you that it has been discussed with the parent and they
are coming in day after tomorrow to sign the IEP addendum. If you make this change before a signature
is secured, the parent could say we are out of compliance with the IEP and not meeting the needs of the
student.
Counselors should have knowledge of what is in the student Social-Cultrual Assessement. This is a
wealth of information regarding the student’s homelife, his/her development, and any trauma that may
have occurred in the students life that could be impacting the student in school. For example, “Oscar” is
a new 9th grade student who becomes completely non-responsive when the teachers call his name. He
refuses to engage in classwork and will not even look at the teacher or counselor. After calling home
and receiving few answers to why this may be occurring, the counselor reviews the students SocialCultural Assessement which reveals that Oscar’s father, who is also named Oscar, is currently in prison
for sexually abusing Oscar’s younger sister. Oscar wants nothing to do with his father and does not like
to be called Oscar.
Attachments: College Readiness Assessment (incorporate into IEP group or talk with Laura about
possibly having all 10th graders complete this) Transition Checklist (NCLD website) Students Rights
Beyond H.S. Chart (www.granvilleschools.org)