SCHOOL GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING
An Informational Guide for Harlandale ISD
Counselors & Administrators
TEXAS EDUCATION CODE. Sec. 33.006. COUNSELORS.
(a) The primary responsibility of a school counselor is to counsel students to fully develop each student's
academic, career, personal, and social abilities.
(b) In addition to a school counselor's responsibility under Subsection (a), the counselor shall:
(1) participate in planning, implementing, and evaluating a comprehensive developmental
guidance program to serve all students and to address the special needs of students:
(A) who are at risk of dropping out of school, becoming substance abusers, participating in
gang activity, or committing suicide;
(B) who are in need of modified instructional strategies; or
(C) who are gifted and talented, with emphasis on identifying and serving gifted and
talented students who are educationally disadvantaged;
(2) consult with a student's parent or guardian and make referrals as appropriate in consultation
with the student's parent or guardian;
(3) consult with school staff, parents, and other community members to help them increase the
effectiveness of student education and promote student success;
(4) coordinate people and resources in the school, home, and community;
(5) with the assistance of school staff, interpret standardized test results and other assessment
data that help a student make educational and career plans; and
(6) deliver classroom guidance activities or serve as a consultant to teachers conducting
lessons based on the school's guidance curriculum.
TEXAS EDUCATION CODE. Sec. 33.006. COUNSELORS.
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM
The Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program
supports the District’s mission of providing a high quality education to all students so that they
become productive and successful 21st century citizens.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program
collaborates with students, families, district staff and community members to advocate for the
educational, career, social and emotional development of all students.
The Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program
affirms the value and worth of all students and empowers them to make good choices for
productive citizenry. The Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and
counseling program is organized to provide guidance curriculum, individual planning services,
responsive services, and system support by professional school counselors to address
developmental and immediate student needs.
MISSION STATEMENT
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM
DEFINITION. The Harlandale ISD Comprehensive and Developmental Guidance and Counseling Program
is organized to deliver professional guidance and counseling services to PreK-12 students and to parents,
teachers, administrators, district staff, and community members. Professional school counselors adhere to
professional standards in their advocacy of students through the provision of guidance, counseling,
consultation, coordination, interpretation of assessment results, and management of the comprehensive and
developmental guidance and counseling program. Professional school counselors collaborate with campus
and district staff members, parents, and with community service providers to assist students with their
educational, career, personal, and social development. Professional counselors use their specialized
education and training in delivering guidance and counseling services through the four program
components of guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual planning, and system support.
Guidance Curriculum provides guidance content in a systemic way to all students, assisting them with
awareness, development, and application of the skills needed in everyday living. Classroom and group
guidance lessons help students acquire skills in self-confidence development, motivation to achieve,
decision-making, goal-setting, planning, problem-solving skills, interpersonal effectiveness, communication
skills, cross cultural effectiveness, and responsible behavior. PreK-12 students apply these skills in
developmentally appropriate ways to assist them with present and future tasks such as working with others
and choosing career paths.
Individual Planning assists students in understanding and monitoring their own development. Working in
individual, small and large group settings, and with the participation of parents, professional school counselors
assist students in planning, monitoring, and evaluating educational, career, personal, and social goals.
Sample activities include assisting students with goals related to academic achievement, personal behavior,
and college readiness.
Responsive Services address the immediate concerns of students through prevention and intervention
services. Students may self-refer for individual, group, and crisis counseling that is provided confidentially
within legal and ethical standards. Parent and teacher consultation may result in referral to the school
counselor or to district and/or community resources that can best address students’ needs.
System Support includes indirect activities intended to benefit the student. Such activities assist with the
management and delivery of the comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program.
Activities also include staff support services such as parent meetings, professional staff development, and
school improvement planning and goal setting.
DEFINITION
PROGRAM BALANCE
Professional school counselors’ time and expertise represent the major contribution of resources to the
Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program.
Utilization of professional school counselors’ time among the four delivery components of guidance
curriculum, individual planning, responsive services, and system support differ at the elementary, middle
and high school levels because of students’ developmental needs. The following percentages of
counselors’ time among the four components at the three developmental levels were determined through
a time study by Harlandale ISD professional school counselors and state recommendations.
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition page 22-26.
HARLANDALE ISD PROGRAM BALANCE
Delivery
Components
STATE RECOMMENDED PROGRAM BALANCE
Elementary
Middle
School
High
School
Guidance
Curriculum
45%
25-35%
20%
Individual Planning
5%
20-25%
40%
Responsive
Services
35%
35-40%
25%
System Support
15%
15-20%
15%
Delivery
Components
Guidance
Curriculum
Individual
Planning
Responsive
Services
System Support
Non-Guidance
Elementary
Middle
School
High
School
35%-45%
35%-40%
15%-25%
5%-10%
15%-25%
25%-35%
30%-40%
30%-40%
25%-35%
10&-15%
10%-15%
15%-20%
0%
0%
0%
HISD Program Balance
Middle
Elementary
System
Support
Individual
Planning
Guidance
Currculum
Guidance
Curriculum
Guidance
Curriculum
Responsive
Services
PROGRAM BALANCE
Individual
Planning
High School
System
Support
Responsive
Services
Individual
Planning
System
Support
Responsive
Services
STATE RECOMMENDED SCOPE AND SEQUENCE FOR THE GUIDANCE CURRICULUM
School faculty and staff, students, parents, and the community are involved in the planning,
implementation, and evaluation of the comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling
program based on individual campus needs. Coordinated by the school counselor, the guidance
curriculum is designed to be part of the students’ regular instruction and can be integrated into the
classroom curriculum and/or delivered by the school counselor in small croup or classroom activities.
The state has identified the following seven components, “The Texas Seven”, to be part of the guidance
curriculum. Developmentally appropriate competencies Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 12 are outlined in the
TEA Program Development Guide. A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling
Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages 53-75.
GUIDANCE CURRICULUM CONT.
Self-confidence Development
 Have accurate self concepts
 Value their uniqueness
 Manage their feelings
Motivation to Achieve
 Develop their own academic
potential
 Take advantage of educational
opportunities
 Identify career opportunities
that will allow them to fulfill their
potential
 Development of leadership
skills
Decision-making, Goal
Setting, Planning, Problemsolving Skills
 Make decisions
 Develop a plan of action
 Set goals
 Gather information
 Solve problems
 Manage change and transition
Cross-cultural Effectiveness
 Appreciate their own culture
 Respect others as individuals
and accept cultural
memberships
 Relate effectively with others
based on appreciation for
differences/similarities
 Evaluate how stereotyping
affects themselves and their
relationship with others
Interpersonal Effectiveness
 Respect others
 Relate well with others
 Participate effectively in groups
 Develop healthy friendships
Communication Skills
 Understand basic
communication skills
 Express themselves effectively
 Listen to others
Responsible Behavior
 Behave responsibly
 Take responsibility for own
behaviors
 Be self-disciplined
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages 17, 51-75.
RESPONSIVE SERVICES
The responsive services component is to intervene on behalf of those students whose immediate
personal concerns or problems put their continued personal-social, career and or educational
development at risk. Although counselors respond to any concerns presented by students, some topics
have been identified as having high priority and or relevance within the school setting. Topics of priority
in Texas include:
Texas Priority Issues
School-based Issues
 Academic success
 Adolescent and child
suicide
 Child abuse and neglect
 School drop-outs
 Severe stress
 Substance abuse
 School age pregnancy
 Gang pressures/
involvement
 Harassment issues
 Attendance
 School attitudes and
behaviors
 Peer relationships
 Study skills
 Being new to the school
 Emergent issues in
intervention and post-vention
of traumatic event
 Violence on campus
(school safety)
Personal issues








Career indecision
Financial aid
College choice
Death of a family member
or friend
Family divorce
Family abuse
Harassment issues
Suicide prevention
Family Code 32.004 authorizes counseling without parental consent for: suicide prevention, chemical addiction or
dependency, or sexual, physical or emotional abuse.
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages 17, 19-20.
RESPONSIVE SERVICES
INDIVIDUAL PLANNING SYSTEM
The Individual Planning System is intended to be a systemic approach to guide all students in planning,
monitoring, and managing their own educational, career, and personal-social development. Coordinated by
the school counselor, successful programs utilize all available resources including staff, informational
activities, and focused resources to meet individual planning objectives including:
Career
Educational
Personal-Social
 Knowledge of potential
career opportunities
 Knowledge of career and
technical training
 Knowledge of and
preparation for postsecondary educational
opportunities
 Knowledge of positive
work habits
 Acquisition of student
college readiness skills
 Awareness of
educational opportunities
 Appropriate course
selection
 Lifelong learning
 Utilization of test scores
 Development of healthy
self-concept
 Development of adaptive
and adjustive social
behavior
 Development of
independent decision
making for successful
transition into postsecondary learning
Educational planning including PreK-20 planning, 4 year high school plans which include post-secondary
planning and state mandated Personal Graduation Plans (PGP’s) for students at risk, are part of the
students individual educational plans.
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages. 17, 20-21.
INDIVIDUAL PLANNING SYSTEM
SYSTEM SUPPORT
System support represents the services and management activities necessary to a successful guidance
and counseling program but which benefit students indirectly. Services included are
 Consultation with teachers
 Support for the parent education program and community relations
efforts
 Participation in the campus-based school improvement plans and
goals
 Implementation of the state and local standardized testing program
 Cooperation with relevant research projects
 Provision of input from the students' perspective to policy-makers and
instructional curriculum planners
Management activities are also included in system support to assure the delivery of a high quality
guidance program. These activities include:
 Comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program development and
management
 Counselor professional development
 Community outreach
 Development of appropriate written policies, procedures and guidelines
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages 17, 21-22.

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
SYSTEM SUPPORT
COUNSELORS' RESPONSIBILITIES
The state divides the school counselor’s responsibilities into eight domains (TEC33.00233.007) which form the basis of the Texas Education Agency Counselor Job Description and
Performance Evaluation.
Domain I. Program Management – System support (TEC 33.005)
 Plans, implements, evaluates and promotes improvement, manages, collaborates and
promotes continuous improvement, and advocates for a balanced Guidance &
Counseling Program that includes Guidance Curriculum, Responsive Services, Individual
Planning, and System Support components
Domain II. Guidance – Guidance Curriculum and Individual Planning (TEC 33.00633.007)
 Plans conducts, and involves students, parents, teachers and others to effectively deliver
the Guidance Curriculum
 Accurately and without bias guides groups and individuals to plan, monitor, and manage
the student’s own educational development including information regarding postsecondary opportunities, career development, and personal and social development
 Uses accepted theories and techniques of developmental guidance to promote career,
educational, personal and social development of the student
Domain III. Counseling – Responsive Services
 Uses accepted theories and effective techniques to provide group and individual
developmental, preventive, remedial, and/or crisis counseling


(Continued on next page)
A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition pages 29-48.
COUNSELORS' RESPONSIBILITIES
COUNSELORS' RESPONSIBILITIES
(Continued from previous page)

Domain IV. Consultation – Guidance Curriculum, Individual Planning, Responsive
Services, System Support (TEC 33.006)
 Consults with parents, school personnel, and other community members to help increase
the effectiveness of student education and to promote student success, and promote
understanding of student development, individual behavior, student environment and
human relationships
 Collaborates to provide professional expertise and to advocate for individual students and
student groups

Domain V. Coordination – Guidance Curriculum, Individual Planning, Responsive
Services
 Coordinates people and resources to promote student success
 Uses effective processes to refer students, parents, others for special services and
programs.
Domain VI. Student Assessment – Individual Planning, Responsive Services
 Adheres to legal standards and board policies and state, district, and campus standards,
regulations and procedures
 Interprets, with other school personnel, standardized test results and other assessment
data to guide individual goal setting and planning
 Enhances work of school personnel and parents to guide student goal setting and
promote understanding of assessment data
Domain VII. Professional Behavior – System Support
 Demonstrates professionalism and commitment to professional development
 Advocates for a school environment that acknowledges and respects diversity
 Establishes and maintains professional relationships
Domain VIII. Professional Standards – System Support (Texas Administrative Code, Rule
239.25)
 Adheres to legal standards and board policies and state, district, and campus standards,
regulations and procedures
 Committed to current professional standards of competencies and practice
 Promotes and follows ethical standards, demonstrates professional work habits, uses
professional written, oral communication and interpersonal skills
Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools. Texas Education Agency. Fourth Edition page. 29-48.
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COUNSELORS' RESPONSIBILITIES
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM
(Continued from page 3)
ASSUMPTIONS
For effective implementation of the Harlandale comprehensive and developmental guidance and
counseling program to occur the following programmatic conditions and resources are necessary.
Conditions: Harlandale ISD supports a comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling
framework that adheres to Texas Education Code 33.005 and includes a guidance curriculum, an
individual student planning system, responsive services, and system support.
Professional school counselors adhere to the professional roles codified in Texas Education Code
33.006 and 33.007.
Students have equal access to the comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling
program regardless of gender, ethnicity, cultural background, disability, socio economic status, learning
ability or language.
Teachers, administrators, and district staff understand and support the program’s priorities and its
requirements. As campus leaders, administrators make decisions, policies and develop procedures in
light of this understanding, such as assuring professional school counselors’ access to students.
Parents are full partners with educators in the education of their children. As such, parents support and
are invested in the comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program.
Harlandale ISD expects and supports professional school professional school counselors’ adherence to
the ethical standards of the counseling profession and legal standards as articulated in district, state, and
federal mandates.
Resources: Harlandale ISD provides appropriately trained and state certified professional school
counselors to deliver its comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program.
Harlandale ISD recognizes and affirms the distinct competencies and unique role professional school
counselors use to provide services to students and others. Therefore, full use of professional school
counselors’ time is committed to the delivery of program components and in the fulfillment of state
mandated professional school counselor roles.
Professional school counselors are provided time and resources to develop appropriate guidance related
curriculum that addresses assessed student needs, and is used consistently throughout the district.
Professional school counselors are provided the time, resources, and opportunity to participate in
professional development to maintain knowledge and skills associated with current best practices and
research, and to assist in achievement of professional growth goals.
Professional school counselors are provided professional work spaces that are accessible and assure
student rights to privacy and confidentiality, that support individual and group counseling, classroom
guidance, and that provide adequate space for displaying and storing guidance materials.
(Continued on next page)
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM
(Continued from previous page)
ASSUMPTIONS
Resources (continued): The Harlandale ISD comprehensive and developmental guidance and
counseling program is afforded a budget for program staff development and related materials and
supplies that supports the activities of campus-based guidance and counseling programs.
Professional school counselors are provided district opportunities for collaborative planning, designing,
implementation and evaluation of Pk-12 aligned program activities.
Professional school counselors have access to technology hardware, software, and related training that
supports the activities of the comprehensive and developmental guidance and counseling program.
Harlandale ISD affirms the importance of college readiness and provides resources that support student
access to post-secondary information and resources.
Harlandale ISD affirms and sets as a goal a student/professional school counselor ratio of 350:1 as
recommended by the Texas School Counselor Association, Texas Association of Secondary School
Principals, and the Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association.
STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE HISD GUIDANCE AND COUNSELING PROGRAM