Site Supervisor Role Description of PPSC Graduate Students
Program Overview
The SFUSD PPSC Internship Program is specifically designed for graduate students
pursing a Master’s in School Counseling with a Pupil Personnel Services credential.
Supervision (field instruction) is critical in the process of developing a individual’s
personal and professional capacity as a school counselor. Therefore, the supervisor plays
a key role in ensuring an optimal learning environment and should have the desire to act
in this capacity.
Internship Interview, Matching and Placement Process
It is the goal of the internship program to match interns with placements that will best
help them to accomplish the requirement of the university program, learn the skills they
need to master the many roles and responsibilities performed by a school counselor to
serve the education community.
Interviewing: Interns attend a large group informational meeting presented by the Pupil
Services Department. At this informational meeting they submit a resume and letters of
reference; complete a questionnaire and participate in a small group interview. This
meeting gives potential interns an opportunity to learn about internship possibilities that
are available, the roles they will be asked to perform, and have their questions answered.
Interns are then asked to indicate their preference for placement, middle or high school.
Matching and Placement: After the meeting interns accepted into the Internship
program will be given recommendations as to which school sites could best fulfill the
requirements of their school program and afford them the best opportunity to learn the
skills they wish to master. As school counselors fulfill the function of site supervisor,
their experience, training, and best practices as well as the school’s cultural and language
needs are considered during placement.
Interns are asked to set up appointments with the potential site supervisor: Counselor,
Head Counselor or Assistant Principal at the recommended sites and the Pupil Services
Department provides each potential site supervisor with a list of the interns that are
applying for a placement at that site. The site supervisor then interviews the candidates
and indicates their preference for the candidates they interview. Likewise, the intern
provides a preference to the Pupil Services Department about their respective interviews.
When there is a school site and intern agreement on preference the Pupil Services
Department facilitates the intern’s placement at the school site.
Eligibility to work on a school site: Once an assignment has been made prior to
beginning their work on a school site, the intern must be fingerprinted; provide negative
TB test results; and provide proof of liability insurance. The Pupil Services Department
will work with the intern to complete these three requests. However, an intern is not
eligible to begin their work on a school site until all three items have been submitted to
the Pupil Services Department. As the site supervisor, you will receive an e-mail from
Pupil Services once your intern is cleared to work at your school site.
Qualifications desired of Site Supervisors
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Two years as a professional counselor.
Permission by their site administrator.
Prior intern feedback (for previous intern supervisors).
Attendance at supervisor orientation meeting.
Ability to provide an hour of weekly, uninterrupted supervision.
Regular attendance at the monthly counselor meetings.
Demonstrated implementation of the National Standards for School Counseling
Programs.
8. Membership in local, state, or national professional associations.
9. Knowledgeable of State Ed. Code.
10. Knowledgeable of SFUSD’s policies and procedures as written in the “Student/Parent
Handbook”
11. Attended recent professional development offered by county/state/professional organizations.
12. Office space for an intern.
13. Holds additional licenses and credentials.
14. Demonstrated best practices.
Specific Tasks
You are responsible for an intern’s growth and learning while under your supervision. As
their supervisor you are responsible to establish their educational goals and check-in to
assure they are meeting them by managing their weekly activities; advocating for their
involvement in various school based meetings, programs, and activities; encouraging
their participation in activities that provide opportunities to grow, etc.
Introduction to School Site
1. Review school calendar.
2. Establish interns day(s) on site.
3. Review with intern the bell schedule.
4. Orient the intern and assist in acclimating intern to school culture.
5. Establish a supervision time.
a. This may occur during the school day or after school hours.
6. Establish professional expectations.
a. Timeliness, dress, etc.
7. Provide your intern a tour of the school site.
a. Point out parts of the school to pay attention to.
8. Introduce your intern to all Support Services providers on the school site.
a. Including an orientation to the Support Services provided at the school.
 SST/SAP/SART
 Assessment for Special Education.
 IEP—have intern read through one.
9. Introduce intern to faculty members, invite them to “Back to School Events”, staff
meetings, etc.
10. Review confidentiality, reporting, and legal/ethical issues, e.g. consents, child abuse,
mandated reporting, etc.
11. Assess intern’s skills and abilities and assign cases accordingly, keep in mind the
intern’s graduate program requirements.
12. Set education goals and for each semester and together determine how they will attain
and you both will evaluate regularly accomplishments toward these goals.
First (specifically) and Second (review) year interns
1. Train your intern on SIS (show them visual representation of master schedule, if
available).
2. Show your intern where the cum. folders are stored and review one with them. Focus
on its content and why items are stored in these files.
3. Interns should:
a. Observe a class.
b. Attend an IEP
c. Participate in a conference with a parent or teacher.
d. Shadow you during your passing period & lunch time supervision.
4. Prepare and train intern to make a CPS report.
a. Have the intern listen to a CPS report being made.
b. Debrief the report.
5. Train your intern on suicidal ideation protocol.
6. As appropriate, based on their graduate course work, assign your intern a caseload of
students to manage.
First (as applicable) and Second year interns
1. Review the above items paying specific attention to your school site culture and best
practices.
2. Assign them a caseload of 8-10 students to case manage and provide individual
counseling.
3. Regularly assign your intern projects to manage and/or activities to develop:
a. SPARC
b. Counseling Department audit.
c. 8th grade high school application.
d. Building a college going culture.
e. Classroom guidance presentation.
f. School based career or college day.
Ongoing
1. Check in with intern weekly to discuss issues and cases.
2. Create an intern binder to track your supervision notes and assignments for the intern.
3. Read and assist in meeting the intern’s educational goals.
4. Complete the University evaluations of the intern.
5. Invite interns to attend the Pupil Services Department’s monthly meetings and
Student Support Services Unit Professional Development opportunities.
Supervision
1. Develop educational goals that make clear the activities the intern will be involved in
that benefit the school site and the intern’s educational objectives.
2. Review intern’s caseload and provide them with feedback on next steps and assist
them in establishing student goals.
3. Engage interns in discussion on personal values and their impact on students and
cases such as limit setting, boundaries, self care, use of self, etc.
4. Clarify and discuss with the intern his/her expectations:
a. What does he/she expect from you as a supervisor?
b. What type of supervision does he/she want or expect?
c. What does he/she expect to get out of their internship?
5. Clarify and discuss with the intern your practices and theoretical orientation.
6. Clarify and discuss with the intern how you supervise and your expectations.
7. Discuss, regularly, how the supervision is going. Do you understand clearly the needs
and request of the trainee? Make sure you know if the supervision and the supervisory
process are working well. Solicit feedback from intern as to whether their needs are
being met.
8. Discuss regularly, such things as case load size, type of cases being seen and any
perceived need the intern might have regarding the work they are performing.
9. Assign and solicit tasks/assignments/projects establishing educational goals and
review weekly.
10. Solicit feedback of your supervision skills and mentoring style.