Component 10 - Small Group Responsive Services

This component requires the school to document all small groups conducted during the school year (4-10 sessions) that address a broad variety of student needs (process data).  It also requires detailed session plans for one of the small groups; and a completed small group results report for the highlighted group that must include process, perception, and outcome data.  I suggest you pick a group that links directly to one of the school counseling program goals.   You want to select a group with highly developed activities that make it likely that members will achieve the session objectives.  Perception data is often directly tied to objectives or competencies.  I suggest you submit samples of student work showing the reviewer that the group actually happened.  You can submit a GRIP report as supplementary material to further show the group's impact (graph is included in GRIP).  Make sure in the narrative to make it clear why this group was led, how members were chosen, why a particular counselor led the group, and how the groups results will inform future school counseling groups.  If possible I suggest group members develop individual goals for the group because it personalizes student learning.

Component 9 - School Counseling Core Curriculum: Results Report

This component is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the school counseling classroom activities and inform program improvement.  The results report summarizes the three exemplary classroom lessons for component 8.  You must use all 3 types of data: process, perception and outcome data.  The narrative should include reflection and insights to what worked and did not work.  This reflection should be discussed in terms of how the lessons will lead to improvement in delivery in the future.  The ASCA template for Results Report must be used.  The data should tell the story of what worked and where improvements need to happen in the future.  I encourage you to PDF copies of actual student work products to give the reviewers a clear idea of how students responded to the lessons activities.   For example, if at the end of a lesson you had each student write and exit ticket showing mastery of the objective, submit a copy of one student's work.  If you used a rubric to score a work product, submit a copy of that as supplementary evidence.

Component 8 - School Counseling Core Curriculum Action Plan and Lesson Plans

The school counseling core curriculum action plan provides details as to how the school counselors will efficiently and effectively deliver the school counseling program.  I personally find the template a bit of a challenge but you must use it to RAMP.  This is a curriculum plan implemented through direct instruction, team teaching or coordination with other educators. The competencies are taught using a variety of curriculum materials and activities.
You must also use the ASCA lesson plan template.  The lessons for RAMP should use school data and be directly linked to the vision, mission, and goals.  Of course the lessons list the ASCA Student Standards, competencies, and indicators.  The lessons need to be very well developed and highly likely to result in student mastery of the selected standards and competencies.  The lesson plans must include a plan for evaluation that addresses process, perception and outcome data.  Make absolutely sure you understand the differences.  You don't need lessons from each counselor, just 3 that meet the criteria.  The narrative must describe how the counselors decide what to deliver, to whom, how to deliver it, and the evaluation process.

Component 7 - Calendars

The annual calendar informs parents, teachers, and administrators about school counseling activities that have an impact on all students as well as stakeholders.  This calendar must reflect the program goals and activities on the school counseling core curriculum action plan.  Two weekly calendars for each school counselor, one from each semester, must be submitted that are highly detailed and correlate with percentage of time allocated in the annual agreement.  The weekly calendar must be clearly coded so direct and indirect services are clearly communicated. If for some reason the weekly calendar you submit for RAMP does NOT match the estimates in the annual agreement, you need to provide an explanation in the narrative.  We go ahead and calculate the percentages for the reviewers and submit this information in the supplementary materials. The narrative describes how the counselors use and adjust the calendar as needed based on situations that arise during the school year.  Our annual calendar is shared with the advisory council at the first meeting.  It is posted on our web page, hung in the counselor's offices, and distributed to administrators and central office supervisor.  Our weekly calendars are kept in Outlook which is the email and calendar system our district uses.  We color code the types of services are periodically calculate percentage of time. We revise our annual calendar each semester to bring it up-to-date with services and events.  We update our weekly calendars daily because it is very easy to do.  We print them out weekly and use to calculate the services we provide.

Component 6 - Advisory Council

The advisory council is a representative group of stakeholders (parent, staff, administration, students, and community) selected to review and advise on the implementation of the school counseling program.  This component requires a list of the members and positions, agendas and minutes from at least two meetings.  To score in the strong or exemplary range, the council must be solely focused on the school counseling program.  The council must be school-specific and not created solely for RAMP.  The narrative provides a detailed explanation of how the council was developed and how it guides the program.  For example, councils may: advise on program goals, review program results, make recommendations, engage in public relations, and advocate for funding and resources for the school counseling program.  Typically the first meeting of the year the program calendar, goals, and evaluation data from the previous school year would be shared with the council.  The council can also be used to assist in the development of the mission and vision.  My council meets quarterly but RAMP only requires two meetings a year. This was our first year adding students.  We invited our SCA president and one of our 5th grade class representatives.  They were very good about coming, paid attention, and helped us with some public relations (made posters for special events and announcements on our school's TV show and PA).  We will definitely continue to include students to get their perspective and feedback.

Component 5 - Annual Agreement

The Annual Agreement is a management tool that outlines how each counselor will use his/her time, specific responsibilities, reflects the school counseling program's mission and program goals, and identifies areas for professional development. It is created and signed within the first two months of the school year. It stipulates the counselor's caseload and scope of work.  The percentage of time aligns with the recommended use of time with 80% allocated to the delivery of the school counseling program or there is a clear explanation in the narrative why it does not. This document ensures formal discussion and agreement about what the program will look like and how each counselor will be working. Some principals may resist signing the agreement initially because they want the counselor to do tasks during the school day that are non-school-counseling duties.  The agreement may need to recognize that re-assignment of tasks takes time.  For example, if the counselor has been spending time chairing student council, an appointment of a co-chair and a plan for that person taking it over the following year could be noted on the agreement and discussed in the write-up.  Some counselors have used the agreement as a way to lessen the time they are pulled away from the counseling program to proctors tests.  It is very helpful to discuss with the administrator the plan for professional development.  Frequently, school counselors are forced to sit through a lot of teacher professional development when it would be more helpful for them to seek other opportunities that build counseling related skills. It can be very useful if the district has informed principals that it is a system wide decision to implement the ASCA model and this is part of the process.

Component 4 ASCA Student Standards - Competencies and Indicators

In the third edition the standards we used to call ASCA standards were renamed "ASCA Student Standards." The ASCA Student Standards are organized in three broad domains: academic, career and personal/social. Most programs use a combination of the ASCA specific indicators, state school counseling program standards, and local standards as the foundation for classroom lessons, small groups and activities.  Now ASCA is encouraging using other standards as well, such as Framework for 21st Century Learning and the Six Pillars of Character.  Standards we find useful is NOSCA's Eight Components of College and Career Readiness Counseling. In other words in this section you must tell how you selected the ASCA Student Standards that guide your program and what other standards you also use and why. Like the other components they must be linked to the school counseling program's vision, mission and goals.  In the narrative you must address how they are reviewed and revised each year. The ASCA Student Standards: Program Planning Tool can assist you in making sure your program is comprehensive (covers all the competencies).  Some school districts do a crosswalk to the local, state, and ASCA Student Standards which is very useful.