Study Guide
Field 193: School Counselor
Recommendation for individuals using a screenreader: please set your punctuation settings to "most."
Sample Constructed-Response Item 1
Competency 0009
Analysis, Synthesis, and Application
start bold Use the information in the exhibits to complete the assignment that follows. end bold
Analyze the information provided in the exhibits and, citing specific evidence from the exhibits, write a response of approximately 400to600 words in which you:
- identify one important need to address in individual counseling sessions for Keisha, based on the data provided;
- describe one developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for addressing the need you identified;
- explain why the strategy you described would be effective in addressing the identified need;
- discuss one way to involve others in addressing the identified need, as appropriate; and
- describe one method for evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy you described in addressing the identified need.
Be sure to use evidence from all exhibits in your response.
Exhibit 1
Student Description
A middle school for grades 5to9 serves 740 students and has two school counselors. A school counselor receives a referral for Keisha, a 13-year-old seventh-grade student. Keisha, who is described by others as bright, kind, and creative, resides with her mother, father, and older sister. Keisha enjoys drawing, photography, watching television, social media, and reading articles on the Internet. Keisha's favorite class is mathematics and her least favorite class is social studies. She is enrolled in the school's gifted and talented program. Keisha has mentioned a goal of attending college to obtain a degree in engineering or a related field. Keisha has consistently performed above grade level in all academic areas; however, Keisha's teachers have reported recent concerns in the areas of attention, distractibility, time management, and organizational skills. Keisha frequently mentions feeling bored at school and has been late for school on numerous occasions during the past several weeks. In preparation for individual counseling with Keisha, the school counselor reviews additional information.
Exhibit 2
Referral Form
a recreation of a school conseling referral form School Counseling Referral Form Student Name: Keisha R. Grade: 7 Referred by: Ms. J., social studies teacher
Reason for referral: change in behavior, declining gradesSteps taken to address concern (check all that apply)
checked line preceding Step 1, Student conference
checked line preceding Step 2, family and or family system conference
unchecked line preceding Step 3, discipline referral
checked line preceding Step 4, behavior support
unchecked line preceding Step 5, academic support
Have these concerns been discussed with the student's family/family system?
Yes, these concerns have been discussed with Keisha's mother and father.Outcome of the discussion:
The parents described Keisha as curious and interested in many different topics. They mentioned that Keisha does spend quite a lot of time on the Internet and social media, in fact staying up late engaging in different online activities. The parents also stated that Keisha gets along well with her older sister and looks up to her as a role model. However, it became known to the parents recently that the sister, who is also a high-achieving student, has been experimenting with alcohol and some drug use at parties. Keisha has seemed distressed about the general tension in the family surrounding this situation. When asked about how school is going, Keisha generally responds with "Okay, nothing big happening." They were alarmed to learn that Keisha has been tardy several times in the last few weeks. They indicated that they would talk to her about her late-night Internet activities.With 1 being the lowest level of concern and 5 being the highest level of concern, how would you rate the severity of these concerns?
1 unchecked 2 unchecked 3 checked 4 unchecked 5 unchecked
Exhibit 3
Anecdotal Information
an excerpt from Social Studies teacher's anecdotal notes Excerpt from Social Studies Teacher's Anecdotal Notes Keisha is often distracted during class and requires ongoing reminders to pay attention. Keisha usually makes passing grades but appears unmotivated much of the time. She is very capable, as evidenced by some of the essays and projects she turns in. However, recently, Keisha's distraction is much worse, she appears tired much of the time, and has not been completing assignments. Her current grade in social studies is 75, due primarily to failing to turn in assignments. When asked about this change, Keisha stated that she is worried about her sister and finds social studies really boring.
an excerpt from Mathematics teacher's anecdotal notes Excerpt from Mathematics Teacher's Anecdotal Notes Keisha is a highly capable student in mathematics. Her work is exemplary, and she demonstrates a real gift for mathematical thinking. Over the past few weeks, Keisha has had several missing assignments. In looking through Keisha's binder to search for the missing work, the binder is extremely disorganized with papers in the wrong sections and some papers just stuffed into the binder randomly. Even with the missing assignments, Keisha's grade is high due to her excellent performance on tests and projects. She has expressed a desire to be an engineer or something similar. When I pointed out that successful engineers pay attention to detail and follow through on tasks, she became distressed and said that she is trying her best but is having trouble concentrating.
Exhibit 4
Student Data
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® — Fifth Edition (W I S C®–5)
Mean: 100 Standard Deviation: 15
INDEX SCORES
a depiction of various index scores Verbal Comprehension Index (V C I) 135 Visual Spatial Index (V S I) 120 Fluid Reasoning Index (F R I) 133 Working Memory Index (W M I) 116 Processing Speed Index (P S I) 115 Full Scale IQ (F S I Q) 139
Sample Strong Response to Constructed-Response Item 1
Keisha, a 13 year old seventh grader with an above average F S I Q (139) participates in her school's gifted and talented program. Until recently, Keisha was performing above grade level in all subject areas. Because of Keisha's changes in behavior/academic performance, her teacher made the referral citing specific concerns: a decline in grades due to missing assignments, observable distractibility, inattention, disorganization (including time management), and lack of motivation. The referral also indicated that her parents had been unaware of her difficulties and tardiness as she told them school was okay. They did report that she spends a lot of time online late at night. Based on the data presented one important need to address in individual counseling with Keisha is to have awareness of what has changed to affect her ability to remain focused in school.
A developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for addressing this need is through Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (C B T). C B T is a method that can be used with Keisha to explore her inability to remain motivated and organized and find ways to improve both, through talk therapy. Keisha can express her thoughts and feelings on what is going on with her at school that might be distracting her and interfering with her ability to stay focused and "brainstorm" solutions. The counselor would suggest Keisha keeps a log indicating time on the internet not involved in school work and time she goes to bed. Hopefully this will help Keisha to become more aware of distractions that are negatively affecting her school work. The combination of excessive computer time, plus lack of sleep is not healthy physically or mentally for a teenager and could be contributing to the changes teachers and parents are seeing. By Keisha's self-reporting of hours slept to how she feels the next day may help her see that connection and allow us to discuss ways it affects her performance in school. For example, during their sessions, the counselor can work with Keisha to think about time management and to figure out where to start in organizing her binder by creating a daily planner for assignments with their due dates.
This strategy would be effective because as indicated by her fluid reasoning index score of 133 on the W I S C, Keisha has the ability, and at 13 is old enough, to have coherent conversations with the counselor and come up with constructive solutions to aid in positive changes. C B T allows Keisha to self-reflect on what works positively.
A way to involve others would be to develop an informational checklist that can be used by Keisha, her teachers, her parents and the counselor. It would be as simple as date, assignment, completed, initialed. It would serve as another talking point for Keisha and the counselor. A checklist can help Keisha to feel in control and accountable while at the same time mutually involving her parents and teachers in her education.
In addition to self-reflection, a method for evaluating the effectiveness of Keisha's counseling sessions is by having teachers document her daily progress with attendance, completing assignments on time, and organizational skills (binder). These are concrete parts of the school day and improvements are able to be tracked simply by "yes" or "no" if she was on time to school, did she turn in assignment on time, and is her binder organized.
Sample Constructed-Response Item 2
Competency 0009
Analysis, Synthesis, and Application
start bold Use the information in the exhibits to complete the assignment that follows. end bold
Analyze the information provided in the exhibits and, citing specific evidence from the exhibits, write a response of approximately 400to600 words in which you:
- identify one important need to address in individual counseling sessions for Paul, based on the data provided;
- describe one developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for addressing the need you identified;
- explain why the strategy you described would be effective in addressing the identified need;
- discuss one way to involve others in addressing the identified need, as appropriate; and
- describe one method for evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy you described in addressing the identified need.
Be sure to use evidence from all exhibits in your response.
Exhibit 1
Student Description
A high school for grades 9to12 serves 1,445 students and has four school counselors. A school counselor receives a referral for Paul, a 16-year-old ninth-grade student. Paul lives at home with his parents and a younger sister and brother. He is well liked by peers and teachers and has a good sense of humor but has some challenges with emotional self-regulation. Paul has a mild developmental delay, and his individualized education program (I E P) includes accommodations related to length of assignments, extended time for completing work, and other academically focused supports. With these accommodations, Paul is currently achieving passing grades in his classes and functioning well in school. Paul demonstrates strength in the areas of task commitment and artistic expression. Paul wants to earn a regular diploma and has expressed an interest in working in an animal shelter or a veterinarian's office. In preparation for individual counseling with Paul, the school counselor reviews additional information.
Exhibit 2
Referral Form
a recreation of a school conseling referral form School Counseling Referral Form Student Name: Paul T. Grade: 9 Referred by: Mr. N., English teacher
Reason for referral: goal setting, postsecondary planningSteps taken to address concern (check all that apply)
checked line preceding Step 1, Student conference
checked line preceding Step 2, family and or family system conference
unchecked line preceding Step 3, discipline referral
unchecked line preceding Step 4, behavior support
unchecked line preceding Step 5, academic support
Have these concerns been discussed with the student's family/family system?
Yes, these concerns have been discussed with Paul's parents.Outcome of the discussion:
Paul's parents described Paul as friendly and stated that he can be persistent when he wants something. They mentioned that Paul loves to care for their pets and other pets in the neighborhood and that he is very creative. He created a sculpture as a wedding present for his cousin last month. They also stated that Paul can become overemotional if he becomes frustrated and, once he is upset, he has trouble getting control of himself. Occasionally Paul becomes overstimulated and has trouble managing his emotions. The parents reported that Paul is a loving brother who can be really entertaining and funny. They observe that Paul works very hard at his schoolwork and says that he can't wait to finish school and get a job where he can earn money. Paul's parents are eager to help him be successful but have doubts about whether he will be able to graduate and have a job much less a career.With 1 being the lowest level of concern and 5 being the highest level of concern, how would you rate the severity of these concerns?
1 unchecked 2 checked 3 unchecked 4 unchecked 5 unchecked
Exhibit 3
Anecdotal Information
an excerpt from English teacher's anecdotal notes Excerpt from English Teacher's Anecdotal Notes Paul is a very hardworking student. Some learning tasks are quite challenging for him, but he always tries his best. His peers like him and will gladly help him when he needs it. The class recently wrote essays about future goals. Paul's essay had a number of mechanical and spelling errors, but he expressed his ideas logically. In the essay, Paul stated that he had a dream where he had a good job with nice people and his own apartment, so he knew that was going to happen. During a follow-up discussion about how students thought they could reach their goals, Paul was at a loss as to how he might achieve the goal of a job and an apartment. Because he had trouble thinking of how to reach his goal, he began to get frustrated and a little mad. One student tried to tell him it was okay, and he replied angrily, "Leave me alone! Don't you know I'm a dummy?!" Paul definitely needs support in thinking about his future and how to plan for it.
Exhibit 4
Student Data
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children® — Fifth Edition (W I S C®–5)
Mean: 100 Standard Deviation: 15
INDEX SCORES
a depiction of various index scores Verbal Comprehension Index (V C I) 74 Visual Spatial Index (V S I) 78 Fluid Reasoning Index (F R I) 70 Working Memory Index (W M I) 72 Processing Speed Index (P S I) 67 Full Scale IQ (F S I Q) 72 Grade Averages
a depiction grades according to subject and grade level Subject Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Current English 71 percent 70 percent 70 percent 70 percent Mathematics 68 percent 69 percent 69 percent 69 percent Social Studies 70 percent 67 percent 69 percent 70 percent Science 71 percent 72 percent 73 percent 74 percent
Sample Strong Response to Constructed-Response Item 2
Paul, a 16 year old ninth grader has a mild developmental delay. He displays multiple strengths, manages well and experiences success socially and academically, with mandated accommodations. Paul's aspirations, including finishing school and having a job, seem attainable. However, according to Paul's teacher and his parents, Paul experiences low frustration tolerance and has difficulty gaining control of himself particularly when asked how he can go about reaching his goals. One important need to address for Paul is to develop his emotional self-regulation. Increasing his ability to gain control over his emotions and manage frustration will benefit him in working toward appropriate goals during his college/career exploration, as well as any volunteer or job related tasks he will have in the future.
A developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for Paul is Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (S F B T). S F B T is a strengths based approach that focuses on solutions and what is already working, rather than problems. Paul has multiple strengths: he is well liked by his peers; he demonstrates the ability to express himself logically; he has dreams and aspirations, and he has a sense of humor. He is reported to be task committed and persistent. These strengths can be capitalized to help him decrease his frustration and increase his tolerance as he works incrementally toward his goals.
According to S F B T using Paul's strengths will help make the sessions more meaningful. S F B T is effective through the use of strategies such as the miracle question. For instance, in acknowledging Paul's dream reported in English class, the counselor could use a worksheet with the graphic of a staircase and help Paul to talk about where he is now (the bottom step) and where he plans to end up (the top). Perhaps he sees himself ultimately working in a vet's office. The counselor could help him to use his logic to "fill in the steps," for example, walking dogs in his neighborhood then volunteering at an animal shelter, etc. and coach him as to why he would do them in that order.
This will allow Paul to create solutions that build upon each other and slowly and more clearly help him to visualize the steps he needs to take to achieve his goals. This in turn would hopefully decrease his frustration. Giving Paul a tool such as this offers him a tangible way of creating and monitoring an action plan for future goals and one that he should be able to use with minimal coaching. He is in 9th grade, so he is early in his college/career exploration and developing relevant skills will benefit him throughout the remainder of high school and beyond.
Bringing Paul's concern up in a child study team (C S T) is a beneficial next step. Paul has already expressed interest in working with animals, and the transition counselor, a member of the C S T, could assist Paul in obtaining a volunteer opportunity doing that, which would simulate a job experience. This would serve as an introduction to his transition into Career/Tech Ed. in 11th & 12th grade and post-secondary pursuits.
To evaluate the effectiveness of the S F B T intervention the counselor would have Paul rate his ability to control his emotions by using a Likert scale of 5 emojis. Paul would be asked to think about how he reacted before and after using the strategy by choosing an emoji for each. This would allow Paul to recognize whether or not he increased his frustration tolerance in using the skill and thus giving him a sense of mastery and confidence.
Sample Constructed-Response Item 3
Competency 0009
Analysis, Synthesis, and Application
start bold Use the information in the exhibits to complete the assignment that follows. end bold
Analyze the information provided in the exhibits and, citing specific evidence from the exhibits, write a response of approximately 400to600 words in which you:
- identify one important need to address in individual counseling sessions for Dylan, based on the data provided;
- describe one developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for addressing the need you identified;
- explain why the strategy you described would be effective in addressing the identified need;
- discuss one way to involve others in addressing the identified need, as appropriate; and
- describe one method for evaluating the effectiveness of the strategy you described in addressing the identified need.
Be sure to use evidence from all exhibits in your response.
Exhibit 1
Student Description
An elementary school for grades PKto5 serves 480 students and has one school counselor. The school counselor receives a referral for Dylan, a seven-year-old, first-grade student. Dylan resides at home with his mother and younger sibling. The father moved out of the home a few weeks ago. Dylan has experienced challenges in making and keeping friends. Dylan tends to dominate conversations with peers, has trouble taking turns, and speaks bluntly, sometimes hurting others' feelings. As a result, Dylan is often not invited to play or work with peers and has not yet developed effective skills for asking to join play or work activities. Currently, Dylan participates in a weekly social skills group, led by the school psychologist, that focuses on friendship and conversational skills, such as turn taking. He has been part of the group for eight weeks and is making progress. The school counselor is preparing to begin individual counseling with Dylan, and reviews additional information.
Exhibit 2
Referral Form
a recreation of a school conseling referral form School Counseling Referral Form Student Name: Dylan G. Grade: 1 Referred by: Ms. P., first-grade teacher
Reason for referral: peer relationships; aggressive behaviorSteps taken to address concern (check all that apply)
unchecked line preceding Step 1, Student conference
checked line preceding Step 2, family and or family system conference
checked line preceding Step 3, discipline referral
checked line preceding Step 4, behavior support
unchecked line preceding Step 5, academic support
Have these concerns been discussed with the student's family/family system?
Yes, these concerns have been discussed with Dylan's mother.Outcome of the discussion:
The mother described Dylan as smart and curious. She mentioned that Dylan enjoys learning and his interests include playing video games, cooking, listening to music, dinosaurs, building, camping, and collecting coins. Dylan also loves being an older brother. The mother expressed concerns about Dylan's behavior at home and at school and about Dylan's overall well-being at this time. The mother stated that Dylan has recently had trouble falling and staying asleep and has an appointment with the pediatrician in two weeks. The mother described Dylan's recent behavior as aggressive, stating that Dylan has lashed out physically on several occasions during the past several weeks, hitting her and throwing objects. The mother also mentioned that Dylan's father recently moved out of the home and has not contacted the family. Dylan has said that he misses his father and hopes he will come back home.With 1 being the lowest level of concern and 5 being the highest level of concern, how would you rate the severity of these concerns?
1 unchecked 2 unchecked 3 unchecked 4 unchecked 5 checked
Exhibit 3
Anecdotal Information
an excerpt from teacher's anecdotal notes Excerpt from Teacher's Anecdotal Notes Dylan is intelligent and performs at or above grade level in all academic areas. Dylan's favorite subjects in school are math, reading, and music. He has stated that his least favorite part of the school day is recess. Dylan says that he would like to become an archeologist or an architect in the future. At school, Dylan has challenges in social skills and peer interactions, self-regulating behavior, and pragmatics. Classroom interventions are in place for Dylan focusing on the target behavior areas of pushing and noncompliance. Dylan's behavior challenges have intensified in recent weeks. He has displayed aggressive behaviors, such as pushing or shoving, when interacting with school staff members and classmates and often refuses to complete written work or participate in large-group activities. In addition to these episodes, Dylan appears withdrawn and has fallen asleep in class at least three times during the past week.
Exhibit 4
Developmental Checklist
(completed 1 week ago)
a depiction of a developmental checklist The student routinely: Family/Family System (Yes/No) Teacher (Yes/No) 1. Works and plays cooperatively in a variety of settings. No No 2. Demonstrates an understanding of behavior expectations. Yes Yes 3. Demonstrates acceptable ways of joining in an activity with others. No No 4. Waits for a turn during unstructured activities. No No 5. Solves problems independently. Yes Yes 6. Demonstrates age-appropriate attention span. Yes Yes 7. Chooses a variety of independent activities. Yes Yes 8. Seeks assistance from adults as needed. Yes Yes 9. Follows directions consistently. No No 10. Demonstrates aggressive behavior toward others. Yes Yes 11. Demonstrates impulsive behaviors. Yes Yes 12. Participates actively in class/family activities. Yes No 13. Appears anxious or distressed. Yes No 14. Argues with family members/school staff. Yes Yes 15. Cries easily. No No
Sample Strong Response to Constructed-Response Item 3
Identify an important need to address in individual counseling sessions:
- An important and immediate need to address in individual counseling sessions with Dylan is his aggressive behavior which has increased in recent weeks both in school and at home.
- His teacher states that Dylan "has challenges in social skills and peer interactions" but these behavior challenges have intensified in recent weeks and shared that he has been pushing and shoving when interacting with school staff and classmates.
- Dylan's mother also reports that he has physically lashed out at home, i.e., hitting her and throwing objects on several occasions.
Describe one developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy:
- Keeping in mind that Dylan is in first grade and seven years old, I would suggest play therapy to be a developmentally appropriate school counseling strategy for addressing Dylan's aggression.
- The umbrella of play therapy encompasses a range of methods that can be used to build on Dylan’s natural curiosity and enjoyment of learning:
1. This is a therapeutic modality meeting children at their level to bring about changes in their behavior. An example method that might be appropriate for Dylan is introducing him to puppets that can be used to help him express feelings, develop social skills and relieve stress.
2. For instance, Dylan can play out events like his parents' separation using hand puppets, allowing him to respond to what he's experienced. Should this be the source of his aggression, or whatever the issues are, they would be 'played' out during sessions.
3. Other puppets could represent school situations. "The puppets," for example, could practice putting their hands by their sides or in their pockets to stop from hitting or pushing others (to act as a reminder for Dylan to do the same).
Explain why the strategy would be effective in addressing the identified need:
- Although Dylan is intelligent and performs at or above grade level, he is often reluctant and refuses to participate in group activities which may eventually have an impact on his academics as well as his social well-being. It is reasonable to assume that recess is his least favorite part of the school day because of his difficulty interacting with his peers.
- Using the strategy of play therapy, Dylan can, in a developmentally appropriate way, begin to explore and address the cause of his aggression and learn strategies to deal with it. By being better able to interact positively with school staff and peers he will be more able to participate in school activities.
Discuss one way of involving others in addressing the identified need:
- One way to involve others in addressing Dylan's behavior would be to collaborate with the school psychologist since Dylan already participates in a social skills group where he is reported to be making progress. By sharing ideas and strategies with the school psychologist, we would hope to reinforce the skills being developed in the group (making friends, conversation, turn taking) and how they relate to what we do on an individual basis. This can help Dylan to understand that he cannot respond physically to others.
Describe one method to evaluate the effectiveness of the strategy in addressing the identified need:
- Ask the teacher to complete a daily checklist focusing on physically aggressive behaviors such as pushing, shoving, hitting, and more specifically as to when and where the behaviors occur.
- This data could be used to target further counseling needs.
Performance Characteristics for Constructed-Response Item
The following characteristics guide the scoring of the response to a constructed-response item.
| Completeness | The degree to which the response addresses all parts of the assignment |
|---|---|
| Accuracy | The degree to which the response demonstrates the relevant knowledge and skills accurately and effectively |
| Depth of Support | The degree to which the response provides appropriate examples and details that demonstrate sound reasoning |
Score Scale for Constructed-Response Item
A score will be assigned to the response to a constructed-response item according to the following score scale.
| Score Point | Score Point Description |
|---|---|
| 4 |
The "4" response reflects a thorough command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 3 |
The "3" response reflects a general command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 2 |
The "2" response reflects a partial command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| 1 |
The "1" response reflects little or no command of the relevant knowledge and skills:
|
| U | The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic or off task, unreadable, written in a language other than English or contains an insufficient amount of original work to score. |
| B | No response. |