COSC 661 School Counseling Program Development and Evaluation

This course is designed to examine the overall design, development and implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program. The dynamics of classroom guidance lessons are explicitly addressed. Implications for direct and indirect school counseling services are explored as well as ways to promote access and equity for all students.

For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.

Based on a biblical worldview, the goal is to synthesize academic knowledge and skills with biblical values, moral dimensions, and ethical implications. The school counselor licensure program at Liberty University maintains a continuous cycle of evaluation and revision in order to achieve its mission of developing competent professionals with a biblical worldview for Christian, public, and private schools. This course is designed to examine the planning, development, organization, implementation, and evaluation of comprehensive developmental K–12 school counseling programs that promote access and equity for all students. Each student will learn about academic- and systems-focused programming, strategies for closing the achievement gap, and methods for working with culturally diverse students and students with special needs.

Textbook readings, lecture presentations, and articles

No details available.

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview. 

Discussion: The Role of a School Counselor in a Changing World

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will participate in three discussions for the course. In this written discussion, the student will briefly explain the school counselor’s role as a:

1. Leader

• How does a school counselor serve as a leader within a school community?
• Link response to a specific ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & competencies

2. Collaborator (and with whom the school counselor might collaborate)

• Who are the key stakeholders a school counselor collaborates with (e.g., teachers, administrators, families)?
• Link response to a specific ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & competencies

3. School Counselor in consultation with families, P-12 and postsecondary personnel, and community agencies

• Describe the counselor’s role in consultation with families, P–12 and postsecondary personnel, and community agencies.
• Link response to a specific ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & competencies

4. Promoter of systemic change within a K-12 school setting

• How might a school counselor promote systemic change within a K–12 setting?
• Link response to a specific ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & competencies

5. Advocate 

• How might a school counselor advocate for students, programs, and the profession?
• Link response to a specific ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & competencies

The student will reflect on what ethical considerations should be made when using AI to enhance the school counseling program. The student will consider how AI may ethically support school counseling efforts as part of a comprehensive school counseling program. Next, the student will reflect on the risks of using AI as part of a school counseling program. The student will name one intentional step he/she will take to ensure he/she is using AI both ethically and responsibly in the school counseling practice. Finally, the student will name one intentional step he/she will take to ensure he/she is using AI both ethically and responsibly in the school counseling practice.  The student will choose a person in the Bible who exemplifies these characteristics and support his/her claim with specific examples and at least 1 Biblical citation.

The student will post one original thread of at least 500 words (but no more than 600 words) and 1 reply post to his/her classmate of at least 250 words (but no more than 300 words). For the original thread, the student must support his or her assertions with at least 4 scholarly citations and at least 1 Biblical reference in current APA format. Assertions in the reply post should be supported with at least 1 scholarly citation in the APA format. (CLO: J, K)

Discussion: ASCA Lesson Plan with AI Assistance

Discussion: AI-Assisted Program Evaluation Survey

• The survey should reflect the four components of the ASCA National Model:
  Define: Questions that explore the student’s understanding of the counseling program’s
  purpose and goals.
• Manage: Questions that assess how well the program is organized and communicated.
• Deliver: Questions that evaluate the quality and accessibility of direct and indirect
  services.
• Assess: Questions that measure perceived outcomes in academic, career, and
  social/emotional domains.
  Important: The student must not include any questions that violate the Hatch Amendment (PPRA). The student must avoid collecting sensitive data related to political affiliations, religious beliefs, mental health history, sexual behavior, family income, or other protected categories.

Part 1: Survey Creation

• The student will post a link to the survey (e.g., Microsoft Forms, Google Forms) in the discussion board.
• The student will title the thread with his/her name and grade level focus (e.g., “Taylor – Grade 8 Survey”).
• The survey should be created in such a way that the “class” can submit answers anonymously. The format of the survey can be rank order, Likert scale, or whatever format most appropriately fits the survey tool, so that the student will be able to glean data from the survey.

Part 2: Survey Participation

AI-Assisted Resource Guide Assignment

Delivery of a Classroom Guidance Lesson Plan Assignment

Using the lesson plan created in Discussion: ASCA Lesson Plan and having incorporated feedback from peers and the professor, the student will record himself or herself delivering this lesson via PowerPoint. The student is required to demonstrate or role-play one classroom management strategy, differentiated instructional strategies, and at least one teaching strategy used with English Learners during the presentation. This presentation should be 15-20 minutes in length. (CLO: A, B, C, D, E, F, I, L)

AI-Assisted Pre-/Post-Test Assessment Assignment

Benchmark School Counseling Brochure Assignment

Building on the School Counseling Brochure Assignment he or she began in COSC 660, the student will create a comprehensive school counseling brochure which includes the following information:

1. Well-written statements that inform the stakeholders of the mission, vision, beliefs, and objectives of the comprehensive school counseling program. This statement ensures that all students benefit from an equitable, accessible, and successful SC program, which produces long-range results.
2. Three interventions that promote the academic, career, and social/emotional services provided to students in each of these domains. Each domain should be labeled separately in the student’s brochure. Interventions should include both direct and indirect services for each and reflect the ASCA National Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success.
3. A statement that successfully advocates for the school counseling profession should be included with a rationale for providing a comprehensive school counseling program (CSCP). Benefits of offering a CSCP should be explained, and a list of 3-4 appropriate activities of the school counselor should be detailed.
4. Three clear interventions used to promote equity in student achievement and college access should be detailed for the chosen building level. The interventions should include both direct and indirect services and should reflect the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success.
5. Three strategies to increase promotion and graduation rates at the chosen building level should be identified. The interventions should include both direct and indirect services and should reflect the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success.
6. Three interventions to promote college and career readiness (at the student’s chosen building/ grade level). Interventions should include both direct and indirect services and be developmentally appropriate for the student’s chosen grade level. Career counseling assessments are developmentally appropriate and are appropriate for the school setting.
7. Three strategies for implementing and coordinating peer intervention programs should be outlined in detail. These strategies should align with the ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success. Note: The student is not being asked to simply identify a program. The student is being asked to identify three strategies for how he/she, as the school counselor, will implement and coordinate a peer intervention program. Refer to the assigned module: week’s learn resources for assistance with this section.
8. Specific and concrete examples of both direct and indirect services offered to students, including individual, group, classroom, collaboration, and consultation.
9. A clear and concise statement about the student’s philosophy of data collection, methods of data collection, how he or she will use data to advocate for programs and students, and how results will be shared with stakeholders.
10. At least three peer-reviewed scholarly sources must be used to support the brochure’s contents. These sources must be cited both in-text and in a reference section.

(CLO: A, B, E, H, J)

Benchmark Data Presentation Assignment

Using the survey data gathered in the Discussion: Program Assessment Survey, the student will prepare and present a data presentation using the provided Data Presentation Template. The presentation should be approximately 10-15 minutes in length and follow all current APA formatting guidelines. Six scholarly citations must be used in the presentation and cited both on the appropriate slide as well as a reference slide. (CLO: A, B, F, G, H)

The student will copy and paste his/her graded rubric (including feedback and final comments) from the COSC 660 School Counseling Brochure Assignment into a Word document and submit it as a file upload. There is no time limit on this quiz, and multiple attempts are allowed. This assignment is worth 40 points. (CLO: A, B, J)

Quiz: Deliver and Assess

The student will complete one 20-minute, multiple-choice, open-book/open-notes, timed quiz that covers content from the Learn materials from every module. The quiz can only be accessed one time and taken once.

The student may use the textbook; however, he or she has approximately 2 minutes per question, which means that the student would need to have read the chapters in order to do well on the assessment. The student must read and study the textbook material prior to the quizzes. Once the quiz is accessed, the timer begins. The student will know his or her scores immediately. The student should anticipate technological issues and have a backup plan in place prior to starting each quiz. There are 10 items on this quiz. Each item is worth 2 points for a total of 20 points. If the student exceeds the allotted 20 minutes, 1 point will be deducted for every 5 minutes over the allotted time frame. The quiz can only be taken once. (CLO: K, D, F, H)

Quiz: Dispositions Reflection

The student will rate himself/herself on the nine dispositions required for this program. The quiz will contain 9 multiple-choice questions and 1 essay question and is limited to 60 minutes. The student is allowed 1 attempt to complete the quiz.