Category: School Counselor

Equity often refers to the idea that all students should have an equal opportunity to succeed. Equity can
Equity creates a culture in our schools that is friendly, welcoming, and supportive of all students. It also helps to create a sense of community and togetherness among educators, parents, and students. Equity is a valuable asset to our schools and we should use every opportunity to create it.

Below are nine ways to promote equity in our schools:

1. Make sure all students have an equal opportunity to learn.

2. Increase access to resources for all students.

3. Create opportunities for all students to learn in a fun and supportive environment.

4. Encourage creativity and innovation in our schools.

5. Make sure all students have an experience that is positive and supportive.

6. Increase the experience of students in our schools that is collegial and supportive.

7. Encourage creativity and innovation in our schools through club and group activities.

8. Encourage collaboration between educators and parents in order to create a culture of equity.

9. Give all students the opportunity to participate in school-wide initiatives and activities.

Collaboration is essential to success in any endeavor, especially in education and community engagement. There are many ways to collaborate better, and following five simple steps can help you get started.

1. Clearly define the goals of the collaboration: Before starting any collaboration, it is important to understand what the participants want to achieve. Defining the goals of the collaboration will help ensure that the collaboration is effective and efficient.

2. Build trust and respect: Trust and respect are essential ingredients for any successful collaboration. It is important to build trust and respect between the participants before beginning the collaboration and to maintain it throughout the process.

3. Set clear expectations: All participants must understand the expectations for the collaboration. This will help ensure that the collaboration is conducted promptly and efficiently.

4. Establish timelines and deadlines: Timelines and deadlines are essential for ensuring the collaboration is completed on schedule. Setting timelines and deadlines will help ensure that the participants can meet the collaboration goals.

5. Celebrate successes and learn from failures: Collaboration is a process that will likely encounter some failures along the way. Celebrating successes and learning from failures will help the collaboration to be more successful in the future.

 

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Wyoming.

Academics: (Option 1) Master’s degree in school counseling and guidance or (Option 2) A master’s degree with at least 30-semester credits in sanctioned school counseling and guidance coursework.

Experience Requirements: (1) Admissibility for a license to teach and 2 years of successful teaching experience; or (2) An sanctioned one-year full-time internship in school counseling or (3) a minimum of 2 years of experience as a counselor in an assigned position of one-half time or more OR (4) 3 years of experience in a human services setting.

Assessment: Candidates are required to demonstrate knowledge of the US Constitution and the Wyoming Constitution either through coursework or an exam

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: No

Licensure: K-12

Licensure Reciprocity: Yes

Criminal Background Investigation: Yes

Wyoming Professional Teaching Standards Board

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Wisconsin.

Academics: A master’s degree from a sanctioned school counseling and guidance program and the institutional endorsement.

Experience Requirements: (1) Admissibility for a WI license to teach in the elementary/secondary schools and 2 years of teaching experience at the elementary/secondary school levels; or (2) Completion of a sanctioned one-year full-time internship in school counseling; or (3) A minimum of 2 years of experience as a counselor in an assigned position of half time or more.

Assessment: None

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: Yes, if you do not have the experience requirement completed at the time of hire.

Licensure: K –12

Licensure Reciprocity: No. In most cases, Wisconsin licenses are based on completion of a state-sanctioned program, not based on certification from another state. Candidates for a Wisconsin license must be licensable in the state where they completed their school counseling preparation program.

Criminal Background Investigation: Yes

Wisconsin Department of Education/school counseling

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in West Virginia.

Academics: Master’s degree from an accredited institution and completion of a sanctioned program for school counselors.

Experience Requirements: None

Assessment: Take Praxis II Professional School Counselor Examination (5421), and obtain a 156.

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: No

Licensure: Pre-K–Adult

Licensure Reciprocity: Yes

Criminal Background Investigation: No

West Virginia Department of Education/school counseling

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Washington.

Academics: Master’s degree in counseling. Submit transcripts showing degree completion of any state’s sanctioned program leading to certification for the school counselor role or 3 years of out-of-state experience in the school counselor role and completing a comprehensive exam relevant to the role.

Necessary Courses: To earn a Professional Certificate, candidates must attest to completion of issues of abuse course [for more information, see WAC 181-79A-030(9)]. This course must be entered into the PD Hours section of your E-Certification account before applying. Candidates must also attest to completing a suicide prevention training sanctioned by the Professional Educator Standards Board in Washington within the five years previous to application.

Experience Requirements: For first-time certificate candidates without a master’s degree in school counseling and/or completion of a state-sanctioned program leading to ESA certification, 3 years of out-of-state experience in the counselor role, and successful completion of a comprehensive exam related to the role are required.

Assessment: Applicant must complete a comprehensive assessment of the knowledge included in the coursework for the required master’s degree in counseling. Suppose the candidate has been awarded a master’s degree without a comprehensive assessment. In that case, the candidate, as a condition for certification, must pass the Praxis II specialty area test (code 5421) in guidance and counseling administered by ETS. The minimum passing score is 156.

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: No

Licensure: K-12

Licensure Reciprocity: Yes

Criminal Background Investigation: Yes

Washington Department of Education/school counseling

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Virginia.

Academics: (Option 1) An earned master’s degree from a sanctioned counselor education program; or (Option 2) A master’s degree from a university and certification from a sanctioned counselor education program that the candidate has completed the requisite course work and clinical experience to acquire the competencies described.

Experience Requirements: (Option 1) A minimum of 100 clock hours of practicum experiences in a PreK-6 setting and 100 clock hours of practicum experiences in the grades 7-12 setting; (Option 2) 2 years of successful, full-time teaching experience or 2 years of successful, full-time experience in guidance and counseling. 2 years of successful, full-time experience in guidance and counseling under a provisional license may be accepted to meet this requirement.

Assessment: None

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: No

Licensure: PreK-12

Licensure Reciprocity: Yes

Criminal Background Investigation: No

Virginia Department of Education

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Vermont.

Academics: Master’s degree in school counseling.

Experience Requirements: An internship experience (600 clock hours) in counseling with at least 60 hours of experience in school counseling at the elementary (PK-6) and middle/secondary (7-12) levels, under the supervision of a licensed school counselor.

Assessment: Praxis I: Must have at least a mar of 177 in reading, 174 in writing, and 175 in math unless they have a minimum of 1000 on the SAT’s OR 1100 on GRE’s OR 22 on the ACT’s

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: No

Licensure: PreK-12

Licensure Reciprocity: All states are recognized by Vermont for reciprocity except IA and MN. A candidate has a current, comparable license from a state with which Vermont has a NASDTEC Interstate Agreement, provided the candidate can provide documentation of at least 3 years of work in a school within the last 7 years in the certification endorsement area. Candidates that fail to meet this condition can obtain certification through Vermont’s Alternative Route: The Peer Review process.

Criminal Background Investigation: Yes, criminal background check and fingerprinting.

Vermont Department of Education

In America, today’s school counselors do a lot more than their predecessors. It may be hard to tell from the outside looking in, but they help teachers and staff handle various issues, counsel parents, and sometimes play a crucial part in shaping education policy. They are a pivotal part of the student success equation, and they help schools create supportive and safe environments for students.

Want to become a school counselor in the United States, but want to know how? Don’t worry; the Edvocate has your back. Check out this guide that we created explaining how to become a school counselor in Utah.

Academics: Completion of an accredited counselor education program.

Experience Requirements: Finished a sanctioned 600-hour field experience (400 hours if the candidate has completed 2 or more years of successful teaching experience sanctioned by USBE licensing).

Assessment: Praxis

Is an Institutional Recommendation Needed?: Yes

Licensure: K-12

Licensure Reciprocity: Yes

Criminal Background Investigation: Yes, Utah is a member of the Compact for Interstate Qualification of Educational Personnel

Utah Department of Education/school counseling