School Guidance Counselor

The Guidance Counselor , through the process of individual and group counseling, helps students to understand their aptitudes, capabilities, and limitations in making personal decisions, educational plans, and occupational choices. The Guidance Counselor is also responsible for developing, organizing, directing, supervising, and evaluating guidance and related programs.

Reports to: Principal/Head of School

Responsibilities

• Plans, develops, and implements all guidance programs in cooperation with the Headmaster and the Program Director for Guidance and Support Services.
• Counsels students individually and in small groups.
• Implements and interprets for students, faculty, and parents' evaluative appraisals of students.
• Assists in the programming, record keeping, placement, and discharge of students.
• Develops a positive working relationship with other support service personnel to identify problems, share information, and design programs.
• Provides college counseling and support for students in the college search and application process.
• Designs and implements a program of educational and vocational information.
• Performs other related duties as requested by the Principal/Headmaster.

Core Competencies: Using the Rubric of Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISP), the Office of Human Capital has identified priority skills and abilities that all BPS SISP should demonstrate.

• Accountability for Student Achievement

(II-A-1 Quality of Effort and Work, II-D-2 High Expectations, I B-2 Adjustments to Practice)

• Sets ambitious learning goals for all students, uses instructional and clinical practices that reflect high expectations for students and student work; engages all students in learning.
• Consistently defines high expectations for student learning goals and behavior.
• Assesses student learning regularly using a variety of assessments to measure growth, and understanding.
• Effectively analyzes data from assessments, draws conclusions, and shares them appropriately.
• Communicating Professional Knowledge

(I-A-1 Professional Knowledge, I-A-2 Child Adolescent Development, I-A-3 Plan Development)

• Exhibits strong knowledge of child development and how students learn and behave, and designs effective and rigorous plans for support with measurable outcomes.
• Demonstrates knowledge of students’ developmental levels by providing differentiated learning experiences and support that enable all students to progress toward intended outcomes.
• Equitable & Effective Instruction

(II-A-3 Meeting Diverse Needs, II-A-2. Student Engagement, II-B-1. Safe Learning Environment, II-B-2 Collaborative Learning Environment, I-D-3 Access to Knowledge)

• Builds a productive learning environment where every student participates and is valued as part of the class community.
• Uses instructional and clinical practices that are likely to challenge, motivate and engage all students and facilitate active participation.
• Consistently adapts instruction, services, plans, and assessments to make curriculum/ supports accessible to all students.
• Cultural Proficiency

(II-C-1. Respects Differences, II-C-2. Maintains a Respectful Environment)

• Actively creates and maintains an environment in which students’ diverse backgrounds, identities, strengths, and challenges are respected.
• Parent/Family Engagement

(III-A-1. Parent/Family Engagement, III-B-2. Collaboration)

• Engages with families and builds collaborative, respectful relationships with them in service of student learning.
• Consistently provides parents with clear expectations for student learning behavior and/or wellness and shares strategies to promote learning and development at school and home.
• Professional Reflection & Collaboration

(IV-A-1. Reflective Practice, IV-C-1. Professional Collaboration, IV-C-2. Consultation)

• Regularly reflects on practice, seeks and responds to feedback, and demonstrates self-awareness and commitment to continuous learning and development.
• Consistently collaborates with colleagues through shared planning and/or informal conversation to analyze student performance and development, and to plan appropriate interventions at the classroom or school level.
• Regularly provides advice and expertise to general education teachers and the school community to support the creation of appropriate and effective academic, behavioral, and social/emotional learning experiences for students.

Qualifications Required

• MA DESE School Guidance Counselor License at the appropriate level.
• Master's Degree in counseling, education or related field.
• Ability to meet the BPS Standards of Effective Practice as outlined above.
• Experience working with urban youth in an educational or human services setting.

Qualification-Preferred

• Experience with database management.
• Demonstrated writing ability.
• BPS values linguistic diversity and believes that candidates who speak another language bring added value to the classroom, school, and district culture and diversity. BPS is particularly interested in candidates who are fluent in one of BPS' official languages: Spanish, Creole (Cape Verdean), Creole (Haitian), Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, & Somali.

Terms: BTU, Group I

Please refer to (under "Employee Benefits and Policies") for more information on salary and compensation. Salaries are listed by Unions and Grade/Step.

The start and end times of BPS schools vary, as do the lengths of the school day. Some BPS schools have a longer school day through the "Schedule A" Expanded Learning Time (ELT) agreement.

The Boston Public Schools, in accordance with its nondiscrimination policies, does not discriminate in its programs, facilities, or employment or educational opportunities on the basis of race, color, age, criminal record (inquiries only), disability, homelessness, sex/gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, genetics or military status, and does not tolerate any form of retaliation, or bias-based intimidation, threat or harassment that demeans individuals’ dignity or interferes with their ability to learn or work.