High School Counselor – 26/27

Title: High School Guidance Counselor

Department: Guidance

Building/Facility: High School

Reports to: Building Principal

Employment Status: Regular/Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Description: The Guidance Counselor will counsel and guide students to enhance and facilitate learning, encourage emotional and personal growth, assist with student difficulties and aid students in making appropriate career choices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure safety of students, taking all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and correct records as required.
• Provide guidance and counsel to students which will promote their welfare and their proper educational development.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences.
• Counsel with colleagues, students, and parents.
• Maintain and improve professional competence.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with parents through effective use of interim reports, report cards and conferences.
• Refer students suspected of learning disabilities for diagnosis on a regular basis, seeking the assistance of the district’s specialists as required.
• Provide individual student counseling regarding course selection.
• Schedule and meet with colleges, technical schools, and military representatives.
• Participate in individual conferences with teachers, student, and parents.
• Write individual student recommendations for college or employment.
• Distribute ACT, SAT, PSAT, state standardized tests, ASVAB, COPS, etc.
• Enroll and orient new and transfer students.
• Provide referrals to community agencies for students with special needs.
• Assist students with preparing college and university applications.
• Assist faculty in determining subject offerings.
• Responsible for organizing and coordinating college day.
• Responsible for the Mentorship Program, Support Group Program, and the Post-secondary Option Program.
• Calculate student GPA based upon weighted courses.
• Send parents senior warning letter when required.
• Assist students in developing individual career plans.
• Organize and coordinate graduation activities.
• Organize and coordinate the course registration process.
• Responsible for student awards.
• Provide information services, pupil appraisal and record services, group guidance services, counseling services, consultative services, parent conference services, resource coordination services, and placement services.
• Organize and coordinate freshman orientation, senior awards night, college planning and scholarship meetings, financial aid seminars, commencement, the Baccalaureate Program, parent and student registration orientation.
• Assist with the development of the master schedule, test calendars, support groups, and vocational program procedures.
• Counsel students on college and career plans.
• Plan, organize and approve college fair trips and visitations.
• Provide counseling opportunities that will lead students to increased personal growth, self-understanding, and maturity.
• Provide student information to colleges and potential employers according to provision of the policy on student records.
• Serve as a resource on counseling and problem solving for other staff members.
• Make provisions for being available to students and parents for educationally related purposes outside the instructional day.
• Assist the administration in implementing all procedures and rules governing student life and conduct.
• Interact in a positive manner with staff, students, and parents.
• Promote good public relations by personal appearance, attitude, and conversation.
• Respond to routine questions and requests in an appropriate and professional manner.
• Serve as a role model for students in how to conduct themselves as citizens and as responsible members of the community.
• Instill in students the belief in and practice of ethical principles and democratic values.
• Demonstrates sound judgement and emotional stability.
• Demonstrates positive attitude and works and communicates well with others.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and skills in test administration and interpretation.
• Knowledge of financial aid.
• Knowledge of the district’s curriculum.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing and managing files and records.

Skills

• Skilled in organizing and problem-solving.
• Skilled in active listening by giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking the time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Skilled in speaking with others to convey information efficiently.
• Skilled in understanding written sentences and paragraphs in medical/work related documents.

Abilities

• Ability to work effectively with others.
• Ability to communicate ideas and directives clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to generate correspondence independently.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university.
• Two years of teaching experience
• Appropriate State of Ohio certification/license.
• Satisfactory completion of BCI and FBI background check
• Such alternative(s) to the above qualifications as the superintendent and/or the board of education may find appropriate.

Physical Demands

• Required to have dexterity of hands and fingers.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Required to stand or sit for extended periods of time.
• Regularly required to bend at the waist, kneel, crouch, reach, climb and stretch with hands and arms.
• Required to report to work on all scheduled workdays.
• Frequently required to push, pull, lift, or carry various supplies and materials up to a maximum of 25 pounds.
• Frequent interaction among unruly children.
• Occasional exposure to blood, bodily fluids, and tissue.
• Occasional repetitive hand motion, e.g., typing, computer work.
• Occasional interaction with difficult behaviors among students.
• Occasionally required to speak and hear.
• The physical demands described here are a representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Terms of Employment

This job description summary does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed. This job description is subject to change in response to funding variables, emerging technologies, improved operating procedures, productivity factors, and unforeseen events.

The Teays Valley Local School District is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.