School counseling programs are collaborative efforts benefiting students, parents, teachers, administrators and the overall community. School counseling programs should be an integral part of students' daily educational environment, and school counselors should be partners in student achievement.
The question has been posed, "What do school counselors do?" The more important question is, "How are students different as a result of what school counselors do?" To help answer this question, the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) created the ASCA National Model, which is a framework for a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program.
ASCA NATIONAL MODEL
Advice for ASCA National Model Implementation
- Remember, the purpose of the ASCA National Model is to do more school counseling.
- Keep it simple.
- The ASCA National Model is even more important when you have a large caseload.
- The ASCA National Model gives you the tools you need to take things off your plate.
- Take advantage of experts in your district.
Iowa Specific - ASCA Model Webinar Series
ISCA started the ASCA Model Webinar Series in 2017 with Iowa school counselors outlining different steps of the process and their experience with implementing the model and the RAMP process. View the recordings by clicking the titles below.
- ASCA Model 101
- A Look at RAMP in Iowa
- Data
- RAMP Process - Becoming a Recognized ASCA Model Program
- Using Google to RAMP Your Program
- Nuts and Bolts of RAMP Applications
Purchase the ASCA Books
ASCA has published a number of books to help you on your journey to implementing a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program.
"ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs (third edition)": The ASCA National Model reflects a comprehensive approach to the design, implementation and evaluation of a school counseling program that improves student success. The publication defines the school counselor's role in implementation of a program based on leadership, advocacy, collaboration and systemic change and provides tools to build each component of the program including foundation, management, delivery and accountability. This third edition has been revised to reflect current eudcation practices and enhanced to include additional templates that will assist school counselors in developing an exemplary school counseling program. Learn more or order now.
“ASCA National Model Implementation Guide: Foundation, Management and Accountability”: This publication is a supplement to “The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs” and is designed to provide further insight about how to implement a comprehensive school counseling program. This guide will help you apply your knowledge of the ASCA National Model in ways that can enhance the work you already do and perhaps add additional components in your program in order to have a fully implemented comprehensive school counseling program. Each section of this guide includes a description of a specific component of the ASCA National Model, suggestions on where to start with each component, do’s and don’ts, examples of what each component might look like, templates to assist with completion and tips for applying for the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP). Learn more or order now.
"Making DATA Work, an ASCA National Model publication": Data can be scary, but it doesn't have to be. School counseling practitioners without a solid background in data and statistics can still run a data-driven program with the help of this book. This publication complements the ASCA National Model by providing step-by-step implementation strategies, skill-building activities, examples and resources to help school counselors develop program goals, collect and analyze data and share their findings with stakeholders. Learn more or order now.