The secondary counselor is a member of the Kansas City Public Schools guidance function, charged with providing a comprehensive guidance program for students in grades 7-12. The counselor develops program activities to meet the needs of students; consults with teachers, staff and parents to enhance program effectiveness and provides support to other secondary educational programs.

What You'll Be Doing: (Responsibilities)

• Implements the KCPS Secondary Guidance Curriculum by conducting guidance learning activities in the classroom as planned in conjunction with school administrators and teachers; consults with and serves as a resource to teachers to facilitate the infusion of guidance learning activities.
• Develops educational and career plans for groups and individual students:
  • Provides orientation activities for new students; participates in orientation programs for parents and students.
  • assists students in completing and updating of the “Personal Plan of Study” (4 Year Plan) in the current Student Information System (i.e. Tyler SIS K-12)
  • guides 9 th -12 th graders in evaluating their current status and requirements for high school graduation
  • maintains accurate records (graduation requirement worksheet and transcripts) on each student in the current Student Information System (i.e. Tyler SIS K-12, ensures that all students graduating from KCPS have met all the requirements for graduation
  • assists 12 th graders in developing and implementing their post-high school educational and career plans
  • coordinates with teachers and administrators on the enrollment process
  • ensures student schedules are completed and distributed to students prior to school beginning; and keeping student records current and readily available (monitors the academic and personal records of each student).
• Informs students and their parents of test results (including but not limited to the EXPLORE, PLAN, MAP, EOCs, ASVAB, SAT, PSAT, and COMPASS) and their implications for educational planning; provides resources and information to assist in career awareness and career exploration activities; guide all students to develop career/vocational plans through teaching and supervision of career education activities; guides students through the current career information system used by the district (i.e. Missouri Connections).
• Coordinates and distributes information related to the college application process, scholarships, opportunities, and summer program options.
• Conducts structured, goal oriented counseling sessions to meet the emotional, physical and psychological health needs of individuals or a group of students covering topics including self-awareness, self-identity, academic problems, peer problems, family issues, suicide, sexuality issues, child abuse and substance abuse.
• Attends and participates in all of the district Counselor professional development activities. Participates in staff meetings and conducts in-service programs for faculty; conducts and facilitates conferences with teachers, students, and parents; conducts or provides opportunities for parent education programs and assists students and parents in dealing with school related problems; advises administrators and faculty on student disciplinary matters.
• Consults and coordinates with in-district and community agencies, school psychologists, nurses, administrators, community-based psychologists, service agencies and physicians in meeting the special needs of students with severe problems.
• Interprets group test results to faculty and staff; established effective liaisons with all grade levels; acts as an advocate for students as appropriate in conjunction with other staff; assists school staff in placement of special needs students in gifted education and special education programs; participates with administrators and faculty as a team member in the implementation of the district testing program.
• Participates in and facilitates the intervention team process (SST): assumes an active role in designing, implementing, monitoring, and adjusting educational plans for individual students.
• Periodically reviews the guidance program with staff and administrators, using the program evaluation self-study; reviews and modifies the program calendar and evaluates guidance learning activities.
Pursues professional growth by attending state and local staff development programs; joins professional associations (MSCA, MVA, AACD, AVA, MACD); reads professional journals; attends relevant workshops and conferences and takes post-graduate courses.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: None.

To Be Successful at This Job, You'll Need To: (Qualifications)

• A master’s degree or higher degree in education, school counseling, counseling, counseling psychology, rehabilitation counseling or a closely related mental health discipline
• Completed additional graduate course work specific to school counseling, as designated by the state-approved recommending certification official, including a supervised internship or field experience of at least three hundred (300) hours in an appropriate school setting
Missouri Certification in Counseling 7-12 or K-12

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This job requires that the employee be able to: sit, stand, walk, speak, hear, use hands, fingers, reach with hands and fingers; bend, stoop, lift objects of at least ten pounds. Job requires the employee occasionally to stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. Visual ability requires mono and color vision, close vision, distance vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.