Phoenix-Talent board hears multi-level report on comprehensive school counseling, suicide-prevention lessons and career planning

Phoenix-Talent School District counselors and outside partners presented a districtwide update April 3 on the district’s comprehensive school counseling program, describing work at elementary, middle and high school levels and sharing pre/post assessment data showing improved student knowledge, skills and help-seeking after classroom lessons.

The presentation, introduced by district staff, explained that counseling work follows Division 22 standards and the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) national model and that the district is implementing evidence-based suicide-prevention curriculum in compliance with the ADDIEs/“Addies” Act. Counselors and specialist staff described tiered supports ranging from lessons delivered to all students (tier 1) to targeted small-group and individual interventions (tiers 2–3).

Talent Middle School counselors Bree Bates and Liz Fletcher described a district-adopted Signs of Suicide (SOS) lesson they delivered to sixth-through-eighth graders and said the instruction used the ACT model—“acknowledge, care, and tell a person”—to teach students how to respond if a peer shows warning signs. Bates and Fletcher said they administered brief pre- and post-assessments to measure changes in attitudes, knowledge and applied skills. According to their slides, among the sixth-grade cohort (135 students present for the lesson), the percentage who agreed that “the best thing I can do for a friend struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide is connect them with a trusted adult” rose from 85% on the pretest to 96% on the posttest. Correct responses on a multiple-choice question about warning signs rose from 68% to 83%, and correct application of the ACT skill increased from 61% to 78%.

Bates and Fletcher reported that the middle school conducted 25 “risk to self” assessments in 2023–24 and had completed 23 year-to-date this school year; they said some students appear multiple times in the count. They also described plans to add a peer-led Sources of Strength program to sustain prevention messaging throughout the year and to move suicide-prevention lessons earlier in the school year and add a stronger family/guardian engagement component.

At Phoenix High School, counselors Angelica Mendoza, Jordan Reese and Michelle Carlson described a three-day rollout of the Naviance platform and an AchieveWorks (personality) assessment for 407 ninth- through 11th-grade students. Counselors reported that 96% of students already agreed with the statement that understanding personality affects education and work; they said a post‑lesson shift increased the share strongly agreeing by 21%. Counselors reported a 97% completion rate for the assessment among students who began it and said school staff saw increased student interest in follow-up advising.

Elementary behavior specialist Christian Cincayo described a tier‑2 pilot at Phoenix Elementary using a Wayfinder kindness unit delivered to one fifth-grade classroom. Pre/post results reported by the team showed attitudes (agreement that “it is important to be kind”) rising from 95% to 100%, knowledge (definition of kindness) from 71% to 81%, and a scenario-based skills question moving from a pretest of 9% correct to 90% correct on the posttest. The team noted attendance gaps on lesson days and the pilot status of the curriculum as limitations.

Board members and the superintendent asked questions about district data systems and next steps. Board members asked whether counseling work and tier placement are visible in student information systems; district staff said work is underway to create a consolidated dashboard that combines attendance, grades and behavior so grad coaches and counselors can run regular reports. Board members also asked about access to community mental‑health providers; counselors said La Clinica and other partners are helping but that wait lists persist and the district has an ongoing need for bilingual/bicultural therapists.

District staff listed several next steps: solidify a K–12 scope and sequence so every grade receives guaranteed tier‑1 lessons across domains, move SOS instruction earlier in the school year when possible, strengthen family engagement (for example, a caregiver night on suicide-prevention curriculum), expand Sources of Strength peer leadership, and continue to pilot Wayfinder at the elementary level.

The board praised the counselors’ work and the use of data to target interventions. No formal board action was taken on the program at the meeting; the presentation was received for information.