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Board hears first read of districtwide counseling and advisement policy to make advisement universal
Summary
APS leaders presented a draft K–12 counseling and academic advisement policy and framework intended to standardize advisement across schools, set an 80/20 counselor time expectation, and establish a summer advisement/transcript audit program for rising juniors/seniors.
Atlanta Public Schools presented a first read of a districtwide counseling and academic advisement policy on May 4 aimed at standardizing counseling services and expanding college and career readiness supports for every student.
"Advisement is not a right. It's not a privilege, but it's a right for all students," Dr. Vonresa McKenna said while outlining a K–12 scope and sequence that will map grade‑level advisement tasks and activities and require counselors to spend 80% of their time in direct student service.
Why it matters: board members repeatedly framed the policy as an equity tool to reduce variability across schools in student access to counseling and post‑secondary planning, and they flagged budget implications to meet national counselor‑to‑student ratios.
Key elements presented - Framework and sequence: the draft sets grade‑band expectations (K–5 foundations, 6–8 exploration, 9–12 planning/implementation), quarterly school visits for monitoring, and a district academic planning guide to make course offerings transparent to families. - Summer advisement: targeted transcript audits and remediation supports for rising juniors and seniors, with transcript checks, remediation plans and FAFSA assistance outlined. - Staffing and time use: leadership endorsed an 80/20 expectation (80% direct student service; 20% paperwork/indirect duties) and acknowledged national counseling ratio guidance (~1:250) compared with current district ratios (~450); administrators and board members acknowledged budget implications to reduce ratios. - Policy process: Carolyn Barnett (policy committee) said the policy will be considered for first read that night, followed by stakeholder feedback, final adoption and administrative regulations to guide implementation.
Board priorities and requests Board members recommended adding entrepreneurship pathways, equitable access to test prep and financial‑aid planning, and asked the administration to prepare clearer budget scenarios showing the cost of adding counselors and training to meet the target ratios. Several board members emphasized consistent implementation, role clarity for counselors, and mechanisms to measure quality and outcomes.
Next steps Administration will refine policy language, collect stakeholder feedback, produce regulations and an implementation timeline, and return to the board for final adoption and associated budget requests.
Sources: presentations and board discussion with Dr. Ojay Dennis, Dr. Vonresa McKenna and Carolyn Barnett, May 4, 2026.
