Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the School Counseling topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
School counseling shifts to ASCA fifth edition framework; district to consider new attendance protocol
Summary
A school-counseling presenter described the ASCA fifth edition's shift toward achievement and participation metrics and proposed a tiered attendance intervention that flags excessive absence at more than 10 days per year; the district will pilot local protocols in summer planning.
An unnamed school-counseling presenter briefed the board on the American School Counselor Association's (ASCA) fifth edition and local implications for Keene schools. The presenter said ASCA's latest guidance emphasizes "cleaner work" and a shift from vague outcomes to measurable achievement and participation data, with an emphasis on earlier intervention.
"The fifth edition of the ASCA framework is really about doing cleaner work," the presenter stated, summarizing the guidance's purpose. The presenter explained that attendance and discipline should be treated as levers that influence academic progress and described a tiered-intervention model: tier one is universal curriculum (for example freshman orientation), tier two is targeted outreach when absences become excessive, and tier three is intensive, individualized support.
On the metric for escalation, the presenter referenced an attendance consortium benchmark that defines excessive absences as more than 10 full school days in a year, and contrasted that with child-welfare thresholds (cited as ~23 days) used by DCYF. The presenter recommended that the district document conversations at tier two rather than relying on automated letters and work with a data team and administrators to identify cases for more intensive follow-up.
Board members pressed on resourcing and caseload. The presenter cited ASCA's recommended counselor-to-student ratio (250:1) and said Keene High's current ratio is about 191:1, which the presenter characterized as favorable compared with many states. She recommended pulling outside resources (e.g., Attendance Works) and said the district's data team, house counselors, the SRO and administrators would be involved in tier-two conversations.
Next steps: the counseling team will continue summer planning to align attendance protocols with district administration and share more detailed procedures as the plan is developed. No formal vote or budget request was recorded at the meeting.
