School Counseling Comprehensive Examination / PEAB / Portfolio FAQ

Transcription

1 Student Questions from Previous Years PEAB 1. When is it? The PEAB takes place the first Friday in December, March, and June. At times, adjustments are made to this schedule, so check with the faculty internship advisor as the quarter progresses. 2. What are they looking for? Three things are valued above all else: a) come ready to shine show them you are an asset to the field with specific examples of what you contributed to your internship; b) teamwork explain how you work with teachers, community leaders, principals, and committees; c) education most school counselors don t have formal teaching experience; explain how you have the skills necessary to provide programs to classes and know how to speak the education lingo. 3. When I answer questions, do I keep them short or babble? They want comprehensive answers. This document will give you a good insight into the questions they will ask. Spend some time developing practice answers. When they ask about your philosophy and theoretical background, you should respond with more than, I like Reality Therapy good theory. They want to know things like, how do you use the ASCA model, what theoretical interventions would you use with different age groups? When would you emphasize behavioral, cognitive, affective, or sensory models? How do your beliefs guide you when working with different children (e.g., aggressive kids, abused children, kids at academic risk, etc.)? A way to start this answer might be something like, I tend to use Reality Therapy as a theoretical framework. Students need to learn that they make choices and their choices will create positive and negative consequences. However, I ve learned that students also benefit from Positive Psychology. They need to hear praise and learn ways to inoculate themselves against negative voices from peers. When I work with elementary school children, I help to provide this type of encouragement by hanging out with the kids at recess, building them up when they succeed at games or sports. This creates a bond that often draws kids closer to me, making me more accessible. With older kids PEAB Process 1. Chair provides the candidate with the list of questions to preview. 2. Chair asks PEAB members to introduce themselves. 3. Chair briefly explains the purpose of the PEAB board review for certification. 4. Chair asks the candidate to circulate their internship portfolio/handbook 5. Chair asks the candidate to share his/her educational and professional background, including a description of the internship and important experiences throughout the professional preparation program. 6. Chair asks the candidate to describe his/her professional strengths and limitations/areas for further growth. Page 1 of 7

2 7. Chair asks the board to question the candidate. Questions may include variations of the following: a. Internship: How did it go? What did you learn? How could it be improved? a. What are the most important things you learned from your internship? b. What, if anything, would you change about your internship? b. Philosophy of Counseling: This will usually involve a theory question. a. Which theoretical concepts or models guide your work? c. Role of Counselor: Discuss your role in a comprehensive guidance program d. ASCA Model: You should know the National Model and the domains of competency. a. What was your experience with the ASCA model in your internship? b. What domains and competencies are addressed in the ASCA model? i. The domain areas of the competencies are: 1. Academic, 2. Career, and 3. Personal/social development ii. Competencies 1. Competencies directly relate to the domains 2. Developmentally appropriate student competencies are specified for each grade level. 3. Competency selection is based on data and are measurable or observable 4. Competencies are a direct link in the relationship between the school counseling mission, the school districts educational mission and expected students results 5. Knowledge, attitudes or skills that students should attain or demonstrate 6. Integrated with the academic curriculum 7. Organized into content areas e. Confidentiality: How does this work? When, if ever, should confidentiality be violated? How would you describe confidentiality to an elementary school student? What about a high schooler? f. School Improvement Process: How do counselors improve schools? What role can you have on student learning? Briefly describe your understanding of the counselor s role in the school improvement process? g. Experiences with Diversity: This includes SES, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and disabilities. Explain how you can help students in each of these groups. h. Future Plans: What area do you hope to work in? What are your strengths and weaknesses? What will you continue to seek consultation for? School counselors are responsible for keeping up-to-date professionally. What are your plans for doing so? i. Other: Other questions of interest to PEAB members Do you, the candidate, have any questions for the PEAB members? 8. Chair asks candidate to leave while the review board meets with supervisor(s) and/or the Program Director. 9. Chair asks supervisor(s) and Program Director for feedback. Board discusses the candidate s strengths and limitations. Page 2 of 7

3 10. Candidate returns to the room and Chair shares the PEAB review board s recommendations. 11. When is the PEAB defense? a. Always scheduled for the last Friday of the quarter. b. Scott Schaefle should be the one who schedules the times. 12. How long will the PEAB last? a. One hour per student b. Some students can complete their hours after finals week. 13. Who is on the PEAB? The structure of the PEAB is determined by state law. At least onehalf of the voting members shall be school counselors appointed by the president of the Washington School Counselors Association. At least one teacher appointed by the president of the Washington Education Association. At least one principal appointed by the Association of Washington School Principals. At least one administrator appointed by the Washington Association of School Administrators. At least one college or university representative who may serve in a voting or nonvoting role. The PEAB was comprised of a. Terri Allen, LMHC, Children s Village, b. Jennifer Brownlow, WSCA, Wilson Middle School, c. Krista Doll, WSCA, Selah Junior High, Selah, d. Maria Garcia, WEA, Adams Elementary, e. Rosa Martinez, WSCA, f. Joe Rodriguez, WSCA, Franklin Middle School, Yakima, g. Scott Schaefle, (PEAB Program Administrator), CWU, Ellensburg, h. Bernie Snow, WSCA, West Valley High School, Yakima, i. Norm Walker, WSCA, ESD #105, Yakima, j. Kevin Weberg, AWSP, Lincoln Elementary, Ellensburg, Comprehensive Examination 1. With whom and when do I schedule the comps? The CCAPC Secretary schedules the exam. It must be taken before the Tuesday of the last day of classes (i.e., two weeks before finals). It should be completed before the PEAB. Students can take the comp on their internship site, if the onsite supervisor wishes to proctor to the test. If you wish to take it on campus, Loretta will proctor the test. 2. How long should responses be to each question? Less than a page per question. It depends on the question. Comps are graded holistically. Demonstrate basic understanding. 3. Will people have to handwrite these out? a. Students are encouraged to take their test on the computer. 4. Who will grade the test? a. Robert Brammer grades the tests. 5. What is on the test? The exam is included on the following pages. Please prepare ahead of time. 6. PART III: How long will they have to answer this question? a. This should be completed by the Monday following the test. This question is required but the content of your response will not be part of your evaluation. Page 3 of 7

4 Instructions: This written comprehensive exam must be completed within 4 hours. You can choose to complete Part I and Part II in two separate testing sessions of 2 hours each or you can complete both sections in one 4-hour session. If you wish to complete both sections at the same time, please notify your proctor so s/he can administer Part II. These study questions are not the same as the ones you will have on your test. They are meant to provide a sample of what you could expect. Make sure your preparation for the test is more comprehensive than simply answering these questions. PART I PART II 1. Basic description of a comprehensive school counseling program. (Standard 01-1) 2. You are presented with a case. You must show how you could improve student learning in the school provided. (Standard 02-1) 3. You are presented with a case in which you must work with a child s parents regarding a crisis. (Standard 03-1) 4. Explain your theory. Make sure you can explain how it can be used in multicultural settings. (Standard 04-1) 5. School counselors have the ability to help students often overlooked by the system. You ll be asked how you could help such a group of students. (Standard 05-4) 6. Legal question. This usually involves problems such as assaults, drug abuse, harassment, legal records, confidentiality, etc. Be ready to describe the current law in these areas. (Standard 06-2) 7. Legal question. Child abuse. Know your obligations of when you would report and when you wouldn t. You should be able to provide examples. Know the various ethical challenges involved. (Standard 06-9) 8. Consultation: You are provided a case. You have to intervene through consultation rather than a direct counseling approach. (Standard 07-2) 9. Technology. How can it be used? Explain how you would use this in a variety of settings. (Standard 08-3) 10. Assessment. Know the kinds of assessments school counselors conduct and how this information would be useful. Vocational guidance questions come up in this question with some frequency. (Standard 09-2) 11. School improvement process. Know the function of a school counselor on this process. (Standard 10-1) 12. Legal. Explain how FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act) and HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) impact school counseling. (Standard 11-4) 13. Efficacy. School counseling requires life learning. You should be able to explain how school counselors grow (e.g., additional schooling, supervision, training, collaboration, research, etc). You should also know what makes a school counselor effective and how this can be evaluated. (Standard 12-2) Page 4 of 7

5 Portfolio The State of Washington has adopted 79 benchmark competencies for school counseling. These are included within the 12 Standards for School Counselors. Each of these elements must be part of the portfolio. The first section is your self-evaluation from the internship (see above). In the evaluation, you will provide sources of evidence for your success in a given area. The portfolio should also have twelve tabs demonstrating the major standards. You need not provide evidence for each of the 79 benchmarks in your portfolio, but there should be several benchmarks addressed for each of the following standards. STANDARD 1: Foundations of the School Counseling Profession STANDARD 2: School Counseling and Student Competencies STANDARD 3: Human Growth and Development STANDARD 4: Counseling Theories and Techniques STANDARD 5: Equity, Fairness, and Diversity STANDARD 6: School Climate STANDARD 7: Collaboration with School Staff, Family, and Community STANDARD 8: Information Resources and Technology STANDARD 9: Student Assessment and Program Evaluation (Regardless of whether you follow this model or the one below, please read the Research section in the second portfolio option. You must include a research study about an intervention you make with students in your portfolio. This is explained under Research-Student Change). STANDARD 10: Leadership and Advocacy STANDARD 11: Professionalism, Ethics, and Legal Mandates STANDARD 12: Reflective Practice (Regardless of whether you follow this model or the one below, you must include a Professional Growth Plan here see below for more details) Some examples: a worksheet used in group counseling for Standard 4, a narrative (without names) from a phone call with a parent for Standard 7, a copy of school district policies on school counseling for Standard 1. While this may seem daunting, the work you put into the portfolio will REALLY help you as you continue through your professional development. Some student have found it difficult to organize all of their files into the above standards, finding too much overlap between documents and the standards (e.g., standard five on equity overlapping with standard 11 on ethics). In these cases, students start their portfolio with the above standards but they use the state standards as an index. For example, STANDARD 1: Foundations of the School Counseling Profession See Individual Student Planning, Document 4: School Improvement Plan See Research, Document 2: Evidence of student learning Etc. Page 5 of 7

6 STANDARD 2: School Counseling and Student Competencies See School Guidance Curriculum, Document 7: Vocational Assessment Tools See System Support, Document 4: Preparing for WASL When doing this, you may want use the following headers to organize your portfolio. Responsive Services (30-40% of workload) o Focus on prevention and coping interventions. o Interventions should be developmentally appropriate and include preventative, supportive and remedial approaches. Address individual /group counseling, guidance activities, and peer helping programs. School Guidance Curriculum (35-40% of workload) o Developmentally appropriate structured lessons designed to help students achieve the desired competencies o Materials for in-class interventions (including lessons for personal, social, educational and career development.) System Support (10-15% of workload) o Professional / Administration (include consultation for administrators (regarding school policy, programs, staff and/or students) o Washington State Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) o Community Outreach / Consultation (Include consultation with school staff concerning student behavior, community and school agencies, parents regarding child/adolescent development issues, and referrals for students and/or families to community or education professionals) Individual Student Planning (15-25% of workload) o Colleges and scholarships or technical training o Career opportunities / Academic planning o Special Education (Guidelines for school counselors in 504s, ARDS, and BIPs) o School Improvement Plans (include methods for identifying strengths and weaknesses of a school s functioning) Research o Student Change: Use of student data to affect systemic change within the school system. For at least two students, show that their academic scores have improved or their classroom management has improved during the course of your intervention with them. Explain how your intervention played a role in these changes. Project Option for the portfolio. If you decide to count your portfolio as your project for your degree. This section must be expanded. In this case, you must go through a formal proposal for your research student using your thesis/project committee. You also must go through a formal defense. In addition, you must track at least 5 students and show a research analysis of the data. The structure for this part of the project is also expanded to resemble a thesis. You should have the following components: Intro (1-3 pages) Literature review (7-20 pages) Method (1-5 pages) Page 6 of 7

7 Results (1-4 pages) Discussion (1-5 pages) o Contact list for Referrals (include mental health, speech pathology, medical assessment, career guidance, and social services) o Include information on ASCA Model o Comprehensive Guidance Programs o Trainings / Workshops attended o Articles relevant to School Counseling o Include a summary of your thesis Ethics information: Include information about case studies and ethical decision making (which involves the ethical principals of beneficence, nonmalfeasance, autonomy, justice, and fidelity). You may include the ASCA ethical standards, if you want. Professional Growth and Development Plan (PGP), including a matrix of appropriate activities. Explain how you will use resources such as a mentor, professional organizations/conferences, and continuing education hours to further your development as a school counselor. (Talk to your advisor for more information.) Important: Regardless of the structure you select for your portfolio, at the end of your selfevaluation, begin a new document called Professional Growth and Development Plan (PGP). This should be one-to-four pages summarizing your strengths and weaknesses. On areas where you are weak, include some thoughts on some specific ways you could improve as you start your job as a school counselor (your self-evaluation should provide some clues on identifying these areas). When you apply for jobs, principals and counselors will want to know about your plan. The better you articulate this, the more qualified you will sound. You might include what qualities you would like have in a mentor, or what professional organizations or conferences you would like to attend. If you think additional coursework could be helpful, explain what classes you would want to take. Bring your portfolio to your PEAB review. Your Self-Evaluation and your Professional Growth and Development Plan should be ed to Dr. Brammer. Page 7 of 7