What are the responsibilities and job description for the Guidance Counselor (2026-2027) position at Carver Middle School?
Position Title: Guidance Counselor
Primary Function: Assume responsibility for providing of guidance counseling services in the school setting.
Minimum Qualifications: Professional license with endorsement in guidance at the appropriate level (elementary, middle or high school). Holds a Master’s Degree. Must possess high moral standards and integrity. Demonstrates a willingness to work with all students. Ability to quickly learn procedures used to report information and maintain records. Ability to prepare required written reports.
Performance Responsibilities:
- Support students to understand and deal with developmental issues
- Instruct students in strategies for making decisions and choices
- Help students to identify and develop their special talents
- Work with students on an individual or group basis to resolve student-identified areas of concern
- Consult with teachers on issues related to student learning
- Serve as a contributing member on school-based transdisciplinary teams
- Interpret the school’s mission to students, parents, and other community members
- Maintain student records, as assigned
- Protect student confidentiality
- Handle issues which are highly sensitive and/or related to student safety in accordance with the American School Counselor
- Association’s Ethical Standards for School Counselors and School Board Policy.
- Interpret educational information (ability and aptitude measures, standardized test scores, and other data) to students, parents,
- or other school division personnel
- Provide crisis counseling to students in need
- Confer with parents about their child(ren) or about developmental issues
- Provide professional development activities for the division as requested
- Make appropriate referrals to other school division personnel or community agencies
- Inform parents and/or appropriate authorities when a student’s condition indicates a clear and imminent danger to himself or
- others in accordance with the American School Counselor Association’s Ethical Standards for School Counselors
- Take primary responsibility for one of three major areas of guidance including careers, post-secondary education, and
- Special programs (High School)
- Develop, review, and maintain individual student educational plans (Middle School and High School)
- Coordinate the preparation and processing of college, scholarship, and employment applications (High School)
- Recommend students to colleges and for scholarships (High School)
- Coordinate course scheduling (High School)
- Perform other duties as assigned by school principal
Evaluation: Performance on this job will be evaluated in accordance with School Board policy and administrative regulations on the evaluation of licensed personnel.
Terms of Employment: 210 days contracted yearly with extended days as required by the specific position. In-service as required.
Approved by Superintendent
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS OR STANDARDS REQUIRED TO PERFORM ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS
Physical Requirements: Requires sedentary work that involves walking or standing some of the time and involves exerting up to 25 pounds of force on a recurring basis or routine keyboard operations.
Data Conception: Requires the ability to compare and/or judge the readily observable, functional, structural, or compositional characteristics (whether like or divergent from obvious standards) of data, people, or things.
Interpersonal Communication: Requires the ability of speaking and/or signaling people to convey or exchange information. Includes the receiving of information and instructions from supervisor and giving information and instructions to students.
Language Ability: Requires ability to read a variety of policy and procedure manuals, literary materials, reference materials, technical manuals, etc. Requires the ability to prepare reports, records, notices, etc., with proper format, punctuation, spelling and grammar, using all parts of speech. Requires the ability to speak with and before others with poise, voice control and confidence.
Intelligence: Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists; to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in oral, written, diagrammatic or schedule form. Requires the ability to learn and understand relatively complex principles and techniques; to make routine independent judgments in absence of supervision; to acquire knowledge of topics related to primary occupation. Must have the ability to comprehend and interpret received information.
Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to record and deliver information, to explain procedures, to follow verbal and written instructions; to teach students. Must be able to communicate effectively and efficiently with students, teachers and other staff using technical and/or professional languages including library studies, instructional technology, etc.
Numeric Aptitude: Requires the ability to add and subtract totals, to multiply and divide, to use mathematical formulas, to determine percentages and decimals and to determine time. Must be able to use practical applications of fractions, percentages, ratio and proportion.
Form/Spatial Aptitude: Requires the ability to inspect items for proper length, width, and shape.
Motor Coordination: Requires the ability to coordinate hands and eyes in using office equipment.
Manual Dexterity: Requires the ability to handle a variety of items, office equipment, control knobs, switches, etc. Must have minimal levels of eye/hand/foot coordination.
Color Discrimination: Requires the ability to differentiate colors and shades of color.
Interpersonal Temperament: Requires the ability to deal with people beyond giving and receiving instructions. Must be adaptable to performing under stress when confronted with emergency situations or tight deadlines. The worker may be subject to tension as a regular, consistent part of the job.
Physical Communications: Requires the ability to talk and hear: (talking: expressing or exchanging ideas by means of spoken words; hearing: perceiving nature of sounds by ear).
PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
Has knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions of the position.
Quality of Work: Maintains high standards of accuracy in exercising duties and responsibilities. Exercises immediate remedial action to correct any quality deficiencies that occur in areas of responsibility. Maintains high quality communication and interaction with internal and external entities with whom the position interacts.
Quantity of Work: Performs described essential functions and related assignments efficiently and effectively to produce quantity of work which consistently meets established standards and expectations.
Dependability: Assumes responsibility for completing assigned work. Completes assigned work within deadlines in accordance with directives, policy, standards and prescribed procedures. Maintains accountability for assigned responsibilities in the technical, human and conceptual areas.
Attendance: Attends and remains at work regularly and adheres to policies and procedures regarding absenteeism and tardiness. Provides adequate notice to higher management with respect to vacation time and leave requests.
Initiative and Enthusiasm: Maintains an enthusiastic, self-reliant and self-starting approach to meet job responsibilities and accountabilities. Strives to anticipate work to be accomplished and initiates proper and acceptable action for the completion of work with a minimum of supervision and instruction.
Judgment: Exercises analytical judgment in areas of responsibility. Identifies issues or situations as they occur and specifies decision objectives. Identifies or assists in identifying alternative solutions to issues or situations. Implements decisions in accordance with prescribed and effective policies and procedures and with a minimum of errors. Seeks expert or experienced advice where appropriate and researches issues, situations and alternatives before exercising judgment.
Cooperation: Accepts supervisory instruction and direction and strives to meet the goals and objectives of same. Questions such instruction and direction when clarification of results or consequences are justified, i.e., poor communications, variance with established policies or procedures, etc. Offers suggestions and recommendations to encourage and improve cooperation intra- and inter-departmentally.
Relationships with Others: Shares knowledge with managers, supervisors and co-workers for mutual benefit. Contributes to maintaining high morale among all employees. Develops and maintains cooperative and courteous relationships inter- and intra-departmentally, and with external entities with whom the position interacts. Tactfully and effectively handles requests, suggestions and complaints to establish and maintain good will. Emphasizes the importance of maintaining a positive image.
Coordination of Work: Plans and organizes daily work routine. Establishes priorities for the completion of work in accordance with sound time-management methodology. Avoids duplication of effort. Estimates expected time of completion of work elements and establishes a personal schedule accordingly. Attends required meetings, planning sessions and discussions on time. Implements work activity in accordance with priorities and estimated schedules.
Safety and Housekeeping: Adheres to all established safety and housekeeping standards. Ensures such standards are not violated.
DISCLAIMER: This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter this job description at any time without notice.
Spartanburg School District Seven does not discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, religion, sex, color, disability, age, national origin, or any other applicable status protected by local, state, or federal law. The district also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups as required by law.