Middle School Counselor - 26/27

Title: Middle School Counselor                                                                        

Building/Facility: Assigned Middle School

Reports to: Building Principal

Employment Status: Regular/Full-Time

FLSA Status: Exempt

Description: The Middle School Counselor will counsel and guide students to enhance and facilitate learning, encourage emotional and personal growth, assist with student difficulties and aid students in making appropriate career choices.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Ensure safety of students, taking all necessary and reasonable precautions to protect students, equipment, materials, and facilities.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and correct records as required.
• Provide guidance and counsel to students which will promote their welfare and their proper educational development.
• Attend parent/teacher conferences.
• Consult with colleagues and parents.
• Maintain and improve professional competence.
• Establish and maintain cooperative relationships with parents through effective use of interim reports, report cards and conferences.
• Refer students suspected of learning disabilities for diagnosis on a regular basis, seeking the assistance of the district’s specialists as required.
• Provide individual student counseling regarding course selection.
• Participate in individual conferences with teachers, student, and parents.
• Provide orientation, coordination and academic advising for new and transfer students.
• Provide referrals to community agencies for students with special needs.
• Responsible for student awards.
• Provide information services, pupil appraisal and record services, group guidance services, counseling services, consultative services, parent conference services, resource coordination services, and placement services.
• Assist and advise with academic planning.
• Provide counseling opportunities that will lead students to increased personal growth, self-understanding, and maturity.
• Serve as a resource on building classroom connections, effective classroom management and the role of noncognitive factors in student success.
• Make provisions for being available to students and parents for educationally related purposes during the instructional day.
• Assist the administration in implementing all procedures and rules governing student life to identify and resolve student issues, needs and problems.
• Consult with teachers to schedule and present school counseling curriculum lessons based on developmental needs and needs identified through data.
• Advocate for students at individual education plan meetings.
• Interact in a positive manner with staff, students, and parents.
• Promote good public relations by personal appearance, attitude, and conversation.
• Respond to routine questions and requests in an appropriate and professional manner.
• Serve as a role model for students in how to conduct themselves as citizens and as responsible members of the community.
• Instill in students the belief in and practice of ethical principles and democratic values.
• Demonstrates sound judgement and emotional stability.
• Demonstrates positive attitude and works and communicates well with others.

Knowledge

• Knowledge and skills in test administration and interpretation.
• Knowledge of financial aid.
• Knowledge of the district’s curriculum.
• Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing and managing files and records.
• Knowledge of the state of Ohio graduation requirements and college and career readiness.

Skills

• Skilled in organizing and problem-solving.
• Skilled in active listening by giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking the time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Skilled in speaking with others to convey information efficiently.

Abilities

• Ability to work effectively with others.
• Ability to communicate ideas and directives clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.
• Ability to generate correspondence independently.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master’s degree from an accredited college or university in school counseling.
• Appropriate State of Ohio certification/license.
• Satisfactory completion of BCI and FBI background check
• Such alternative(s) to the above qualifications as the superintendent and/or the board of education may find appropriate.

Physical Demands

• Required to have dexterity of hands and fingers.
• Specific vision abilities required include close vision and ability to adjust focus.
• Required to stand or sit for extended periods of time.
• Regularly required to bend at the waist, kneel, crouch, reach, climb and stretch with hands and arms.
• Required to report to work on all scheduled workdays.
• Frequently required to push, pull, lift, or carry various supplies and materials up to a maximum of 25 pounds.
• Frequent interaction with children.
• Occasional exposure to blood, bodily fluids, and tissue.
• Occasional repetitive hand motion, e.g., typing, computer work.
• Occasional interaction with difficult behaviors among students.
• Occasionally required to speak and hear.
• The physical demands described here are a representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations will be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Terms of Employment

This job description summary does not imply that these are the only duties to be performed. This job description is subject to change in response to funding variables, emerging technologies, improved operating procedures, productivity factors, and unforeseen events.

The Teays Valley Local School District is an equal opportunity employer offering employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, or disability.