Guidance Counselor - Job# 4123 - EXTENDED

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF HIGHLANDS COUNTY


POSITION TITLE: Guidance Counselor

ASSIGNMENT: Guidance Counselor

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

  1. Master's degree from an accredited educational institution as determined by the Florida Department of Education
  2. Certified as a Guidance Counselor by the State of Florida
  3. Physical Requirements: Light work, exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally and/or up to 10 pounds of force as frequently as needed to move objects
  4. Satisfactory clearance of a criminal history records check and drug screening

ADDITIONAL DESIRED JOB QUALIFICATIONS:

None exist at this time

PRIMARY PERFORMANCE RESPONSIBILITIES:

  1. Develops guidance programs based on developmental needs of students, needs assessments, and school and district priorities
  2. Establishes long and short-range plans based on student needs, as well as school, district, and state priorities
  3. Participates in Child Study/Collaborative Problem Solving, eligibility, and IEP committees, as assigned, to help meet the needs of identified students
  4. Establishes priorities and an implementation schedule for counseling and student service programs
  5. Communicate goals and services of the counseling programs to school administration, staff, students and parents.
  6. Participates in multi disciplinary conferences concerning individual cases of special need, including academic, social, cultural, emotional, and economic
  7. Reviews, evaluates, and selects a variety of materials to support a well-balanced counseling program
  8. Implements, coordinates, and monitors school-wide counseling services and activities.
  9. Establishes and follow procedures for appropriate intervention in accordance with school, district, and state laws, rules, and policies
  10. Maintains student records according to established guidelines
  11. Contributes to the effective operation of the school including participation in school-wide events, committees, and supervisory responsibilities to assure student safety
  12. Establishes an environment for an effective counseling program
  13. Utilizes technology resources effectively
  14. Demonstrates knowledge of theories, techniques, and instruments used for assessment
  15. Administers tests, interpret scores, and communicate results
  16. Explains nature and purpose of assessment in an understandable manner, including its uses and limitations, and provide feedback to appropriate individuals
  17. Exercises confidentiality in the sharing of test results
  18. Utilizes relevant assessment data to make recommendations to students, parents, teachers, and other professionals
  19. Evaluates counseling program objectives, including using feedback from students, parents, and staff
  20. Demonstrates knowledge and understanding of guidance and counseling principles, programs, and services
  21. Provides personal/social growth counseling including individual and group concerning academic success, understanding of self and others, communication skills, decision making, relationship skills, conflict resolution, goal setting, and effective coping skills necessary to refuse participation in substance abuse and physical violence
  22. Recognizes, appreciates, and serves the cultural differences and special needs of individuals and families
  23. Recognizes overt indicators of student distress or abuse and take appropriate intervention, referral, or reporting actions
  24. Provides crisis intervention services, including follow-up services as appropriate
  25. Develops transitional services by orienting new students and their parents and assisting students moving from grade to grade or school to school
  26. Provides interventions for at-risk students and those with special learning and behavioral needs
  27. Provides students with programs for career awareness and development of work/study skills
  28. Develops with each student (at the secondary level) a comprehensive educational/career plan which targets high school completion, exploration and requirements of post-secondary opportunities, criteria for scholarships, and financial aid information
  29. Consults with students, parents, teachers and other school staff to assist in meeting needs of students
  30. Works effectively with parents
  31. Serves as an advocate for students
  32. Establishes an effective working relationship with outside services and make appropriate referrals for psychological, social work, health or community services
  33. Provides information and/or inservices to teachers, administrators, and other school staff
  34. Keeps abreast of current trends in counseling and guidance
  35. Engages in continuing improvement of professional knowledge and skills
  36. Maintains professional and ethical standards as outlined by the American School Counselor Association and the Code of Ethics and Principles of Conduct of the Education Profession in Florida
  37. Keeps abreast of student/school legal issues and follow established procedures
  38. Performs and fulfills professional responsibilities
  39. Ensures that student growth/development is continuous and appropriate for age group and/or student program classification
  40. Performs other incidental tasks consistent with the goals and objectives of this position

ADDITIONAL DUTIES:

Other duties as assigned by supervising administrator

TERM:

Length of contract and number of hours worked are determined by specific allocation as approved annually during planning-budgeting process

APPRAISAL:

Performance will be appraised annually by school administration in accordance with School Board policies and procedures

PAY GRADE:

According to the School Board of Highlands County Instructional Salary Schedule

NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT

Except as provided by law, The School Board of Highlands County shall not on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, age, marital status, disability, political or religious beliefs, national or ethnic origin, or genetic information, exclude individuals from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity in any employment condition or practice, or be denied equal access to school facilities if the organization is The Boy Scouts of America or other patriotic youth groups.

Board approved October 1998
Reformatted 10/2015
Modified 08/19/2021

GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS FOR ALL PERSONNEL:

All applicants for positions offered by the School Board of Highlands County will be evaluated for possession of the following personal qualities:

  1. Honesty, dependability, punctuality, accuracy, and diligence on the job
  2. Ability to relate well to fellow workers, parents, students, and the general public
  3. Habits of dress, grooming, and personal conduct suitable to the work site and school environment
  4. Willingness to use professional practices appropriate to public service and school settings
  5. Ability to communicate clearly and accurately, orally and in writing
  6. Ability to understand and follow written and oral directions
  7. Ability to access, organize, and maintain information needed in the performance of specific work tasks
  8. Willingness to become totally familiar with and to comply with school district policies, procedures, rules, and functions
  9. Demonstrate sensitivity to cultural diversity and to district expectations governing equity, non-discrimination, and equal opportunity
  10. Willingness to complete in-service training needed to enhance and update job performance over a period of service

Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified applicants with disabilities during the application and interview process.

To request accommodations, please contact:
Carla Ball, Director of Human Resources
426 School Street
Sebring, FL 33870
863-471-5555
ballc@highlands.k12.fl.us

Back to blog

Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...