Assessing The Counseling Needs Of Students

Assessing the Counseling Needs of Students
Ashley Dickey
Angelo State University

Assessing the Counseling Needs of Students
Determining the needs of the students can be a challenge. A starting point to establishing those needs is to gather information from parents, teachers, and most importantly the students. To assess the desires and needs provided by the school counseling program at Grape Creek High School, a survey was conducted. The survey, as shown in the Appendix, was made up of scaled questions and statements for students to rate various areas of the counseling program.
Current enrollment at the high school is 320 which is the number of surveys that was distributed. Students were asked to complete the surveys in their English class. Distributing the assessments in this manner allowed for greater participation and more meaningful responses. Out of the 320 surveys distributed, 293 were completed and collected. The missing surveys were due to student absences or students turning in blank surveys.
Areas of High Need
Services for Academic Performance
The first section of the survey asked students to rate the degree in which various services were needed at the school. There were two distinct areas that took the lead. First, the students expressed the need for more services regarding academic performance. The graduation rate in 2011 was 91.9%. That rate increased to 96.9% for 2012, but then dropped to 94.4% in 2013. Although the graduation rate for the high school is rather high with few dropouts, the students seem to desire services that help increase the overall academic performance. One area of academic improvement the counseling program could focus on is enrollment in higher level courses such as advanced ...

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... 4 5
Providing Information on Social, Emotional and Behavioral Issues 1 2 3 4 5
Classroom Guidance Lesson 1 2 3 4 5
Developing Behave Plans 1 2 3 4 5
Assisting with Parent Conference 1 2 3 4 5

Consider the following statements and indicate whether you strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or strongly disagree.
Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree
I know how to contact my school counselor.
My school counselor responds to my requests.
I feel comfortable talking to my school counselor about personal issues.
My school counselor helps me prepare for my plans after high school through individual conferences.
Classroom guidance lessons are beneficial for students at my school.
I meet with my school counselor at least once a year.

What comments or questions do you have for the counselors at your school?