Back-to-School Resources - American School Counselor Association (ASCA)

Supporting Students’ Return

As students return to school, school counselors work with partners in the school building to help students reintegrate into school routines, develop academic strategies, manage emotions, navigate friendships, address bullying and much more. Ensure you’re prepared to meet students’ wellness needs using data-informed approaches. Here are some resources.

ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success. Use the student standards to assess student growth and development, create culturally sustaining strategies and activities, and build a program that helps students achieve their highest potential. The ASCA Student Standards learning objectives database provides a tool to search for and contribute learning objectives that support and align with a specific standard.
Election Conversations: The School Counselor’s Role. An election year brings the potential for charged conversations. All students have the right to attend a safe school environment where views can be discussed with dignity and respect in a manner that is free from abuse and harassment.
New tool for college planning. The U.S. Department of Education recently introduced a new toolkit for school counselors and college access advisors that extends the capabilities of its College Scorecard.
Address Racism, Antisemitism and Islamophobia. Access the ASCA webinars Online Learning to Navigate and Challenge Antisemitism in Schools and The Anti-racist School Counseling Framework. (Webinars are free for ASCA members.) Learning for Justice offers a helpful guide for understanding countering antisemitism and islamophobia in schools. Review ASCA’s Anti-Racism Resources.
Suicide-Prevention Tools. The Information-Gathering Tool: Suicide Concern as well as the Quick Guide to Support Students with Suicidal Ideation provide practical resources to address suicide concerns with students and families. Watch the webinar to learn more.
Webinars, ASCA U Flash and I Hear You Say podcasts. Access relevant ASCA webinars and ASCA U Flash videos, including I Hear You Say Episode 38 Mental Health Awareness Month, ASCA Webinar CDC’s New Action Guide for School and District Leaders, ASCA Webinar Normalize Trauma-Informed Care, ASCA Webinar Change the Anxiety Conversation, ASCA Webinar Foster Resilience, ASCA Webinar Rising Risk: K-6 Mental Health, ASCA U Flash: Culture and Student Mental Health — Strategies to Support Students, ASCA U Flash: School Counselors & Mental Health Counselors and Support Challenging Students.
Check out all the ASCA toolkits and frameworks.

School Counseling Program Basics

A new school year also represents an excellent opportunity for a fresh start, ensuring you’re on track to build and implement your school counseling program all year long. Make sure you get off on the right foot.

Review or get started with your ASCA National Model implementation. The ASCA National Model Phased Implementation Plan guides school counselors in creating an ASCA National Model program in several phases that will make a difference in student success.
Enhance your relationship with your principal by holding your annual administrative conference. Access the ASCA webinars, School Counselor/Principal Collaboration: Build Social Capital for Student Success, Nurture a Positive Relationship with Administration and RAMP Tips: Annual Administrative Conference for tips. Review the ASCA Research Report School and District Administrators and the School Counselor Role.
Refresh your ethical expertise and ensure your competencies are on point with the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors and the ASCA Professional Standards & Competencies.
Download all of the ASCA National Model templates, which includes the annual calendar, annual student outcome goal plan, school data summary, use-of-time 5-day calculator, school counseling program assessment and the other tools for managing your program.
Ensure your ASCA National Model library is complete. “The ASCA National Model, fourth edition,” “ASCA National Model Implementation Guide: Manage & Assess, second edition,” and “ASCA National Model Implementation Guide: Student Standards.” Or, if you need all three, purchase the ASCA National Model bundle and receive a discount. Make sure you’re logged in to see member prices.
Get certified. The ASCA-Certified School Counselor (ACSC) certification demonstrates school counselor knowledge in designing, implementing and assessing a school counseling program. Get national recognition and verification of graduate preparation, knowledge and skills.
Sign up for some quick professional development you can enjoy with your morning coffee. The ASCA U Flash web series brings you 5-minute tips and advice three days a week at 9 a.m. Click here to subscribe to ASCA Flash. Be sure to click the red “Subscribe” button on the right-hand side and select “ASCA U Flash” under “Channel Subscriptions.”

Evaluating Equity Practices

Are closing-the-gap action plans and results reports part of your school counseling program? Equity is infused throughout the ASCA National Model and should be incorporated in your program. In fact, you can’t earn the Recognized ASCA National Model Program (RAMP) designation without demonstrating how your school counseling program closes gaps in achievement, attendance or discipline. To assess your program’s equity practices and make improvements:

Review the ASCA National Model: Equity in Action for a visual demonstrating how equity is woven throughout the ASCA National Model.
Check out RAMP Stories: Closing the Gap, which shows how RAMP schools used closing-the-gap action plans and results reports to identify equity needs, improve outcomes for students and address systemic issues.
Become well-versed in ASCA’s position statements, so you're prepared to use national standards and best practice to support your work ensuring equity and inclusion for all students. The following position statements were revised/added in 2024:

Ensure you are prepared to protect the rights and address the needs of LGBTQ-plus students. Review the following ASCA position statements: The School Counselor and Gender Equity, The School Counselor and LGBTQ+ Youth and The School Counselor and Transgender and Nonbinary Youth. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Education has issued guidance on new Title IX regulations that go into effect on August 1 to help schools draft, adopt and implement policies required under the guidance to ensure no person experiences sex discrimination in federally funded education.

Engaging with ASCA and Your State Association

The best way to stay current in the school counseling profession and to ensure you have a voice in policy changes in your state is to engage with ASCA and your state/territory association. Here's how.

Access ASCA's online Member Community (formerly ASCA Scene). Engage with your peers, ask questions, seek solutions together and learn how others are addressing issues similar to yours. In addition to the Open Forum for all members, you can also join communities focused on areas of particular interest to you, such as rural school counselors, high school counselors, social/emotional learning and others.
Join an ASCA Affinity Group, small communities of members who share a similar interest or identity. Members enjoy opportunities to discuss shared challenges, brainstorm solutions, identify valuable resources and network with like-minded peers. Each group is formed based on grassroots interest and needs, is self-directed and led by members, and offers opportunities for meaningful conversations in safe spaces.
Join or expand your engagement with your state association. Look for leadership and committee opportunities to ensure you get the most from your membership. Find your state/territory ASCA affiliate here.
Learn about all the ways you can engage with ASCA in committee and volunteer work.