The goal of professional school counseling is to be able to answer the question, "how are students different as a result of the school counseling program?" (ASCA, 2012). What can a school counselor do to answer that question after the delivery of services and/or as the year comes to an end? One of the most important aspects of a school counselors job is to evaluate the quality of services they provide. There are many ways to approach this evaluation. School counselors can provide students with pre/post surveys for classroom guidance lessons and assessments and surveys to teachers, parents, and other stakeholders. Another excellent way for school counselors to evaluate their programs and time is to complete use-of-time evaluation. These types of evaluations can help school counselors to maintain effective programs and to hold themselves accountable to their stakeholders.
There are some excellent resources available to school counselors who wish to evaluate their programs and determine their effectiveness. Some of these programs are RAMP, MEASURE, and SPARC. Any of these tools can be utilized to improve effectiveness.
Linked below are samples of assessments, surveys, and evaluations I utilized during my practicums and internship. There are also links to documents that can be utilized for further program assessment.