Professional Development

This page is designed to share information on professional development opportunities to support NC school counseling. To stay most up to date on upcoming professional development, subscribe to the NCDPI School Counseling Listserv. Note that this site does not have the capacity to provide all potential professional development opportunities available, so referencing other sources is also advised.

Career and College Readiness Online Courses - Go Alliance Academy

NCDPI collaborates with the UNC CFNC Pathways office to provide facilitated Go Alliance Academy career and college readiness courses originally developed by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) in collaboration with practicing professional school counselors, pre-service school counselors, and college access advisers. These courses are especially useful for practicing school counselors and also applicable for CDCs and Career Coaches. Although the courses/modules are fast-paced and instructor-led, you can work on the modules on your own time, whenever is convenient, with the instructor communicating to you deadlines for completing assigned work. Each course takes approximately five to six hours per week for about six to eight weeks to complete.

Watch this web page and the NCDPI School Counseling Updates newsletters for when courses will be available. If you do not already receive the NCDPI School Counseling Updates newsletters, you can subscribe to it and all DPI listservs. You can view all course descriptions on the Go Alliance Academy national web page; however, courses specifically for North Carolina educators are made available through North Carolina and not by College Success Arizona Go Alliance.

Available on Demand

CAST for World Languages

The Counselor Advising and Scheduling Tips (CAST) for World Languages mini-course is designed to help guide school counselors and other course advisors in understanding North Carolina World Language course codes, options, best practices, resources, etc., so that these educators can be best equipped to advise students on what courses to take in high school to align with their future aspirations. Although this content is most relevant for middle and high school counselors, any other school personnel are welcomed to participate in this course.

If you are a K-12 educator in NC Public Schools, use these step-by-step instructions to enroll for 0.5 CEU in CAST for World Languages in the Home Base NCEES PD space.

If you are a K-20 educator in NC who wants to adapt this course to offer locally within your instance of Canvas or who is at a K-12 independent/private school, a community college, or a higher education organization, use these instructions to download or import the course, in whole or in part, from Instructure's Canvas Commons.

Professional School Counselor Standards and Evaluation Module in Home Base

The "NC School Counselor Standards and Evaluation" module in Home Base NCEES Professional Development Suite is designed to enhance understanding of the North Carolina Professional School Counselor Standards and Evaluation and implementation of a comprehensive school counseling program aligned with The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs. Since this module is designed for implementation, it is best suited for practicing school counselors. This module takes participants step by step through activities that foster implementation of comprehensive school counseling programs to address student needs, thus assisting participants with higher ratings on their evaluations and preparation for applying for RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program). Much of the content and activities is designed so that participants can use the module to plan and implement their current work rather than be something they are having to do in addition to their current work. Due to the extensive depth of content in this self-paced module, participants should estimate taking approximately 30 hours to complete (recommended for 3 CEUs). It includes four sections - an overview of the ASCA National Model, review of the NC School Counselor Standards, the NC evaluation process, and then aligns the National Model and Standards for implementation. NC public school counselors can find this module by logging into Home Base TNL and selecting to the Professional Development tab.

Administrator Guide to Effective School Counseling and Evaluation Module in Home Base

The "Administrator Guide to Effective School Counseling and Evaluation" in Home Base NCEES Professional Development Suite is similar to the "NC Professional School Counselor Standards and Evaluation" module, but considerably shorter and designed especially for school administrators . This module guides participants through the NC Professional School Counselor Standards and Evaluation instrument using content and activities to assist administrators in better utilizing school counselors to effectively promote student success. Since the NC Professional School Counselor Standards are aligned with national school counseling best practices documented in The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, the module also reviews the primary features of this framework. Activities in the module provide participants with opportunities to practice identifying effective school counselor practices, observation opportunities and appropriate evaluation ratings of school counselors. The "Administrator Guide to Effective School Counseling and Evaluation" can be found by logging into Home Base TNL and selecting the Professional Development tab.

 

American School Counselor Association Professional Development Resources

ASCA has the following professional development opportunities available for school counseling professionals and districts that you can find on their Events and Professional Development web pages:

  • Webinars
  • Annual Conference
  • ASCA U Specialist online training
  • Site-Based Training
  • Districtwide Training
  • Coaching