Florida's School Counseling Framework - Florida Department of ...

Chapter 1
Florida’s Next Generation PreK-20
Education Plan: The Role of the School
Counselor
The Florida Department of Education (FDOE) has
embarked upon Florida’s Next Generation PreK-
20 Education Strategic Plan. Its mission is to
increase the proficiency of all students within one
seamless, efficient system by providing them with
the opportunity to expand their knowledge and
skills through learning opportunities and research
valued by students, parents, and communities, and
to maintain an accountability system that measures
student progress toward the following goals:
◊ Highest student achievement
◊ Seamless articulation and maximum access
◊ Skilled workforce and economic development
◊ Quality efficient services
As part of this initiative, Florida has joined other
states in the American Diploma Project (ADP). This
project is an Achieve, Inc. initiative (www.achieve.
org) dedicated to aligning standards, graduation
requirements, assessments, and accountability
policies with the demands of college and careers. The
expectations of ADP are significantly more rigorous
than current high school graduation requirements,
resulting in an expectations gap that explains why
many high school graduates aren’t prepared to
succeed when they arrive at college or the workplace.
To close the expectations gap, ADP network states
have committed to the following four actions:
◊ Align high school standards and assessment with
the knowledge and skills required for success
after high school.
◊ Require all graduates to take rigorous courses
aligned to college-ready and work-ready
standards that prepare them for life after high
school.
◊ Streamline the assessment system so that
tests students take in high school also serve as
placement tests for college and hiring for work.
◊ Hold high schools accountable for graduating students
who are ready for college or careers and hold postsecondary
institutions accountable for students’
success once enrolled.
The Department's strategic plan with timelines can be
viewed at www.fldoe.org/Strategic_Plan.
The following list of responsibilities reflect the strong
academic advisement role that counselors play in
Florida’s Next Generation Initiatives:
◊ Develop skills to identify, disaggregate, and analyze
student data to determine intervention strategies
to impact student academic achievement and
success.
◊ Analyze data to identify students for higher level
coursework, such as Advanced Placement (AP),
International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced
◊
International Certificate of Education (AICE), dual
enrollment, and honors.
Disaggregate data to manage and monitor patterns
of course enrollment to ensure equitable access.
◊ Use data to recognize barriers to student learning
and advocate for systems change.
◊ Assist the leadership team in designing strategic
interventions to ensure implementation of standards
and assessments.
◊ Increase the amount of time students engage in
quality instruction through strategies directed at
activities like self-monitoring and reinforcement.
◊ Provide advisement to students and their families
regarding programs of study to help ensure effective
transitions and preparation for postsecondary
education and the workplace. (e.g., using FACTS.
org)
◊ Arrange dual enrollment and Advanced Placement
credits to prepare students for the rigor of
postsecondary education.
◊ Assist students in planning and preparing for
college admissions tests.
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