NES Profile: School Counselor (510)
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Overview
The resources below provide information about this test, including the approximate percentage of the total test score derived from each content domain. The complete set of the competencies and descriptive statements that define the content of the test—the test framework—is provided here.
Select from the links below to view:
- the test competencies associated with the content domain,
- a set of descriptive statements that further explain each competency,
- a sample test question aligned to each competency.
Table outlining test structure. Column one contains the structural headings and column two are the structural details.
| Test Field |
School Counselor (510) |
| Test Format |
Multiple-choice questions |
| Number of Questions |
Approximately 100 |
| Test Duration |
135 minutes
- 15 minutes for tutorial and nondisclosure agreement
- 120 minutes testing time
|
| Reference Materials |
None required |
Hover over chart or review table below for details.
Chart is defined in table below.
Content Domain I: Knowledge of Learners
Competencies 0001–0003
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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of various theories of development and the characteristics, stages, and processes of physical, cognitive, social/ emotional, and language development from early childhood through young adulthood.
- Demonstrate knowledge of developmental challenges at different stages of development and how to support students' development across domains.
- Demonstrate knowledge of developmental variation, the interrelatedness of developmental domains, and how this interrelatedness may affect students' performance and behavior.
- Apply knowledge of variables that may influence a student's development and behavior (e.g., environment, health, language fluency, trauma, culture, gender identity, ethnicity, race).
- Apply knowledge of characteristics and educational needs of students with exceptionalities (e.g., learning disability, gifted and talented, communication disorder, sensory and physical impairment) and their implications for students' development and learning.
- Apply knowledge of how to plan and implement developmentally appropriate activities, experiences, and interventions that are responsive to students' needs and facilitate optimal development.
Sample Item:
Staff in a middle school have identified a number of students who are at risk of academic failure and potentially dropping out of school. In working with the staff to design interventions to address this issue, the school counselor should stress the importance of which of the following approaches for this age group?
- increasing the frequency of informal assessments of the students' performance to provide more responsive instruction
- placing the students in separate classes to provide more attention to their specific learning needs
- implementing strategies to help the students form positive relationships and a sense of connection at school
- developing a student leadership program to build the students' sense of self-esteem and competence
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Middle school students are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors and succeed academically when they feel connected to school. School connectedness includes strong relationships with adults and peers in the school environment and is an important protective factor in decreasing absenteeism, encouraging students to stay in school, and enhancing student engagement. Building on protective factors in students' lives has a direct influence on educational outcomes.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of learning theories, how students construct knowledge and acquire skills, and how to apply this knowledge in various counseling contexts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors that can affect a student's learning (e.g., developmental level, preferred learning modality, stress or anxiety, life experiences, background knowledge, culture, environment).
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics and learning needs of students within special populations (e.g., gifted and talented, special education, Section 504 supports, homeless, in foster care, English learners, immigrants, LGBTQ+).
- Apply knowledge of developmentally appropriate, evidence-based strategies for identifying and building on students' strengths and helping students acquire effective learning strategies.
- Apply knowledge of the relationship between motivation and learning and factors that promote or diminish students' motivation to learn.
- Apply knowledge of the techniques and activities for supporting students in applying specific learning strategies; assessing their own interests, needs, and talents; and directing their own learning.
Sample Item:
Which of the following strategies, implemented consistently, is likely to contribute most to enhanced motivation to learn in high school students?
- using small-group activities in which students select the peers with whom they will work
- providing students with choices of interest-based learning tasks within the context of content instruction
- offering extra credit to students who choose to pursue extra learning tasks or projects
- relying primarily on independent studies in which students self-select topics related to current instruction
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. At the high school level, the motivation to learn can be enhanced by supporting students in developing and exercising a sense of ownership with regard their learning. When students have choices in their learning, they become more engaged with the content. When the choices are interest-based, students are more likely to view the content as relevant to their lives, and their perceptions of task value increase.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of ways in which the manifestation of students' strengths and challenges may be affected by diverse characteristics (e.g., race, culture, ethnicity, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, immigration status, exceptionality).
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for promoting understanding of, sensitivity to, and interaction with students' diverse characteristics and for fostering awareness, appreciation, and respect for diversity.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for making all students feel welcome and creating an inclusive and respectful learning community where students assume responsibility, participate in decision making, and work independently as well as collaboratively in learning activities.
- Apply knowledge of experiential learning activities that foster students' understanding of self and others as well as strategies for promoting social justice and other culturally supported behaviors.
- Demonstrate knowledge of sociocultural competencies related to diversity, equity, and the opportunity gap; theories of multicultural counseling, identity development, and social justice; and the importance of acknowledging personal biases, addressing personal prejudice, and promoting culturally responsive behaviors that affirm all students' humanity.
- Demonstrate knowledge of restorative practices, mediation, and conflict resolution strategies and ways to support the development of programs within the school environment that support these practices and strategies.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for teaching about bias, stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and oppression, including how these issues may affect students, and strategies for intervening with students who demonstrate inappropriate behaviors.
Sample Item:
A school counselor is planning school counseling lessons to help third- and fourth-grade students learn how to resolve conflicts with peers in an effective way. As part of these lessons, the counselor should make it a priority to include:
- examples of language to avoid during a conflict.
- characteristics of different types of conflict.
- strategies for navigating conflicts before they escalate.
- techniques for recognizing emotions leading up to and during a conflict.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Effective conflict resolution requires those involved to arrive at a state of mind where they are able to come to a mutually agreeable path forward. Once a conflict escalates, those involved lose the needed state of mind due to high levels of stress or anxiety. Teaching students strategies for addressing conflict before it reaches this stage is a preventative approach that makes conflicts easier for students to resolve on their own, without mediation or intervention from adults.
Content Domain II: The Comprehensive School Counseling Program
Competencies 0004–0008
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the core counseling curriculum as a component of the developmental school counseling program and how to use curriculum design, lesson plan development, differentiated instruction, assessment of student competency attainment, and classroom management in teaching counseling-related material.
- Apply knowledge of how to analyze various types of data (i.e., process, perception, and outcome) and other information to identify students' strengths and needs to inform the development of a data-driven counseling curriculum.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the scope and sequence of student competencies in the core areas of the counseling curriculum and strategies for supporting students in setting and attaining challenging educational, social/emotional, and career goals.
- Apply knowledge of instructional strategies, activities, and resources to promote students' acquisition of developmentally appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities in the counseling curriculum and strategies for working collaboratively to integrate counseling and academic curricula.
- Apply knowledge of the characteristics and uses of various formal and informal assessments; the relationship between assessment and instruction; procedures for engaging in ongoing monitoring of students' knowledge, skills, and abilities; and strategies for providing appropriate and relevant feedback.
- Apply knowledge of the components of and techniques for promoting social/emotional learning across grade levels (e.g., social skills, mental health, emotional wellness).
- Demonstrate knowledge of emerging multicultural and pluralistic issues (e.g., addressing systemic racism) to address when developing or selecting a counseling curriculum that promotes positive images of individuals from diverse backgrounds.
Sample Item:
Use the information below to answer the question that follows.
A high school counselor is reviewing data related to students' competency attainment of targeted school counseling objectives.
Competency Attainment Data
(percent of students demonstrating attainment)
| Objective |
Grade 9 |
Grade 10 |
Grade 11 |
Grade 12 |
| Knows the requirements for graduation |
35% |
48% |
85% |
92% |
| Demonstrates knowledge of study skills |
70% |
75% |
78% |
86% |
| Uses academic planner |
69% |
72% |
84% |
94% |
| Demonstrates knowledge of test-taking strategies |
70% |
79% |
85% |
88% |
| Identifies steps in the goal-setting process |
75% |
83% |
80% |
90% |
| Demonstrates conflict resolution skills |
72% |
70% |
86% |
94% |
These data most clearly suggest that the counselor should take which of the following actions?
- increasing the focus on graduation requirements with ninth- and tenth-grade students
- implementing test-preparation activities with twelfth-grade students
- providing opportunities for students to engage in goal setting across grade levels
- developing activities to improve eleventh-grade students' study skills
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. The data show that just over one-third of ninth graders and less than half of tenth graders have knowledge of graduation requirements. This represents a significant gap related to educational planning. Graduation planning is a four-year process that begins when students enter high school and includes annual reviews of required and completed course work. Graduation requirements should be one of the school counselor's first topics of discussion with incoming ninth graders and should be reinforced at each grade level.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of responsive services as a component of the developmental school counseling program and how to design and implement appropriate services for fostering resiliency and facilitating students' development of strategies for coping with stress, anxiety, and challenging situations (e.g., peer pressure, social media, life events).
- Apply knowledge of how to design, implement, and evaluate intervention plans within a multi-tiered system of supports; link interventions to assessment data; and consider factors (e.g., cultural, socioeconomic, race, ethnicity, linguistic, experiential, identity) related to the use of data.
- Apply knowledge of theories, methods, and procedures for counseling individuals in various situations as well as evidence-based practices, techniques, and skills associated with various individual counseling approaches.
- Apply knowledge of theories, methods, and procedures for counseling groups in various situations, including knowledge of group dynamics and productive interactions, as well as evidence-based practices, techniques, and skills associated with various group counseling approaches.
- Demonstrate knowledge of problem-solving strategies for helping students and families clarify problems, consider contributing factors, and identify alternative solutions to resolve problems and cope with challenges.
- Demonstrate knowledge of techniques for helping students develop decision-making skills, recognize the relationship between decisions and outcomes, and understand the potential consequences of choices.
- Apply knowledge of preventive, responsive, and crisis levels of services as well as crisis counseling methods and intervention strategies for students, families, schools, and communities facing emergency situations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of signs and symptoms of mental health and trauma-related issues in children and adolescents as well as a variety of intervention skills and trauma-informed practices to respond effectively to the needs of individuals and groups experiencing crises or other traumatic situations.
Sample Item:
Which of the following steps is most essential in helping a school counselor accurately evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention in addressing a student's identified need?
- collecting anecdotal evidence throughout the intervention from involved parties
- checking in with the student during the intervention to discuss improvements in the area of need
- gathering baseline data related to the area of need before implementing the intervention
- making formal observations of the student's performance at key points during the intervention
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. Baseline data is a measurement of a behavior or academic performance before an intervention is implemented. Baseline data provides information on the current behavioral or academic functioning of the student. The collection of baseline data prior to intervention enables the intervention team to identify changes and assess progress in the area targeted by the intervention.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of individual career and college readiness planning as a component of the developmental school counseling program; how to provide individual advisement to students; and strategies for guiding students as they plan, monitor, and direct their own learning, including applications of technology in this process.
- Demonstrate knowledge of factors and procedures related to academic placement and course selection in various situations for students with various strengths and needs and how to interpret various types of information (e.g., personal, academic achievement, graduation requirements) to evaluate possible curriculum choices.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting students' awareness, development, and application of academic study skills as well as methods for helping students establish short- and long-term goals.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for helping students fulfill graduation requirements, research and choose postsecondary programs, prepare for entrance examinations, and meet admission requirements.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for supporting students in identifying and understanding their abilities, interests, and aptitudes and for assisting all students with programs of study to prepare effectively for secondary and postsecondary educational or employment opportunities.
- Apply knowledge of theories, models, and principles of career development as well as strategies for enhancing students' career awareness, providing developmentally appropriate career guidance to students, and facilitating students' development of career plans.
- Demonstrate knowledge of information sources and procedures for applying to colleges, universities, vocational programs, technical programs, military programs, and apprenticeship programs as well as where and how to apply for various forms of financial assistance.
Sample Item:
Which of the following goals across grade levels is the primary focus of the individual planning component of developmental school counseling programs?
- supporting students in developing life skills that promote success across domains through the provision of systematic school counseling instruction
- working with stakeholders to restructure schoolwide systems that present barriers to students' achievement of content standards
- intervening on behalf of students whose immediate concerns put their academic, college/career, or social/emotional development at risk
- guiding students in managing their own academic, college/career, and social/emotional development through the exploration of their interests and abilities
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. According to the American School Counselor Association National Model, individual planning activities fall under the broader component of Deliver. The Deliver component includes direct services such as individual student appraisal and advisement. In these processes, the school counselor focuses on coordinating ongoing activities designed to support students in establishing goals and developing future plans in the areas of academic, social/emotional, and college/career development.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of systems support (e.g., formation of school policies and programs to address identified school needs, development of schoolwide programs to promote positive outcomes for students) as a component of a comprehensive school counseling program and the school counselor's role as a change agent in support of systemic improvement.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the school counselor's role as a participant on decision-making teams (e.g., advisory boards, school improvement committees, student support teams, curriculum committees).
- Demonstrate knowledge of the components of individual, family, community, and cultural resilience and methods for promoting mental health and wellness.
- Apply knowledge of procedures for planning, designing, and implementing schoolwide programs (e.g., drug education, bullying prevention, personal safety, school safety) to address identified personal, social, educational, and career needs.
- Apply knowledge of procedures for designing and presenting professional growth activities to support school staff and parents/guardians in promoting optimal educational, career, and social/emotional development of all students.
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for facilitating effective teamwork within the school and the community and for building effective working teams of educators, families, and community members to support students' achievement and success.
Sample Item:
A school counselor works in an elementary school in an area of the community that includes risk factors such as elevated levels of homelessness, crime, and substance abuse. Recognizing the stress that these factors place on families, the counselor wants to help promote families' resilience. Which of the following steps is most important for the counselor to take first in this effort?
- identifying protective traits in families on which to build positive coping strategies
- compiling a list of community services and supports currently available to families
- working with local practitioners to implement school-based mental health treatment for families
- interviewing individual families to determine appropriate goals on which to focus
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. Resilience is the ability to recover quickly from challenges and stresses. Resilience can be a trait in individuals, families, and communities. A strength-based approach to building resilience in all of these cases is to begin by noting protective factors that work to counter risk factors. Protective factors can include family qualities such as strong and nurturing relationships, supportive networks, effective problem-solving skills, concrete community supports, and knowledge of child development and parenting. Once families' unique qualities are identified, the school counselor can help families use these qualities to develop strategies to enhance these qualities.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history, philosophy, and foundations of the comprehensive school counseling program, its mission, its support of the school's mission, and its role in accountability.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the organizational structure and components of an effective school counseling program that aligns with state and national standards as well as procedures for establishing school counseling policies (e.g., advisory committee, management system).
- Demonstrate knowledge of strategies for and factors to consider in developing a meaningful and purposeful mission statement for the school counseling program.
- Apply knowledge of goals and procedures associated with a program needs assessment and how to analyze the results of a needs assessment and other forms of data to identify needs, priorities, goals, and objectives for the school counseling program.
- Apply knowledge of processes and techniques for engaging in ongoing data collection and analysis to inform decision making, to adapt and improve the school counseling program, and to demonstrate accountability; processes for defining criteria for the evaluation of the program; and methods for reporting results of program evaluations.
- Apply knowledge of planning and management tasks that support activities of the school counseling program, including preparation of a counseling calendar that reflects appropriate time commitments and priorities, as well as how to use technology effectively and efficiently to plan, organize, implement, and evaluate the school counseling program.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for communicating information about the school counseling program to stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents/guardians, administrators, district personnel, and community partners.
Sample Item:
When preparing a weekly school counseling calendar, the school counselor can most effectively ensure responsive services by taking which of the following steps?
- allotting equal periods of availability and access to the counselor across grade levels
- maintaining a few open time slots to enable flexibility in addressing issues in real time
- utilizing student and teacher sign-up sheets to address immediate needs
- expanding the counselor's availability to include times both before and after school hours
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. Responsive services are short-term counseling interventions to resolve immediate conflicts or problems and intervene on behalf of any student whose immediate problems or concerns put the student's continued educational, social/emotional, or college/career development at risk. Responsive services can include preventive, remedial, or crisis situations. Because responsive services tend to be immediate in nature, the school counselor can best prepare for these situations by incorporating some flexibility into the weekly school counseling calendar.
Content Domain III: The Professional School Counselor
Competencies 0009–0010
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of procedures and strategies for effective communication, consultation, and collaboration in the educational environment, including the use of face-to-face, written, and technology-based methods.
- Apply knowledge of strategies, procedures, and processes for collaborating with stakeholders by utilizing data, resources, and technology to create learning environments that promote educational access, equity, and success for every student.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the components of culturally responsive, school-based consultation techniques in various counseling contexts.
- Apply knowledge of methods for creating respectful, productive relationships with families; facilitating communication between school and home; providing families with accessible information and support; and working collaboratively with the adults in students' lives to remove obstacles to school success.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for encouraging and maintaining parents'/guardians' involvement in school life and in the process of planning for their child's academic, career, and social/emotional development to promote student achievement and success.
- Demonstrate knowledge of methods and processes for identifying, accessing, and coordinating school and community resources to make appropriate in-school and out-of-school referrals.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the school counselor's role within advisory councils, multidisciplinary teams, and multiagency teams and as a liaison between the school and other service providers.
Sample Item:
A classroom teacher consults with the school counselor about a challenge the teacher is having with a particular student. During the consultation, the counselor poses the following questions to the teacher.
- Can you give me a specific example of when the student was a particular challenge for you?
- How did you respond?
- How did the student react to your response?
The school counselor's approach most directly supports which of the following consultation processes?
- clarifying the goal of the student's behavior
- establishing a clear description of the problem
- promoting an atmosphere of mutual respect
- exploring strategies for changing the student's behavior
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. An effective consultation process begins by clearly defining the core issue or problem. The school counselor's questions are designed to elicit this information as well as to begin gathering information about the teacher-student dynamic and classroom environment. Once there is a clear description of the core issue or problem, the consultation can move forward to begin identifying possible causes and intervention strategies.
Descriptive Statements:
- Identify characteristics of an effective professional school counselor; the roles and responsibilities of the school counselor in various educational contexts; and strategies for articulating, modeling, and advocating for an appropriate school counselor identity.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the school counselor's roles as a change agent, a supporter of every student through program development and educational reform, and an advocate for the counseling profession.
- Apply knowledge of leadership and advocacy strategies to promote a positive school culture and support educational access, equity, inclusiveness, and student success.
- Apply knowledge of the ethical principles of the school counseling profession in accordance with professional guidelines, including the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, and strategies for recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas.
- Apply knowledge of federal, state, and local laws, regulations, rules, and policies related to the practice of school counseling in various educational contexts.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the purposes of professional development, the importance of staying abreast of current research, and various professional development activities (e.g., self-assessment, continuing education, technology training, membership in professional organizations) to advance the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of school counselors.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the legal and ethical implications associated with emerging issues and trends in school counseling.
Sample Item:
Which of the following materials related to the school counselor's practice is most likely to be legally protected from disclosure?
- notes that meet the criteria of the counselor's sole possession
- communications between the counselor and families and colleagues
- questionnaires completed by students during counseling
- schedules of individual or small-group counseling
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. Not all of the information collected and maintained by schools and school employees about students is subject to the access and disclosure requirements under Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). School counselors' notes are sole-possession records and not educational records (which parents/guardians are entitled to see) if the records meet specific criteria: 1) a memory aid, 2) not accessible or shared in either verbal or written form, 3) a private note created solely by the individual possessing it, and 4) include only observations and professional opinions.
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