ASCA National Standards for Students

ASCA National Standards for Students was established to help counselors help students.  ASCA National Standards identify and prioritize the specific attitudes, knowledge and skills that students should be able to demonstrate as a result of participating in a school counseling program.  Best of all, by adopting and implementing ASCA National Standards, school counselors change the way school counseling programs are designed and delivered across our country.

Educational reform movements of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, such as standards-based education and the No Child Left Behind legislation, focused on raising teacher quality and academic achievement.  Unfortunately, these efforts ignored the emotional, physical, social and economic barriers that can inhibit student success.  This is where school counselors make a difference.  School counselors are actively committed to eliminating these obstacles and to helping students understand that the choices they make now will affect their educational and career options in the future.