School Counselor Praxis Flashcards
Which of the following is listed as one of the mindsets in the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies assessment?
Promotion and enhancement of student academic, career, and social/emotional outcomes
A school counselor should do which of the following to demonstrate positive change as a result of a classroom lesson?
Ask the students to complete pretests and posttests for the lesson
Liam is an eighth-grade student who is struggling in his classes. When he meets with his middle school counselor, he tells the counselor that he does not know how to study and often forgets what assignments he needs to complete. Liam and the counselor determine an objective for their sessions together that will help Liam use time-management, organizational, and study skills to improve his grades. Which of the following ASCA Mindsets & Behavior standards contains this objective?
Behavior: Learning Strategies
A frequently applied career theory used with students explores students’ knowledge of the self and the world of work by reflecting on their interests, abilities, and values. The theory classifies students according to six personality types: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. Which of the following is the name of this classification system?
Holland codes
Which of the following best describes consultation services?
Information is gathered from experts about student needs, and information, opinions, and recommendations are provided to individuals who can support those needs.
Which of the following approaches should a school counselor take when making an outside referral for a student to receive long-term intensive services?
Providing multiple referrals from the district’s vetted list, being careful not to endorse or show a preference for a particular counselor or practice
Which of the following impacts does technology have on a school counselor when used with intentionality and purpose in serving all students?
It expands the school counselor’s reach and efficiency.
A school counseling team wants to increase the number of students in the sixth grade that are meeting or exceeding standards according to the state math achievement tests. The school counseling team has determined that many parents do not have a strong understanding of the math curriculum and are not able to adequately assist their children with homework. Additionally, many students lack the study skills to appropriately prepare for the state test, which leads them to feel overwhelmed. Which of the following is a direct service the school counseling team can provide to help meet the goal?
Providing a series of classroom lessons on study skills, calming strategies, and ways to reduce test anxiety
A school counseling team wants to decrease the number of students with two or more failing grades from 50 students in the first semester of the year to 45 students in the second semester. Which of the following services correctly describes a collaborative indirect approach that would support the department’s goal?
Partnering with families, teachers, and administrators on a school counseling advisory council in order to elicit feedback on the goal
Mr. Marris, a school counselor, has different cultural values than a student who is assigned to his caseload. The school counselor explains to his supervisor that he does not think he can work with the student due to a value clash. Mr. Marris is doing which of the following?
Allowing his personal biases to affect his practice of school counseling
According to the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, to ensure optimal professional effectiveness and competency, school counselors are expected to do which of the following?
Monitor their emotional and physical health and practice wellness
Which of the following best describes privileged communication?
A legal rule that protects communications within the counseling relationship from compelled disclosure in a court proceeding
A principal asks the school counselor to supervise lunch duty every day for ninth- and tenth-grade lunch periods. Which of the following best describes the principal’s request?
An inappropriate school counselor activity
A school counselor is asked by the administration to coach the school’s volleyball team. Several students on the team are also on the school counselor’s caseload. If the school counselor chooses to accept the coaching position, which of the following is the most appropriate action to take?
Obtaining informed consent, consultation, and supervision, and documenting the nature of the interactions that extend the boundaries of the counseling relationship
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires public schools to do which of the following?
Provide a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment for all students
Which of the following is the purpose of assessing a school counseling program?
To identify the strengths and weaknesses of the school counseling program and provide direction for program improvement
It becomes evident that a student a school counselor is seeing for individual counseling requires long-term therapy. As a result, the school counselor should do which of the following?
Provide the student referrals to relevant community resources.
A school counselor meets with a high school senior for post-secondary planning. The counselor asks the student what she plans to do after high school, and the student says she is looking forward to marrying and becoming a mother. The student states that she will not go to college because she has already met her future husband and they are very excited about starting a family immediately. In this scenario, the school counselor should do which of the following?
Respect the student’s autonomous decision and values, but remind her that she has options if she changes her mind later.
Which THREE of the following should a new school counselor include in a professional development plan to be shared with the principal?
-A schedule of formal and structured weekly supervision sessions with an experienced school counselor
-A request for funding to attend the ASCA national conference
-A self-assessment related to the professional standards and competencies
A school counselor is aware of a major change to educational law and district policy that will affect families at the school. Which of the following is an ethical action the counselor should be expected to take?
Striving to protect and inform students and families regarding their rights
A few high school students hang posters to protest a new school policy. The policy states that the school cannot plan field trips until standardized test scores improve. The principal hears about the posters and decides that the students who hung the posters will receive in-school suspension because “they have no right to protest a school policy.” The school counselor advocates that the students do have the constitutional right to free speech at school. The counselor can argue this based on which of the following court cases?
Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969)
A high school student presents with suicidal ideation at 2:25 P.M. on Friday afternoon. School dismissal is at 2:30 P.M. The school counselor has not had time to conduct a suicide assessment, and the student normally rides the bus home and is alone for several hours after school. Based on the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, which of the following is the best action for the school counselor to take?
Detaining the student at the school, attempting to contact the student’s parent or guardian, and following district policy if the student’s family cannot be reached
An elementary school counselor is running a small group for students with incarcerated parents. Students meet for six weeks to make and send cards and pictures to their parents and discuss their feelings. The group promotes a sense that students are not alone in their problems. Irvin Yalom called this phenomenon
universality
Which of the following research-based classroom management techniques may conflict with the school counselor role?
Disciplining students for misbehavior
Which TWO of the following should a school counselor do to implement schoolwide trauma-informed practices?
Educate staff on the effects of trauma and how to refer students to the school counselor.
Collaborate with community organizations and groups to provide resources that support students.
Which of the following techniques is most useful when counseling students of all ages who are experiencing stress?
Mindfulness techniques, such as meditation
A school counselor has started a small group with ninth-grade students who are failing one or more classes. As the group progresses, the counselor notes that the students seem to believe they are not smart enough to excel in their coursework. Which of the following interventions is most appropriate for the students in this small group?
Growth mindset curriculum
Which stage of Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is focused on living up to social roles and expectations?
Conventional morality
Which of the following theorists proposed that individuals can be classified into three personality groups: compliant, aggressive, and detached?
Karen Horney
Which TWO of the following digital tools will allow school counselors a way to identify and connect with students who may be uncomfortable reaching out for help in person or who are struggling to connect with others when they need support?
Social networking
Videoconferencing software
Which of the following is aligned with the overall goals of a school and is focused on student success?
Mission statement
Which of the following provides concise documentation of effective school counseling interventions?
A results report
A secondary-school counseling team works with small groups of tenth-grade students who are failing one or more classes at the middle of the first semester. They work diligently for six weeks with these students, employing best practices and interventions. They see positive results, including better grades and attitudes toward school. What accountability measures should the team of counselors take to show that they have made a positive difference with this group of students?
Collecting data to document all results
Advocating for a revision to placement practices to increase enrollment of traditionally underserved students in honors courses is an effective way for school counselors to demonstrate how they can have an impact on which of the following?
Systemic change
Which of the following actions best aligns with the Define component of the ASCA National Model?
Examining Mindsets and Behaviors standards for students
A school counselor found that 75 percent of all students who performed poorly on a math test were from the same classroom. Which of the following is an appropriate course of action for the school counselor to take?
Designing an intentional support plan for the identified students
Using the results of an achievement test to help students create four-year plans to be successful in high school is an example of which of the following?
Advisement
A school counselor conducted a career assessment that showed that most twelfth-grade students want to attend three specific trade schools. Which of the following is the best next step to take based on the data?
Inviting individuals from the trade schools to come and deliver workshops
A school counselor found that none of the English learners (ELs) met their semester benchmark goals. Which of the following is the best next step to take based on this data?
Delivering lessons on study skills for the students
Which of the following best describes how school counselors can use technology to manage their programs and activities?
Calculating use of time on a data tracker
Effective annual student outcome goal plans measure impact on which of the following?
Attendance, behavior, and achievement
Effective pretests and posttests measure which of the following?
Attitudes, knowledge, and skills
Assessing student learning as a result of classroom instruction is most closely associated with which of the following types of data?
Mindsets & Behaviors
A school counselor wants to use data from a parents’ needs assessment to improve family-school engagement. Which of the following describes the best course of action to take?
Develop a series of workshops based on parents’ interests
The ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies Assessment is based on a school counselor’s
attainment of mindsets and behaviors required to best serve students
When school counselors use the results of their program assessments to improve a process in their schools, they are doing which of the following?
Enacting systemic change
Which THREE of the following are reasons why school counselors should analyze their programs?
To examine program strengths
To assess areas for growth
To create short- and long-term improvement plans
A school counselor who develops a comprehensive school counseling program based on the ASCA National Model can be expected to
design program interventions that will be evaluated for effectiveness
School counselors can most effectively use the ASCA’s Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success to
assess student growth and development
A school counselor collects data on interventions and analyzes the results to understand how different subgroups are performing. This is an example of which of the following?
Disaggregating the data
A school counselor wants to show stakeholders the impact of a comprehensive school counseling program. Which of the following types of data would best demonstrate the program’s impact?
Outcome
Which TWO of the following are benefits that a school counselor can expect from membership in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA)?
Professional development
Access to liability insurance
A school counselor notices that students seem to be more anxious this year than last year and would like to conduct classroom lessons to help students manage their anxiety. The counselor wants to assess the effectiveness of the intervention by asking students to complete a questionnaire about their anxiety symptoms before and after the intervention to see if they decrease. The questionnaire was developed by a group of researchers with expertise in diagnosing anxiety and was tested to make sure it actually measures anxiety symptoms. Based on this information, the counselor can assume that the questionnaire has good
construct validity
Which of the following is the most-effective information school counselors can share with stakeholders to demonstrate the impact a comprehensive school counseling program can have on the school community?
The comprehensive school counseling program’s vision and mission statement
A school counselor has created a SMART goal to increase retention rates by five percent in the next academic year. The counselor is using which of the following types of data to achieve the goal?
Outcome
Annual student outcome goals should be primarily aligned to which of the following?
The school’s closing-the-gap action plans
According to the ASCA National Model, what percent of their time should school counselors aspire to dedicate to direct and indirect student services?
80%
A school counselor is asked to help develop classroom lessons on bullying. Which of the following resources will be most effective in developing these lessons?
Literature on research-based bullying interventions
An assessment on which test takers receive similar scores across administrations of the test is considered to have strong
reliability
Which TWO of the following are appropriate activities for school counselors based on the ASCA National Model?
Providing counseling to students who have disciplinary problems
Protecting student records and information per state and federal regulations
With what frequency does the ASCA recommend that a school counselor complete a use-of-time assessment?
At least twice a year
Lev Vygotsky explained that there is a gap between children’s ability to solve problems on their own and their potential knowledge if taught through adult instruction. Which of the following terms best describes this gap?
Zone of proximal development
Which of the following techniques is most developmentally appropriate to help elementary school students reduce stress and improve their overall emotional health?
Grounding
Children in Jean Piaget’s stage of preoperational thought have difficulty understanding that another person’s thoughts and opinions are different from their own. This type of thinking is referred to as
egocentrism
A student’s noncustodial parent arrives at an elementary school to talk with the student. The school counselor should do which of the following?
Allow the noncustodial parent to talk with the student unless there is legal documentation prohibiting contact.
Which of the following is an appropriate activity for a school counselor with regard to students’ Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and/or IEP meetings?
Serving as an advocate during Child Study Team and IEP meetings
Which of the following is an appropriate role for a school counselor in regard to working with students with Section 504 plans?
Identifying the strengths and challenges of students with disabilities
A school counselor gets a request from a student’s family to provide the student with individual counseling because of a traumatic experience. Which of the following is the best action for the school counselor to take?
Referring the family to outside mental-health counseling options
Which THREE of the following are roles of the school counselor within the framework of multi-tiered systems of support?
Referring students to school and community services as appropriate
Evaluating academic and behavioral progress after interventions
Providing all students with a standards-based school counseling curriculum to address universal academic, career, and social/emotional development
Which of the following behaviors from the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies assessment is encompassed in professional foundation?
Applying legal and ethical principles of the school counseling profession
According to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, a middle-school student who is learning to use abstract reasoning is likely in which of the following stages?
Formal operational
To determine the impact of an antibullying program on students, changes in which of the following would be most useful to evaluate?
Discipline referrals
As a part of a school counselor’s year-end evaluation, the counselor is planning to review the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies Assessment. Which of the following areas are assessed in the document?
Ethical and legal standards of practice
Assessing one’s school counseling program best allows counselors to do which of the following?
Demonstrate effective planning and programming
Which of the following is a purpose of school counseling program evaluation?
To quantitatively demonstrate the impact that the school counseling program has on students
Which of the following is a benefit of ASCA membership that most closely aligns with the Responsibilities to Self standard of the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors?
Opportunities to develop and maintain competence in current issues and best practices
Which of the following is best supported by the Behaviors component of the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success?
The learning strategies, self-management skills, and social skills students need to achieve academic success
School counselors can best support students as they develop personal identities by
providing students with a wide range of information about of academic, social, and career opportunities
According to Lev Vygotsky’s developmental theory, which of the following provides students with structure to help them master a skill within their zone of proximal development?
Scaffolding
Which of the following developmental theories describes basic conflicts one must face and resolve as one moves through various life stages?
Erik Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development
Which of the following activities would be most appropriate for helping a high school student develop career readiness?
Engaging in a cooperative work experience
Which of the following has the greatest potential to create systemic change and a safe school environment?
Engaging in schoolwide collaboration among administration, teachers, staff, and the school counseling program
Which of the following best describes the purpose of instruction as part of direct student services within the school counseling curriculum?
To assist students in attaining selected ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
Which of the following is an appropriate responsibility of school counselors when assisting in planning for students with disabilities?
Collaborating with other related student support professionals in the delivery of services
Which of the following types of data would best help a school counselor gain understanding about factors that contribute to achievement gaps?
Supplemental
Which of the following represents data separated into component parts by specific variables such as ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status?
Disaggregated data
By serving on committees involved in making school-based decisions, the school counselor is acting in which of the following roles?
Leader
Which of the following pieces of data would be most helpful in identifying an opportunity gap?
Percentage of minority students taking honors-level courses
According to the ASCA National Model, which of the following are the three main types of data school counselors use in assessing program effectiveness?
Participation, Mindsets & Behavior, and outcome data
Which THREE of the following are components of the ASCA National Model (2019) annual administrative conference template?
Annual student outcome goals
Ratio and caseload
School and district committees and professional work
A school counselor applying Carl Rogers’ approach to individual counseling would most likely employ which of the following techniques?
Unconditional positive regard
The miracle question is a technique most used in which model of counseling?
Solution-focused
According to Bruce Tuckman’s theory of group development, a small group in the storming stage would likely exhibit which of the following behaviors?
Struggling to determine group goals
Which of the following is the most appropriate activity for a school counselor to facilitate to prepare students for the transition from middle school to high school?
A panel discussion between middle and high school students to answer questions
In an individual student planning session, a student failing math and science expresses interest in becoming a professional athlete. How might a school counselor best advise this student for postsecondary success?
Assisting the student in making the connection between passing classes and playing sports
According to Donald Super’s career theory, a student who is forming a tentative career plan is likely in which of the stages of career development?
Exploration
Which of the following strategies best illustrates prevention of crisis situations in trauma-informed care?
Helping students identify triggers and creating coping plans
For which of the following situations would peer mediation be the best intervention for a school counselor to recommend?
Conflict resolution between two friends
Which of the following interventions should a school counselor use to help as many students as possible reduce anxiety?
Designing and facilitating a classroom lesson on coping skills
According to ASCA, how often should school counselors host advisory council meetings?
Two times per year, once in the fall and once in the spring
A middle school student struggles to develop positive relationships with peers and reports having few friends. According to Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the student is having trouble with which of the following?
Belongingness
A student scores in the 50th percentile on a standardized reading assessment. Which of the following is the most accurate statement about the student’s test results?
The student scored in the average range.
A student with an IQ score of 100 on the normal curve scores at the 50th percentile on a standardized math assessment. Which of the following is true about the student’s IQ and math score in relation to the normal curve?
The IQ and math score match.
A high school student completed the Holland career assessment and scored high on the social indicator. Which of the following career experiences is the student most likely to benefit from?
Job shadowing an elementary school teacher
A fifth-grade student struggles to pay attention in class. While meeting with the student’s parents, the school counselor learns that the student is taking doctor-prescribed medication to help with focus. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step for the school counselor to take?
Making a child find referral to the Section 504 team for evaluation
A teacher asks the school counselor to help design an intervention that would be beneficial for the whole class. In the process of consultation, which of the following roles does the school counselor take?
Collaborator
While working with a student who identifies as LGBTQ, the school counselor learns that a teacher has used inappropriate and homophobic language, which made the student uncomfortable. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step for the school counselor to take?
Consulting with the building-level supervisor about the teacher’s comments
Which of the following is an example of a Tier 2 intervention?
Engaging select students in a daily check-in/check-out system with the school counselor
A school counselor learns that a student has recently experienced a house fire and that the student might be temporarily homeless as a result. Which of the following is the next best step for the school counselor to take?
Referring the student’s family to the school social worker for community resources and supports
Which TWO of the following describe ways in which school counselors can directly collaborate with stakeholders to create learning environments that support success for all students?
Partnering with others to advocate for student achievement and educational equity and opportunities
Identifying and involving appropriate school and community professionals as well as the family in a crisis situation
A school counselor wants to gather feedback on the services provided in the middle school counseling program. Which of the following is the most efficient strategy to collect input from multiple sources?
Administering an electronic survey to students, teachers, and parents
A school counselor is trying to transform the school counseling program from a stand-alone service to an integral part of the total educational process. Which of the following should the counselor do first?
Align the school counseling program goals to the school improvement goals.
Which of the following is the most appropriate first step for a school counselor to take in designing a new school counseling program?
Establishing vision and mission statements for the counseling program
A school counselor wants to ensure the counseling program uses evidence-based practices to respond to an increase in student absences. Which of the following is an example of an evidenced-based practice the counselor should utilize?
Implementing a previously validated attendance program
Ms. Khan, a school counselor, is preparing to conduct individual advisement sessions with middle school students. As she reviews the students’ cumulative records, she notices that many of them have results from a formal assessment that she is not familiar with, so she researches the assessment to determine whether it consistently produces the same responses over time. Ms. Khan is looking for the assessment’s
reliability
A school counselor sponsored a virtual college fair for high school students. Students logged in using their school-issued student identification. After the event, the counselor was able to download a report that included the students’ names, grade levels, and how long they spent participating in the event. This report is an example of
participation data
During an individual advisement meeting with a twelfth-grade student, the school counselor explains a standardized testing student score report. The student scored a composite of 21 on the standardized test, with a national percentile rank score of 56%. The national percentile rank score means that
56% of the students who took the test scored a 21 or below
Teachers have expressed concern over giving up instructional time for school counseling lessons. The principal has asked the school counselor to prepare a presentation to share with faculty about the importance of delivering the school counseling curriculum. Which type of data will be most valuable in showing the positive impact of the school counseling curriculum?
Student outcome data
After a school counselor’s first year working in the field, the counselor wants to know which activities or interventions made the largest impact on student growth and success. Which of the following data sources should the school counselor review?
Annual results report
Which of the following theorists discusses the importance of self-efficacy and modeling in social cognitive development?
Albert Bandura
