ABSTRACT: This study focused on school counselor accountability practices. The role of the school counselor is changing and the need to be more accountable is now here. This study attempted to answer several critical questions regarding school counselor accountability. It examined the degree to which school counselors use accountability measures, to what extent they believed certain accountability practices were deemed helpful to their school counseling program, and what they believed their barriers were. Accountability is a "hot" topic in present school counseling literature; but little research has been done up to this point investigating these issues related to school counselor accountability nor school counselors' perceptions and beliefs about them. This study attempted to delve into those perceptions and beliefs. Participants were members of state school counseling associations from across the United States. Three hundred seventy-five school counselors participated. Of those, 70.2% were currently using accountability practices. A total of 47.4% of the participants report presently being required to implement accountability practices. The most frequently reported barrier to accountability practices was that it was "too time consuming." The most frequently reported type of assistance desired from professional organizations or university programs was training. Support was reported most frequently as the type of assistance desired from school systems. Results from other analyses are also included. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for further research are provided.

A supplement to a wide range of School Counseling courses. Based on the work of professionals nationwide, this brief volume provides strategies for meeting the accountability requirements of 2001's No Child Left Behind legislation by instituting accountability as the cornerstone of the school counseling program. By demonstrating a way to connect counseling work to the expectations of school improvement and accountability, the authors encourage counseling professionals to reflect on their work and its implications and to align their work with current ASCA National Standards and the ASCA National Model.

"The ASCA National Model reflects a comprehensive approach to the design, implementation and assessment of a school counseling program that improves student success. The publication defines the school counselor's role in implementation of a school counseling program and provides step-by-step tools to build each componenet of your school counseling program, including defining, managing, delivering and assessing. This fourth edition reflects current education practices, aligns with the ASCA Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student and the ASCA professional standards & competencies and assists school counselors in developing an examplary school counseling program"-[P. 4], Cover.