Elementary & Secondary
School Counseling

Master of Education

About This Program | Program Requirements | Admission | School Counseling Handbook | New Student Orientation

About This Program

Program Purpose

The Master of Education in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling addresses the needs of diverse school populations which are facing rapid social, economic, and technical changes. Practical application in the counseling field is balanced by de-tailed consideration of the philosophy, theory, knowledge, and ethics necessary for a professional counselor. All aspects of the pro-gram are directed toward enabling the participants to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to become effective school counselors in a developmental and multicultural setting.

The mission of this program is to prepare and motivate teachers, counselors and other dedicated professionals to qualify to staff and fully implement a comprehensive guidance and counseling program. All aspects of the program are aimed at enabling the participants to acquire program and graduation competencies in order to become school counselors that contribute to their schools’ educational goals. The curriculum is based on the ASCA National and Delaware State Model of a comprehensive guidance program; that implies that school counselors are accountable when they follow a standardized plan that can be implemented throughout the state.

Outcomes Assessment

The Outcomes Assessment Map is a plan to routinely make use of evaluations of candidate performance for success in meeting required graduation and program competencies and National /State standards. The map facilitates the collection of course imbedded criterion measures (CECRAM) that identifies course, specific activity, and an assessment that is linked to competencies.

Rubrics are used to measure the proficiencies of students in required activities. CECRAM data is collected in order to evaluate students’ performance in the areas of knowledge, skills, and attributes. CECRAM data is a summary of performance measures from various sources that include projects, oral presentations, action research, video and audio tapes of interviews with individuals and groups. The CECRAM data derived from the rubrics provides information for ongoing planning, evaluation, and program improvement.

The ultimate goal for all MEC students is the Supervised Practicum/Internship which is the clinical experience or Capstone Course. Prerequisite courses are required to assure that students are prepared for clinical success by meeting prerequisite knowledge and skill competencies. Clinical supervisors assess the knowledge, skills, and attributes which are based on the National Standards for School Counseling Programs and the Delaware model for best practices. All the skills that have been developed are put into practice during the Practicum/Internship. Prescribed assessment instruments are used to evaluate students. Clinical students are required to develop a professional portfolio demonstrating proficiency levels of competencies and standards.

Program Competencies

1. Develop an understanding of human behavior and child development in order to address the cognitive, personal, social, and career needs of children and adolescents.
2. Acquire an understanding of a comprehensive school counseling program which enables counselors to demonstrate fairness and equity to every student. Develop the skills to design, implement, and evaluate this program.
3. Understand the principles and purposes of assessment and the collection and use of data to monitor student progress and implement the results.
4. Examine and demonstrate a thorough understanding of established and emerging counseling theories to create a foundation for effective counseling with a diverse population.
5. Develop the knowledge, skills, techniques, and confidence in individual, group counseling, and classroom guidance needed to act as a leader and advocate to assist children and adolescents with their development, learning, achievement, and decision making tasks.
6. Become familiar with contemporary issues which are affecting the social, physical, and cognitive development of children and adolescents.
7. Acquire an understanding of family and marital systems, as well as the consultation process, needed to work with parents, teachers, administrators, and the community to achieve common goals for the education of children.
8. Develop the knowledge and expertise needed to provide youth with career development information. In addition, know how to locate information and resources which will facilitate academic, social-personal, and career decision making.
9. Develop a complete understanding of the ethical standards and guidelines of both the American Counseling Association and the American School Counseling Association.

Program Design

The Master of Education in School Counseling (MEC) is a Nationally Recognized graduate program. National Recognition is awarded by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE). The Master of Education program meets the standards of the National Association of State Directors of Teachers Education and Certification (NASDTEC). The school counseling curriculum competencies are based on the national standards established by the America School Counseling program and the Delaware Department of Education. The curriculum includes standards in three domains: academic, career, personal/social development. Curriculum components meet the eligibility requirements for counselor certification of the State of Delaware. The program includes course work that reflects certification requirements for the State of Delaware. Both elementary and secondary counseling requirements are addressed. The program is based on the Educational Division’s Conceptual Frame-work that includes attributes, program, and graduation competencies that prepare students to implement a developmental, comprehensive school counseling program.

The curriculum for the Master of Education in Elementary and Secondary School Counseling, a 36 or 42 semester credit program, is based on the National and State Model School Counseling Program in three broad areas described by the American School Counseling Association (ASC): academic/developmental, career development, and personal/social development. In addition to the 10 required courses, students with three years as a lead teacher complete a one semester, six credit hour supervised practicum under the direction of a certified counselor and supervision of a Wilmington University faculty member. Students without the three years of required school experience complete two semesters, 12 credit hours of supervised internships totaling 1,000 hours (200 teaching observation, 800 school counseling activities).

Program Requirements

Students are expected to complete all requirements associated with the Master of Education degree with a concentration in School Counseling which include both traditional course work as well as clinical experiences. Students with a teaching background are required to complete a 6-credit, one semester practicum experience. Students who lack a teaching background are required to complete two clinical courses (Internship I and Internship II) which span two semesters. In addition, all students are expected to develop a program portfolio which focuses on program, graduation, and state and national competencies.

Current New Jersey requirements state that one must complete a program which consists of 48 graduate credit hours that are distributed among various areas of a counseling program. Therefore, more course work is required to meet the 48 minimum credit hours. The following courses have been approved by the Office of Licensure and Credentials of New Jersey to meet credits and course content areas: Ethical Issues in Counseling (MEC 6607), Multicultural Counseling (MEC 6608), Drug and Alcohol Counseling (MEC 6600) Research and Evaluation, and Classification of Psychopathology (MCC 6901). The school counselor certification process is the responsibility of the student counselor and is between the applicant and the state Department of Education.