Hi, need to submit a 1250 words paper on the topic Testing and Measurement in School Counseling.

Hi, need to submit a 1250 words paper on the topic Testing and Measurement in School Counseling. Schools and staffing survey data for the years 1999 - 2008 were obtained from the National Center for Education Statistics. Causal models for the relationship between introducing extra counselors in schools that initially had suboptimal numbers of counselors were developed by employing a regression discontinuity design.

The results indicated that each additional counselor introduced at the high school level increased the college-going rates by 10%. The researchers recommended a counselor-teacher ratio similar to the teacher-student ratio in order to achieve optimal results from the school counselors. The results also disputed the indicated approach where the Department of Education targets to discontinue counselors as the first victims of retrenchments when faced by budgeting crises. Counselors are depicted as instrumental players in ensuring a school-going culture and increasing students’ retention rates in high schools.

Jones, S. M. & Bouffard, S. M. (2012). Social and emotional learning in schools: From programs to strategies. Social Policy Report. 26(4): 1-33.

The article explores new approaches to integrating the teaching and enhancement of social and emotional learning (SEL) skills into their daily lives. The authors argued that the implementation of the school counseling program was still at the program implementation phase, which hindered the critical phase of strategizing for success.

In the initial argument, the authors faulted the common approach and conclusion that both teachers and psychologists make – that students who perform better in class have better peer relationships, and score higher in emotional adjustment and mental health tests. They sought to discredit the causative relationship between inter-personal relations and class performance. Based on this development, they proposed the need to consider more factors in such tests, which would not only show high correlation but also prove that personal relationships indeed lead to better academic performance based on causal relationships.

Through a review of the literature, the article provides contrasting evidence for research made for the opposing views.