​SPRINGFIELD – Thirteen Illinois schools have earned a prestigious national designation for their outstanding counseling programs. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) awarded the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation, which lasts for five years, during a special ceremony at the ASCA’s annual conference in Denver, Colo. Illinois now has 20 RAMP-designated schools, the third-highest number among all states.

ASCA awards the RAMP designation to schools that have implemented comprehensive, data-driven school counseling programs aligned with the criteria in the ASCA National Model and achieved improved student outcomes.

"Congratulations to Illinois’ 2017 RAMP-designated schools," said State Superintendent of Education Tony Smith, Ph.D. "Effective and comprehensive school counseling helps schools support the needs of the whole child. The collaborative and dedicated efforts of these school communities are showing what’s possible when students receive the individual support they need to achieve academic excellence and postsecondary success."

The 2017 RAMP designation criteria for improved student outcomes include high rates of college and career readiness, grade point average growth, decreased office disciplinary referrals, decreased disciplinary recidivism, increased rates of students passing classes, increased rates of enrollment in Advanced Placement courses, and increased rates of attendance during the 2016-17 school year.

"Our program goals are always created in direct response to school data, but most often revolve around academics, attendance, and behavior," said Danielle McDermott, an eighth-grade counselor at Brooks Middle School in Bolingbrook. "We achieved RAMP status because we are continually reviewing data, evaluating how effective we are, and comparing that to how much more effective we could be."

Josh Nobilio, a student services coordinator at RAMP-designated Crystal Lake South High School, reported that the targeted interventions of his school’s comprehensive counseling program improved the ACT scores of students who participated by 2.75 points from the fall practice test to the official test in the spring. The scores of students who did not receive targeted interventions grew less than 2 points in the same time.

"We wanted to take a data-driven approach, provide a full curriculum to all students, and provide targeted interventions for the students that were not meeting expectations," said Nobilio.

​​​ 2017 Recognized ASCA Model Programs (RAMP) in Illinois

For more information on school counseling in Illinois and a complete list of current Illinois RAMP schools, visit www.ilschoolcounselor.org.