School Counselors

School counselors are educators who design and deliver school counseling programs that are comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, developmental in nature, and promote student achievement for ALL students.

School counselors provide critical services to students in Illinois schools in three domains: Academic, College & Career, and Social-Emotional.

Developmental Counseling Model for Illinois Schools

A comprehensive school counseling program is guided by standards and competencies for both students and counselors:

NEWS & UPDATES

New FSA ID Process - Tuesday, January 16, 10 - 10:30 a.m. Learn about the new enhancements to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and the Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid. Discussion will include updates to both applications and shared resources from the state and federal level to assist students and families. Register for the New FSA ID Process Discussion.
Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative - Tuesday, January 16, 11 - 11:45 a.m. Learn how to access your students' financial aid application completion data through ISAC's Gift Assistance Program (GAP) Access portal. Through this free service to districts and schools, ISAC can share data on a daily basis to identify students who have not filed a financial aid application. Register for the Financial Aid Application Completion Initiative.
A FAFSA Line-by-Line - Thursday, January 25, 2-4 p.m. A full view of the 2024-25 online FAFSA, where we will go through each question on the new form. Learn how the decrease in questions will impact your students, as well as which questions they will see. Register for the FAFSA Line-by-Line.
Illinois School Counselor Association Award Nominations 2024
Please consider nominating those individuals who go above and beyond in their roles to help students and to promote the school counseling profession. Click here to view the categories and to submit your nomination. Nominations close February 1st, 2024.
NEW! The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Communication Toolkit
A guide designed to assist practitioners who support students and families through the financial aid process; includes resources to help streamline communication for students and families.

Academic

Academic standards guiding school counseling programs are designed to implement strategies and activities to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn

Social-Emotional

Social-Emotional standards guiding school counseling programs are designed to help students manage emotions and learn and apply interpersonal skills.

College & Career

College & Career standards guiding school counseling programs are designed to help students 1) understand the connection between school and the world of work and 2) plan for and make a successful transition from school to postsecondary education and/or the world of work and from job to job across the lifespan.