Sharyland ISD Counseling Program Overview
Our Commitment
The Sharyland ISD Counseling Program is dedicated to supporting every student’s academic achievement, career readiness, personal/social development, and college/career preparation. Our district’s vision and mission for student success directly align with the principals of the Texas Model, ensuring that our counseling program is comprehensive, proactive, data-driven, and responsive to the needs of all students.
Alignment with the Texas Model
The Texas Model provides a research-based framework for school counseling programs in Texas, grounded in statute (e.g., Texas Education Code §33.005 & §33.006) and practice. (Texas Education Agency) Sharyland ISD follows its key components and, in doing so, ensures that our counselors and support teams deliver an equitable, systemic, and intentional program.
Here’s how we reflect the Texas Model in our district:
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Four Service Delivery Components
As outlined by the Texas Model, our program delivers services via:
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Guidance Curriculum – We provide planned, developmentally appropriate lessons (e.g., advisory periods, character-trait programs, SEL lessons) that engage all students in academic, career, and personal/social growth. (Region 1 Education Service Center)
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Individual Planning – Counselors work directly with students to establish and monitor academic and career plans (e.g., freshman graduation tracks, 10th/11th grade goal-setting, 12th grade financial-literacy preparation).
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Responsive Services – We respond to students’ immediate needs (e.g., transition support for 6th graders, referrals for self-regulation skills, targeted interventions to reduce discipline referrals) to help them stay on course.
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System Support – Our counseling team collaborates across departments, collects and analyzes data (including parent/student/teacher surveys and needs-assessments), participates in advisory councils, and builds infrastructure (professional development, needs assessment tools, curriculum mapping) to support student success.
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Proactive, Developmental & Data-Driven
Our 80/20 focus (allocating 80% of counseling time to student-centered proactive initiatives) exemplifies the Texas Model’s mandate that programs not be purely reactive. We utilize needs-assessments, stakeholder input (parents, teachers, students), and outcome data (discipline referrals, college/career readiness benchmarks) to shape programming — consistent with the Texas Model’s planning/design/implementation/evaluation cycle. (Texas Education Agency)
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Equity, Access & All Students
The Texas Model emphasizes that a comprehensive program ensures equitable access to all students, regardless of background. (Texas Education Agency) In Sharyland ISD, our counseling services are designed to serve the whole student population (PK-12) and include partnerships with parents, district departments (e.g., Special Education), and community organizations. Our scope-and-sequence for SEL, character development, and college/career readiness supports every learner.
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Collaboration & Advisory Structure
The Texas Model recommends stakeholder involvement via a counseling advisory committee or equivalent. (Texas Education Agency) At Sharyland ISD we engage campus-level and district-level advisory bodies (including parents, community partners, staff) to review program effectiveness, provide input, and help guide ongoing refinement.
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Program Evaluation & Continuous Improvement
The Texas Model includes structured evaluation of the counseling program (examining service delivery, student outcomes, and program components) for continuous improvement. (apps.esc1.net) Sharyland ISD uses pre/post assessments, needs-assessment surveys, and program audits (aligned to the Model) to monitor progress of our goals: e.g., increasing student self-advocacy, college/financial literacy outcomes, and participation in counselor-led sessions.
Why Our Approach Matters
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By aligning with the Texas Model, we ensure our counseling program is systemic, intentional, and aligned with state standards.
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Our students benefit from a comprehensive structure that moves beyond simply reacting to problems — instead proactively promoting growth and readiness for life beyond high school.
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The collaboration across campus counselors, teachers, administrators, parents, and community partners strengthens the impact and sustainability of the program.
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Having a clear framework helps us communicate our program purpose, scope and outcomes to stakeholders (students, parents, board members) and ensures transparency and accountability.
Invitation to Stakeholders
We invite parents, students, teachers, and community partners to become active participants in our counseling program — whether through our counseling advisory council, classroom lessons, small-group sessions, or planning meetings. Together we ensure every student has the support, guidance and planning needed to succeed academically, personally, and for life.
Additional Reference
For the full Texas Model document, please refer to:
The Texas Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs – 5th Edition (PDF) (Texas Education Agency)
