By Nuria Martinez-Keel, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY – A new Oklahoma rule places strict limitations on how much time public school counselors can spend on non-counseling tasks, but some have raised concerns of whether the regulation is too vague to have its desired effect.
The rule requires school counselors to spend at least 80 percent of their work time on direct and indirect counseling services that have “an impact on student growth in the areas of academic advisement, college and career, and life skills and wellness,” according to its text. The remainder of their time could be spent on “program planning and school support.”
The Oklahoma State Board of Education and the state Legislature approved the rule this year. State Superintendent Ryan Walters, who proposed the rule, said the goal is to ensure school counselors aren’t saddled with administrative duties that distract from their primary responsibility of counseling students.
The Oklahoma School Counselor Association is supportive of the 80 percent concept, said Chelsea Hinkle, president of the association’s board. That work-time ratio is what the American School Counselor Association recommends as a national best practice.
But, the lack of specificity in Oklahoma’s rule has caused uncertainty among school counselors in the state, Hinkle said. The rule gives few examples of tasks that count as direct and indirect services, it doesn’t define “work time,” and it doesn’t explain how districts will be held accountable if they don’t uphold the 80 percent target.
Because of this vagueness, she said, Oklahoma counselors are wondering whether schools will classify non-counseling tasks, like administering state testing, as “direct services” if they involve face-to-face contact with students.
“I think I would say it leaves us curious,” Hinkle said. “It leaves us curious to how it’s going to play out. I think it leaves us curious to see how districts interpret and apply this, curious to see what guidance (the Oklahoma State Department of Education) has, what that looks like. We’re just kind of waiting. I personally am cautiously, very cautiously, optimistic.”
The Education Department, through its communications office, said academic advising, mental health and wellness support, and career planning are examples of counseling services that could make up 80 percent of a school counselor’s work time.
However, the agency did not answer questions asking how it will define that “work time,” whether it’s a specific number of hours in a day, the number of days each week, or total hours or days out of the school year.
Districts will have to submit a comprehensive school counseling plan to the state Education Department to ensure quality implementation, spokesperson Madison Cercy said.
The agency also referred to a link giving general information on school counseling programs, and noted it offers professional learning opportunities to district staff for further training.
Hinkle estimated she spends about 70 percent of her time on direct and indirect counseling services at the Oklahoma City public school where she works.
Her direct services include one-on-one meetings with students, small-group counseling and classroom instruction. Counselors also teach life skills, address absenteeism issues and check if students’ basic needs are being met at home, Hinkle said.
Indirect services are part of her job, too, such as calling parents, making a referral for outside therapeutic services and meeting with a teacher about a student’s behavior.
Administering state tests, substitute teaching, running a gifted and talented program, and developing 504 plans for students with disabilities are common non-counseling duties many counselors are assigned to do, Hinkle said.
Several of these tasks, along with clerical work, are among the activities the American School Counselor Association deems “inappropriate” for counselors.
“One thing that school counselors believe to their core is each and every student deserves access to a school counseling program, and it’s really hard to make sure each and every single one of your students has access when you’re doing 700 other things,” Hinkle said.
Walters agreed that school counselors, rather than shouldering administrative work, should be allowed to focus on the central elements of their job, like helping students work through mental health issues or plan for a future career.
“I do believe if somebody wants to be a school counselor they want to help kids in these ways,” Walters said during a June 26 meeting of the Oklahoma State Board of Education. “That’s their background. That’s what they’re there to do. That’s why it’s a separate certification. They’re not a principal. They’re not a vice principal. They’re a school counselor. If we’re going to use these titles and this certification, we need to protect that role.”
Neighboring states have been far more specific when implementing similar work-time rules for school counselors.
A Texas state law clarifies that administering tests cannot qualify as a direct or indirect counseling service. Like Oklahoma, the Lone Star State requires counselors to spend 80 percent of their work time on the counseling program at their school.
Arkansas goes above the nationally recommended ratio, requiring 90 percent of school counselors’ work time to focus on counseling services. The Arkansas rule gives definitions for direct and indirect services, and it outlines specific administrative activities that can make up no more than 10 percent of counselors’ work time.
As Oklahoma’s rule takes effect, Edmond Public Schools is looking at the potential impact, but it’s not rearranging staff at this time, spokesperson Jeff Bardach said. The district of 25,700 students is waiting for further guidance from the state Education Department before making any changes.
School counselors in Norman Public Schools already spend 80 percent of their time providing direct and indirect services to students, spokesperson Courtney Scott said.
“This new rule reinforces that their time should not be overcommitted to administrative tasks such as coordinating state testing, managing 504 plans, or taking on other duties that fall outside their professional role,” she said. “Counselors should be engaged in face-to-face instruction or communication with students, as well as with teachers and families who support those students.”
In northwest Oklahoma, Seiling Public Schools Superintendent Kyle Reynolds said he’s never had to quantify the percentage of his school counselors’ time spent on various tasks, but meeting the 80 percent rule in a small, rural district will be “a pretty significant challenge.”
