Frederick County Public Schools is committed to providing comprehensive guidance and school counseling services to all students that foster their academic, career, and personal growth. School guidance and counseling services are provided to students based upon the Standards for School Counseling Programs in Virginia Public Schools adopted by the Virginia Board of Education.
School Guidance and Counseling Services
Each school offers academic school guidance to help students and parents understand curriculum choices, plan studies, interpret test results, and explore post-secondary education. Career school guidance assists students in learning about various employment opportunities, including jobs, apprenticeships, and further education. Personal/social school counseling helps students develop self-awareness, conflict resolution skills, and personal goal setting. All personal/social school counseling records are kept confidential and separate from educational records, requiring parental consent for disclosure unless otherwise mandated by law. Parents can opt their child out of personal/social school counseling by completing the School Counseling Opt-Out Form and submitting the form to their child’s school. No student will be forced to participate in any school counseling program their parents object to. The school division prohibits school counseling techniques outside the scope of a school counselor's professional certification, such as hypnosis or psychotherapy for mental illness. Annually, parents receive written notification about available school counseling programs, including their purpose, how to review materials, and procedures for limiting their child's participation.
Employment School Counseling and College/Career Readiness
Frederick County Public Schools provides employment school counseling and placement services to secondary students, offering information on various job opportunities, including apprenticeships, military, and teaching. The school division collaborates with organizations like the Virginia Employment Commission and the Department of Labor and Industry. The school division ensures equal access for military recruiters to high school students if other occupational, professional, or educational recruiters are granted access.
All middle and secondary schools focus on college and career readiness, identifying and enrolling students in programs with diverse educational and academic experiences. This includes motivating disadvantaged and minority students to prepare for postsecondary education or careers. Starting in elementary school, students explore career clusters and begin developing an Academic and Career Plan Portfolio (ACPP) to document their interests, values, and skills. This ACPP forms the foundation for the Academic and Career Plan (ACP), which students begin in seventh grade and complete by the end of eighth grade. The ACP, developed with student, parent, and school official input, outlines a student's high school program of study and postsecondary career pathway. It's reviewed and updated annually.
In middle school, students complete a career interest inventory and select a career pathway, often through a career investigation course. Students are also counseled on opportunities for early postsecondary education, industry certifications, occupational competency credentials, or professional licenses. This includes access to at least three Advanced Placement (AP) or three college-level courses for degree credit. Students are encouraged to pursue dual enrollment for simultaneous high school and college credit, requiring principal approval and college acceptance of the courses for degree credit.
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