General Information  

1. What is the role of a school counselor?
2. What topics will be covered in the guidance lessons?
3. I am concerned about my child going to middle school.
4. I am new to state testing/STAAR. What am I to expect?

What is the role of a school counselor?

The school counselor's role varies from site to site. At Isbell, the school   counselor focuses on classroom guidance lessons.  The counselor visits the   students' classrooms and will be teaching lessons on Character Education. We   do a brief discussion and an activity.  Our time is also spent on testing,   meetings, and  parent and teacher conferences.  The last part of the school   year, focuses on organizing, training, and testing in grades 3-5. However,   the majority of our time is to be spent in the classrooms with the students.

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What topics will be covered in the guidance lessons?

We will be continuing the Character education lessons in the classrooms   this year. We follow the FISD Guidance Program with the 2 strands.

Strand 1 - Academic Development

Strand 2 - Personal and Social Development

Strand 3 - College and Career Development

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I am concerned about my child going to middle school.

All parents and kids are concerned about entering middle school.  It is a   new environment. The kids have to learn a new system: the school layout,   class schedules, how to organize their time for homework and activities,   make new friends, learn how to get along and follow the rules from eight   classrooms, where is lunch, choosing the right classes to get the "right"   courses in high school, etc.  I would like to help the students navigate   through their anxiety about middle school.  

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I am new to state testing, STAAR. What am I to expect?

All students in grades 3-5 will take a version of a STAAR test. If a child is in special education he/she may take a different version of the test depending on his/her disability. The STAAR test will have a 4 hour time limit for all students.

  Students in Grade 3 will take the math and reading tests. 

Students in Grade 4 will take the math, reading, and writing tests. 

The Writing Test will be over two days.

  Students in Grade 5 will take the math, reading, and science tests.  Fifth   grade students are required to pass the math and reading tests in order to   qualify to move to the middle school.  If a student in Grade 5 does not   pass the required test, he/she will have two more chances.  One during the   school year and the other will be given after the completion of mandatory   summer school.

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