Dallas ISD is redefining what excellence looks like in school counseling through a new districtwide framework designed to elevate the profession and ensure every student receives consistent, high-quality support.
The district recently introduced the School Counselor Excellence Instrument (SCEI), a detailed guide outlining best practices, performance standards, and growth pathways for school counselors. The initiative, district leaders say, strengthens the foundation for student support and sets a model for other districts to follow.
For Joann Jackson, Dallas ISD’s director of counseling services, the new framework represents both accountability and empowerment. “We have excellence initiatives for teachers, assistant principals, principals, and executive directors,” Jackson said. “We hold counselors to the same standard of excellence we require from others.”
The SCEI establishes clear expectations through goal setting, annual reviews, and structured feedback, ensuring counselors have measurable ways to track progress while maintaining open communication with campus leaders. The framework recognizes that counselors occupy a unique role — balancing administrative responsibilities with direct student care.
“Counselors sit in a unique space because they are quasi-administrators,” Jackson explained. “But at the end of the day, the focus is to make sure students are taken care of — academically, socially, and emotionally.”
From leading parent workshops to helping high school seniors plan for college or careers, a counselor’s responsibilities differ from campus to campus. The SCEI helps ensure that, regardless of school or neighborhood, every student in Dallas ISD has access to the same level of comprehensive guidance.
The instrument is organized around four key domains: focus and planning, program delivery, college, career, and military readiness, and professional responsibilities. Together, these domains define what effective counseling looks like in practice — from data-driven program design to individualized student support, said Jackson.
According to Stacy Owens, administrative coordinator for counseling services, the framework is also a communication tool between counselors and administrators.
“We want to be intentional about matching goals so when counselors talk to their administrators, they are on the same page,” Owens said.
Each domain connects to professional development opportunities that help counselors expand their expertise and align their work with district goals.
Even in its early stages, the SCEI is already making a difference. Campuses report clearer expectations, improved coordination with leadership, and more balanced caseloads — all of which contribute to stronger student outcomes.
“It’s all about supporting the counselor and helping administrators understand the scope of work they do,” Jackson said. “This rubric shows what excellence in counseling looks like.”
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