August 2025

Counseling Program Recognition

A Message from the WSCA Executive Director

July is a very busy month for WSCA leaders as we are working on creating opportunities for all of you to connect, collaborate, and learn from each other in a caring community of school counselors.

A few highlights from these meetings include:

ASCA Leadership Development Institute (LDI) and Delegate Assembly

Dave Lynch (WSCA Board Chair) had the honor of representing WSCA at the ASCA LDI on July 10-11 in San Diego, CA. Topics that were available to LDI participants included membership engagement, effective policy governance implementation, leadership, and advocacy.

Dave accepted a few awards on behalf of WSCA:

60th Anniversary Recognition
Significant Achievement in Membership

WSCA was also recognized as an ASCA Pinnacle Award finalist for the tiers of ASCA model training and support that we offer across the state.

WSCA Board of Directors Leadership Development Institute

Your WSCA Board spent two days digging into current trends in education and reflecting on the ASCA Model Updates. They also made plans to connect with members throughout the year and discussed meaningful ways they can bring back what they hear and learn from you to the board to ensure the WSCA’s ends policies reflect the needs of our members. They also had some fun practicing team and communication skills needed to be an effective board member.

Leadership Academy Leadership Development Institute

Cohort 8 (C8) of the Leadership Academy spent time reflecting on “Who am I as a leader?” They also had a chance to explore leadership articles and personality traits, and discuss the results of their Clifton Strengths assessments. A highlight was having the WSCA conference team share their leadership journey with C8 and the connections and relationships that were built through shared experiences.

WSCA Conference Team Meeting

Your conference team spent an entire day working on making your conference experience remarkable. The team reviewed research and best practices to support our speakers better, more effective ways to collect feedback, and reimaging the WSCA booth. In addition, we covered all the conference logistics and timelines to make sure we haven’t missed anything as we move into our busy conference season.

WSCA Directors of Operations (DoO) Leadership Development Institute

The DoO team’s LDI was grounded in continuous membership engagement conversations based on the Elevating Engagement book by Amanda Lea Kaiser. The DoO works as a collaborative team, not working in isolated committees, with our work transcending across projects and ultimately the belief that member satisfaction is all of our responsibility. This team also spent time exploring and reflecting on the ASCA model updates and the implications for implementation. The DoO LDI culminated with taking the two days of collaboration, thought leadership, and planning, and putting this into a revised and updated volunteer recruitment and onboarding process. We are excited to share this with all of you at the conference!

One of the topics that every team touched on is why school counselors should get involved with WSCA through membership, participation at events, reading the WSCAlink, being a committee member, etc. We hope you see yourself through these shared experiences. We want to create a welcoming community that you seek out as you experience the highs and lows of being a school counselor.

~Stacy Eslick

A Message from the WSCA Board of Directors

Greetings from the WSCA Board of Directors! Hopefully the summer has been great to you and your family. If you’re lucky, you can squeeze out a bit more of summer before school starts up again.

The WSCA Board spent two days in July for our annual Board Meeting and Leadership Development Institute (LDI). As a Board, our focus is always on the overall trends of school counseling, the changing needs of Wisconsin school counselors, and how the organization can best support students. With a 10,000-foot lens we discussed issues including, the implementation of the ASCA National Model (5th edition), the needs of school counselors who are the only ones in their schools or districts, and how to best support and mentor new school counselors and those with emergency licensure. In order to stay current on issues facing school counselors, the Board looks for ways to “link” with members. Conversations during events like the WSCA Annual Conference or National School Counselor Week Breakfast or meeting colleagues within our school districts, CESAs, or regions ensure that the work of the Board is relevant and timely. You are always welcome to connect with us and we hope that you are open when we ask, “What’s new in your school?” or “What’s the biggest challenge you’ve been facing?” Your input is essential. I had the amazing opportunity to attend the ASCA National Conference in California last month and these same conversations were happening there too. Talking about Wisconsin was easy as we have school counselors and programs that stand out. Several times I had school counselors ask, “Wait. What are you doing in Wisconsin?!” It’s great to know that we are doing great work. Let’s continue to collaborate and do great things for our students and school communities!

~Dave Lynch

A Message from the Department of Public Instruction

Counselors – Help Us Spread the Word About the Emerging School Counselor Cohort

Hosted by WSCA and DPI

Practicing school counselors, we need your help! Do you have a new colleague in your school or district that is new to the profession? Have you been asked to help a new counslor? Did you work with a graduate student last year that has been hired on an emergency licence? Please share information about the 2025-2026 Emerging School Counselor Cohort as it is designed to be the ultimate launchpad for early-career counselors ready to make an impact!

Through a powerful mix of in-person and virtual sessions, participants gain real-world tools, expert insights, and a strong support network to navigate their first year with confidence. From mastering the ASCA Model to building mental health strategies, career programming, and advocacy skills, this cohort covers it all. Plus, participants connect with a community that truly understands the journey. The cohort offers three in-person events, starting with an in-person summer session, followed by monthly learning opportunities, and includes key experiences tied to major WSCA events. At just $325, it’s an incredible investment in a strong start and an unstoppable future!

Cohort Registration Includes one year membership to WSCA (if you’re already an active member, an additional year of membership will be added to your account)

Applicants should be working within one of the following categories:

Working as a school counselor with a Provisional License with Stipulations (Emergency License)
In the first three years as a school counselor (Provisional License)

ASCA Connections

ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies

ASCA released updated School Counselor Professional Standards and Competencies at their annual conference in July. Take a moment to review the revised standards.

ASCA Position Statement Updates

At the ASCA Delegate Assembly, state association leaders voted to approve revisions to 10 position papers.

The School Counselor and Corporal Punishment
The School Counselor and Discipline
The School Counselor and Gifted and Talented Student Programs
The School Counselor and Prevention of Gun-related School Violence
The School Counselor and Student Mental Health
The School Counselor and Safe Schools and Crisis Response
The School Counselor and Suicide Risk Assessment
The School Counselor and Support Staff in School Counseling Programs
The School Counselor and Threat Assessment
The School Counselor and Working with Students Experiencing Undocumented Status

You can review the changes here. You can find all the ASCA position statements on the ASCA website.

Feature Article

ASCA Releases ASCA Model 5.0

By: Stacy Eslick, Executive Director, Wisconsin School Counselor Association

WSCA has a long history of providing ASCA model training and implementation support to school counselors in Wisconsin. We believe that the model serves the purpose outlined by ASCA, that the ASCA National Model® serves as a guide for school counselors in the development of school counseling programs that:

are based on data-informed decision making
are delivered to all students systematically
include a developmentally appropriate curriculum focused on the mindsets and behaviors all students need for postsecondary readiness and success
close achievement and opportunity gaps
result in improved student achievement, attendance, and discipline

ASCA released Version 5 of their school counseling model at the ASCA annual conference a few weeks ago in San Diego. ASCA staff have been proud to share that:

The ASCA National Model Version 5 is now only about 10 pages long
This is a significant shift from Version 4, which included:
- Three books
- A zip file of templates
- Resources that could feel overwhelming to implement

You can see all the changes between Version 4 and Version 5 in this handy guide created by ASCA. The two most significant changes we have noted are:

There is only one goal, and it must be written to impact academic achievement
School counselors do not deliver any direct services in Tier 3 of the MTSS framework

Some additional updates include: streamlined forms, consolidated books, improved electronic resources, updated language, and increased access to the functional use of the model.

A question asked of ASCA is how the fifth edition addresses equity. This is critical to WSCA as it is one of the key requirements that the WSCA Board has directed the operations team to address in all our activities. Taking a national perspective to model implementation, it is important to note that many states have laws that restrict educators’ ability to include equity in their programs, and these legal realities had to be considered during the revision process. ASCA reminds counselors that several years ago, they created an ASCA Model Equity in Action Infographic that demonstrates how equity is addressed when implementing the model.

So what do the model changes mean for WSCA?
We are still processing through all the revisions and reflecting deeply on how this intersects with Wisconsin-specific requirements and initiatives, such as:

Standard E
ACP (Academic and Career Planning)
Education for Employment
Suicide Prevention
School-Based Mental Health Framework
WiMLSS

We can share with you what will happen with the Wisconsin Program of Excellence (POE), which is a reciprocal award with ASCA

The POE must follow RAMP requirements
The transition process for what version of the model to use with POE/RAMP will be:
- October 2025 (2024–25 data collection) – Version 4
- October 2026 (2025–26 data collection) – Version 4 or 5
- October 2027 (2026–27 data collection) – Version 5

Looking ahead, WSCA will:

Offer free ASCA Model Update Overview Sessions across the state in 2025–2026
Provide free sessions across Wisconsin designed for counselors and administrators to attend together, focusing on:
- What counselors should be doing based on state law
- Ethical standards
- DPI recommendations
Continue to host affordable model training across the state that gives counselors and their teams:
- The technical information needed to implement the model
- Time and coaching, so implementation is sustainable
- Support to integrate the model into the work you are already doing
Provide virtual support and resources for counselors implementing comprehensive school counseling models

WSCA looks forward to collaborating and engaging in thoughtful dialogue on the updated model with all of you over the course of this year.

DPI Connections

Federal Title Funding Update

Please read the message below from DPI with an important update regarding the status of 2025 Title funding from the U.S. Department of Education

Late last week, the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction was notified by the USDE that it would be unfreezing all previously withheld Title funds. This includes nearly $72 million in federal funding to Wisconsin schools that support critical education programs in all areas of our state.

As of today, August 1, the DPI has received official Grant Award Notifications (GANs) for the following Title programs:

Title I-C: Migrant education
Title II-A: Supporting Effective Instruction
Title III-A: English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement
Title IV-A: Student Support and Academic Enrichment
Title IV-B: Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers

While this is a promising development, the DPI is currently conducting a careful review of the language within each GAN to fully understand the terms and conditions before releasing funds to local education agencies. At the same time, there is still litigation pending on USDE’s actions related to federal funding and policy conditions on those funds. You can find more information on this litigation in the July 14 EdLeaders Dispatch.

We are approaching this process with caution to make sure we articulate any policy shifts included that may impact your service to students and your communities.

School-Based Mental Health Services Budget Allocation

The recently passed state budget provides $40,000,000 GPR in FY26 and $10,000,000 GPR in FY27 for the current law school-based mental health services program, which provides a flat per pupil payment to all school districts and all independent charter schools (based on current year enrollment).

NOTE: the amount provided for the SBMHS program is a $15 million increase compared to FY25 (from $25 million to $40 million); thus, the per pupil payment will increase compared to FY25 ($31.26 per pupil for FY25). The amount provided for FY27 is a $30 million decrease compared to FY26 (from $40 million to $10 million); thus, the per pupil payment amount will decrease substantially in FY27.

A very preliminary estimate for the per pupil payment amounts is approximately $50 per pupil in FY26 and $13 per pupil in FY27. DPI will provide school districts and ICS with estimated allocations for the current school year by December 1 and final allocations will be provided in June 2026. Click here to read the full summary of the key education-related provisions that were enacted as part of the state budget.