History of the Virginia School Counselor Association
1952 – The American School Counselor
Association is founded to support the growing needs of school counselors
through advocacy, professional development, research and professional
literature.
April 18, 1962* – The Virginia School
Counselor Association (VSCA) becomes one of the first state chartered divisions
of ASCA (along with Hawaii, Ohio, and Utah.) The first president of VSCA was
Mary Ashton.
VSCA was also a division of the Virginia
Personnel and Guidance Association, which is now Virginia Counselors
Association.
– There were divisions within VSCA at
the elementary, middle, secondary, and post-secondary levels. Each level had a
vice-president within VSCA.
*The earliest records of VSCA were not
available until the 1970s.
1972 – The Virginia Elementary School
Counselor Association (VESCA) establishes its own constitution and elected its
own President.
1973 – School counselors without
classroom teaching experience could obtain a provisional certificate in the
state of Virginia.
1977 – VESCA and VSCA merged once again
having a vice president for each level on the VSCA Board.
1979 – VSCA sponsors the Elementary
Guidance Conference in Richmond in June.
1979 - Virginia receives the International Year of the Child Award
at the American Personnel and Guidance Association (APGA conference in Las
Vegas.)
1981 – The Virginia General Assembly
recommends a ratio of one counselor per 500 students.
1982 – Requirements for endorsement as a
school counselor were amended to include two years of successful teaching experience
and provided separate certification at elementary, middle, and secondary
levels.
1986 – The Virginia Board of Education
passed a resolution that would put elementary school counselors in every school
by the 1989-90 school year.
1987 – The Virginia Board of Education
required (via Standards of Quality) that each member of the guidance staff
would provide 60% of their time in direct service to students.
1991-92 – The federal Elementary
Demonstration Act supported elementary counselors and provided funding for
school counselors preK-12.
1992-93 – The Parent-Teacher Association
(PTA) proposed legislation that opposed “therapeutic counseling” on school
property without informed consent of a parent. VSCA lobbied against this
legislation and provided information about the role of the school counselors to
key stakeholders.
1993 – The American School Counselor
Association Conference is held in McLean, VA.
1997 – The Virginia Board of Education
modifies the Standards of Accreditation
to allow local school districts to hire reading specialists instead of
elementary school counselors. VSCA rallies against this movement.
1998 – The Virginia General Assembly
overwhelmingly passes two bills to make counseling part of every public
elementary school in the state. The governor vetoed both bills.
1999-2000 – Virginia’s school counselors
launch the Millennium Mandate and in 2000, the Virginia General Assembly
reinstitutes language in the Standards of Accreditation mandating elementary
school counselors.
2003 – VSCA sponsors several
professional development workshops on the ASCA
National Model.
2004 – A School Counseling Specialist is
hired at the state level (Dr. Sylinda Gilchrist-Banks).
2005 – VSCA develops a 5-year Strategic
Plan aimed at meeting the needs of Virginia’s School Counselors.
2006 – A statewide survey is launched to
determine the professional development needs of Virginia’s School counselors.
Results indicate that school counselors are aware of and know the ASCA National Model but are unsure
how to implement it. Results also showed a gap in school counselors providing
career counseling and group counseling.
2006 – VSCA approached VCA Executive
Director & VCA President to discuss options in dues to help offset the
expenses of hiring consultant to assist the conference, website and other
administrative tasks. VSCA was directed to raise dues to cover additional
expenses. VSCA decided to explore other options and maintain the current dues.
2005 – 2007 – VSCA membership reaches
over 1300 members.
2007 – 2008 – VSCA tasks a writing team
to develop a manual to assist school counselors in developing a comprehensive
school counseling program.
2007 – VSCA representation attends “Town
Hall” meetings across the state to advocate for testing and/or assessment
coordinators who would relieve school counselors of testing responsibilities.
While the assembly voted FOR the position of Testing/Assessment Coordinator at
a ratio of 1 per 1000 students, the funding was not available.
2008 – VSCA becomes incorporated and
secures its own Tax ID #.
2008 – The Virginia Professional School Counseling Manual is
published and school counselors across the state are trained using the manual.
2009– The School Counseling Specialist
position is eliminated at the state level. Moved into a Career and Technical Education role.
2010-11 – VSCA creates a Task Force to
explore the options of maintaining separate membership from VCA.
2010-11 – VSCA retains a database
company (RunMyClub) to allow for conference registration, website and
membership records maintained by VSCA Board designees.
2011 – VSCA membership drops to below
800 members.
2011 Fall – The VSCA Board votes
unanimously to pursue independent membership and informs the membership in
December.
2012, March 14-16 – VSCA celebrates 50 years as an
established organization at its annual conference in Newport News, VA.
2012, April – VSCA amends its by-laws,
removing itself as a division of VCA and allowing independent membership
to VSCA . The membership votes (51.5%) to accept the amendments and the dues
change.
July 1, 2012 – VSCA begins its new
membership structure.
This history compiled from records compiled by Dr. Norma Day Vines (June
2, 2001) and past-VSCA Presidents since 2005.