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Pupil Services

Pupil Services

Pupil services are the four professions of school counseling, nursing, psychology, and social work organized into a team with school administration. The following eight components summarize the kinds of strategies, interventions, and programs pupil services professionals utilize to provide the comprehensive services necessary to support student development in the academic, career, and personal/social areas, as well as address barriers to learning. Specific members of the pupil services team provide these components consistent with their training and respective areas of expertise.

  1. Assessment, screening, and evaluation
  2. Individual and small group student services
  3. Home-school collaboration
  4. Classroom instruction
  5. Collaboration and partnerships with community-based systems
  6. Services for staff
  7. Program and resource development, management, and evaluation
  8. Systems and policy change

This document is intended to provide information to all stakeholders about roles, training, licensing, knowledge, and skills of School Counselors, School Nurses, School Psychologists, School Social Workers, and Credentialed Mental Health Providers. These professionals work collaboratively to meet the many needs of students and staff with their unique skills, training, and expertise through a team-based approach. School systems are best supported when school mental health professionals are employed in sufficient numbers and with a clear understanding of appropriate expectations for their roles.

Sample Performance Evaluation Tools and Examples of Program Outcomes
PI 34 identifies three primary categories of educators: teachers, pupil services, and administrators. Each provides unique contributions to the success of students and their annual performance evaluations should be designed to assess those unique contributions. Pupil services professionals are not mandated to be evaluated through the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness system, as are teachers and building principals. School districts may use a locally acceptable evaluation process. More information is available on the Wisconsin Educator Effectiveness webpage. To view sample performance evaluation tools and examples of program outcomes for each of the professions of school counseling, nursing, psychology, and social work that school districts may choose to adopt or adapt, go to Pupil Services - Performance Evaluation Tools

Mentoring the Pupil Services Initial Educators
This guide reflects the requirements for pupil services licensing found in the state of Wisconsin administrative rule PI 34 and includes recommended practices for mentoring pupil services professionals, including school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers. PI 34 requires all initial educators to have a mentor who has been trained in the Wisconsin Standards appropriate to the license category.

Pupil Services Likert Scale
The Pupil Services Likert Scale is a self-assessment instrument designed to help identify different perceived aspects of the pupil services delivery systems utilized within schools. The scales are based upon the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Pupil Services Resource and Planning Guide and the Enabling Component Model from the UCLA Center for Mental Health in Schools. In addition, perspectives from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Pupil Services Roles Delineation Project have informed the development of this instrument.

Wisconsin Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (WAPSO)
The Wisconsin Alliance of Pupil Services Organizations (WAPSO) is a coalition of organizations which represent the professional disciplines of school counseling, school nursing, school psychology, school social work, and administrators of special services. Organization representatives meet three times each school year to discuss and collaborate around issues of common interest.

Professional Associations
Wisconsin Association of School Nurses
Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services
Wisconsin School Counselor Association
Wisconsin School Psychologists Association
Wisconsin School Social Workers Association