Middle School Guidance Counselor (2023-2024)

ABOUT ACHIEVERS:

Achievers Early College Prep Charter School (AECP) is New Jersey's first public charter school for students in middle school and high school that provides them with the unique opportunity to pursue one of four STEAM pathways (Health Sciences, Digital Media, Audio Engineering and Cisco Computer Networking). Students can have access to a program that allows them to earn up to 60 college credits, NOCTI credentials and workplace training. AECP is determined to ensure that students can enhance their journey through high school and graduate with content mastery, skills, and experiences that are essential to the current marketplace and the world beyond.

ACHIEVERS FIT:

• Demonstrates alignment and commitment to Achievers Early College Prep's mission, core beliefs, and educational philosophy

• Adaptable in a growing environment; Is flexible and solutions-oriented

• Evidence of self-motivation, taking initiatives, and willingness to be a team player

• Experience in schools that rely heavily on intervention, literacy, and content knowledge as a means to dramatically increase student achievement

• Driven to deliver rigorous instruction by emphasizing student engagement with complex texts, critical thinking, and comprehensive literary analysis

• Exhibits a laser focus on analyzing student work and student data, coupled with a deep commitment to data-driven decision making

• Quantifiable track record of outstanding academic results

• Unwavering commitment to feedback, improvement, practice, and notion of "I'M ALL IN!"

• Culturally aware, culturally sensitive, and asset-based thinking

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Middle School Counselor will have three primary functions: helping students to plan and track their credits, guiding students in their college search and application process, and teaching lessons to students, in order to achieve 100% college acceptance or post-high school opportunity; additionally, the college counselor will work closely with our instructional and advisory teams to engage their support in navigating early college success.

In the counseling function, the college counselor will meet individually with all students to support their college application process. This includes supporting the search - finding a "best-fit" college, based on students' interests, needs and strengths. The counselor will be familiar with PSAT, SAT and Accuplacer, as well as manage the AP credit process. The counselor will serve as part of the ninth grade summer bridge team to assist rising 9th graders with the transition from middle school.

In their senior year, students will be guided through the college application process by the college counselor. This also includes supporting students through the financial aid processes - including finding scholarship opportunities and helping students understand financial aid. Ultimately, the college counselor's primary accountability is towards college acceptance - with 100% of students being accepted to a four-year university or a post-high school opportunity that leads to a STEAM career.

In the teaching function, the college counselor will instruct students around topics in the college search, application and financial aid processes. Additionally, aspects of college life, preparing for autonomy and accessing resources on a college campus will be topics that students need to master through the instruction of the college counselor.

Essential Qualifications

• Passionate about increasing the college attainment rate in urban communities

• Certain that all students can go to college

• Entrepreneurial and enjoys having autonomy, flexibility and accountability

• A collaborative team player who works well with other adults and engages in healthy conflict to get the best results for students

• Resourceful and persistent, constantly seeking to improve upon results

• Someone who strives to be the best at what they do and has fun along the way

• Committed to personalizing learning for each student and willing to learn with us as we innovate in our use of space, time, the role of teachers, and technology

• Comfortable with a high degree of transparency around results and accountability for results

• Supportive of our warm/strict discipline model and effective in maintaining a consistent, disciplined classroom

• A graduate of a four-year university

• A Social Worker certificate, Guidance Counselor certificate, prior Upward Bound or high school experience is desired

Compensation

The salary for this job is competitive and commensurate with experience; a competitive benefit package is included