4th-8th Grade School Counselor

Title: School Counselor
Location: CICS Longwood 1309 W. 95th Street Chicago IL 60643
Reports To: Principal/Assistant Principal
Salary: Starting at $73000 commensurate with experience
Employee Type: Regular Full Time
Start Date: August 2026

Company Mission

Distinctive Schools creates diverse joyful welcoming communities rooted in social justice and rigorous learning. We support all learners to be engaged curious and to achieve their full potential. Our students become confident advocates creative problem-solvers and collaborative leaders.

Position Overview

The School Counselor will serve as a vital team member of the schools student support and instructional leadership team to provide comprehensive developmental support within the academic social emotional and career readiness development to ensure that students become the productive well-adjusted adults of tomorrow. The School Counselor will work with students administrators teachers families community organizations and other stakeholders to promote student success and respond to identified student needs.

The School Counselor will implement a comprehensive school counseling program that addresses academic development social emotional development and age appropriate career and life readiness for all the Elementary and Middle School setting this includes classroom lessons small groups individual student planning consultation responsive services and collaboration with school teams to support attendance behavior wellness transition planning and early career exploration.

Responsibilities

Development and Management of a Comprehensive School Counseling Program

• Develop and maintain a written plan for effective delivery of the school counseling program based on the Developmental Counseling Model for Illinois Schools current school achievement plan and current individual school data

• Develop and implement a comprehensive school counseling program based on national and state standards

• Maintain current and appropriate counseling student support community resource transition and career awareness resources for students and families

• Deliver counseling services that are comprehensive in scope preventive in design developmental in nature and data-informed

• Collaborate with school teams to ensure the counseling program supports equitable access student belonging attendance behavior wellness and academic growth

• Adhere to laws policies procedures and ethical standards of the school counseling profession

Academic Guidance

• Assist students in academic goal-setting organization self-management and developmentally appropriate planning aligned with grade level expectations and school success

• Monitor academic progress and credit recovery to identify students in need of support or intervention

• Collaborate with teachers administrators and families to support student learning

• Develop individual academic social emotional and future-readiness goals and plans for students receiving targeted or individualized support. college career arts and personal goals and plans for caseload of students

• Support students and families with elementary-to-middle school and middle-to-high school transitions including school selection processes orientation supports and readiness planning as applicable by grade band

• Provide classroom and small-group instruction on study skills self-advocacy problem-solving goal setting and executive functioning skills

Student Planning Transitions and Records Support

• Support student records review cumulative file processes and transition documentation as needed for enrollment transfer promotion and student support planning

• Maintain accurate student records including student support documentation intervention records transition plans and counseling notes

• Support enrollment transfer and articulation processes for newly enrolled students and students transitioning between schools or grade bands

• Collaborate with school staff to support promotion review processes summer support recommendations and student transition planning

Data Entry & Management

• Support student scheduling as assigned by school leader and appropriate to the grade band

• Use data to develop comprehensive programs that meet student needs around attendance behavior and climate

• Analyze data to assess student needs and evaluate program effectiveness

• Report on student outcomes and program results to school leadership

• Assist teachers families and other stakeholders in interpreting and understanding student data

• Ensure that student records are maintained and used in compliance with the Federal Educational Records Privacy Act and the Illinois School Records Act

Preventive and Responsive Services

• In collaboration with the Student Support Team provide counseling in consult and collaboration with families teachers administrators and other educational/community resources to caseload students with identified concerns and needs

• Implement an effective referral and follow-up process for caseload students as needed

• Monitor caseload students academic performance behavior and attendance and facilitate appropriate interventions

• Advise families in understanding intervention plans promotion concerns summer learning recommendations and and available student supports

• Provide classroom lessons small-group counseling short-term individual counseling crisis response conflict resolution restorative and problem-solving supports as appropriate to the role

• Participate in and support the schools MTSS framework including collaboration around Tier 1 prevention Tier 2 targeted interventions and Tier 3 individualized supports within the counselors scope of practice

• Measure and analyze data results of the comprehensive school counseling program activities and share results as appropriate with relevant stakeholders to help guide program direction and emphasis

Career Awareness and Future Readiness

• Design and implement developmentally appropriate activities that help students identify their interests strengths habits and future aspirations

• Introduce students to a broad range of careers community roles and pathways through career awareness activities classroom lessons speakers and school-based experiences

• Help students understand connections between learning goal-setting and future opportunities

• Support middle grades students and families as applicable with high school awareness transition planning and informed school selection

• Collaborate with staff and community partners to promote future-readiness experiences appropriate to the grade span

Social-Emotional Learning Belonging and Wellness

• Lead or support implementation of developmentally appropriate school counseling lessons focused on self-awareness self-management relationship skills responsible decision-making empathy and conflict resolution

• Partner with teachers and school leaders to strengthen school climate student belonging and inclusive student support practices

• Support students in building coping skills emotional regulation peer relationship skills and self-advocacy

• Collaborate with families and staff to identify barriers to student success and connect students with internal and external supports

• Respond appropriately to crises safety concerns and student wellness needs in collaboration with administration and student support teams

Additional responsibilities

• Participate in school meetings student support teams and professional development activities

• Serve as a liaison between the school and community organizations

• Support student transitions to high school via retention and HS decision making strategies

• Other duties as assigned

Requirements or Qualifications (minimum)

Education

Masters Degree in School Counseling

Qualifications

• Valid Professional Educator License OR Educator License with Stipulations (ELS) with a School Support Personnel/ School Counselor Endorsement

• Candidate must be able to demonstrate the academic progress of students under their leadership and articulate the methods used to achieve those results

• Technology demands:

  • Proficient in cloud based software solutions - GoogleSuite

  • Proficient in PowerSchool

• Travel to campuses and professional trainings as needed

Physical demands

• Majority of work is performed in a general office environment. Position requires availability for extended hours plus non-traditional hours required to perform job duties. Also requires participation and attendance at organization-sponsored events and meetings.

• Generally the job requires 30% sitting 50% walking and 20% standing.

Benefits

• 25 Paid holidays & 10 days PTO annually (in addition to summer break for educators/campus positions)

• 12 weeks family paid leave

• Comprehensive Healthcare (Medical Dental Vision)

• 403b match

  • Fully match up to 3%

  • 50% match up to 5%

• Professional development including tuition reimbursement

• Gym and wellness discounts

• And more

Description Disclaimer

Since no job description can detail all the duties and responsibilities that may be required from time to time in the performance of a job duties and responsibilities that may be inherent in a job reasonably required for its performance or required due to the changing nature of the job shall also be considered part of the jobholders responsibility.

EEO

Distinctive Schools is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race color religion sex gender national origin age disability veteran status marital status sexual orientation gender identity gender expression or any other personal characteristic protected by applicable law.

Distinctive Schools is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified keeping with our commitment Distinctive Schools will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly if reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process to perform the essential functions of the position and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment please contact or call 773.828.4191