The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) awards this designation to schools that are committed to delivering comprehensive data-driven school counseling programs. This is the second time Annistown Elementary School has received the designation, the first time in 2011. Dianne Thompson, GCPS director of advisement and counseling, says the school district is proud of the counselors and educators who worked hard to achieve the designation. She says, “Earning the RAMP designation is a collaborative commitment between counselors and administrators. It signifies that these programs are the best of the best. It is a rigorous process, to say the least, and it takes commitment to earn and maintain the designation.”
Since the program’s inception, nearly 600 schools have received the RAMP designation. This year 62 schools were selected nationally; eight of those are from Georgia; and three of those, nearly half of the state’s honorees, were from Gwinnett.
“When a school has been designated as a Recognized ASCA Model Program, it should tell parents and the community that the school counseling program is committed to meeting the academic, career, and life skills (personal/social) needs of every student in the building,” Thompson said.
All the schools awarded the RAMP designation will be honored June 30 in Phoenix, AZ at the American School Counselor Association’s annual conference.
