Comprehensive Counseling Program in Adult Education

The Program of Practice

Who: Rowland Adult and Community Education (RACE) Counselors serve adult learners enrolled in Adult Secondary Education (ASE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs.
What: RACE developed a data-informed, student-centered, and holistic counseling program using a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework. The program includes orientations, goal-setting appointments, attendance interventions, academic planning, and student support services.
When: The counseling program began development in 2022. In 2023, a tiered attendance intervention system was implemented to improve student persistence and engagement.
Where: Counseling services are provided across multiple learning environments, including in-person, online, and offsite locations, to increase access and support for adult learners.
Why: Student needs assessment data showed that many students were unaware of available counseling services and reported needing support with academic planning, study skills, and community resources. Attendance and persistence data also identified concerns, particularly among ASE students, related to low persistence and limited connection to counseling support.
How: All students participate in an orientation followed by an individual goal-setting appointment with counselors. The program also uses student needs surveys, MTSS structures, and Tier 2 interventions focused on attendance, progress monitoring, and increasing student engagement and connection to counseling services.

Student Needs Assessment and attendance data identified ongoing concerns related to counseling awareness, student engagement, and persistence among Adult Secondary Education (ASE) and English as a Second Language (ESL) students. Survey results showed that many students were unaware of available counseling services and reported needing additional support with academic planning, goal setting, study skills, and access to community resources.

Data also revealed a decline in counseling awareness among students. In 2022–2023, 85% of ASE students reported knowing who the counselors were; however, this decreased to 67% in 2023–2024. Similarly, among ESL students, counseling awareness declined from 63% to 48% during the same time period.

Prior to implementing a comprehensive counseling program, attendance outreach was not clearly defined as well as student attendance expectations.

Attendance and persistence data further highlighted barriers impacting student engagement and regular attendance. In 2023–2024, 77% of students reported that it was easy for them to attend school regularly. This declined to 55% in Fall 2024–2025 and 58% in Spring 2024–2025, indicating continued challenges related to persistence and attendance.

These findings identified a need to strengthen counseling visibility, improve student connection to support services, and implement equity-minded interventions that promote persistence, engagement, and student success for ASE and ESL learners.

The Response

To address identified student needs related to low awareness of counseling services, limited connection to school support systems, low persistence, and lack of academic progress, the Rowland Adult and Community Education (RACE) Counseling Program implemented multiple student-centered strategies, services, and support structures using a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework.The counseling program developed a variety of Tier 1 support services designed to increase student access, engagement, and awareness of available resources. These services included student orientations, counseling events, Coffee with the Counselors sessions each semester, Resource Fairs, College and Career Workshops, ESL Circle meetings, Growth Mindset classroom lessons, Mental Health Workshops, Career Exploration Workshops, and Digital Literacy support. To increase accessibility across learning environments, counselors also created a Counseling Website, Counseling Orientation Video, and conducted outreach through ESL Transfers to support student check-ins,transitions, and connections to services.

To specifically address concerns related to student persistence and academic progress, the counseling department implemented targeted goal-setting interventions. Beginning in Spring 2022, counselors launched a goal-setting intervention focused on Adult Secondary Education (ASE) students who were identified as not making sufficient academic progress. During the 2023–2024 school year, goal-setting support expanded into a Tier 1 intervention offered to all ASE students.The goal-setting process included individual one-on-one goal-setting appointments with counselors. During these meetings, counselors worked collaboratively with students to identify academic, career, and personal goals, review barriers impacting attendance or progress, develop action steps, and connect students to appropriate resources and support services. These appointments were designed to strengthen student accountability, increase engagement, and help students build a clearer educational pathway.

During the 2024–2025 school year, counselors continued expanding goal-setting appointments and progress monitoring efforts. In Fall 2025, the counseling department further expanded the initiative by implementing classroom-based goal-setting lessons focused on ESL students as a Tier 1 intervention available to all ESL classes. These lessons continued to support students to learn about growth mindset concepts, goal-setting strategies, academic planning, and school resources while helping students reflect on their educational and career goals. The classroom lessons were designed to increase student self-awareness, motivation, persistence, and connection to counseling services.

Together, these strategies created a comprehensive counseling support system that directly responded to student needs by increasing awareness of services, improving student engagement, strengthening persistence, and providing targeted academic and personal support for adult learners.

As mentioned earlier, our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework has been helpful to increase student retention and persistence. The new pattern that we have noticed is that students that attend class once a week don’t get flagged, but are still not meeting attendance expectations. This is a new area of focus next school year to provide outreach and intervene early. In addition, we have an Absence Form that students use to report absences. We plan to review the forms being submitted and also provide outreach to students struggling with their attendance.

The Unique Features of the Program

A distinguishing feature of the Rowland Adult and Community Education (RACE) Counseling Program is its innovative use of a Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) framework within adult education counseling services. The program integrates Tier 1 and Tier 2 interventions to proactively support adult learners’ academic persistence, attendance, engagement, and personal growth. One model feature of the program is its flexible and student-centered approach to counseling access. Counselors intentionally “meet students where they are” by offering multiple appointment formats, including in-person meetings, off-site campus locations, phone appointments, and Zoom sessions. This flexible structure increases accessibility for adult learners balancing work, family responsibilities, transportation barriers, and varying schedules.

The counseling program also developed a comprehensive goal-setting process that supports individualized student success. Goal-setting interventions are implemented at both Tier 1 and Tier 2 levels. The goal-setting document includes areas for student accomplishments, short-term and long-term goals, barriers, coping or helpful strategies, weekly attainable action steps, weekly time-management planning, and follow-up appointments. This structure helps students break larger goals into manageable steps while promoting self-reflection, accountability, and progress monitoring.

Another innovative component of the MTSS framework is the implementation of attendance outreach interventions. At the Tier 1 level, counselors provide schoolwide attendance awareness, classroom lessons, orientation information, and ongoing communication about the importance of persistence and attendance. At the Tier 2 level, counselors monitor attendance data and conduct targeted outreach to students who have missed five consecutive days of class. Counselors personally contact students through text messages and emails to check in, identify barriers impacting attendance, provide encouragement, connect students to resources, and help students re-engage with their educational goals. This proactive outreach system strengthens student connection to the school and increases access to support before students disengage completely.

Another innovative aspect of the program is its use of direct student data to guide services and interventions. The counseling program conducts an annual Student Needs Survey, and results are used to shape counseling supports, workshops, outreach, and classroom lessons. This student-centered approach ensures services remain responsive to evolving student needs. The program also demonstrates strong collaboration between counselors and teachers in the development of counseling curriculum and classroom lessons. Counseling lessons are intentionally differentiated based on CASAS levels to ensure accessibility for all ESL learners, including literacy-level students. Lessons are designed to support different learning styles and incorporate activities connected to the four language domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Examples of differentiated instructional strategies include using group puzzle activities to help literacy students understand the concept of goal-setting, incorporating visual vocabulary supports, sentence frames for developing goal statements, matching flash cards, and crossword puzzles to reinforce goal-related language. Counselors and teachers also implemented classroom-wide goals using visual displays posted in classrooms and conducted follow-up reflections to monitor progress. All participating classrooms exceeded their identified goals, demonstrating increased student engagement and motivation. These innovative practices highlight the program’s commitment to accessible, data-informed, and culturally responsive counseling services.

Our attendance expectations for students are now clearly defined in the Student Orientation and Student Planner with visuals that are ESL-friendly. Our attendance expectations for students is to attend class at least two days per week in a Monday -Thrursday Schedule. At Tier 1 Attendance Tracking, our attendance clerk identifies students that could be at risk of not meeting attendance expectations, which is students that have missed class three consecutive days. Then at Tier 2 our attendance clerk identifies the students that have missed class for five consecutive days. At this point, counselors reach out to students via text and email to re-engage them and offer support. These proactive interventions started in Fall 2023. Our data tracking was done through spreadsheets.

The integration of MTSS counseling structures, differentiated goal-setting curriculum, attendance outreach interventions, and flexible service delivery provides a model that may offer value and promising practices for the broader adult education field.

The Outcome

Persistence data indicates positive trends following the implementation of the MTSS Attendance and counseling tier system beginning in the 2023-2024 school year.
Here are the persistence rates without the MTSS Attendance and counseling tier system
ABE 55% Persistence (2021-2022), 27% Persistence (2022-2023)
ESL 94% Persistence (2021-2022), 84% Persistence (2022-2023)
ASE 66% Persistence (2021-2022), 65%Persistence (2022-2023)
Here are the persistence rates with the MTSS Attendance and counseling tier system
ABE 80% Persistence (2023-2024), 65% Persistence (2024-2025)
ESL 87% Persistence (2023-2024), 88% Persistence (2024-2025)
ASE 81% Persistence (2023-2024), 86% Persistence (2024-2025)

Overall
53% increase in persistence in ABE
3% increase in persistence in ESL
16% increase in persistence in ASE
Total increase in persistence in all programs: 6%

Goal-setting appointments and counseling interventions have expanded over time as part of the RACE Counseling Program’s MTSS framework to support student success and persistence.
Spring 2023
108 goal-setting meetings with ASE students
9 students graduated
Established foundation for structured academic and career counseling support
2023–2024 School Year
188 goal-setting meetings with ASE students
53 students graduated
Increase in student engagement and structured academic planning
2024–2025 School Year
145 goal-setting meetings with ASE students
66 students graduated
Continued growth in student participation and counseling access
Fall 2025
342 ASE and ESL students reached through classroom goal-setting lessons
Outcomes still being tracked
Expansion of Tier 1 counseling services to increase access and early goal development

2024–2025 Attendance & Persistence Data (Most Accurate Year)
16% decrease in Tier 1 alerts (students missing 3 consecutive days)
35% decrease in Tier 2 alerts (students missing 5 consecutive days)
46% decrease in unenrollment overall
275% increase in students attending only 1 day per week (emerging attendance pattern)

Student Voice:
“I’m happy having these meetings with the counselor I think talking to her helps me make more sense on what to do to make my progress better.”
“Understanding me and helping me with my goals and providing information for work and applying.”
“Thank you for taking your time to meet with the students. This motivates us.”
“The counseling helped me define my learning goals and directions, and give me some useful information.”
“My counselor helped me in every way possible.”
“I appreciate the counselors kindness. They make one feel at ease and interested in our goals. Their friendliness helps with the struggles of learning.”‘The meeting provided me with several very useful suggestions, which helped me clearly understand what the specific goals are and how to achieve them. “