Minn-LInK Report Brief—Special Topic No. 28, Fall 2016
Author: Cronin, S.
The purpose of this study was to better understand the effect school-counselor-to-student ratios have on academic achievement. Minnesota has one of the largest achievement gaps and worst school-counselor-to-student ratios in the nation (ASCA, 2016a; Condron, Tope, Steidl, & Freeman, 2013). While the American School Counseling Association (ASCA) recommends the counselor-to-student ratio to be 1:250, Minnesota’s ratio is 1:743 (ASCA, 2015). This study answered the research questions:
Do standardized test scores differ for eighth grade students who have a licensed school counselor compared to students who do not have a licensed school counselor?
What effects does school-counselor-to-student ratio have on middle school standardized
test scores when controlling for individual and school factors?