Academics · Subject Resources

Compare the help
behind the classroom

Counselors, nurses, reading help and language support decide how a hard week goes. Weigh the services this child will use, rate each school, and enter its counselor caseload and nurse days so the gaps show up.

Start a comparisonWhat you get

Comparisons

The worked example is made up: three middle schools for a child with anxiety and asthma, where one school has a counselor for every 480 students and another has a nurse one day a week. Use initials or a code for the child.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A saved comparison per decision: how much counseling, learning help, the health office, English learner support and response time matter; each school rated 1 to 5 with students per counselor and nurse days; seven questions marked answered or still to ask; and a next step. The flags rank the schools, call out a must-have rated 2 or lower, caseloads above 250 per counselor and part-week nurses. A side-by-side table prints.
Who it is for
Parents and guardians choosing a school for a child with health, emotional, learning or language needs, and older students weighing in.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per decision. Prints a side-by-side table with the scores, the full record, every comparison in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Weigh the services this child will use.
  2. Add the schools and ask each the same questions.
  3. Enter the counselor caseload and nurse days.
  4. Rate each school.
  5. Print the side-by-side table.

Start a comparison

Who does what at school

The support staff to ask aboutSchool counselorSchedules,friendships, stressand college or careerplanningRecommended: 1 forevery 250 studentsSchool psychologistEvaluations forspecial education,crisis response,behavior plansRecommended: 1 forevery 500 studentsSchool nurseMedication, inhalers,allergy and seizureplans, injuriesAsk how many days aweekIntervention teacherSmall-group reading ormath help during theschool dayAsk how a student getsinThe support staff to ask aboutSchool counselorSchedules, friendships, stress and collegeor career planningRecommended: 1 for every 250 studentsSchool psychologistEvaluations for special education, crisisresponse, behavior plansRecommended: 1 for every 500 studentsSchool nurseMedication, inhalers, allergy and seizureplans, injuriesAsk how many days a weekIntervention teacherSmall-group reading or math help during theschool dayAsk how a student gets in
The ratios are recommendations from the professional associations; most schools serve more students per counselor and psychologist than that.

Reading the caseload

The American School Counselor Association recommends one school counselor for every 250 students, and the National Association of School Psychologists one psychologist for every 500. Most schools are above both. A high caseload is not a verdict on the people; it tells you how much time each student is likely to get and what to ask about.

When the nurse is not there

Many schools share a nurse across buildings. If this child takes medication at school or has an asthma, allergy or seizure plan, ask who is trained to act on the days the nurse is out, and get the answer in writing.

Sources

  1. American School Counselor Association. School Counselor Roles and Ratios (schoolcounselor.org).
  2. National Association of School Psychologists. Model for Comprehensive and Integrated School Psychological Services, 2020 (nasponline.org).
  3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. School Health Services (cdc.gov/healthyschools).
  4. U.S. Department of Education. English Learner Tool Kit (ed.gov), and Office for Civil Rights, Section 504 FAQ.

The worked example and its schools are made up. Recommended ratios are from the professional associations named and describe goals, not legal requirements. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.