Rochester, MN — Jefferson Elementary School, under the direction of School Counselor Tony Yang, was recognized by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) as an ASCA Model Program® (RAMP®). Jefferson is the first school in the Rochester Public Schools district and the first school in southeast Minnesota to receive this designation.
The RAMP® designation recognizes schools that are committed to delivering an exemplary school counseling program. Honorees are awarded for aligning their program with the criteria in the ASCA National Model®, a framework for a data-informed school counseling program.
“We are incredibly proud of our school counselors across the district,” said Heather Hogen, director of academic supports at RPS. “This recognition of School Counselor Tony Yang and the entire Jefferson Elementary School community is a culmination of years of work focused on strengthening and aligning programs to support positive student outcomes. The work our school counselors lead at all levels across the district is essential to creating and sustaining strong school communities. Congratulations to Jefferson Elementary!”
"This year's RAMP® honorees have shown their commitment to students and the school counseling profession," said Jill Cook, ASCA executive director. “These schools used data to drive their program development and implementation, so all students can achieve success. The RAMP® designation distinguishes these schools and encourages school counselors nationwide to strive for excellence."
“One aspect I value about ASCA’s framing of RAMP is the emphasis that it is never an individual achievement but represents strong collaboration among teachers, administrators, student support staff, families, and community partners,” said Tony Yang, school counselor at Jefferson Elementary. “When these relationships and systems are intentionally built and continue to grow, RAMP becomes just one example of how a strong, unified school community can support meaningful achievements. School counselors are central to this work."
Jefferson Elementary School will be honored at a recognition ceremony at ASCA's Annual Conference in New Orleans, LA, on July 13, 2026.
Since the program's inception, more than 1,500 schools have earned the RAMP® designation. Research findings indicate that fully implemented school counseling programs are associated with a range of positive student educational and behavioral outcomes. For more information on the program, visit schoolcounselor.org/RAMP.
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