6.1 ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
Key Takeaways
The ASCA Student Standards (2021) contain 36 standards: 6 mindsets and 30 behaviors (10 learning strategies, 10 self-management skills, and 10 social skills).
The 2014 version cited in older materials had 35 standards (6 mindsets and 29 behaviors) and listed the mindsets in a different order.
Mindsets are beliefs (for example, M 4: self-confidence in ability to succeed); behaviors are observable actions (for example, B-LS 3: time-management, organizational and study skills).
Every standard can be applied to the academic, career, or social/emotional domain.
Use one or two standards per goal, intervention, or activity, chosen from achievement and contributing-factors data and measured with a short pre/post assessment.
6.1 ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success
Quick Summary: The ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success (2021) contain 36 standards—6 mindset standards and 30 behavior standards split evenly across learning strategies, self-management skills, and social skills. Each standard can be applied to the academic, career, and social/emotional domains. The ETS 5422 study companion expects you to recognize the framework, tell mindsets from behaviors, and select only one or two standards when designing a goal, intervention, or activity. Independent Praxis School Counselor practice by OpenExamPrep uses the official ASCA wording below.
Where the Standards Come From
The ASCA Student Standards: Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success — K-12 College-, Career- and Life-Readiness Standards for Every Student describe the knowledge, attitudes, and skills students need to achieve academic success, college and career readiness, and social/emotional development. Key facts for the exam:
- Lineage: The 1997 ASCA National Standards for Students were replaced in 2014 by Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success: K-12 College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Every Student. ASCA revised them in 2021 and renamed them the ASCA Student Standards.
- Research base: The standards are organized on the noncognitive-factors framework from the University of Chicago Consortium on Chicago School Research review Teaching Adolescents to Become Learners (Farrington et al., 2012), which argues that content knowledge is only part of the equation for student success.
- Count: The 2014 version had 35 standards (6 mindsets and 29 behaviors, with social skills numbered B-SS 1–9). The 2021 version has 36 standards (6 mindsets and 30 behaviors, with B-SS 1–10). The ETS sample question that cites "(2014)" uses the older title; the ideas are the same.
- Place in the model: In the ASCA National Model (4th edition), the student standards belong to the Define component, alongside the professional standards (the ASCA Ethical Standards and the ASCA School Counselor Professional Standards & Competencies).
Category 1: The Six Mindset Standards
Mindset standards describe students' psychosocial attitudes or beliefs about themselves in relation to academic work. ASCA's current wording:
| Standard | Official Wording | What It Looks Like in School |
|---|---|---|
| M 1 | Belief in development of whole self, including a healthy balance of mental, social/emotional and physical well-being | A student treats sleep, friendships, and stress management as part of success, not distractions from it |
| M 2 | Sense of acceptance, respect, support and inclusion for self and others in the school environment | A new student or English learner feels they belong, and peers who differ are welcomed too |
| M 3 | Positive attitude toward work and learning | A student views assignments and part-time jobs as worthwhile rather than as punishments |
| M 4 | Self-confidence in ability to succeed | A student believes effort and better strategies can raise a failing grade |
| M 5 | Belief in using abilities to their fullest to achieve high-quality results and outcomes | A student revises work instead of settling for "good enough" |
| M 6 | Understanding that postsecondary education and lifelong learning are necessary for long-term success | A student connects today's courses to training or college after high school |
⚠️ Numbering trap: Many older study aids list self-confidence as M 2 and belonging as M 3, following the 2014 order. In the current standards, acceptance and inclusion is M 2 and self-confidence is M 4. Praxis items test the ideas more than the numbers, but know the current order.
Category 2: The Thirty Behavior Standards
Behavior standards describe visible, outward signs that a student is engaged and putting forth effort. ASCA groups them into three subcategories:
- Learning Strategies: processes and tactics students use to aid the cognitive work of thinking, remembering, or learning.
- Self-Management Skills: continued focus on a goal despite obstacles, and avoiding distractions or temptations in order to prioritize higher pursuits over lower pleasures.
- Social Skills: acceptable behaviors that improve social interactions, such as those among peers or between students and adults.
| # | Learning Strategies (B-LS) | Self-Management Skills (B-SMS) | Social Skills (B-SS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Critical-thinking skills to make informed decisions | Responsibility for self and actions | Effective oral and written communication skills and listening skills |
| 2 | Creative approach to learning, tasks and problem solving | Self-discipline and self-control | Positive, respectful and supportive relationships with students who are similar to and different from them |
| 3 | Time-management, organizational and study skills | Independent work | Positive relationships with adults to support success |
| 4 | Self-motivation and self-direction for learning | Delayed gratification for long-term rewards | Empathy |
| 5 | Media and technology skills to enhance learning | Perseverance to achieve long- and short-term goals | Ethical decision-making and social responsibility |
| 6 | High-quality standards for tasks and activities | Ability to identify and overcome barriers | Effective collaboration and cooperation skills |
| 7 | Long- and short-term academic, career and social/emotional goals | Effective coping skills | Leadership and teamwork skills to work effectively in diverse groups |
| 8 | Engagement in challenging coursework | Balance of school, home and community activities | Advocacy skills for self and others and ability to assert self, when necessary |
| 9 | Decision-making informed by gathering evidence, getting others' perspectives and recognizing personal bias | Personal safety skills | Social maturity and behaviors appropriate to the situation and environment |
| 10 | Participation in enrichment and extracurricular activities | Ability to manage transitions and adapt to change | Cultural awareness, sensitivity and responsiveness |
Classification tip: Study habits, planners, and goal setting are learning strategies; staying calm, resisting impulses, persevering, and coping with stress are self-management skills; relationships, empathy, and teamwork are social skills. A mindset is a belief ("I can succeed"); a behavior is something you can observe ("uses a planner every day").
One Set of Standards, Three Domains
ASCA states that all 36 standards can be applied to any of the three school counseling domains; the counselor chooses the domain and standard based on the needs of the school, classroom, small group, or individual:
| Domain | ASCA Definition (summarized) | Example Pairing |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | Strategies and activities that maximize each student's ability to learn | M 4 (self-confidence) with B-LS 3 (time-management, organizational and study skills) |
| Career | Understanding the connection between school and work, and planning transitions to postsecondary education or work and from job to job | M 6 (postsecondary and lifelong learning) with B-LS 7 (long- and short-term goals) |
| Social/Emotional | Managing emotions and learning and applying interpersonal skills | M 2 (acceptance and inclusion) with B-SMS 7 (effective coping skills) |
Selecting Standards: One or Two, Chosen From Data
The ETS study companion asks how many Mindsets & Behaviors standards should be used when designing goals, interventions, or activities; its answer is one or two, because a narrow focus keeps instruction purposeful and makes results measurable. Avoid "standard stuffing"—listing six mindsets and eight behaviors for a single lesson.
ASCA's standards document lays out a 10-step implementation process that ties standard selection to data:
- Identify need in achievement data (test scores, grades, credits earned).
- Consider contributing-factors data (attendance, discipline, systemic barriers, and student and partner perspectives).
- Select a student standard—ASCA specifies choosing the behavior standard that best fits the data and contributing factors.
- Write measurable learning objectives aligned with that standard.
- Create a pre-/post-assessment based on the objectives.
- Select or develop strategies, activities, or interventions.
- Administer the pre-assessment to establish a baseline.
- Deliver the strategies.
- Administer the post-assessment.
- Reflect on areas for improvement.
ASCA recommends that each measure use no more than three to five questions or prompts, built from stems such as "I believe…," "I know…," and "I can…" to capture attitudes, knowledge, and skills. Easy-to-administer, easy-to-score measures keep the focus on the intervention.
Edition note: The 5th edition of the ASCA National Model (2025) calls these results "ASCA Student Standards data" and focuses measurement on the behavior standards, treating mindsets as byproducts of attaining the behaviors. The 4th edition, which the 5422 study companion cites, calls them "Mindsets & Behaviors data."
Standard Selection Matrix
| Student Need Found in Data | Domain | Mindset | Behavior | Sample Measurable Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High 9th-grade course failure | Academic | M 4: Self-confidence in ability to succeed | B-LS 3: Time-management, organizational and study skills | 85% of participating freshmen can calculate their GPA and keep a weekly planner on the post-assessment |
| Low FAFSA completion | Career | M 6: Postsecondary education and lifelong learning | B-LS 9: Decision-making informed by gathering evidence | 90% of seniors correctly compare two financial aid award letters |
| Middle school peer conflict | Social/Emotional | M 2: Acceptance, respect, support and inclusion | B-SS 4: Empathy | Students who can name three de-escalation strategies rise from 30% to 80% |
Praxis Exam Application
Exam Scenario: Office discipline referrals for peer conflict spike among eighth graders in the spring. The counseling team plans a four-week classroom unit. Which standards best focus the unit?
Analysis: Choose a small, data-matched set: B-SMS 2 (self-discipline and self-control) as the behavior the lessons teach and measure, supported by M 2 (a sense of acceptance, respect, support, and inclusion). Listing ten or twelve standards would dilute instruction and make the pre/post measure meaningless.
A high school counselor is reviewing the ASCA Student Mindsets & Behaviors for Student Success to design a college-readiness curriculum. Which statement accurately differentiates Mindset standards from Behavior standards within this framework?
Mindset standards represent observable classroom tasks, whereas Behavior standards assess overarching school climate metrics.
Mindset standards reflect internal psychosocial beliefs and attitudes students hold about their abilities, whereas Behavior standards reflect observable outward actions and skills.
Mindset standards are evaluated exclusively through standardized cognitive tests, whereas Behavior standards are measured solely through parent rating scales.
Mindset standards are restricted to elementary developmental levels, whereas Behavior standards apply exclusively to secondary postsecondary preparation.
When designing a multi-session classroom counseling unit on conflict resolution for sixth-grade students, what is the recommended ASCA guideline for selecting targeted Mindsets & Behaviors standards?
Select all ten Social Skills standards to ensure comprehensive coverage of interpersonal dynamics.
Incorporate at least three Mindset standards and five Behavior standards across all three developmental domains in each individual lesson.
Focus the unit on one or two carefully chosen standards (for example, one mindset and one behavior) selected from the school's data.
Omit Mindset standards entirely for middle school students and focus exclusively on Self-Management behavioral checklists.
A middle school counselor analyzes school-wide data showing that seventh-grade students frequently fail to turn in homework and struggle to prepare for weekly quizzes. The counselor designs a classroom guidance unit addressing study schedules, organizational binders, and test-taking habits. Which ASCA Behavior subcategory directly encompasses these competencies?
Learning Strategies (B-LS)
Self-Management Skills (B-SMS)
Social Skills (B-SS)
Professional Mindsets (M)
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.