A Continuous Improvement Document for School Counseling Programs Sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association

A Continuous Improvement Document for School Counseling Programs Sponsored by the

Texas School Counselor Association

Lynda Shuttlesworth – TSCA President – [email protected] Lopez – TSCA Director - [email protected] Crews – Texas Tech University – [email protected]

Recognition of outstanding school counseling programs in Texas

Sponsored byTexas School Counselor Association

TSCA2012-2013

Dr. Charles Crews Lubbock Linda Hughes Austin Michael Kraprelian Irving Dr. Sylvia Lopez Dallas Dr. Michael Moyer San Antonio Lynda Shuttlesworth Plano

Chair: Pat Freberg Houston

The original CREST was modeled after the California Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) award to show the impact of the school counseling program.

TSCA Board members designed and promoted the original CREST application in 2004.

The authors were Betty White and Vicki Ikeler. In 2009, a TSCA committee was formed to critically review

and make the necessary revisions for our Texas award. Committee analyzed the state and national model to align

the CREST document to these models.

2005 ~ 5 schools 2006 ~ 11 schools 2007 ~ 15 schools 2008 ~ 22 schools 2009 ~ 28 schools 2010 ~ 37 schools 2012 ~ 40 schools

Advocate for your school counseling programAdvocate for your school counseling program Document your school counseling programDocument your school counseling program’’s role in s role in

supporting student success supporting student success Show continuous improvement data for your campusShow continuous improvement data for your campus Highlight program successes for all stakeholdersHighlight program successes for all stakeholders Strengthen the campus counseling program by aligning it Strengthen the campus counseling program by aligning it

with the campus improvement planwith the campus improvement plan Reinforce the school counselorReinforce the school counselor’’s role in the academic, s role in the academic,

personal/social, and career development of studentspersonal/social, and career development of students Link campus program to state, national, and legislative Link campus program to state, national, and legislative

standards standards Provide a tool for accountabilityProvide a tool for accountability

Original RevisedCREST Document Requirements Introduction/CREST Document

Requirements1. Principal’s Comments 1. Principal’s Comments2. Student Support Team 2. School Counseling Advisory Council3. School Climate and Safety 3. School Climate and Safety4. Student Results 4. Student Results5. Major Achievements 5. Major Achievements6. Measurements 6. Community Partnerships/Resources

7. Community Partnerships/Resources 7. Parent Collaboration

8. Volunteer Involvement 8. Technical Details

9. Focus for Improvement10. Keeping You Informed

Category Preparing this Section National Model Application State Model Application Required Components – Yes/No

Category 1: PrincipalCategory 1: Principal’’s Commentss Comments

Ask Yourself: Ask Yourself: ““How does your school counseling program How does your school counseling program impact student success?impact student success?””

Preparing this Section:Preparing this Section:The principal must show support for a well-balanced The principal must show support for a well-balanced

counseling program. (Please limit text to one or two short counseling program. (Please limit text to one or two short paragraphs.)paragraphs.)

Statement of supportStatement of support Emphasis on the vital role of the school counseling programEmphasis on the vital role of the school counseling program Statement explaining how the school counseling program Statement explaining how the school counseling program

supports the campus improvement plan and itssupports the campus improvement plan and its’’ initiatives initiatives

Category 1: PrincipalCategory 1: Principal’’s Commentss Comments

Rubric: 1a. A statement of the vital role of the school counseling

program in student success and school safety. 1b. An example of how the school counseling program

contributes to student success and school safety. 1c. A statement of support for implementation of the ASCA

National Model and/or Texas State Model of the Comprehensive Counseling Program.

1d. A statement explaining how the school counseling program supports the campus improvement plan and initiatives.

Category 2: School Counseling Category 2: School Counseling AdvisoryAdvisory

CouncilCouncilAsk yourself: “Who are you as a team? How

does this team guide the school counseling program?”

Preparing this Section:Preparing this Section:School counselors may form a School Counseling Advisory Council or be a member of the school improvement team. A School Counseling Advisory Council is a representative group of stakeholders such as faculty, staff, parents, students, and/or community members from your school campus. Their focus is to advise and guide the school counseling program in order to promote student success. This council must meet a minimum of twice a year.


CouncilCouncil

Include:

A list/chart of the members of the advisory council along with their stakeholder positions (i.e. faculty, parent, community members, etc)

An explanation of how members are selected An explanation of how feedback and input from the

advisory council guides the school counseling program An explanation of the number of times the council meets An example of an agenda item


Council/School Improvement Team Council/School Improvement Team (SIT)(SIT)

Rubric: 2a. A statement on the purpose of the School Counseling

Advisory Council or School Improvement Team 2b. A list/chart providing information on the School

Counseling Advisory Council or School Improvement Team to include name and positions

2c. A representative group of stakeholders are part of the School Counseling Advisory Council or School Improvement Team


Council/School Improvement Team Council/School Improvement Team (SIT)(SIT)

Rubric: 2d. A statement on the process for selecting committee

members 2e. The number of times the council meets (must meet at

least twice a year) 2f. Provide an example of an agenda item discussed 2g Include how School Counseling Advisory Council’s

feedback/input guides the school counseling program

Category 3: School Climate and SafetyCategory 3: School Climate and Safety

Ask yourself: “How does my school counseling program respond to issues of school climate and safety?”

Preparing this Section:This section requires at least a minimum of one graph and/or chart regardless of how many interventions provided. Presenting your results in graph form (pie chart/graph, bar graph, chart etc.) and their relationship to the Texas and ASCA National Standards for School Counseling Programs are essential components for this section. You can use Microsoft Excel to plug your data into a variety of graphs or charts.


Examples: Programs/activities which increase student "connectedness"

to school campus/district and improve school climate Programs/activities which teach students' conflict resolution,

empathy, and mediation techniques for solving conflicts. Programs/activities that reduce incidents of violence at the

campus with an emphasis on prevention and early detection. Programs/activities that provide

age-appropriate/developmental instruction on violence prevention, bullying, dating violence, and interpersonal violence prevention. Many of these are legal mandates that can be found in: District Legal Policy, Title IX, Family Code 71.0021 (see Texas Council on Family Violence)

Prevention and response to acts of hate violence, bias-related incidents and discriminatory attitudes


Rubric: 3a. A statement(s) regarding the relationship of the school

counseling team to school climate and safety 3b. A minimum of two activities/programs/interventions

implemented by school counselors that impacted school climate and safety

3c. A graph or chart depicting how school counselor activities directly relate to improvement of school climate

3d. Written explanation of each graph and or chart Written explanation of each graph and or chart representationrepresentation

3e. An explanation of the school counselor’s role in the School Safety Plan and/or District Crisis Plan

Category 4: StudentCategory 4: Student ResultsResultsAsk YourselfAsk Yourself: : ““How does your school How does your school

counseling program impact student counseling program impact student success?success?””

Preparing this Section:Preparing this Section:Implementation of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program requires that school counselors use data to evaluate and improve school counseling programs. The results of these data are based on the outcomes of students, not on what school counselors do. Results are not the number of students seen, the number of meetings, conferences, or classes held or attended, or the number of referrals to other agencies or programs. Only student outcome results that your school counseling program has positively impacted will be considered for a CREST Award.

Category 4: StudentCategory 4: Student ResultsResults

Examples Our counseling team will decrease the number of bullying

incidents in grades K-5th by 20% from the 1st through 4th nine weeks for the school year xyz.

Our counseling team will reduce self-reported test anxiety of Juniors who did not pass the exit level TAKS by 25% from the 1st administration to the next administration.

Our counseling team will assist in reducing by 20% the number of 8th grade students that failed two or more core classes from the first nine week grading period to the fourth nine week grading period.


Rubric:Rubric: 4a. A statement explaining the importance and utilization of

student results and their relationship to the Texas and/or National Standards.

4b. First of two measurable goal statements that include:data point(s)populationtime frame

Second of two measurable goal statements that include:data pointspopulationtime frame

4c. A rationale for each goal selected 4d. A list and explanation of school counselor interventions


Rubric:Rubric:

4e. First of two (2) graphs:-explanation for each graph connecting the

School Counseling Team activity to the results shown.

-graphs must be titled and labeled

Second of two (2) graphs:-explanation for each graph connecting the

School Counseling Team activity to the results shown

-graphs must be titled and labeled

Category 5: Major Achievements

Ask Yourself: “What are the major achievements of your school counseling program?”

Preparing this section:In this section include your school counseling team’s major achievements by delivery system. In addition include overall percentage of time spent in each delivery system annually.

Delivery System OverallPercentage

of Time

Major Achievements

Guidance CurriculumResponsive ServicesIndividual Student PlanningSystem Support

Category 5: Major Achievements

Examples:

Guidance Curriculum- Guidance lessons attributed to an increase in the number of students taking the SAT/ACT by 20%.

Responsive Services- We now offer six student support groups that meet a total of 8 sessions.

Individual Student Planning- 100% of the 8th grade students completed their Four Year Plan.

System Support-The counseling staff provided staff development to teachers on the following topics: School Counseling Program, Child Abuse, and Financial Aid and Postsecondary Options.

Following the table format, include other major achievements your school counseling team has received.

Rubric: 5a. A minimum of one or more major achievements was

cited and explained in Guidance Curriculum 5b. A minimum of one or more major achievements was

cited and explained in Responsive Services 5c. A minimum of one or more major achievements was

cited and explained in Individual Student Planning 5d. A minimum of one or more major achievements was

cited and explained in System Support

Rubric: 5e. The percentage of time is provided for each delivery

system (there is no penalty if the percentage of time is not aligned to the state recommendation).

5f. A minimum of two other achievements are provided and the relationship between the school counseling program and the achievement is clearly described.

5g. The required chart for delivery system, percent of time, and major achievement is included.

Category 6: Community Partnerships/Resources

Ask Yourself: “How do your CommunityPartnerships and/or Resources impact studentsuccess?”

Preparing This Section: A school counseling program coordinates a variety of resources and collaborates with a significant number of community partners and/or resources. This section asks you to explain how you involve business, industry, civic, social service organizations and/or community partners to enhance your counseling program.


Examples:

Academic: Partners in Education-companies serve as mentors and/or tutors for students

Career: XYZ Organization serves as speakers for Career Day. Personal/Social: ABC Church donates coats for students.


Rubric:

6a. A lead paragraph on the importance of partnerships 6b. A minimum of two (2) community partnerships and/or

resources listed for the Academic Domain 6c. A minimum of two (2) community partnerships and/or

resources listed for the Career Domain 6d. A minimum of two (2) community partnerships and/or

resources listed for the Personal/Social Domain


Rubric: 6e. Provide examples of how these community partners and

or resources enhance the quality and effectiveness of the school counseling program for the Academic Domain

6f. Provide examples of how these community partners and or resources enhance the quality and effectiveness of the school counseling program for the Career Domain

6g. Provide examples of how these community partners and or resources enhance the quality and effectiveness of the school counseling program for the Personal/Social Domain

Category 7: Parent Collaboration

Ask Yourself: “How do you collaborate withparents so that students can be successful?”

Preparing This Section As a counselor, part of your role is to support, coordinate, consult, inform, mediate and collaborate with parents so that students can be successful. In this section describe how you engage parents in guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual planning, and system support.

Category 7: Parent CollaborationExamples:Guidance Curriculum: How do you encourage your parents to provide input to the

curriculum and reinforce skills taught through your guidance lessons?

Example: Needs assessment sent to parents to determine topics of guidance lessons that will be presented during the school year.

Responsive Services: How do you work with parents regarding their children’s

issues to include one-on-one counseling, group counseling, and referrals?

Example: Parents are contacted regarding an emotional issue and resources provided through a required parent conference.


Examples:Individual Planning: How do you provide parents information regarding their

child’s academic and career planning? Example: Parents are provided with an interpretation of

test scores. System Support: How do you provide parents information? Example: Parents are provided with monthly workshops

addressing parenting skills/ information.


Rubric: 7a. A statement and examples of how your school

counseling program engages parents in guidance curriculum

7b. A statement and examples of how your school

counseling program engages parents in responsive services 7c. A statement and examples of how your school

counseling program engages parents in individual planning


Rubric: 7d. A statement and examples of how your school

counseling program engages parents in system support

7e. An explanation of how the school counselor communicates to parents throughout the year about your school counseling program

7f. A statement of how you provide parents an opportunity to view counseling materials as mandated in Texas Education Code (TEC) 33.004(b)

Category 8: Technical DetailsAsk Yourself: “How does the CREST

document read? Is the document ready for submission?”

Final SectionFinal Section The details help polish the document in a professional manner

making it ready for publication.

In this section, the final submission of the CREST document is In this section, the final submission of the CREST document is scored for the technical details throughout the document. scored for the technical details throughout the document.

Application packet requirements are included.Application packet requirements are included.

Category 8: Technical Details

DOCUMENT HEADER

8a. Include this statement, "A continuous improvement document sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association" in the header of the CREST document

8b. Include names of all the counselors and their contact information in the header

8c. Include "CREST (current school year)" in the document header

8d. Include the school's name, address, and school logo in the document header

Category 8: Technical Details

FORMAT OF THE OVERALL CREST DOCUMENT

8e. Categories 1-7 are placed in sequential order 8f. Content has a clear and consistent voice throughout the

document 8g. Format is consistent and flows throughout the document 8h. There are no more than (two) typographical, grammatical,

or punctuation errors 8i. Acronyms are spelled out the first time used in the

document 8j. Font used for text and graphs must be:

10 or 12 points for text8-points or higher for graphsArial or Times New Roman font

Category 8: Technical DetailsFORMAT OF THE OVERALL CREST DOCUMENT 8k. Graphs are clear, significant, labeled, and aligned with

the written text 8l. Document fits on one page and is front and back on paper

size - 17 X 11 (folds like a magazine format)

APPLICATION PACKET REQUIREMENTS 8m. Twelve (12) color copies of the CREST award document

are submitted 8n. Two (2) copies of the application form are submitted (one

original/one copy) 8o. One (1) CD of the CREST award document in PDF format

is submitted

Send an email to the individual whose name appears on the application acknowledging receipt of the CREST application.

Notification will be sent by email January 15th as to the status of your CREST application. No questions will be answered with regard to the status of your application prior to this date.

In order to receive an award, a CREST application may only receive a total of two “No’s” in the eight categories. Each CREST document will be judged by a team of three professionals in the school counseling field throughout Texas. The scoring continuum is as follows:

First Review If the document receives NO MORE than a total of two “No’s” in

the eight categories, it has achieved CREST distinction. If the application receives MORE than a total of two “No’s” in

the eight categories, it is sent to a second team of reviewers (Second Review).

Second Review If the document receives MORE than a total of two or more

“No’s” in the eight categories, the application does NOT receive CREST distinction.

If the application receives NO MORE than a total of two “No’s” in the eight categories, the application goes to a third review team (Third Review).

Third Review If the application receives MORE than a total of two “No’s”, the

application does NOT receive CREST distinction. If the application receives NO MORE than a total of two “No’s”,

it has achieved CREST distinction.

Awards will be presented at the Spring Counselors Professional Growth Conference Luncheon.

Winners will be awarded:- a CREST banner/decal- two free luncheon tickets per school

All CREST applicants will receive a recognitioncertificate.

Sample CREST Documents: TCA website: www.txca.org TSCA website: www.texasschoolcounselor.org

To enhance your CREST document review:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, Pre-K-12th Grade Program Development Guide

http://www.txca.org/

http://www.texasschoolcounselor.org/

Chair: Pat Freberg, HoustonTelephone: 979-793-3027, extension 1510 Email: [email protected]

Dr. Charles Crews, LubbockTelephone : 806-742-1997 x313Email: [email protected]

Linda Hughes, AustinTelephone : 512-464-4405Email: [email protected] Dr. Sylvia Lopez, DallasTelephone #: 972-925-3505Email: [email protected]

Lynda Shuttlesworth, Plano Telephone: Email: [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]



