Counselor Connection--October 1

Please see the memorandum from THECB on TSIA2 testing protocols.

The Purple Star Campus Designation recognizes Texas school districts and open-enrollment charter school campuses that show support and commitment to meeting the unique needs of military-connected students and their families. The Texas Education Agency (TEA) accepted applications for the 2024-25 school year from April 1, 2024, through June 7, 2024, for campuses to apply for the designation and demonstrate they have met the established criteria:

1. Designate a campus-based military liaison;
2. Create and maintain an easily accessible web page that includes information for military-connected students and their families;
3. Implement a campus transition program;
4. Conduct professional development for campus staff on topics related to military-connected students; and
5. Offer at least one of the following initiatives:
   • A resolution showing support for military-connected students and families;
   • Participation in Month of the Military Child or Military Family Month; or
   • Partnership with a school liaison officer to encourage and provide opportunities for active-duty military members.

A total of 541 campuses across Texas met the established criteria and have earned Purple Star Campus Designations for the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. This is a 202% increase from the PSCD’s that were awarded in 2023-24 and represents incredible growth in the program and Texas schools' commitment to supporting military-connected students and families.

The purpose of this communication is to advise school districts and open-enrollment charter schools (school systems) about several data reports related to the College, Career, or Military Readiness Outcomes Bonus (CCMR OB) now available for public transparency and to keep advancing performance and student success.

There is a great article in the ASCA School Counselor magazine this month that walks through this scenario step-by-step!

As we step into October, we want to shine a spotlight on National Bullying Prevention Awareness Month. We know that bullying impacts a student’s mental health, self-esteem, and overall well-being. By raising awareness, we can create safer, more supportive school environments. Below we have listed resources that may support your school community’s bullying prevention efforts.

• Best Practices and Programs Repository- This repository includes best-practice based programs and research-based best practices. Listings that support positive youth development, building relationships, managing emotions, & decision making-skills and school climate may all support bullying prevention efforts.
• Stopbullying.gov- This site is a federal government website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This website provides resources on the prevention and intervention of bullying and cyber bullying within the school and community setting.
• Cyberbullying Research Center- This site provides up-to-date information about the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of cyberbullying among adolescents. The site includes numerous resources to help you prevent and respond to cyberbullying incidents.

Fentanyl-related legislation was passed by the 88th Texas Legislature to raise awareness of fentanyl poisonings and to promote prevention efforts. Specifically, students and families need to know that other drugs may contain a deadly level of fentanyl. You cannot see, taste or smell it. It is almost impossible to tell if another drug is laced with fentanyl unless tested with a fentanyl testing strip. “One Pill Kills” is set up across the state to educate Texans on how to prevent, recognize and reverse fentanyl poisonings.

Texas Say What! Campaign made the Caught in the Nicotine Trap: Big Tobacco’s Targeted Marketing Online Training to share information about the tobacco industry. The training provides an overview of the industry’s marketing practices, uncover campaigns used to influence tobacco use, and advocate against the industry’s targeted marketing by creating counter messages. Share with students, parents, caregivers, and school staff.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published ways families can support student health and emotional well-being. The article explains how parents and families play an important role in their children's development, as they help them recognize and manage emotions, build positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.

As announced to the AP community during July 2024, the AP Program is accelerating the transition to digital testing to ensure the continued security of AP Exams.

• Beginning in May 2025, paper testing will be discontinued for 28 AP Exams, which will transition to the Bluebook digital testing application. All schools must administer these exams digitally.
• AP coordinators and proctors will use the Test Day Toolkit web application to administer digital exams.
• For math, science, and economics exams requiring graphing or symbolic notation, students will view free-response questions and prompts in Bluebook but write their answers in paper exam booklets.
• Paper exams will be available for students with SSD-approved accommodations.
• Learn more about digital AP Exams, including answers to frequently asked questions. The FAQ website will be updated throughout the year with further details and supporting resources.

Read the latest updates related to May 2025 exams, exam schedules, exam fees, and other important updates for the 2024-25 school year.

During the 2024-2025 school year, the TEA will initiate a process to review and approve college preparatory courses provided by eligible institutions to demonstrate college readiness as part of the public-school accountability system. This process aims to ensure that College Preparatory courses, defined in Texas Education Code (TEC), §28.014, meet standards consistent with other indicators of college readiness.

To qualify as a College Preparatory Course for Accountability Provider Applicant, the service provider must fall into one of the following categories:

1. Institution of Higher Education (IHE)
2. An Education Service Center with a partnership agreement with an IHE to offer College Preparatory Courses that will be recognized by the partnering institution.
3. Entities that hold Memorandums of Understanding with IHEs to provide College Preparatory Courses that will be recognized by the partnering institution.

To apply, an eligible College Prep Course for Accountability Provider must:

• Have served students in the 2021-2022 academic year and continue to serve students actively.
• Submit a Letter of Intent via Qualtrics to TEA, including three .csv files with data on previous College Prep Course Participation (District Information for 2021-2022, 2022-2023, and 2023-2024).
• Complete and submit a detailed application through Qualtrics to TEA.

• Undergo a thorough quality review of the application by TEA and faculty reviewers from across the state.

This process will result in the following for a school district:

1. A list of approved College Preparatory Course for Accountability providers.
2. Each College Preparatory Course for Accountability provider will receive a unique Service ID for districts and campuses to use when coding their participation in an approved College Preparatory Course for Accountability:
   1. Unique Service ID for College Preparatory Course English Language Arts
   2. Unique Service ID for College Preparatory Course Mathematics
3. Ongoing oversight by TEA of student outcomes through data monitoring related to approved College Preparatory Course for Accountability participation.

Although the application will be completed and submitted by the service provider, TEA requests that school districts complete a survey, which will be shared soon, to affirm the service provider with whom the school district is currently working.

For more information about College Preparatory Courses for Accountability, please contact advancedacademics@tea.texas.gov

Recent updates have been made to the following related to dual credit:

• Definition of Dual Credit
• Eligibility for Dual Credit
• TSI Exemptions

Below are some key highlights from recent updates along with relevant links. A more in-depth discussion will take place during the October Advanced Academics Office Hours. Register here.

• Dual Credit Updates (Rule §4.83)
  • Dual credit and dual enrollment are synonymous in Title 19, Part 1. A student may earn a single grade toward both the college course and the high school credit or earn two separate grades where the high school grade only reflects a student’s mastery of secondary content.
• Eligibility for Dual Credit (Rule §4.85)
  • A high school student is eligible to enroll in dual credit courses if the student demonstrates college readiness by achieving the minimum passing standards under the provisions of the on relevant sections(s) of an TSI assessment instrument approved by the THECB, demonstrating that he or she is exempt under the Texas Success Initiative, is not a degree-seeking student, and or meets the eligibility requirements for the Texas First Diploma.
• TSI Exemption Updates (Rule §4.54)
  • The criteria for exemption from TSI Assessment are based on performance on standardized tests (ACT, SAT, GED, HiSET, STAAR) or specific academic achievements. If students meet these criteria, they are considered college-ready and do not need to take additional assessments or developmental courses in the corresponding areas.
  • Higher education institutions in Texas must honor exemptions from readiness assessments and cannot impose more on exempt students. However, they can recommend additional coursework to support students' success and help them be better prepared for their studies.
  • The linked standards outline the criteria for exemptions from the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA), which is used to determine college readiness for entry-level courses in Texas.
  • Assessment Exemptions
  • Course and Program Completion Exemptions

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) released the Anonymized Threat Response Guidance: A Toolkit for K-12 Schools, a new resource to help kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) schools and their law enforcement and community partners create tailored approaches to addressing anonymous threats of violence, including those received on social media. The toolkit outlines steps school leaders can take to assess and respond to anonymous threats, better prepare for and prevent future threats, and work in coordination with law enforcement and other local partners when threats arise. It is co-sealed with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which provided expert feedback on the toolkit’s key principles and strategies.

The toolkit emphasizes six key strategies for schools to consider when addressing anonymous threats:

• Build awareness about reporting to detect threats early and deter future threats.
• Develop a partnership structure that will help address threats. This includes school administrators, law enforcement personnel and mental health professionals.
• Engage law enforcement to manage threat situations and decide when to scale response actions up or down.
• Balance initial response steps to ensure the campus is safe. Most critically, treat each threat as credible, and from there, work with necessary partners to determine how to approach an immediate response.
• When appropriate, tap into multidisciplinary threat assessment teams to support interventions and expedite response if the subject who made the threat becomes known.
• Take steps throughout the school year to prepare for threats. Establish a response protocol and practice other types of emergency management activities, such as training exercises for staff.

On behalf of the Texas College Access Network (TxCAN), we invite you to participate in the Aligned College and Career Advising Survey. This survey is part of a statewide research project aimed at understanding how districts create effective systems for college and career advising, including partnerships with external College Advising Programs (CAPs), and ensuring alignment across stakeholders.

Who Should Participate: This survey is designed for:

• District-level personnel responsible for college and career advising (e.g., Superintendents, Directors of Counseling, Directors of CCMR)
• Secondary administrators and school counselors
• College advisors working in schools or districts (whether employed by the district or external organizations)
• Teachers whose primary responsibilities include college and career advising (e.g., AVID teachers, college and career readiness course instructors)

Survey Details:

• Time to Complete: 20-25 minutes
• Incentives: Complete the survey to enter for a chance to win one of ten $20 gift cards, four $50 gift cards, or one $100 gift card!

Access the Survey Here

We truly value your perspective and appreciate your participation in this research. Your responses will provide crucial insights into how Texas can better meet the college and career advising needs of its students.

If you have any questions or need assistance with the survey, feel free to reach out to Jennifer Torres, Deputy Director of Higher Education at Educate Texas.

Thank you for your time and contribution!

Parent communication is a critical aspect of an educator's role. It fosters collaboration, builds relationships, and ensures shared goals for student growth. Here are some specific strategies and tips to help you with parent communication.

How do we stay ahead of the game in digital citizenship? Check out the answers from TCEA.

Please contact Traci Terrill for questions regarding CTE: traci.terrill@esc15.net or 325-481-4074

TxCAN and the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board are excited to collaborate and bring you the latest updates on the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) and the ApplyTexas Counselor Suite. These virtual sessions are designed to provide crucial insights and guidance for students, families, and educators. Register for each session below.

• Oct. 29
• Dec. 5

The Texas Education Agency’s Student Supports Division and our Project AWARE Texas partners will be hosting a series of monthly webinars to highlight resources and best practice strategies on timely and relevant safe and supportive schools topics. Session topics will all include universal supports for school mental health, bullying prevention, building partnerships, and data-informed decision-making to support school mental health. Pre-register to attend the sessions below. Session topics will be released at a later date.

October 10th, 2024

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_5AtnxJ0QSHCZse5xzpycBw

December 12th, 20204

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ljEZjpotQB2WlOV5UcMZuQ

January 9th , 2025

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_o9rlIQSHT4upmKCJ7gGAiA

March 13th, 2025

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XxYoLdUjTGKBNmtOJTeX-g

May 8th, 2025

Register Here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3Kj2T9HwS6CXQkv6c1uVAg

General School Mental Health Resources: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/

Mental Health Resources Database: https://schoolmentalhealthtxdatabase.org/

Mental Health Best Practice Repository: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/best-practices/

This list is of known providers of particular services. The providers on the list are from a variety of sources. The list is being provided as a courtesy, for information only, and the user should understand that no assurances or guarantees regarding the providers on the list are being made by providing this list. We do not endorse, approve, or recommend any specific provider listed below. This list is not inclusive of all community agencies, services, or organizations that provide the particular service, and the omission of an agency, service, or organization from this list does not imply disapproval. It is the responsibility of the user of this list to determine whether any of the content is of value to them and whether or not the agency, service, or organization meets their specific needs.

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National

• Emergency: (24/7): 911
• Nationwide Crisis Text Line - Text "Home" to 741741; text "HOLA to 741741 for crisis assistance in Español
  
• Click Here for a map of hotlines that serve all Texas counties
• Referral Services: (crisis counseling, housing, food, health care, family services): 211 | https://www.211texas.org/
• Suicide Prevention: 988 | 988lifeline.org
• Self-Injury/Cutting: 1-800-366-8288 | selfinjury.com
• Eating Disorders: 1-800-931-2237 | nationaleatingdisorders.org
• Runaway Hotline: 1-800-231-6946 | 1800runaway.org
• Child Abuse Hotline: 1-800-422-4453 | childhelp.org/hotline/
• Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673 | rainn.org
• Domestic/Relationship Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org
• Trevor Hotline for LGBTQ Youth: 1-866-488-7386 | thetrevorproject.org
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) | samhsa.gov/find-help/national-helpline
• Other resources for developing healthy lifestyles, including mental and emotional help: helpguide.org
• National Disaster Distress Helpline - Text "TalkWithUs" to 66746; call 1-800-985-5990 and press "2" | En Español - envía "Hablanos" al 66746; llame al 1-800-985-5990 y presione "2"
  

Email: mentalhealth@esc15.net
Website: https://www.esc15.net/
Phone: (325)658-6571
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Region15ESC/
Twitter: @Region15ESC