Counselors Reinforcing Excellence

for Students in Texas

Recognition of Outstanding School Counseling Programs

Sponsored by

Texas School Counselor Association

TSCA

2014-15

What is CREST?

Counselors Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas(CREST) is sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA) and awarded to school counseling programs that meet CREST requirements. CREST is a continuous improvement document that school counseling programs can use to demonstrate effective communication and a commitment to obtaining results. In its final form, CREST is a brochure that highlights the accomplishments of your counseling program. Your CREST document will include information in seven (7) areas:

  • Principal’s Comments
  • School Counseling Advisory Council
  • School Climate and Safety
  • Student Results
  • Major Achievements
  • Community Partnerships/Resources
  • Parent Collaboration

Why CREST?

Ask yourself, “Why should our school counseling program pursue the CREST application process?”

Benefits of CREST:

  • Advocate for your school counseling program and show how it supports student success
  • Document your school counseling program’s role in supporting student success
  • Show continuous improvement data for your counseling program
  • Highlight program successes for all stakeholders
  • Strengthen the campus counseling program by aligning it with the campus improvement plan
  • Reinforce the school counselor’s role in the academic, personal/social, and career development of students
  • Link your school counseling program to state, national, and legislative standards
  • Provide a tool for accountability
  • Receive recognition at the Texas School Counselor Association/Texas Counseling Association spring conferences
  • Receive a CREST banner for display on your campus

The CREST application form is available from the following websites:

Preparing the CREST Document

Requirements:

  • Categories 1–7 placed in sequential order
  • Consistent use of voice
  • Consistent format
  • Proper grammar
  • Correct spelling
  • Acronyms spelled out on first use
  • Page size 17 x 11 inches (can be foldedlike a magazine)
  • Text body uses Arial or Times New Roman font, point size of 10 or 12 (CREST documents with less than a 10-point font size in the body text will not be considered for an award.)
  • Graphs have an 8-point or higher font size
  • The words “A continuous improvement document sponsored by the Texas School Counselor Association”included in the header
  • Document postmarked by November 1;faxed or emailed documents will not be accepted

The 2011 Application Packet should include the following:

  • Twelve (12) colored copies of your CREST document
  • Two (2) copies of the application form (one original, one copy)
  • One (1) CD of the CREST document in PDF format to post on the TSCA website

Mail CREST application forms (2), document (12), and CD (1) to:

CREST Application

c/o Pat Freberg, CREST Chair

P.O. Box 398

Needville, TX 77461

We encourage you to seek CREST layout design and editorial assistance from the following personnel:

  • District office public relations department
  • English department
  • Desktop publishing class
  • Yearbook advisor
  • Graphics department
  • Graduate interns

Resources

Websites:

  • American School Counselor Association (ASCA):
  • Texas Counseling Association (TCA):
  • Texas School Counselor Association (TSCA):

Books:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition

  • ASCA National Model Workbook: A Companion Guide for Implementing a Comprehensive School Counseling Program
  • A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade,Fourth Edition

Examples:

  • Texas CREST winners: (Please note that CREST was revised in 2010, and the posted documents do not reflect the revised CREST.)
  • California’s Support Personnel Accountability Report Card (SPARC) awards recipients:

After Submission, the CREST Committee will:

  • Send an email to the individual whose name appears on the application, acknowledging receipt of the CREST application.
  • Send notification by email January 15th about the status of your CREST application. No questions will be answered with regard to the status of your application prior to this date.
  • Present awards at CREST Luncheon during the spring Texas School Counselor Association/Texas Counseling Association School Counselor conference.

Scoring of the CREST Document

To receive an award, a CREST application may receive a total of only 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

  1. If the document receives NO MORE than two No’s in the eight categories, it has achieved CREST distinction.
  2. If the application receives MORE than two No’s in the eight categories, it is sent to a second team of reviewers (Second Review).

Second Review

  1. If the document receives MORE than two No’s in the eight categories, the application does NOT receive CREST distinction.
  2. If the application receives NO MORE than two No’s in the eight categories, the application goes to a third review team (Third Review).

Third Review

  1. If the application receives MORE than two No’s, the application does NOT receive CREST distinction.
  2. If the application receives NO MORE than two No’s, it has achieved CREST distinction.

Category 1: Principal’s Comments

Principal, ask yourself, “How does our school counseling program impact student success?”

Preparing this Section

The principal must show support for a well-balanced counseling program. (Please limit text to one or two short paragraphs.)

Resources for this section:

ASCA National Model Application:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition—Management Agreements (p. 46), Performance Evaluations (p. 62)

Texas State Model Application:

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade, Fourth Edition (pp. 49–71)

Category 1: Principal’s Comments
The Principal’s Comments section must include the following items: / Yes / No
1a. A statement of the school counseling program’s vital role in student successand school safety
1b. An example of how the school counseling program contributesto 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 Advisory Council

Ask yourself, “Who are we as a team? How does this team guide the school counseling program?”

Preparing this Section

School counselors shall form either 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. Its focus is to advise and guide the school counseling program in order to promote student success. This council must meet at minimum twice a year.

The School Improvement Team is also a representative group of stakeholders and school counselors may utilize this forum as the School Counseling Advisory Council. School counseling must be an ongoing agenda item, and the school counselor(s) must be a member of the School Improvement Team.

Resources for this section:

ASCA National Model Application:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition (pp. 67–74)

Texas State Model Application:

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade, Fourth Edition(pp. 49–71)

Category 2: School Counseling Advisory Council
The School Counseling Advisory Council section must include the following items: / Yes / No
2a. A statement on the purpose of the School Counseling Advisory Council or School Improvement Team
2b. A list or chart providing information on the School Counseling Advisory Council or School Improvement Team, including names and positions
2c. The School Counseling Advisory Council or School Improvement Team is comprised of a representative group of stakeholders.
2d. A statement on the process for selecting committee members
2e. The number of times the council meets (minimum of twice a year)
2f. An example of a discussed agenda item
2g. How School Counseling Advisory Council’s feedback/input guides the school counseling program

Category 3: School Climate and Safety

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

Preparing this Section

This section requires a minimum of one graph and/or chart, regardless of the number of interventions provided. Presenting your results in graph form (e.g., pie chart, graph, bar graph) and showing their relationship to 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. Some examples follow:

  • Programs/activities that increase student connectedness to school campus/district and improve school climate
  • Programs/activities that teach students conflict resolution, empathy, and mediation techniques for solving conflicts
  • Programs/activities that reduce incidents of violence at the campus and that emphasize prevention and early detection
  • Programs/activities that provide age-appropriate and developmental instruction about 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

Consider data such as dropout rates, discipline referrals, attendance, course failures, and other vital information to a school’s demographics. Process, perception, and results data are acceptable in this section. The relationship between the data presented and school climate and safety must be clearly stated.

Resources for this section:

ASCA National Model Application:

American School Counselor Association. (2003). Taking your school’s temperature: How school climate affects students and staff.Alexandria, VA: Author.

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition (pp. 120–121)

Texas State Model Application:

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade, Fourth Edition(pp. 49–71)

Category 3: School Climate and Safety
The School Climate and Safety section must includethe following items: Yes No
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/chart depicting how school counselor activities directly relate to improvement of the school climate
3d. Written explanation of each graph/chart
3e. An explanation of the school counselor’s role in the School Safety Plan and/or District Crisis Plan

Category 4:Student Results

Ask yourself, “How has my school counseling program impacted students’ success?”

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.Only the results of student outcomes that have been positively affected by your school counseling program will be considered for a CREST award.

In this section, include a statement explaining the importance and utilization of student results and its relationship to the Texas and/or ASCA National Standards.This section must also include two (2) goal statements.These statements must be based on data, and the data point must be significant.

  • A data point is an item of factual information derived from measurement or research, such as a percentage.
  • Significanceis the term used to describe research findings that are probably true. These findings must be influenced by your interventions rather than by random chance, accident, or another factor.

Don’t forget to answer the following questions:Why was this goal selected?What data were used? Include a list and explanation of counselor interventions.Be sure these interventions are counselor specific!

These data can be collected from myriad sources such as attendance rates, number of discipline referrals, grade-point averages, and student graduation rates.Present your results in graphic form such as in pie charts, graphs, or tables.Keep your graphs simple and easy to read; focus on one concept per graph.

In summary, both goal statements must contain an explanation about why the goal was selected, what data were used and what counselor interventions were used, and include a graph representing the results; thus, there must be two (2) graphs in this section.

The deadline of November 1 encourages applicants to use goals and data from the previous year. Any additional data that support your goal may be included at submission.

Examples of goal statements might include the following:

  • Our counseling team will decrease the number of bullying incidents in grades K–5 by 20% from the first throughfourth9-week period for school year ____.
  • Our counseling team will reduce self-reported test anxiety of juniors who failed the exit-level TAKS by 25% from the first administration to the next administration.
  • Our counseling team will assist in reducing by 20% the number of eighth-grade students who failed two or more core classes from the first 9-week grading period to the fourth 9-week grading period.

Resources for this section:

ASCA National Model Application:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition(pp. 49–53)

Texas State Model Application:

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade, Fourth Edition (pp. 49–71)

Other recommended resources:

  1. Dimmitt, C., Carey, J. C., & Hatch, T. (2007). Evidence-based school counseling: Making a difference with data-driven practices. Thousand Oaks,CA: Corwin Press.
  2. Stone, C. B., & Dahir, C. A. (2007). School counselor accountability: A MEASURE of student success (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill/Prentice Hall.
  3. Kaffenberger, C., & Young, A. (2007). Making data work. Alexandria, VA:American School Counselor Association.
  4. National Office of School Counselor Advocacy (NOSCA) website:

Category 4:Student Results
The Student Results section must include the following items: / Yes / No
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 (2) measurable goal statements that include
  • data point(s)
  • population
  • time frame

Second of two (2) measurable goal statements that include
  • data points
  • population
  • time frame

4c. A rationale for each goal selected
4d. A list and explanation of school counselor interventions
4e. First of two (2) graphs that includes
  • an explanation for the graph connecting the School Counseling Team
activity to the results shown
  • correct title and label

Second of two (2) graphs that includes
  • an explanation for the graph connecting the School Counseling Team
activity to the results shown
  • correct title and label

Category 5: Major Achievements

Ask yourself, “What are the major achievements of our school counseling program?”

Preparing this Section

Implementation of a comprehensive developmental school counseling program requires that school counselors deliver their program through guidance curriculum, responsive services, individual student planning, and system support.

In this section, include your school counseling team’s major achievements by delivery system. Also include the percentage of time your school counseling program spends in each delivery system annually.Use the following table format for this component:

Delivery System / Overall
Percentage of Time / Major Achievements
Guidance Curriculum
Responsive Services
Individual Student Planning
System Support

Examples of major achievements:

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

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

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

System Support—The counseling staff provided staff development to teachers on the topics of the school counseling program, child abuse, financial aid, and postsecondary options.

Following the table format, include other major achievements your school counseling team has received, such as:

  • Awards/recognitions
  • Outstanding achievements
  • Commendation by a professional organization such as the American School Counselor Association, Texas Counseling Association, or the Texas School Counselor Association
  • Honors your school has achieved that includes coordination/collaboration with your school counseling program
  • School-wide achievements that your program contributed to
  • Professional presentations by school counselors
  • Leadership roles filled by school counselors

Some examples of other major achievements:

  • 2008 CREST (Counselor’s Reinforcing Excellence for Students in Texas) Award
  • 2007 RAMP (Recognized ASCA Model Program) Award
  • Boys and Girls Club Outreach Award—(Our school counseling team provides referrals and technical support to this award-winning program)
  • Distinguished School—(Our role in the school safety plan was integral to our school’s

winning this award)

  • School of Character Award

Resources for this section:

ASCA National Model Application:

The ASCA National Model: A Framework for School Counseling Programs, Second Edition(pp. 39–44, 49–52, 55)

Texas State Model Application:

A Model Comprehensive, Developmental Guidance & Counseling Program for Texas Public Schools, A Guide for Program Development, Pre-K–12th Grade, Fourth Edition(pp. 17–26)

Category 5: Major Achievements
The Major Achievements section must include the following items: / Yes / No
5a. One or more major achievements cited and explained for Guidance Curriculum
5b. One or more major achievements cited and explained for Responsive Services
5c. One or more major achievements cited and explained for Individual Student Planning
5d. One or more major achievements cited and explained for System Support
5e. The percentage of time 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 and a clear description of the relationship between the school counseling program and the achievement
5g. The required chart for delivery system, percentage of time spent, and major achievement

Category 6: Community Partnerships/Resources