TABLE OF CONTENTS

ROLE OF THE STEM COUNSELOR______3

Leadership______3

Student Support and Advocacy______3

STEM CULTURE______7

Advisory Program______4

Collaboration and Communication______4

STEM COUNSELING COMPONENTS______6

STEM Guidance______6

Grades/Grade Point Average (GPA)______7

Attendance______7

Student Records______8

Junior High Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Scores______9

High School Advanced Placement Exam Scores______9

Academy and College Course Selection and Schedule Building______10

Credit Options______11

State Required Courses and Electives______12

Pre-Advamced (PAP) and Advnced Placement (AP)______12

Dual Credit______13

Six-Drop Rule______14

Excessive Hours______14

Eligibility______15

Identifing Dual Credit Courses______15

Dual Credit Crosswalk______16

Course Sequencing ______16

Delivery Options______16

Transferability______17

Concurrent Enrollment______18

Career Technology Education (CTE)/Tech Prep Courses______18

STEM Graduation Plans and Career Pathways______19

Assessments______19

State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STARR)______19

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)______19

Managing TSI Scores______20

TSI Intervention Strategies______21

College Entrance Exams______23

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT)______23

SAT______23

ACT______24

STEM DUAL CREDIT IHE COMPONENTS______25

Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)______25

Dual Credit Agreements______26

Institution of Higher Education (IHE) Partner’s Policies______26

Admission Requirements for Dual Credit Students______27

Dual Credit Application Process______27

Dual Credit Registration Process______27

Transfer Agreements______28

College Credits and Degree Plans______28

POST GRADUATION COLLEGE PLANNING______29

Making College Choices______29

Four-Year College Applications______30

Admission Policy______30

Financial Aid______30

Federal Student Aid______31

Student and Parent Loans______31

Scholarships______31

STEM COUNSELOR APPLICATION PROCEDURES______32

GLOSSARY OF TERMS ______33

APPENDIX______38-56

Role of the Science Technology Engineering Math (STEM) Counselor

Leadership

The STEM counselor leads the way in providing students equal access to rigorous high school programs and to postsecondary coursework. To accomplish this, the STEM counselor engages in an expanded counseling role. The counselor takes on a significant leadership role working collaboratively with students, parents, academy staff,Institute of Higher Education (IHE) partner, and community to promote student success.

Counselors in STEM academies may share responsibilities outside those traditionally seen for school counselors. The counselor assumes a more direct role in collaborating with academy teachers and IHE partnerto focus on improving student academic outcomes.

Student Support and Advocacy

The counselor advocates for students, frames the pathway to college and career for students, and builds strong, supportive relationships with students. In the role of student advocate the counselor facilitates students in achieving their high school and postsecondary academic goals while supporting their emotional and social needs. The counselor actively promotes student voice so that each student is fully involved in setting goals and is aware of their progress toward achieving those goals. The STEM counselor assures students have access to academic opportunities offered by their academy and IHE partner and ensures they enroll in appropriate and rigorous courses. Fostering a collaborative relationship with the IHE partner provides an avenue for the counselor to act as student and STEM program advocate.

Sharing pertinent assessment data, not only traditional high school assessments but TSI results, with students and teachers fosters an understanding of the academic expectations for college level work andprovide them with valuable information to plan for improvement. It is essential that students are made aware of how their current academic choices are related to their desired postsecondary goals and future career choices.

The content of the guidance program offered in a STEM academy would push beyond high school into aspects of the college culture and career pathways especially in the STEM fields and college degrees. College and Career guidance provides essential information to students in making decisions regarding their future.

STEM focused graduation plans and STEM/Career focused four-year plans provide a framework that ensures students graduate with a rich selection of courses including dual credit courses that will transfer into the post-secondary program of their choice.

STEM counseling is a collaborative effort not only between the counselor and students and academy staff but between the counselor and the IHE partner. In order to ensure that students become familiar with college culture and expectations and knowledgeable of postsecondary choices, the academy counselor and the IHE liaison or college counselor work hand-in-hand to implement the academy dual credit program removing potential roadblocks to student success. It is essential that the academy counselor is familiar with their IHE partner’s program offerings and degree/certification opportunities and imparts this knowledge to academy students.

The T-STEM Academies Design Blueprint can be employed as a road map to ensure that the academy’s counseling program addresses those elements specific to counseling and student secondary and post-secondary success. The updated Blueprint will be available in May, 2015. The current Blueprint can be viewed at The STEM Counselor Checklist can help pinpoint progress toward achieving full implement of the T-STEM Blueprint (see Appendix 1) and updated checklist can be obtained after the revision is completed.

STEM Culture

“The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce shows that by 2018, we will need 22 million new college degrees—but will fall short of that number by at least 3 million postsecondary degrees, Associate’s or better. In addition, we will need at least 4.7 million new workers with postsecondary certificates.” (Help Wanted: Projections of Jobs and Education Requirements Through 2018, Anthony P. Carnevale, Nicole Smith, and Jeff Strohl, Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, June 2010.)

Advisory Program

The inclusion of an advisory period promotes school culture through opportunities for building shared core values, beliefs and traditions as well as providing an opportunity for student voice to be heard. The advisory period activities build trust and offer both social/emotional and academic support. It is a stage where open and honest communication is valued and high expectations are reinforced. The counselor role in advisory is determined by the academy. The counselor can utilize advisory as a means for imparting guidance concepts either directly or through the advisory facilitator.

Examples of Advisory topics can be found in the Appendix[O1] 2.

Collaboration and Communication

The STEM academy enables students to experience rigorous, relevant STEM coursework in a strong supportive and collaborative environment. Building a STEM culture is a collaborative effort between students, academy staff, parents and the community. A STEM culture possesses clear expectations of all stakeholders and provides support needed to attain goals while preparing studentsfor success in college and careers in STEM fields.

The STEM counselor advocates for students and strengthens the STEM culture through emphasizing a college-going awareness in students as well as providing a focus on STEM career preparation. Building culture begins with providing students relevant individual counseling and classroom guidance.

The counselor assists students in the decision-making process of choosing rigorous STEM courses and examining college and career options. Through specifically focused guidance, the counselor assists students in identifying the college and career aspirations and plan to achieve them.

Providing students with an individual STEM Personal Graduation Plan[O2] (Appendix 5[BB3])and specific four-year plans[O4] geared toward their Foundation High School Program Endorsements enables students to envision the road to success both at high school and into college. (See Appendix 6).

Counselors communicate with parents through phone conversations, meetings, parent conferences and presentations. A STEM counselor provides parents with a deep understanding of the culture of the academy through:

  • Grade-level parent presentations provide information as to expectations associated with each grade with respect to course attainment and college readiness and access. It can be an opportunity to impart information on assessments, graduation plans, attendance and more.
  • College Readiness Presentations
  • College Nights and Career Fairsoffer students and parents face-to-face opportunities to speak with college representatives and career professionals. If your academy does not sponsor these events, they are available to students through the local school district and the National Association for College Admissions Counseling (NACAC) college fairs, 4.29.15). (Click the College Fairs button on the top left[O5].) The Texas Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (TACRAO) offers registration as a host school for their college fairs. There is a fee.
  • Financial Aid presentations can be facilitated through the Financial Aid Department of your IHE partner or other local college and university offices. Some colleges conduct Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) workshopsto assist in completion of the forms.
  • Parent Workshops where experts from the academy’s IHE partner and other colleges to provide parent information regarding college admittance, college entry exams, and college life.
  • Amonthly newsletter for students and parents can cover topics essential to their grade level and the STEM program. Include testing dates, programs, college visitation dates, scholarships, AP/SAT/ACT test schedules, helpful websites, and more.
  • Conferencing allows counselors to use their strong interpersonal skills and knowledge of the STEM program to effectively communicate with parents when stumbling blocks appear in the pathway to their student’s success. When the STEM counselor participates in parent/teacher/student conferences it becomes an opportunity to advocate for the student while supporting the policies of the academy. These open and honest conferences promote open and honest relationships and communication.

STEM Counseling

STEM Guidance

To accomplish the mission of the STEM academy, classroom guidance expands beyond traditional components into the area of postsecondary issues. Texas Education Agency’s FAQ’s for counselors can be viewed at, (accessed 4.29.15). Another valuable resource for traditional guidance and counseling is Texas GEAR UP, (accessed 4.29.15) with more information located on the TEA website, (accessed 4.29.15). Using Gear UP resources, counselors can build their own toolkit including videos and guidance lessons including print materials for middle and high school students.

STEM guidance encompasses providing students with an understanding of the IHE culture so that when students begin college courses they are prepared and aware of what is expected of them. Beginning in 9th grade scaffolding guidance lessons on key aspects of postsecondary culture, access, and success prepares students to successfully navigate the college experience. Guidance could include:

  • Understanding College Processes and Vocabulary
  • Career Fields and Level of Postsecondary Education Requirements
  • College Entry and TSI Requirements
  • Types of College Courses and Credits
  • IHE Partner’s Course Offerings, Degrees and Certifications
  • Registering for College Courses
  • College Course Expectations
  • Preparing for Transferring to a Four-Year College
  • Preparing to Enter the Workforce

Grades and Grade Point Average (GPA)

High school GPA determines class rank. Students in the top 10% who meet the college entry requirements by the university deadlines and who enroll in college no more than two years after graduation receive automatic admission except at University of Texas which has been approved for an exception. For the period from the 2011-2012 academic year through the 2015-2016 academic year, The University of Texas at Austin is not required to admit applicants in excess of the number needed to fill 75 percent of first-time resident undergraduate students, (accessed 4.29.15).

Once a student has established a college transcript, that college GPA becomes significant in the acceptance process at the four-year college/university. The significance of college GPA is also seen when students allow their college GPA to fall below an established number, generally below 2.0, and enter into probation where restrictions are placed on the number of college courses allowed. This information is located in the college student handbook.

The IHE partner provides college course grades to the academy which are then translated into academy grades and entered into the students’ grade records.

Attendance

Section 25.092 of the Texas Education Code (TEC) requires students to be in attendance for at least 90% of the days the class is offered. House Bill 5 (HB 5[O6]) expands this to state that students will not receive a final grade and course credit if they are not in attendance 90% of the days the class is offered, see ESC 20, “HB 5 Summary” (accessed 4.29.15).

If the student does not attend 90% of the days the class is offered they can appeal to the Campus Attendance Committee. Depending upon the circumstances, the Campus Attendance Committee can rule to let the student develop a plan to regain lost credit or deny the appeal. If a plan is accepted during the appeal process, once the plan is completed, the credit is returned. If the appeal is denied due to excessive absences, the student loses credit for the course and will have to retake it. Information can be found on the TEA website, (accessed 4.29.15).

Before students accumulate excessive levels of absences, the counselor and others intervene with the student to determine the causes for absences and the factors involved. Interventions may take the form of problem-solving with the student on how to decrease numbers of absences, contacting parents and educating them on the district attendance policy, and possible referral to outside agencies. Reward programs and student recognition for attendance encourage students to attend school.

Attendance in a college course is maintained by the course professor/adjunct. Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) rules determine the extent this information may be shared. Communicating the need for current information on student attendance and course progress to the IHE partner may result in a plan for obtaining and sharing the information approved by the college official.

Student Records

The high school transcript records the credits earned by the student at each grade level as well as courses earned outside of the school. The number of state credits earned determines grade placement. Generally, the placement policy is outlined in the school district guidelines. For 2013, 26 state credits are required for graduation on the State Recommended (REC) and Distinguished Achievement Plan (DAP) graduation plan. The student’s high school transcript is maintained by the academy registrar.

Implementation of the Foundation High School Program (FHSP) will begin in 2014-2015 school year. Foundation Only requires 22 state credits while Foundation with Endorsements requires 26 state credits as does the Distinguished Level of Achievement[O7].

Annual review of the transcript by the counselor can forestall any issues with missing coursework or mislabeled courses. The student transcript should mirror the counselor’s student credit evaluation worksheet. Corrections to the high school transcript are made by the registrar following the Minimum Standards for the Academic Achievement Record (AAR) found on the Texas Education Agency website, (accessed 4.30.15).

The AAR is maintained on the Texas Record Exchange (TREx) System, (accessed 4.30.15) and is maintained by the high school registrar. Crosschecking the AAR with the counselor record is important to insure the accuracy of the document.

An examination of past and present student records are essential to determining how best to assist student who are not successful. These may be a combination of:

  • Grade Reports/Transcripts
  • Attendance Records
  • Health Records
  • Assessment Records
  • District At-Risk Information
  • Behavioral/Discipline Reports
  • Previous Interventions and Results
  • Past Referrals for Testing
  • Parent Information
  • Home Language Survey

The college transcript is the record of the student’s college coursework. When the student applies to a four-year-college, both the high school and college transcript are part of the application review process. Emphasis is placed on the college transcript and GPA when determining admission. Creating and maintaining an awareness of the importance of their college transcript requires intentional counseling through either specific college culture guidance lessons or conferencing with students individually. Just as students review their high school transcript for errors, reviewing their college transcript can alert them to areas of concern.

The college transcript is available to students on-line after transcription of college grades. Students should provide a copy of their college transcript to the academy counselor in order to update their credit evaluation worksheet. Examination of the college transcript can provide the counselor the student’s college GPA and grades earned in courses. Grades below “C” are generally not transferrable and student may want to retake those courses. Students who are bordering on probation may be called in for individual counseling to determine what interventions may be needed to assist the student in maintaining passing college grades.

Junior High Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Scores

Native Spanish Speakers who took Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish exams in junior high should, once enrolled in the college, take their AP score results to the college registrar for entry onto their college transcript which can be awarded between 4-12 college hours depending upon the AP exams taken and the scores.

The counselor may need to locate the names of students who took the AP Spanish exams in 7th or 8th grade and contact the students so they can provide their exam results to the IHE partner’s registrar once they are enrolled.

High School Advanced Placement Exam Scores

AP exam scores taken in high school should also be provided to the college registrar for entry onto their college transcript. AP exam reports are cumulative and will show all exams taken by a student. Exam scores can be requested through College Board, (accessed 4.30.15)and sent directly to the IHE partner’s registrar.

Academy and College Course Selection and Schedule Building