Lewisville High School - Killough
CREST 2018-2019
A continuous improvement document sponsored by the Texas School Counseling Association
Counseling Staff & Contact Information
Jennifer Doherty - 972.350.4512 - DohertyJ@lisd.net
Tara Pierce - 972.350.4590 - PierceTara@lisd.net
Lori Dunham - 972.350.4514 - DunhamL@lisd.net
Lewisville High School - Killough
Website: https://www.lisd.net/domain/3294
Location: 1301 North Summit Avenue, Lewisville, TX, USA
Phone: 469.713.5987
Facebook: facebook.com/counselor-LHSk
Twitter: @counselorlhsk
Category 1: Principal's Comments
The counselors at Lewisville High School - Killough (LHSK) build a positive relationship with all students to ensure they have a safe and nurturing environment where they can work to develop and achieve their goals. The counselors work diligently to meet all needs in our school community and are essential to our school culture of student success and safety.
The counselors do an amazing job of balancing the four delivery systems in the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) National Model in order to develop and execute a comprehensive and effective counseling program. The counselors support the whole student in social, emotional and academic endeavors. They meet with every student in the building regarding academic plans and post-high school opportunities and are equally accessible to parents, staff and community members. They have implemented the use of a QR code for accessing counseling services that streamlines the request process and they utilize “Exit Tickets” as part of guidance lessons to follow up with student needs. In more than one instance, these tickets have named a student contemplating suicide and the counselors were able to effectively intervene and provide immediate support.
The goals outlined in the campus improvement plan are all related to student success. The counselors support our students, staff and community by helping with issues related to attendance, discipline, student success, and campus culture. In addition, they provide pertinent and relevant parent and staff training opportunities. The LHSK counselors do an excellent job of supporting all campus and district initiatives.
Category 2: Advisory Council
Committee Members:
Pamela Flores, Principal
Jaclyn Bly, Math Teacher
Joel Leader, Assistant Principal
Heather Garrison, Assistant Principal
Kyndra Tyler, Assistant Principal
Emily Wallace, English Teacher
Pam Allen, Para Professional
Patricia Marcumlerwick, Spanish Teacher
Merrick Rentzel, Biology Teacher
Blair Polly, Math Teacher
Jennifer Doherty, Counselor
Tara Pierce, Lead Counselor
Mandi Horn, Social Studies Teacher
Cecilia Rodriguez, Biology Teacher
Lori Dunham, Counselor
Erum Ali, Parent
Sherman Swartz, Parent/Community
Cody Barfknecht, Student
Marybeth Coen, Testing Coordinator
Andrea Welding, English as a Second Language Liaison
Jane Foster, English as a Second Language Liaison
Shanta Walker, Special Education Teacher
Category 3: School Climate & Safety
The LHSK counseling team supports the school climate and safety by promoting understanding and awareness among staff and students so that the school culture is one that allows everyone served to feel safe, as their authentic self, in the school setting. When students feel safe and secure in a culture of mutual respect, there is an increase in student performance and a decrease in discipline issues.
The graph shows a decrease in
students receiving disciplinary placements over the past two years.
Programs implemented and supported by the LHSK counseling team strive to improve campus climate and safety and can be measured by the number of students placed in disciplinary settings.
The LHSK counselors play a vital role in the school safety and crisis team by serving on or leading various committees, clubs, training for staff, parents, and students on crisis response and ways to provide support to the school.
Suicide Prevention Curriculum: Staff training and implementation
Individual meetings with all students for academic planning
Collaboration with the Response to Intervention (RtI) team
- Prevention and Wellness System (PAWS): Parent, student and staff programming on topics that include anti-bullying, sexting, early mental health intervention, alcohol and drug awareness, dating and relationship violence
- Staff Training (Flex Time)
- Expanding Our Cultural Proficiency
- Identifying and Responding to a Crisis
- Expanding Our Cultural Proficiency
Utilizing a variety of media formats to access students and support the school culture
"Chalk Talk"
Twitter: @counselorlhsk
Website: www.lisd.net/domain/3294
Mixed media presentation formats for guidance lessons
Visual Aides throughout the school
Journey to Dream (JTD): Student led program for healthy decision making and wellness
Category 4: Student Results
LHSK counselors, strive to provide students with individual support in order to improve grades, attendance and overall school success. As the Nationals Standards state, the counseling staff utilizes data to measure student success and determine what intervention and support systems need to be implemented or readdressed.
Goal # 1
The LHSK counseling team will monitor students’ grades and provide interventions throughout the school year in order to maintain a school passing rate of 95% or higher.
Data Points
2014-2015 student passing rate – 96%
2015-2016 student passing rate – 97%
2016-2017 student passing rate – 97%
2017-2018 student passing rate – 98%
Population: All LHSK students
Time Frame: August 2017-June 2018
Counselor Interventions
Utilize failure data to identify students in need of support
Individual meetings with students who are failing one or more core classes at the end of the 3 weeks, 6 weeks, and 9 weeks
Implement individualized support plans for students at risk for not earning credit due to attendance
Conferences with student support teams, parents and teachers
Refer students for support from the RtI team
Consistent communication with the RtI team and assistant principals
- Attending Section 504 and Admission, Review, and Dismissal (ARD) meetings
The graph demonstrates continued growth in the
percentage of students passing their core classes.
Rationale: Student success is the primary role of the school counselor and maintaining passing grades is one measure of student success that is directly supported by the LHSK counseling team.
Goal #2
The LHSK counseling team will utilize interventions throughout the school year, in order to decrease the number of students who are not awarded credit due to attendance, by 50%.
Data Points:
2014-2015 → 13 students not awarded credit due to excessive absences
2015-2016 → 4 students not awarded credit due to excessive absences
2016-2017 → 2 students not awarded credit due to excessive absences
2017-2018 → 2 students not awarded credit due to excessive absences
Population: All LHSK students
Time Frame: August 2017 – June 2018
Counselor Interventions
Access attendance data
Regularly scheduled, individual meetings with students who are identified as truant or at risk for truancy, by exceeding the state allowed number of absences
Implement individualized support plans for students at risk of not earning credit due to attendance
Serve on campus Attendance Committee
Consistent communication with the attendance clerk, students, student resource officer, teachers, parents and administrators
This chart shows a consistent decrease in the number of students
who lost credit as a result of poor attendance.
Rationale: Student success is the primary role of the school counselor and there is a strong correlation between attendance and overall student success, including future pathway planning and post secondary opportunities.
Category 5: Major Achievements
Raising College Awareness
Celebrating Cultural Diversity
Writing Grants
Guidance Curriculum
- Overall percentage of time spent on implementing guidance curriculum: 20%
- Identify students in need of emotional support through the use of exit tickets, QR code and follow up
- Utilize a variety of presentation models (face to face, social media, video presentation, google classroom) to delver guidance lessons to students
- Guidance lessons contribute to a marked increase in the number of students taking the PSAT, from 652 to 732
- Promotion of college and career readiness led to an increase in attendance at the College and Career Fair by 20%
Responsive Services
- Overall percentage of time spent on responsive services: 45%
- Monitor student grades and collaborate with the RtI team to promote academic success and help to maintain a 98% student passing rate, school wide
- Systemic approach for student counseling requests that allows for categorizing needs and data collection
- Implement a Suicide Prevention Curriculum and protocol for procedural standards in order to identify students in need and to provide resources and support
- Extracurricular clubs and organizations that promote healthy choices and involvement resulting in an increase in awareness among students
- Create individualized student safety plans in order to provide "wrap around" support for students
- Recipient of Changing Children's Lives award
Systemic Access to Counseling Services
Changing Children's Lives Award
Block Lunch Clubs - A Place for Everyone
Individual Student Planning
- Overall percentage of time spent on individual student planning: 25%
- Individual and grade level meetings to develop academic, career, personal and social/emotional goals
- Individual meetings resulted in 100% of students selecting an endorsement area and developing a four year career plan
- Streamline the course selection process through collaboration with teachers and feeder schools
- Parent meetings to address four year career plans, course selection, post secondary planning and provide a questions and answer opportunity
- Pilot a new assessment system for the Language Other Than English (LOTE) testing, resulting in a 70% increase in the number of students awarded credit by exam for the LOTE graduation requirement
- Guide the application and enrollment process for dual credit courses, including administration of the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) testing, resulting in an increase in dual credit enrollment from 37 to 93 students
System Support
- Overall percentage of time spent on system support: 20%
- PAWS program implemented school wide
- Campus based Parent Nights
- Participation on BLT
- Members of the "What's Your Plan (WYP)" Committee
- Participants in the WYP community night, which serves to further establish a school culture for post secondary success
- Consult and collaborate with Communities in Schools (CIS)
- Members of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) site time
- Presenters at Coffee Talk, a series of campus based parent education lunch meetings
Category 6: Community Partnerships and Resources
Academic:
University of North Texas Math Department
Provide tutoring to students
North Central Texas College (NCTC) Dual Credit Partnership
Building opportunities for students to take college level courses while enrolled in high school
First Student
Provides funding for academic tutoring
Greater Lewisville Association of Realtors
Provides school supplies
United Way of Dallas
Provides funding for academic support
Career:
Career Cafe
Brings in members of the community to share information about their career with students in an open forum (dentist, veterinarian, small business owner, fashion designer, art gallery owner, architect)
What’s Your Plan? Community Event
Brings in speakers with information on applying for college, careers in the military, technical programs, obtaining citizenship, etc.
AT&T Aspire
Provides funding for career field trips
Personal/Social:
Dallas Challenge
Mentoring for youth who are at risk for dropping out and/or substance abuse
Teen Life
Mentoring for youth who are having difficulties transitioning to high school
Dressed to Learn
Provides clothing for school
Saint Anne’s Catholic Parish
Provides Thanksgiving baskets
Lewisville Chamber of Commerce
Lead Forward mentor program
Academic Tutoring
Chamber of Commerce Grant Recipient
Career Cafe
Category 7: Parent Collaboration
The LHSK counselors believe in open communication with parents and utilize a variety of communication formats in order to facilitate this process: Twitter, Remind 101, Skylert, the campus website, the counseling department QR code/Google form, access through Skyward, phone, and email. The LHSK counselors work to maintain accessibility for parents and to establish personal, positive relationships that are further supported with an open-door policy.
Guidance Curriculum
Needs assessment
Counselors serve on the Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA)
Reminders with an invitation to view content are sent via email and Skylert prior to guidance lessons and course selection
Video recordings of presentations are posted on our website
Responsive Services
Parents are contacted and involved in the response process
Resources are provided to the parent
Follow up contact is made to ensure continuity of care for the student
Individual Planning
QR Code for systemic and efficient approach to requests
Open door policy for meeting with parents regarding student plans
Parent nights
Positive calls, referrals and notes to parents
- Recipient of the Caring for Kids award
System Support
Coffee Talks
Counselor Talks
WYP Community Night
Visuals and announcements that support school culture
AVID Family Night