Congratulations, you have successfully made it through October. Now we enter the season of gratitude, with Thanksgiving Break just a couple of weeks away!

On behalf of the Region 10 Counseling Team we want to start this season off by expressing our appreciation for you and all you do for your school community. We are so very blessed to have the opportunity to serve alongside all of you. Thank YOU for your commitment to educators and kids!

Wishing you a hope-filled month ahead,

Susan Delarosa & Brandi Fennell

Please complete our Region 10 Counseling Spring Survey to let us know how we can continue to support you in 2021. As always, we value your feedback.

Reach! will be published twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. Our very own, Susan Delarosa, is featured in this first fall edition. Please enjoy the new Region 10 Reach! Magazine below.

Thank you to uAspire for providing these wonderful financial aid resources.

Student FSA ID FAQ

FAFSA Checklist and Financial Aid Timeline*

Next Steps after the FAFSA and Financial Aid Offer*

*These are available in six other languages. Please email brandi.fennell@region10.org if you would like access to them.

These are also some helpful Financial Aid websites from uAspire.

Student Resources

COVID-19 Support Resources

**uAspire is working to provide accurate and timely info to navigate financial aid and higher education systems during the COVID-19 crisis. They regularly update these resources regarding financial aid and the impact of COVID-19.

QuaverSEL is excited to partner with Region 10 to offer free online, interactive social emotional learning resources for school counselors this school year! Check out the information and free resources below to learn more!

• QuaverSEL In Action (1 minute video)
• QuaverSEL Brochure
• QuaverSEL and Texas Counseling Standards Crosswalk
• QuaverSEL is on TEA's Approved List of Resources
• YouTube Links:

• Song of the Month Relax of the Month
• Song of the Month I’m Motivated
• Emotion Soundboard

QuaverSEL is offering a FREE pilot of their resources for the remainder of this school year. The pilot includes free access to QuaverSEL resources along with training on the resources so you feel comfortable and confident! This is being offered to individual school counselors or districts in Region 10.

QuaverSEL Brochure

Please contact Carlie Phillips from QuaverSEL (CarliePhillips@QuaverEd.com) for more info about these resources and how you can pilot QuaverSEL for free!

As the holiday season approaches, celebrations, traditions, and gatherings with family and friends may look different this year due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. For many, this may mean learning new ways of celebrating the upcoming holidays with loved ones from afar (e.g. virtual celebrations). While the holiday season can create a number of stressors, the uncertainty and challenges created by the pandemic can increase feelings of worry, stress, loneliness, grief, loss, and concern. The NCTSN has resources to help children, youth, and families, build family resilience, adapt to changes, and cope with challenges this upcoming holiday season.

SUPPORTING CHILDREN AND TEENS DURING THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

HELPING CHILDREN WITH TRAUMATIC SEPARATION OR TRAUMATIC GRIEF RELATED TO COVID-19

Taking Care of Yourself (Adult Self-Care)

Holidays, Celebrations, and Traumatically Bereaved Children (Webinar)

Simple (At-home) Activities for Children and Adolescents

CASEL first introduced the term “social and emotional learning” 26 years ago. Since then, we have been committed to a continuous process of learning, examining, and collaboratively refining the understanding of SEL. Throughout this process, our goal has remained the same: advance high-quality SEL in schools everywhere so that all adults and young people can thrive.We are excited to share updates across definitions and our framework to highlight an expanded vision and growing research base for SEL. To learn more, please visit their new webpages. Together, we can create learning environments and experiences that promote SEL for all.

Mark your calendars for March 26, 2021 for International SEL Day. Info to come!

Hope Cottage is offering evidence-based healthy relationship FREE sessions called Love Notes. These programs build skills and knowledge for healthy and successful relationships with partners, family, friends, and co-workers. The Love Notes program uses curriculum from the Dibble Institute and has shown to decrease dating violence, teen and college pregnancy, help young adults acquire healthy relationship skills, and help all ages acquire communication and conflict resolution skills. Each session is about forty-five minutes for virtual presentations or a whole classroom period for in-person. The programs are geared towards 12-23-year-olds.

All of these sessions are presented live by trained Hope Cottage staff members. Each session is engaging with videos and polls to keep the audience’s attention. Please see the information about the sessions below.

Love Notes Relationship Program

Session 1- Good Relationships Start with You (values, goals, personality style, baggage)

Session 2- What Makes a Relationship Succeed or Fail? (dating expectations, compatibility, principles of a good relationship, breakups)

Session 3- Is it a Healthy Relationship? (healthy vs. unhealthy, infatuation vs. love, love chemicals in your brain, relationship pyramid, deciding vs. sliding)

Session 4- Effective Communication & Conflict Management Skills (effective/ineffective communication, conflict solving models, the science of anger, communicating complaints)

Session 5- Relationship Safety (statistics, forms of dating violence, red flags, technology safety)

Session 6- Teenage Pregnancy & STDs

To schedule presentations or for any questions email khood@hopecottage.org or call 214-415-0136. *Currently only scheduling virtual sessions. **Can request whole program or individual sessions.

The State Board of Education (SBOE) adopts new §§120.1, 120.3, 120.5, 120.7, and 120.9, concerning other Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which include new TEKS for positive character traits for Kindergarten-Grade 12 in accordance with House Bill (HB) 1026, 86th Texas Legislature, 2019.

The Project Restore Website will offer up to 6 videos, including facilitation guides and transcripts, to train educators and staff around trauma experienced specific to COVID. Videos range from 25-35 minutes and include a quiz to earn CEUs. If all 6 videos are viewed it will count toward SB11 trauma/grief informed training requirements for school staff. Participants who watch these videos can receive certificates.

The last video of TEA's Project Restore trauma-informed training video series was released on October 22nd.

Click HERE for a collection of K-12 classroom blended and online learning solutions for educators and students promotes critical thinking and learning around historical and current events topics through the lens of diversity, bias and social justice.

The threshold percentages of annual graduates who demonstrate college, career, or military readiness for each of the following cohorts are as follows:

• 11% of annual graduates who are educationally disadvantaged
• 24% of annual graduates who are not educationally disadvantaged
• 0% of annual graduates who are enrolled in a special education program regardless of whether the annual graduates are educationally disadvantaged

Because of the required administrative rulemaking process, these thresholds are not yet final. The public comment period on the proposed CCMR OB rule opens on January 1, 2021, and closes on February 1, 2021.

TEA will exclude military enlistment data from both CCMR accountability calculations and CCMR OB Student Listings until such data can be obtained directly from the U.S. Armed Forces. Upon receipt of such data, previously released final CCMR OB Student Listings will be updated to include military enlistment data.

U.S. Armed Forces Data

Due to discrepancies between annual enlistment counts for Texas military enlistees aged 17–19 released by the Department of Defense and the Texas Student Data System (TSDS) Public Education Information Management System (PEIMS) military enlistment data for 2017 and 2018 annual graduates, TEA will exclude military enlistment data from both CCMR accountability calculations and CCMR OB Student Listings until such data can be obtained directly from the U.S. Armed Forces.

Upon receipt of such data, previously released final CCMR OB Student Listings will be updated to include military enlistment data. When the final CCMR OB Student Listings are updated, the number of annual graduates in excess of the threshold percentage for each cohort will be updated and used to recalculate college, career, or military readiness outcomes bonus funding for any applicable fiscal year.

Released by TEA, Oct. 29, 2020.

This week Performance Reporting published this video to help users better understand the CCMR Tracker. This video provides a review of CCMR data sources, the purpose of the Tracker, how to navigate the Tracker, what districts should do if errors are found, and other frequently asked questions.

Some of our students will take the new version of the Texas Success Initiative assessment (TSIA 2.0) this year. How will these results be included in future College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) calculations?

Results across both versions will be accepted. For students who took the original version (TSIA 1.0), the criteria that was adopted at that time will be used for college readiness determinations. For students who take the new version (TSIA 2.0), we will use the newly adopted criteria.

When will the 2020 College, Career, and Military Readiness (CCMR) data table and final student listing be published?

Districts have until October 1st to submit corrections via the CCMR Verifier. Performance Reporting staff anticipates completing the review process in mid-October and publishing final reports in late October or early November.

A chatbot named ADVi – short for “adviser” – uses artificial intelligence to provide on-demand support to Texans looking to attend or return to higher education. Right now, any student in Texas may access ADVi by texting “COLLEGE” to 512-829-3687 or by starting a freshman application in ApplyTexas.

When students sign up to receive messages from ADVi, they receive:

• The ability to ask questions about college 24/7 via text message,
• Backup support from our virtual advisers if a student has needs or questions beyond what ADVi can provide,
• Student-friendly, accurate, and engaging messages about key college access milestones,
• Information and tips to help with their college applications, planning, and financial aid, and
• Resources to help navigate the transition to college.

Learn more at www.askADVi.org.

In November, GenTX Month combines our statewide College Application and Financial Aid Awareness campaign, the nationwide American College Application Campaign® (ACAC) initiative, and the 60x30TX Texas Challenge to Reach Higher efforts into one powerful month to encourage students to complete a college application and FAFSA. GenTX Month also coincides with the opening of the 2021-22 FAFSA and TASFA.

May 3, 2021, GenTX Decision Day, is your opportunity to recognize and celebrate students for their postsecondary plans in front of the entire student body. Think of GenTX Decision Day as a school spirit day, during which we all work together to build excitement and awareness surrounding the college selection and enrollment process.

By clicking HERE and filling out the form, you are committing your school to initiate and plan activities that promote both GenTX Month 2020 and GenTX Decision Day 2021.

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on our students and their educational goals. However, with the right information and support, we believe that Texas students can persevere, stay focused, and achieve their college goals. To support the counselors and students of Texas, Future Focused TX campaign is a public-private collaboration which aims to maintain college enrollment rates in Texas. This statewide effort will provide free, compelling, researched-based digital content to you, school counselors and advisors, to help all students graduate and matriculate into college. Click the link HERE to check out the first digital package and begin sharing this vital information with your students. Once you opt-in to this exciting campaign you will begin receiving weekly copy-and-paste emails to send straight to your students to help them engage with the content and continue on the path to their college goals!

To officially join the Future Focused TX campaign make sure to fill out this survey! By sharing your contact information you will receive emails with the monthly digital counselor packages, invites to campaign webinars and other exciting support for your students.

In preparation for the January 11, 2021 launch of the TSI Assessment, Version 2.0 (TSIA2), THECB staff will host separate webinars for higher education and K-12 stakeholders. Each webinar will address topics in context for the stakeholder group.

Topics of discussion will include the following:
• Test features and enhancements
• College Readiness benchmarks
• Online Remote Proctoring and COVID Waivers
• Equity-focused Corequisite placements and guidance for Multiple Measures Assessment
• Q&A

Time

Nov 18, 2020 01:00 PM

Register HERE.

Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 (TSIA2) launches on January 11, 2021, at which time the current version of the TSIA will no longer be available.

TSIA2 training is mandated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and required for all K-12 and higher education institutions that currently administer TSIA and/or intend to administer the TSIA2. The 4-part training series will be held virtually. At least one person from an institution must attend all four training sessions.

Trainings will begin September 21, 2020. Click here to register for the training sessions. For a complete list of all dates and sessions type “TSIA2” into the Zoom search field or click HERE.

The current MOU for College Prep Courses negotiated by Region 10 in 2018 will expire June 2021. Participants in this MOU can still access all necessary resources for the 20-21 school year at gg.gg/collegeprep.

To prepare for that expiration, we encourage you to go ahead and explore the TEA-supported opportunity for College Prep Courses: www.texascollegebridge.org. Texas College Bridge could be implemented this year in conjunction with the final year of the R10-negotiated MOU. There are expanded opportunities in this platform that may better serve your students.

There are four opportunities to enter Texas College Bridge this fall: Aug 10, Sept. 14, Oct. 12, and Nov. 9. Click here to access the Texas College Bridge MOU, Implementation Guide, Participation Agreement, and more.

At Region 10, you may contact Consultant Jennifer Gunn (jennifer.gunn@region10.org) or Assistant Director Chris Grey (chris.grey@region10.org). Or, you may email TexasCollegeBridge@tea.texas.gov

Advanced Placement (AP)

College Board Waives Unused/Canceled Exam Fee

All students taking AP courses should consider ordering their exams this fall. Given this year’s unusual circumstances, the unused/canceled exam fee will not be applied (in 2020-21 only). This announcement gives students more options:

• All students should order an AP exam for each course in which they are participating for which payment is not expected until June 2021.
• Students may retake AP exams because there is no limit on the number of times an exam can be taken.

Schools can help students prepare for these exams or students can prepare for them on their own with available resources including purchased exam study guides.

• If there are students who did not take the AP exam in 2020 for the course in which they were enrolled, they may order and take an AP exam this year.
• Students who have taken an AP exam in the past on which they received a score they were not pleased with may retake the exam in an effort to achieve a higher score.

SAT/ACT

Request Reimbursement beginning November 9

TEA is opening the verification process for districts to request SAT/ACT reimbursement on November 9. To prepare, districts should designate a point person at the district level for this project and ensure they have Accountability-level access in TEAL. Please view this presentation for more information.

TSIA

The Texas Success Initiative Assessment, Version 2.0 (TSIA2) is set to launch on January 11, 2021 and will replace the current version of the test (TSIA). The TSIA2 will provide a more stream-lined testing experience combining the current reading and writing sections into a new single section, English Language Art and Reading (ELAR).

Further, the diagnostic tests have been reduced to one per subject area. Students will have access to test feature tutorials and the ability to send their scores to institutions, free of charge.

Last, both students and educators will have access to free instructional and practice materials related to TSIA2 content with the launch of the TSIA2 Learning Resources library (January 2021).

Please email elaine.fackler@region10.org to update your Apply Texas account or request access.

We are so incredibly honored to support Region 10 ESC counselors spanning over 80 districts, 55 charter schools and 860,000 students.

Legislative Updates

School Counselor Ethics

Crisis Support

Comprehensive Guidance Planning

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Social and Emotional Learning

Transcripts

and much more!

**For Apply Texas access or technical support, please contact Brandi Fennell at brandi.fennell@region10.org

Be sure to check out our other department newsletters HERE.