Bringing the MA Model to Life By Christine Evans

ByCHRISTINE EVANS MASCA2007 Counselor oftheYear

In June of this year, I had a meeting with the superintendent ofthe East Bridgewater Public Schools to discuss the offer I received to come on board as the new Director of Guidance and Student Support Services.During the meeting, we talked about the need for a comprehensive school counseling program and for sharingour vision aboutwhat it could ac complish for the students in the district.

The meeting concluded with my ac cepting the offer.This was the beginning of a challenge:transforming the school counseling program at East Bridgewater High School into a proactive program that addresses the needs of all students, in terms of their academic, personal/social, and career growth.

Since that first meeting, I have participated in many more meetings—most of them with the building administrators— to define and focus the direction and goals of the school counseling program. The school district is looking to me for leadership in designing and putting into action adevelopmentally appropriate and comprehensive school counseling and support program.By sending me to the MA Model Implementation Institute in July, they dem onstrated their commitment to this goal.

Our mission is to reach every student. And as I share with the administrators, staff, and community the value of what we are doing and how it helps students succeed, we are gaining the support need ed to make the vision a reality.

Key elements in the process have been leadership and collaboration. Leadership has involved making a consistent effort to communicate early and often with all stakeholders about what we are doing, how it impacts students, and what needs to be done in the future.Our communication has includedfaculty meetings, de partment meetings, school committee meetings, newsletters, and even conversations in the faculty room.

Another key element is collaboration. The initial meetings we held with central office administrators, the building administrator, and the counseling staff helped tolay the foundation. Then, through continued collaboration,we set about working out the details of the program.

With the framework in place, we gained the support of faculty and support staff in the building. This was crucial for planning classroom visits and coordinating our objectives. We also collaborated with middle school and elementary school counselors and theirbuilding administrators, discussing common concerns and focusingon how to better serve our students.

Already,we are seeingthe results of this partnership.By sharing with the faculty, all those involved have remained focused on the purpose of helping students realize their potential.We have also worked to formalize and streamline pro cesses and procedures around ADA ac-

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commodation plans and individual student success plans (ISSPs).By aligning these processes, we have resolved issues that often occur when students transition from elementary to middle school, and then from middle school to high school. Through collaboration, we have eliminated the problems that arise from interruptions or discontinuation in support services.

The value of leadership and collaboration

Leadership and collaboration have helped bring about systemic change, not only in the administration ofthe school counseling program but also in the way decisions are made at all levels. When ad min istrators, faculty, and community members work together and communicate about a vision of success and achievement for all students, we become aware that all school policies and processes must be examined.

The critical question becomes, “How will this particular process/element help students?” In our comprehensive counseling program, we need to look at the data available and make decisions, not based upon the educational “flavor of the month” or a whim, but upon research. We need to look at what we have done and how it has worked for our students.

When we find a practice that is not conducive to student growth and achieve ment, change needs to be made.But none of this can be accomplished by any one person or department. Only through col laborative effort and effective leadership cansystem-wide change come about. That is what we are doing in the East Bridgewater Public Schools, and that is what is making a difference for all our students.

Thanks to the leaders ofthe MA Model Implementation Institute for showing the way and guiding our steps as we move forward. ■

Model Implementation Progress

Let us know if you are making progress with MA Model implementation. E-mail Jennifer McGuire at jmcguire@uppercapetech.org or Katie Gray at uniquepotential@comcast.net.

Ifyour students are considering careersin

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MASCA Spring Conference volunteers sought

Contact Helen O’Donnell at helenod@att.net

ED BRYANT MASCA Life Trustee

The fall MASCA conference was a suc cess, thanks to many people, especially Dr. Helen O’Donnell and her hardworking committee.

I was named co-chair of the MASCA 50th Reunion Committee,along with Mary Westcott;but since there’s too much on my plate already, I couldn’t accept the position.Oscar Krichmar graciously stepped in for me.

For the reunion I will be arranging a social gathering sponsored by colleges. Fuji Fulgueras of Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Jay Leiendecker of Dean College agreed to accept the challenge. Other duties were assigned to members in attendance: John Gould, Larry West, Ralph Sennott, Andy Tarka, and Carol Ryan. We expect others to join the committee in the future.

According to the “National Certified Counselor,” NBCC is designated as a “non-governmental organization partner with the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization” working towards “converging endeavours in the service of international cooperation and development.”

At the recent North Shore Guidance Directors meeting held in North Andover, the topic was Naviance. This web-based planning and advising system supports all aspects of the counseling process. A recent meeting of Northeast Counselors Association highlightedanother planning system, ConnectEdu. This is “a free allin-one web solution that streamlines the administrative tasks in the entire ‘going to college’ process.”

To benefit from programs such as these, counselors, students, and parents need to understand the new technology.For more information about ConnectEdu, call 888887-8380. It’s free. Congratulations to the presidents of NSGDA and NECA for alerting their members.

Question. Is your school dropping career education because of the extra attention given to achievement testing? You know my feelings about career development.

Congratulations to Sally Connolly on the publication of her new book, Never Better: AllThings Considered.

After forty-three years, USNA finally defeated University of Notre Dame. Go Navy!Football’s famous coach, Lou Holtz said, “I never learn anything talking.I only learn things when I ask questions.” ■

For 2008-09, paper FAFSAs will not be available for order in bulk.Students will be able to obtain a paper FAFSA by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1800-433-3243) or by visiting www.edpubs .org. Students may request up to three copies of the paper application and should receive their FAFSAs in three to seven business days.

New for 2008-09 is a PDF version of the FAFSA that students can submit for processing.Beginning in mid-November the PDF will be available for download on various Federal Student Aid websites, such as www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. Students can access the PDF, complete the form on the computer or by hand, and mail it to the address provided for processing. Schools will also be able to ac cess the PDF from www.FSAPubs.org.

With your support, we will continue to encourage students to use the online method for filing the application. The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet, the most effective tool students can use to facilitate the online application process, will still be available for bulk order by schools. In addition, Federal Student Aid has several promotional publications that list application resources, explain how students can file the FAFSA, and provide tips for completing the application. In mid-November, we will include some of these items in our Toolkit mailing.

Reasons for the change

While we have successfully decreased re liance on the paper FAFSA over the last several years, until now, Federal Student Aid has continued to print and distribute millions of unused paper forms to schools each year. Approximately 500,000 paper FAFSAs have been processed to date for 2007-08.For the same period in 200607, there were 778,000 forms processed. These numbers represent almost a 50 percent decline in the number of paper applications processed. Understanding the im portance of this trend, Federal Student Aid concluded that our new distribution strategy not only reduces waste and costs, it also provides students with viable alternatives for completing and submitting the FAFSA.

Means ofcommunication

We plan to increase our use of e-mail as a communication vehicle. Please visit www .FSAPubs.org and check your account information to confirm that we have the correct e-mail address for you. FSAPubs is the one-stop source for ordering all of Federal Student Aid’s free publications. Please review the attachment for information on a few of our most popular publications.

If you have any questions or comments about the information provided in this letter, please email us at FAFSA .Comments@ed.gov. —Student Aid Awareness and Applicant Services, Federal Student Aid, De partment ofEducation ■

PEOPLE, PLACES, AND PROGRAMS

Restaurant/Food Service scholarships being offered

Since the spring of2001, the Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation in partnership with the Na tional Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has awarded almost $500,000 in scholarships to 188 high school and un der grad students in Massachusetts who are continuing their education in food service.Granting these awards is made possible only throughthe continuousgenerosity from the MRA membership, who support the future of many students and their industry.

Please encourageyour students who are interested in the food service industry to apply for scholarships for the 20082009academic school year.

Applicants—high school seniors, college undergraduates,or GED credential holders—must be planning to attend or al ready be attending an accreditedpostsecondary restaurant/foodservice program.

To learn more about eligibility requirements or to receive an application, go to the MRA website on or before January1, 2008: www.marestaurantassoc.org. The application will be postedand will be downloadable. Or you can call the MRAEF at 508-303-9985 to receive an application through the mail or to learn more about eligibility.

NECA meets in December

On December 12, Northeast Counselors Association will hold its holiday meeting at Jimmy’s Allenhurst in Danvers. The sponsor is New England Institute of Technology. ■