Counselor's Notebook, April 2012 by Sally Ann Connolly

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

VOL. 48, NO. 8

The Changing School Counselor’s Role By MICHELLE BURKE MASCA President

MICHELLE BURKE

e are all aware that the role expectations of a school counselor, especially in Massachusetts, have changed considerably over the past ten plus years. These changes made some school counselors consider retirement, but they have also made many improvements in our service delivery. The changes needed to be made. Our country was losing rank, dropping to twelfth among developed nations in college degree attainment. And far too many low-income, special education, and minority population students were not finishing high school. In addition, school counselors were not helping every student on their caseload. Rather, we were spending much of our time on individual appointments and focusing on students with social and emotional issues. This small minority of our caseloads was taking up the majority of our time. If we truly cared about our children, it was time for us to re-evaluate our roles. We needed to become leaders for change and develop programs that would help all students in a more effective and efficient manner.

BHS moves forward At Beverly High School, we began increasing our number of classroom presentations every year to include grade-

specific topics. These group presentations got us out of the office more often, and we were able to build rapport with students who normally would not come by our office on their own. We found that, after spending time with us in these group presentations, many students were more comfortable to come by our office with questions or concerns. I will never forget what a parent said to me early in my career at an evening Open House: “You will probably never see my son; he doesn’t have any problems.” That statement was very powerful to me and has been a driving force in my career. Although we were initially fearful of change, our counselors found that we loved the classroom setting. The energy was exciting. We were very competent in leading discussions, providing information, and supporting students in a large group setting. In addition, we gained more visibility in our building, and many staff members offered positive feedback. This year, we took our efforts one giant step forward. We volunteered to teach a semester course for our juniors. The timing was perfect. For the past few years we had been talking about the need for a junior course taught by us, and our school needed more courses because students were no longer allowed free periods. Our administration thought it was a great idea, and after some trepidation, we jumped right in. (continued on page 10)

APRIL 2012

Defining College and Career Readiness By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director

he issues of college and career readiness have engaged educators in serious conversation for the past few years. In 2010, The Christian Science Monitor published an article entitled “No Child Left Behind embraces ‘college and career readiness’” by Amanda Paulson. Through interviews and references to a variety of experts, Paulson discusses what it means to be college and career ready and the difficulty in measuring all the attributes that constitute readiness. She cites various studies that find between 30-40 percent of students require remediation before tackling credit-carrying courses. She also refers to an older study by the group Achieve that queried employers about their entry level employees’ preparedness. Here, again, 40% lacked the skills needed to be successful. David Conley, director of the Center for Educational Policy Research at the University of Oregon in Eugene, opines that besides the cognitive skills emphasized in the Common Core standards, students must possess “self-management skills and knowledge about the culture of college— including how to choose and apply to the right one— as well as academic skills and content knowledge.” He continues saying, “What students need to know in high school is not every detail. They need a structure of knowledge, big ideas and large organizing concepts.” I was very interested in Conley’s com(continued on page 4)

MASCA Annual Spring Conference CoCo Key Hotel & Water Resort, Danvers April 29 – May 1, 2012 Register online or with the form on page 8.

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

2011 – 2012 MASCA OFFICERS

MASCA

PRESIDENT MICHELLE BURKE Beverly High School 100 Sohier Road Beverly, MA 01915-2654 Tel. 978-921-6132 x 11107 E-mail: mburke@beverlyschools.org

April 2012

PAST PRESIDENT CAROLYN RICHARDS Somerville High School 81 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6120 • Fax 617-628-8413 E-mail: crichards@k12.somerville.MA.US PRESIDENT-ELECT JENNIFER LISK Medway High School, Medway, MA 02053 Tel. 508-533-3228 x 5107 • Fax 508-533-3246 E-mail: lisk@medway.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY JACQUELINE BROWN East Somerville Community School 42 Prescott Street, Somerville, MA 02143 Tel. 617-625-6600 x 6517 • Fax 617-591-7906 E-mail: jbrown@k12.somerville.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH ALBERT MERCADO Stacy Middle School 66 School Street, Milford, MA 01757 Tel. 508-478-1181 • Fax 508-634-2370 E-mail: amercado@milfordma.com VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY TBA VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY JOHN MARCUS Dean College 99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: jmarcus@dean.edu VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS RUTH CARRIGAN Whitman-Hanson Regional High School 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382 Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098 E-mail: ruth.carrigan@whrsd.org VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State College, Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES RALPH SENNOTT P.O. Box 1391, Westford, MA 01886 Tel. 978-692-8244 E-mail: ralphsennott@hotmail.com EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DONNA M. BROWN Adjunct Professor, UMass Boston P.O. Box 366, 779 Center Street Bryantville, MA 02327 Tel. 781-293-2835 E-mail: browndonnamarie@gmail.com TREASURER ASHLEY CARON 25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072 Tel. 508-212-0676 E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.com SECRETARY JENNIFER JUST McGUIRE Upper Cape Cod Regional Technical School 220 Sandwich Road, Bourne, MA 02532 Tel. 508-759-7711 x 247 • Fax 508-759-5455 E-mail: jmcguire@uppercapetech.org MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DEBORAH CLEMENCE P.O. Box 805, East Dennis, MA 02641 E-mail: membership@masca.org COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR SALLY ANN CONNOLLY 19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923 Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154 E-mail: sallyconnolly@att.net

APRIL 2012

inside 4 6 7 8 9 10 10

Defining College and Career Readiness (continued) By Donna Brown

The Visual Steps Program By Joe Fitzgerald

Advocacy Update By Shannon Doran

MASCA Annual Spring Conference Registration

THE INTERN’S TALE: The College Application Process By Vasiliki Palantzas

Staying Current By Ron Miller

The Changing School Counselor’s Role (continued) By Michelle Burke

Published by: Massachusetts School Counselors Association 10 issues per year, September through June. The yearly subscription rate is $30.00. Individual copies are $3.00. Opinions expressed in the articles published herein represent the ideas and/or beliefs of those who write them and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. The acceptance of an advertisement for publication does not imply MASCA endorsement of the advertiser’s programs, services, or views expressed. Questions concerning submission of articles, publication deadlines, advertising rates, etc., should be addressed to Sally Ann Connolly, Editor.

www.masca.org

BROWN (continued from page 1) ments about being able to choose and apply to the right college. How can we measure that and why is this so important? Fast forward to The Sunday Boston Globe Magazine and “The Learning and Earning Issue” (March 4, 2012). The cover announced: “119,600: That’s how many JOBS ARE GOING UNFILLED in this state because employers can’t find applicants with the right education. So what are colleges going to do about it?” Although the magazine addressed several other aspects of college value and job demands, this article by Jon Marcus underscored Conley’s statement about college. The greatest question becomes: What is the real mission of colleges and universities? Marcus contends that, ultimately, students and their parents expect postsecondary education will lead to employment. He offers the community college system as a positive force in preparing students to be career ready. An interesting example is a GE-North Shore CC partnership that provides students with a two-year associate’s degree in manufacturing technology through intensive hands-on learning. It’s a win-win situation because the student earns a degree, and GE has developed a highly skilled stream of machinists to replace retiring craftsmen. J.D. Chesloff, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, believes that “there’s a mismatch between the jobs we’re trying to create and the graduates that are being produced.” And yet, the vast majority of college and universities bristle at the idea that their primary goal should be to make sure their grads can get appropriate jobs. In most surveys of business leaders, skills like creativity, written and verbal communication, and innovation are usually cited as opposed to the skills for a specific job. Indeed, even those schools dedicated to specific technical training stress the learning of transferrable skills. Pointing out Bureau of Labor Statistics research indicating that a student graduating this year will hold ten different jobs by the age of thirty-eight, Wheaton College president Ronald Crutcher says, “The truth is things are changing so rapidly that, to thrive, you have to be an agile learner.” How, then, do we define college and career readiness? How do we ensure that students K-12 develop all the skills needed to be successful? These issues continue to be fodder for discussion by educators / counselors on all levels. ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

APRIL 2012

The Visual Steps Program By JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D. MASCA Technology Committee Chair

or the last decade or so, I have attempted to learn more about technology on a formal and informal basis. I have gotten involved with several educational organizations that have the specific goal of bringing technology to adults fifty and over. The present group that I am involved with is called the Senior Computer Learning Center (SCLC). As a new group, we needed a curriculum that was designed for adults that would provide introductory Windows skills ranging from basic to advanced. The work done by this group is voluntary, and each of the courses and workshops has minimal fees. Last fall, one of the members of the group handed me a book by a company called Studio Visual Steps. The book’s subject was the Windows 7 operating system. I soon discovered that they had a complete curriculum of 25 different books with topics including various Windows operating systems, photo edit-

JOE FITZGERALD ing, Word, Excel, Internet, and E-mail. Other than the fact that these books are based on a very sound teaching and learning methodology, the best part is that there are a lot of pictures (actual computer screenshots) of what to do and very little text. All of the books are easy to understand and have step-by-step instructions. They feature practical information, tips, and helpful hints; offer special help topics for do-it-yourself error correcting; and

include follow-up exercises to reinforce new skills and increase confidence. Every book has bonus online chapters that go beyond what is in the book. The website for this company (www. visualsteps.com) has specific information about each book and a lot of very good and free resources, e.g., downloads of the table of contents and a sample of each chapter from each book. A downloadable teacher’s manual is also available for each book. Once you sign up for their newsletter by providing your e-mail address, you can download various extra PDF documents for free. I have received only one e-mail from them announcing a free download. Recently, I downloaded a 26-page booklet on Twitter. At the learning center we have used two books for a basic computer course, an intermediate computer course, and an Internet and e-mail course. The classes are very impressed with the books, and all of them purchased the book for their own use. Below is a list of some of the books. Although each book has “Senior” in the title, they can be used by anyone who wants to learn about how their computer runs and how to use the programs that can run in the Windows operating system. I highly recommend this series of books for everyone.

Visual Steps Program Books: • Protect, Clean Up and Speed Up Your Computer for SENIORS • Photo and Video Editing for SENIORS • Microsoft Office 2010 and 2007 for SENIORS • Google for SENIORS • Picasa for SENIORS • Internet and E-mail for SENIORS with Windows 7 • Windows 7 for SENIORS • More Windows Vista for SENIORS • Internet and E-mail for SENIORS with Windows Vista • Windows Vista for SENIORS • Windows XP for SENIORS • More Windows XP for SENIORS • Internet and E-mail for SENIORS with Windows XP • Digital Photo Editing for SENIORS • Microsoft Word 2003 for SENIORS

If you would like more information, please e-mail me at jdfitz02188@comcast.net. ■

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

ADVOCACY UPDATE By SHANNON DORAN, MASCA Advocacy Committee Chair

n MASCA’s Advocacy Committee position paper, “Political Advocacy: Four Observations,” the first observation is that “elected officials and members of their staff need input from well-informed constituents.” The MASCA Advocacy Committee is glad to provide evidence that this assertion is far from theoretical. In February, we were contacted by Senator Chang-Diaz’s Chief of Staff to provide feedback about potential revisions of Senate Bill 185. This bill is intended to reduce drop-out rates, a critical issue that certainly needs extra attention and support. The pilot project that this bill proposes could take up to thirty months to complete. In addition to other noteworthy measures, the bill would mandate that graduation coaches be placed “in every public middle school and high school, that for a high school, has a total annual dropout rate of 5% or more or an annual dropout rate of 5% or more.” Initially, school counselors were not mentioned, even though graduation coaches would be required to provide high-level school counseling services to the most challenged and sensitive members of the student body at-risk youth. Many advocacy steps led to the juncture when MASCA was invited to provide input on revisions that are being considered for this bill. In November, a representative of the MASCA Advocacy Committee attended the hearing for the bill at the State House and written testimony was submitted. After the testimony, Senator Chang-Diaz’s chief of staff was contacted with questions about the bill, and this led to an extensive conversation about school counseling as it relates to the mandate for graduation coaches. In January, the article on collaboration between school counselors and graduation coaches that was featured in ASCA School Counselor was forwarded to Senator Chang-Diaz’s office. Last, but not least, MASCA members contacted the Senator’s office to share their thoughts. This was perhaps the most critical advocacy step. Thank you to all who carved out time to call or write the Senator’s office regarding SB 185. As a result of our collective efforts, revisions to SB 185 may stipulate that APRIL 2012

professional development and support services for graduation coaches will include guidance on how to best integrate their work with that of school counselors. This would be a good step forward. However, there is still room for improvement. Please keep up the good work by expressing your thoughts about the bill to Senator Chang-Diaz’s office (Sonia.ChangDiaz@masenate.gov or 617-722-1673). Additionally, please inform the Advocacy

Committee about your correspondence (ShannonDoranEdu@gmail.com). Perspective on your opinions and the amount of input informs our work and increases the effectiveness of our collective efforts. For an update on the bill’s status and the most critical next steps, read the Advocacy Action of the Month e-mail or visit www.masca.org. We invite you to the MASCA Advocacy Table at the spring conference. ■

MASCA 51st Annual Spring Conference

It Is Our Time to Shine: For Our Students, Our Stakeholders, and Our Profession April 29 - May 1, 2012 CoCo Key Hotel and Water Park • 50 Ferncroft Road, Danvers, MA Conference Inquiries: Helen O’Donnell, Conference Chair, pdchair@masca.org REGISTRATION FORM (This form is NOT for RTTT Workshop Training on Tuesday, May 1, 2012.) • • • • • •

• • • •

Member registration rates: MASCA membership must be current (PAID by credit card or check) by March 25. Purchase orders in process are NOT considered paid. Check membership status at webmaster@masca.org. Paper registration: Print clearly, one registration form per person. Mailed form must be accompanied by check or PO. If you are employed as a full-time professional school counselor, you may not register at the graduate student rate. To request online CVENT registration, e-mail Ron Miller, webmaster@masca.org. Confirmations by e-mail only. Payment options: (1) online with credit cards (M/C or Visa, no debit), (2) offline with check or purchase order. Refund policy: Send requests in writing by April 22 to pdchair@masca.org. A $20 processing fee will deducted from refunds. No refunds after April 22 without written approval by Conference Chair (Ex., bereavement). Payment expected for registrant non-attendance. Registrant name and work mailing address will be shared with select sponsors. To opt out, send e-mail to pdchair@masca.org. Hotel reservations ($95 MASCA rooms). On-line room reservation at www.cpbostonns.com. Enter check-in/check-out dates. Group code is MAS, bringing you to MASCA room block. Call in reservations: 978-750-7987. If you have special needs or require an accommodation, notify the hotel by April 22. CoCo Key Water Park tickets: Go to http://test03.ceiris.com/clients/coco/affiliate/login.php?m=4156. User Name: masca10. Password: 10masca.

First Name _______________________________ Last Name__________________________________________ Elementary

Middle School

High School

Administrator

Retired

Grad Student

Counselor Educator

E--mail address (required for automated electronic confirmation) _____________________________________________ Preferred mailing address Home Work/School name _______________________________________ Street address ___________________________________________________________________________ City/town ___________________________ _______________________ State ___________ Zip_____________

Yes Yes

Requesting vegetarian meals First MASCA conference?

MASCA Professional Member by 3/25

NonMASCA Member

Retiree or Graduate Student* (*not employed as a school counselor)

Member

Non-member

INCLUSIVE REGISTRATION includes ALL conference days and attendee events. Sunday: First-Timers/Graduate Student Reception, Graduate Student Events, Poster Sessions, Workshops, Keynote, Welcome Reception Monday: Breakfast, Keynote, Workshops, Exhibits, Poster Sessions, Snack Breaks, Luncheon, Afternoon Reception, Evening Party Tuesday: Breakfast, Keynote, Workshops, Exhibits, Poster Sessions, Snack Breaks, Luncheon SUPER-SAVER: Check/CC, no POs, ends 3/31 $225 $280 $145 $160 EARLY BIRD begins 4/1, ends 4/15 $240 $299 $155 $170 REGULAR registration begins 4/16 $265 $315 $165 $180

OTHER REGISTRATION OPTIONS: Sunday only Sunday only Monday only Monday only -

Early Bird ends 4/15 Regular registration begins 4/16 Early Bird ends 4/15 Regular registration begins 4/16

$90 $100 $115 $135

$105 $145 $165 $185

$50 $60 $70 $80

$65 $70 $85 $95

Tuesday only - Early Bird ends 4/15

$115

$165

$70

$85

Tuesday only - Regular registration begins 4/16

$135

$185

$80

$95

Sun. & Mon. - Early Bird ends 4/15

$200

$250

$115

$145

Sun. & Mon. - Regular registration begins 4/16

$230

$305

$135

$160

Mon. & Tues. - Early Bird ends 4/15

$225

$305

$135

$165

Mon. & Tues. - Regular registration begins 4/16

$265

$315

$150

$180

WALK-IN registration: Add $20 to total MASCA PDPs: Add $25 to total

$20 $25

PO processing fee: Add $10/invoice

$10

SUBTOTAL

TOTAL Registrants using POs will be electronically sent an invoice, which should be submitted for payment via school/business protocol. List registrant names on PO. Make checks payable to MASCA and mail to:

Joe Fitzgerald, Registrar, 5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188 • registrar@masca.org

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

THE INTERN’S TALE The College Application Process: A Resource for Students By VASILIKI PALANTZAS Master’s Student in School Counseling, Bridgewater State University

enior year can be both an exciting and anxiety-provoking year for students. Some students will walk into the guidance office in September with a list of colleges they are thinking of applying to, while other seniors may still be wondering what the best route for them will be after high school. During my practicum experience, I have observed my supervisor working with senior students who were still unsure of their futures after graduation. I found The College Board website (www.collegeboard.com) to be a great resource for students to narrow down their college search according to location, majors the college /university provides, the cost of tuition, and other school characteristics. Several seniors, I found, wanted to have a conversation about the different school characteristics and asked for additional guidance when trying to determine which major would be right for them and their educational /career goals. As an intern, I was able to assist them individually with some of the specific questions they had on possible career pathways and colleges. My advice to interns in their practicum experience is that it is more important to be able to provide students with the resources that will aid them in finding answers to their questions than to feel pressured to already have all the answers. At the beginning of the college application process, I was worried that I was not familiar with many of the colleges / universities and that I would not be very helpful during the college application process. But I found several resources to be great aids for both the students and myself: the College Board Book of Majors, College Board College Handbook, and the Bridges program (www.bridges.com). As time progressed, I recognized the impact of just listening empathically to students when they felt stressed about the APRIL 2012

college process. When I was unsure of an answer to a specific question, I could always find a resource (a website, book of majors, supervisor, etc.) to turn to. College/career fairs have also helped me stay current with opportunities for students.

We need to remember that the process of selecting a college can be an overwhelming experience for students. We can help them learn to navigate through the process successfully — a helpful skill, in itself, for both college and life. ■

Staying Current By RON MILLER MASCA Technology Coordinator

am writing to urge you, as a MASCA member, to update your profile on the MASCA website. First, you need to log in by filling in the boxes at the top right of the main page. Once you are logged in, you will have access to more areas of the website. Your blue tab bar will have the same look as the public site but will have more dropdown options. On your Profile Page you can make edits — adding, deleting, changing information. This area is similar to many social networking sites such as Facebook. You can upload a photo, join and participate

in groups, invite friends, and send messages to friends and colleagues. When you are in the Edit Profile page, you will see several tabs that allow you to configure your profile and change privacy settings. Under the Edit Details tab you can change such information as username, e-mail address, and /or password. Be sure to save your changes. Then check out the Privacy and Preferences tabs to select your options. I encourage you to wander around the website and make suggestions or let me know if you find any errors. To contact me, write to info@masca.org. ■

Attend the MASCA Annual Spring Conference to improve your skills as a school counselor. Register online at www.masca.org or use the form on page 8 of this issue.

BURKE (continued from page 1) We decided to include our own caseload students in the course we taught. As a team, we built the curriculum using both the MA Model and the ASCA Standards. These two documents simplified and directed our course development. We divided the standards, and each of us was responsible for developing lesson plans for assigned standards. We found plenty of ideas on the Web as well as from our past professional development experiences. To our surprise, we came up with many creative ideas on our own. As school counselors, we know what information our students need. As our first junior seminar classes ended, we reflected on the pros and cons of this new initiative, and we found that the pros far outweighed the cons. Students gave us positive feedback as well as suggestions about other topics to include and current topics that could be expanded. Many students thanked us and reported feeling less anxious about the upcoming college search and application process. They also said that they were relieved to have completed their resumes and to have begun their college essays. Some students even came to realize that their chosen field needed a one- or twoyear degree. Others became inspired and set a goal to earn a Master’s degree. As a result of our first teaching experience, student /counselor relationships were built and others were strengthened. Many staff members were surprised that teaching this course was our idea. They had assumed it was thrust upon us. Parents were excited and inquired about when their child would get this class. One mother asked if I would send her all of the lesson plans because her son was unable to fit the course in his schedule. The principal of BHS now includes our endeavor in many of his presentations, praising our department publicly. And our administrators would like us to consider making it a graduation requirement. (We would like them to consider giving us more counselors.) As you begin to move towards this effective model of school counseling, realize that there are resources and support available on both the state and national levels. For those of you attending the MASCA Annual Spring Conference, welcome — and thank you for taking the time to learn new ideas, network, and improve your skills. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

APRIL 2012

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

CHANGE OF ADDRESS:

NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 96

.......................................... NAME

.......................................... ADDRESS

.......................................... STATE

CITY

ZIP CODE

Send this form to: Deborah Clemence P.O. Box 805 East Dennis, MA 02641

YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL DATE IS INDICATED BY YEAR AND MONTH ON YOUR ADDRESS LABEL ABOVE. To renew your membership, go to MASCA’s website, www.masca.org.

Your help is needed now with the

MASCA Statewide MA Model / College and Career Readiness Research Study Dr. Rich Lapan, Dr. Tim Poynton, and Katie Gray — who designed this study — urge ALL HIGH SCHOOLS in Massachusetts to sign up to participate in this important project.

WHY? This study seeks to better understand the impact of school counseling programs on students’ college readiness, college access, and success. Study participants will get customized reports that show: (1) how students and counselors perceive activities around postsecondary transition, and (2) the success and challenge of graduates pursuing postsecondary education. This information will be helpful in developing and improving college and career readiness initiatives.

WHAT do you need to do and WHEN do you need to do it? WHEN March

WHAT • Go to www.emergentfutures.org/signup to review additional information about the study and provide your contact information. We will contact you to formalize your school’s participation by March 31. • Identify seniors who will be eligible to participate, i.e., those who have birthdates before May 1, 1994. • Inform/discuss with faculty participants (principal and counselors) that they will need to spend 20-30 minutes completing an on-line survey before the end of this school year (promote the survey benefits). • Schedule a time and place for seniors to complete the on-line survey during May.

April

• Complete any steps from March that you have not done already. • Have school counselors and the principal complete their surveys. Links will be provided to you after you sign up to participate. • Meet with eligible seniors to explain the purpose of the survey and to have them read and sign consent letters.

May / June

• Have eligible seniors complete the on-line student survey. The link will be provided after you sign up.