Counselor's Notebook, December 2014

MASCA

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION

VOL. 51, NO. 4

DECEMBER 2014

Happy Holidays from MASCA! The New SAT: Promoting Readiness and Success

By THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. MASCA Past President

M

any high schools across the Commonwealth administer the SATs by the College Board during the academic year to help prepare their students for their higher education goals.

In the spring of 2014, David Coleman, College Board CEO, announced a redesign of the test, with a projected launch date in 2016. The redesign is intended to supplement other college and career readiness efforts being employed in the schools. Each change in the redesigned SAT is based on evidence of the knowledge and skills that are most essential for readiness and success. Highlights include: • Three sections: Evidence-Based Reading and Writing, Math, and the Essay.

• Scale: A return to the 1600 scale.

The essay will provide a separate score.

• Time limit: Approximately three hours, with an additional 50 minutes for the essay. The precise time of the exam will be affirmed through research.

• Administration: Both in print and by computer.

The College Board, in its redesign, seeks to support low-income students in the college application process and, thus, remove the cost barrier to higher education. Every income-eligible student taking the SAT will receive four fee waivers

to apply to college. At this time, however, it is not clear if these waivers can be used for application to all colleges.

Additionally, the College Board hopes to see an increase in high schools’ Advanced Placement Program. The assumption appears to be that if students are not focused on the cost-barriers associated with the college application process, they will be more inclined to enroll in AP classes and put forth the effort needed to succeed. They will earn college credit and, in the process, the perceived gap that exists when considering access to higher education will be lessened.

The College Board’s action also seeks to address one of the greatest inequities that has been identified around college entrance exams: the culture and practice of high-priced test preparation.

Coleman has announced that The College Board will partner with Khan Academy to provide everyone with free test preparation materials for the redesigned SAT. This material will launch in spring 2015. This means that — for the first time ever — all students who want to take the SAT will be able to prepare for the exam with sophisticated, interactive software that provides deep practice and helps them diagnose their gaps at absolutely no cost!

In the meantime, students taking the SAT can go to the Khan Academy web-

site to work through hundreds of previously-unreleased practice problems from actual SAT exams. And they can view more than 200 videos for step-by-step solutions to problems.

For more details on these developments, go to www.collegeboard.org/ delivering-opportunity/sat?affiliateId= satsite&bannerId=rsat-home.

A message for counselors Paying for college is extremely complex, and many students and families get discouraged from applying. Although the FAFSA application process may be simplified in the future, this will not happen during the next cycle. In the meantime, school counselors need to understand the process as much as possible.

Additional information about financing higher education is available in the FREE publication, Funding Your Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid. It is available at http://edpubs.ed.gov.

I urge counselors to be connected to organizations like the New England Association for College Admission Counseling (www.neacac.org) or the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (www. mefa.org). Both provide professional development opportunities and education about going to college and financing higher education as well as free workshops for parents in your school. ■

MARK YOUR CALENDAR! April 6, 2015 Professional Development Afternoon Workshop or Institute. Details TBA. April 7, 2015 MASCA Annual Spring Conference

Cyberbullying: ASCA’s Message for Parents

B

ullying behavior among kids from elementary, middle and high school has expanded beyond what parents and teachers may have experienced in their youth. Teasing and name calling have grown into full-fledged attacks spread wide by the use of the Internet, a form of abuse commonly known as cyberbullying.

Drs. Robin Kowalski, Susan Limber and Patricia Agatston, co-authors of the Olweus Bullying Prevention Program’s cyberbullying prevention curricula for

grades 3-12, say cyberbullying occurs when children and youth use technology such as text messaging, Internet sites and cell phones to bully others. They suggest some ideas to help protect your child from becoming involved in bullying situations as well as ways to get help.

Keep tabs on technology While placing your home computer(s) in open access areas, such as family rooms or kitchens, can be helpful, it is important to remember that kids can access

the Internet from a variety of sources including mobile phones, an iPod touch and handheld gaming devices. Tell your children you may review their online communications if you think there is reason for concern. Consider installing parental control monitoring and/or filtering programs on your computer(s), but don’t rely solely on these tools. Blocking or filtering content works well for younger children. Monitoring and discussion works best for tweens and teens.

Communication is the key Talk regularly with your children about online activities, specifically cyberbullying, and encourage your children to tell you immediately if they become the victim of cyberbullying, cyber-stalking, or other illegal or troublesome online behaviors. Encourage your children to tell you if they are aware of others who may be targeted by such behavior, and make sure your children understand cyberbullying is unacceptable behavior that will have consequences if they take part in it.

Take action Tell your children not to respond if they are cyberbullied but to tell an adult immediately and to save all messages as evidence. Contact the school if you suspect the school district’s Internet system is being used for nefarious purposes; the school is obligated to prevent negative use of its own networks. In any case, you should enlist the school to help you resolve the problem if the children involved attend the same school.

The rules of the “Superhighway” can help Try to identify the individual doing the bullying. Even if the person is anonymous there are ways to track people down through Internet service providers. Sending inappropriate language may violate the “terms and conditions” of e-mail services and Internet providers, Web sites and cell phone companies. You can contact these companies to get help in blocking the perpetrator or removing offensive content.

Get the police involved Cyberbullying is criminal if it includes threats of violence, extortion, obscene or harassing phone calls or text messages, stalking, hate crimes or child pornography. If any of these are present, it is time to contact the police and let them track the person down. ■

2

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Fisher College hosts BCSCA 2014 – 2015 OFFICERS PRESIDENT TINA KARIDOYANES Mansfield High School 250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048 E-mail: president@masca.org PAST PRESIDENT THERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D. Bridgewater State University Bridgewater, MA 02325 Tel. 508-531-2640 E-mail: theresa.coogan@bridgew.edu PRESIDENT-ELECT 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 ELEMENTARY VERONICA KNIGHT Lowell Elementary School 175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA 02472 Tel. 617-926-2666 E-mail: veronica.knight@watertown.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGH KATHLEEN SCOTT E-mail: scottk@amesburyma.gov VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARY JOHN S. STEERE Wellesley High School 50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481 Tel. 781-446-6290 x4653 • Fax 781-446-6308 E-mail: john_steere@wellesley.k12.ma.us VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORS 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

On October 23, Fisher College hosted the fall dinner for Berkshire County School Counselors Association at Zucchini’s Restaurant in Pittsfield. Shown (from left) are: Peter Andersen, BCSCA Executive Board-VP, Amanda Matarese, Fisher College’s Associate Director of Institutional Advancement, and Bob Melaragni, Fisher College’s Vice President of Enrollment Management.

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS MEGAN KRELL, Ph.D.; AMY L. COOK, Ph.D. E-mail: vpcounselored@masca.org VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES Joseph D. FitzGerald, Ed.D. 5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188 Tel. 781-264-3426 E-mail: jdfitz1831@gmail.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: executivedirector@masca.org TREASURER ASHLEY CARON 25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072 Tel. 508-212-0676 E-mail: ashcicero@hotmail.com SECRETARY KATIE KOZAK E-mail: secretary@masca.org MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR DONNA BROWN E-mail: membership@masca.org WEBMASTER / TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR ROSS WOLFSON E-mail: webmaster@masca.org; info@masca.org COORDINATOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT HELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D. E-mail: pdchair@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

DECEMBER 2014

3

Kindness and STEM: Counselors hold the key

By DONNA BROWN MASCA Executive Director

R

ecently, I attended a webinar about the Great Kindness Challenge. I knew nothing about this activity, so when the Evite came for the webinar, I accepted. I learned a great deal, and I feel I will make use of many of the ideas.

Started in a school in California five years ago, the Great Kindness Challenge hopes to involve two million students who perform 100 million acts of kindness in 2015. The 2014 Great Kindness Challenge involved 554,486 students from 1099 schools, who performed 27,724,300 acts

4

of kindness.

Believing kindness matters and that it can transform a school’s culture, Jill McManigal, a former teacher and the founder of the Great Kindness Challenge, started at her children’s school with a group called Kids for Peace. This group provided a springboard for the challenge that is slated for the last week in January (26-30).

The suggestions for the Acts of Kindness are surprisingly simple: “Say thank you to your bus driver,” “Pick up ten pieces of trash on campus,” “Hold the door open for someone.” These are doable from pre-K through high school and help set a positive tone throughout the school. For additional information, check out www.greatkindnesschallenge.org.

Massachusetts STEM Summit In October, I was able to represent MASCA at the Massachusetts STEM Summit in Worcester. More than 1,200

educators attended from all over the state.

The sponsors were impressive: WGBH, UMass Donahue Institute, The Massachusetts STEM Advisory Council, Massachusetts Business Roundtable, Google, and Biogen, to name just a few.

Over and over, plenary speakers and breakout session presenters emphasized the need for STEM education. From preK educators to university professors to industry leaders, the message was the same: develop an interest in science and math early and sustain it throughout the student’s academic life.

Business and educational leaders talked repeatedly of STEM education being the greatest need for our future. Innovation is dependent on excited, well-trained scientists and engineers.

Donna Cupelo, New England Region President of Verizon, wrote in her conference book letter: “Together, we are ensuring that Massachusetts is providing students with the strong STEM foundation needed to succeed in higher education, and ultimately, careers that are driving our local and global economies.”

The speakers at the Summit were dynamic; the workshops, interesting and informative; and the exhibits, engaging.

Only one missing element was missing— school counselors. We are only marginally at the table.

I became concerned when I spoke to speakers about the role of the school counselor and elicited blank stares. But as school counselors, we are uniquely positioned to influence students’ choices of classes and ultimately career paths. In many instances, we hold the keys to STEM success.

We need to be a presence at STEM conferences and regional meetings, even if we have to invite ourselves. We know our students and we know our schools.

Now we must learn the ins and outs of STEM training and opportunities. We can, and should, be an integral part of STEM education in Massachusetts.

I certainly agree that the future of Massachusetts is tied to success in science, technology, engineering and math, but I also know that success is dependent on well-informed, committed professional school counselors. ■ COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Financial Aid 101: A Primer

By BOB BARDWELL MASCA Past President

T

he financial aid process is a challenging one for most students and families. Because of the complexity and amount of time needed to successfully navigate the process, some students never end up applying for aid, even though they would be eligible for assistance. It is estimated that over 170,000 collegeready individuals do not apply to college each year, due partly to not understanding the financial aid system. This is one reason that President Obama is calling for reforms. A simplified explanation of the financial aid process follows.

Financial aid is broken down into two major categories: need and merit.

MASCA SMART Goals Library and DDM Library • Tech Librarian wanted to update and manage the library.

Technical support will be provided.

• SMART Goals: Go to the right sidebar on MASCA’s homepage, www.masca.org, to view the library and submit your SMART goals. A raffle will be held for a FREE, one-year MASCA membership when 25 collegial goals have been processed and posted.

Merit-based aid In merit-based aid, a student receives a grant or scholarship due to a special skill or talent. This could be for academic accomplishments, athletic skills, or another skill, such as debating. Merit aid is not tied to financial need, and it can be awarded just because a college wants to give it. No additional application may be required. A college, for example, may award a presidential scholarship to top students, simply based on class rank.

Need-based aid Need-based aid, however, is not so simple. To qualify, the first step is completion of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This form must be completed for every school, and it must be completed for each year of college. The form is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

To complete the form electronically, a student will must obtain a PIN from the federal government. That can be found at www.pin.ed.gov. The FAFSA cannot be completed before January 1 of the student’s senior year, and it must be completed by early- to mid-February. This may cause some concern because a family may not be able to complete their tax forms by that date. If this is the case, a family must estimate the information that will go on the tax form. Once the tax forms have been completed, they must follow-up with each college and provide the information.

Some private and more selective schools will also require completion of the (continued on page 6) DECEMBER 2014

5

BARDWELL (continued from page 5) PROFILE®. This form is available at www.collegeboard.com. The PROFILE® requires a fee. For 2010-2011, the registration fee is $25 for the initial application (which includes one school) and $16 for every additional school. The PROFILE® can be completed after October 1 of the student’s senior year.

Additional information (i.e., copies of tax forms or a school’s own financial aid application) may also be required. What materials are required will be available in the college’s print information as well as on its financial aid website.

Once the college receives all required information, a file will be created. Upon the student’s acceptance to the institution, a financial award package is created. In some cases this information is sent along with the acceptance letter; but for those who have applied to a rolling admission school and are accepted earlier in the cycle, financial aid award letters will not be available until March or April.

Although families want their need totally met, this is rarely the case. Instead, colleges try to provide a combination of loans, grants, and work opportunities to fill the need. What makes it

even more complicated is that award letters often do not look alike. Despite applying to colleges with similar costs, some students find large differences in the amount of financial aid they receive from one institution to another.

Grants Grants are the best type of financial aid because they do not have to be repaid.

These are “gifts” from the federal government or the college. These awards may have fancy names and not all students are eligible for every type of grant, but it is important to remember that a grant or scholarship does NOT have to be repaid.

The Pell Grant is the most common federal government grant. It goes to the neediest of students. This award amount changes yearly, but over the past few years, it has been increasing. Students MUST find out if the grant is for one year or if it is renewable for all of the time spent at that institution. A $10,000 scholarship for the first year sounds great, but it may not be so great if it is not renewable.

Loans The second type of aid is a loan. Several types are awarded through the financial

aid process. Some are available to students and others, to parents. Some are subsidized; others are not. Subsidized loans are ones that are paid back after graduation and have a low interest rate.

Unsubsidized loans do not have a grace period longer than a few months and have a higher interest rate. Some are made directly from the Federal Government and others, from a bank or private lender.

Some colleges have made a commitment to reduce or eliminate loans if a student is from a family in a certain income bracket. The majority of colleges, however, will have some sort of loan component in each award letter. Loans are the most complicated of the three federal government programs, so it is imperative to carefully read the information provided. Counselors are in a good position to help explain the loan process; but since the loan industry is in such a state of flux, even skilled counselors may not have all of the current information. To learn more about loans, contact the financial aid administrator at the college. This individual can provide an explanation of the type of loan and any restrictions — important information to have before accepting the loan.

Work-study In work study the student has an opportunity to work on campus and earn money to pay daily living expenses or to put towards college costs. Students must be deemed eligible through the financial aid process in order to qualify. The maximum amount a student can earn in a year depends upon the student’s need.

If a student does not qualify, that does not mean that the student cannot get a job on campus. Rather, it might mean that options may be limited. More jobs on campus typically come from work-study funds than from institutional funds. And although it is more convenient to work on campus, a student may still be able find a job off campus in the private sector.

Accepting the package Once a student has decided which school to attend, he will have to accept the financial aid award that is offered. If there are questions or uncertainties, the student should ask before signing off. Although parents are often the ones who deal with financial related issues, students MUST be equally involved in the process. The student is the applicant, and some institutions expect to deal with the student and not the parent. ■

6

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

NEWS AND VIEWS Kindness reduces bullying “Patty O’Grady, Ph.D., an expert in neuroscience, emotional learning, and positive psychology, specializes in education. She reports: ‘Kindness changes the brain by the experience of kindness.

Children and adolescents do not learn kindness by only thinking about it and talking about it. Kindness is best learned by feeling it so that they can reproduce it.’

Many traditional anti-bullying programs focus on the negative actions that cause anxiety in children. When kindness and compassion are taught instead, it fosters the positive behavior that’s expected.

Promoting its psychological opposite is key in reducing bullying to create warm and inclusive school environments.”

A Free Workshop for Guidance Counselors and Educational Consultants

Helping Students with Learning Disabilities Navigate the College Search Friday, January 30, 2015 10:00 – 11:45 a.m.

SPACE IS LIMITED • ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED RSVP ONLINE TODAY! Mail form to: PAL, Curry College, 1071 Blue Hill Avenue, Milton, MA 02186, Fax to 617-333-2018, or go online to register at http://www.curry.edu/Navigate/

— Lisa Currie, “Why Teaching Kindness in Schools Is Essential to Reduce Bullying,” edutopia, http://www.edutopia.org/blog, October 17, 2014.

Adolescents should be celebrated “Laurence Steinberg, Temple University psychology professor, says we should celebrate the period of adolescence and not merely tolerate it. Schools, he says, should stress measures that help students develop the part of the brain influencing self-control. Specifically, schools should: (1) restore physical education, (2) incorporate mindfulness training in the curriculum, and (3) make the curriculum more demanding.”

— Karen Weintraub, “Adolescence should be celebrated, not endured,” The Boston Globe, 14G, October 6, 2014.

Effective schools reinforce character “Effective schools seek to develop and reinforce character traits, such as caring, citizenship, fairness, respect, responsibility, and trustworthiness, through a systematic approach that includes adult modeling, curriculum integration, a positive school climate, and access to comprehensive guidance and counseling services.”

— California Department of Education, Elementary Makes the Grade! (1999). ■

DECEMBER 2014

7

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

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID NEWBURYPORT, MA PERMIT NO. 96

IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO: Donna M. Brown P.O. Box 366 Bryantville, MA 02327

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.

DESE Regional Workshops School/District Team registrations are required, and School Counselors are invited to attend only as part of their school/district teams.

12/02/2014

1/15/2015 1/22/2015

Central MA Regional Convening, Devens Common Center, Devens Northeastern MA Regional Convening, Westford Regency, Westford Western MA Regional Convening, Delaney House, Holyoke

MASCA will facilitate an afternoon breakout session: “Individual Learning Plans for All Students to Strengthen College/Career Readiness.” The ILP breakout session will include a presentation on ILPs and an ILP template by Lisa Harney, DESE, followed by an implementation discussion by MASCA practitioners Check the DESE website for other PD opportunities including Connecting Activities ICCR workshops, and webinars.