Counselor's Notebook, November 2014

MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION NOVEMBER 2014VOL. 51, NO. 3

MASCA

College and Career Readiness:Helping our Students Reach Higher

By RUTH CARRIGANMASCA President-Elect

ScholarshipOpportunitiesfor Students

I recently had the pleasure of accom-panying one of my students from

Whitman-Hanson Regional High Schoolto the Harvard Club in Boston for theannual Book Prize Award Breakfast. Itwas a wonderful event. The dining roomwas filled with about 250 top studentsfrom area high schools, who were beingrecognized for their academic achieve-ment and seemingly unlimited potential.As their accomplishments were cele-brated, it was clear that this group oftalented high school seniors were col-lege and career ready.

As school counselors, how do wemake sure we are helping prepare ALLof our students to become college andcareer ready? To accomplish this, I be -lieve that we must be committed to highexpectations for all students. I also believewe need to deliver a comprehensive schoolcounseling curriculum designed to helpall students maximize their potential.

Commitment to highexpectationsWe can play an important role in open-ing opportunities for our students byencouraging them to take academicallyrigorous courses. Rather than act as gate -keepers to keep students out of rigorouscoursework, we should be challenging

rules and policies that limit access forour students.

Over the past several years at myschool, our AP numbers have grown sub-stantially. Yes, we added a few more APcourses, but through our partnership withMMSI/Mass Insight Education, we alsoactively encouraged students to challengethemselves.

In 2012, we administered 285 examsto 185 students. In 2014, we administered494 exams to 281 students. Current pro-jections for 2015 show us on track toadminister about 550 exams.

My job as AP coordinator has becomemuch more demanding than a few yearsago, but I am thrilled that my studentsare rising to the challenge and takingand successfully completing AP course-work. We feel that exposing our studentsto college level courses is one great wayto help them become college and careerready.

If you are hoping to expand AP par-ticipation at your schools, you might wantto take advantage of a College Board toolcalled AP Potential. AP Potential allowsyou to predict a student’s success in anAP course by looking at his/her PSATscore. It is an easy program for the APcoordinator to administer. Each year atmy school, I share this data with curricu-lum coordinators and school counselingstaff as we embark upon course selec-tion season. This tool helps us encouragestudents to take the highest level ofcourses they can handle.

In addition to having high expectationsfor students, a comprehensive school coun-seling curriculum can also help promotecollege and career readiness for all stu-dents. Systematic delivery of school coun-

(continued on page 7)

The Side-Out Foundation is lookingfor passionate and enthusiastic stu-

dents who believe in the mission andmessage of the Foundation and want tobe part of the grassroots team.

Side-Out is a 501(c)(3) non-profit orga-nization that was established in 2004 tounite volleyball players and coaches andto have them work toward the commongoal of making a significant and identi-fiable difference in the lives of breastcancer patients and their families. Theorganization's goal is to advance clini-cal trials, increase patient support services,and educate communities.

A Side-Out ambassador is: • a student who wants to make a

difference in his/her local community(he/she does not have to be involvedwith the sport of volleyball).

• someone who is eager to spreadthe word about Side-Out’s mission.

Ambassadors who are juniors andseniors in high school are also eligible toapply for the Side-Out Ambassador Pro-gram scholarship awards. Ambassadorsof any age who are also involved with thesport of volleyball are eligible for theSide-Out/American Volleyball CoachesAssociation (AVCA) National Dig PinkAward.

To learn more, go to www.side-out.org. n

SAVE THE DATEMASCA Annual

Spring ConferenceApril 7, 2015

2 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Retirees Discover Social MediaBy JOE FITZGERALD, Ed.D.

MASCA VP Retirees

I n her discussion about retirees andsocial media, Stephanie Dressler, Vice

President of Digital & Brand Strategy,says: “According to research conductedby the Pew Research Center, seniors over65 are the fastest growing age group onsocial media. In fact, the percentage ofindividuals over 65 who say they usesocial media has more than tripled to

43% in 2013 from just 13% in 2009.”Among baby boomers (50-60 years old),she points out, “60% are now usingsocial networks to communicate.”

In the past, I would have been sur-prised at this, but in my second career ofdeveloping and teaching programs forseniors on how to use technology, I dosee this trend. This fall, for example, one

our most popular courses is Facebook.Many students are also interested in e-mail, digital photography, and better useof the Internet.

During the past few years, I havestruggled over how to connect retiredcounselors with one another and how tokeep them involved with MASCA. As Imentioned in an earlier column, I had abit of a “eureka” moment at a GoverningBoard meeting last spring. MASCA tech-nology members had proposed a way tolink counselors professionally through suchsocial media as FaceTime and Twitter.

When I looked at the MASCA web-site, I saw counselors exchanging pro-fessional information that also had thepotential of being shared with all coun-selors. I was a little surprised that I hadnot thought of technology as a way toachieve this. For a long time, I have heldout from getting too involved in anytype of social media. For me, social mediahad been only a way to connect withfamily through e-mail and, more lately,text messaging and FaceTime.

Any definition of social media holdsout the promise that it will allow you toconnect with other people of similarinterests and background. The most pop-ular of these media seems to be Facebook,Twitter, and LinkedIn. Other good net-works include Google, Yahoo, and Insta -gram, the photo sharing program.

In future columns, I will look at thesharing on our own website. I know coun-selors are connecting with other coun-selors to pass on professional informa-tion, and I would like to engage retiredcounselors as well. For me, this will bea good reason to use my Facebook andLinkedIn accounts much more than I dopresently.

In my next article, I plan to put togethera list of electronics books that can bedownloaded. Because technology has beenchanging so quickly, I have started usingthese e-books. I like that they are up-to-date and relatively inexpensive. For exam-ple, I recently found an e-book on Face-book that is approximately 80 pagesand costs only $1.99! That’s a great buyfor a good, basic introduction.

If you have any comments or sugges-tions, please contact me at [email protected]. n

2014 – 2015 OFFICERS

PRESIDENTTINA KARIDOYANESMansfield High School250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048E-mail: [email protected]

PAST PRESIDENTTHERESA A. COOGAN, Ph.D.Bridgewater State UniversityBridgewater, MA 02325Tel. 508-531-2640E-mail: [email protected]

PRESIDENT-ELECTRUTH CARRIGANWhitman-Hanson Regional High School600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARYVERONICA KNIGHTLowell Elementary School175 Orchard Street, Watertown, MA 02472Tel. 617-926-2666E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT MIDDLE / JUNIOR HIGHKATHLEEN SCOTTE-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT SECONDARYJOHN S. STEEREWellesley High School50 Rice Street, Wellesley, MA 02481Tel. 781-446-6290 x4653 • Fax 781-446-6308E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATORSTBA

VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARYJOHN MARCUSDean College99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORSMEGAN KRELL, Ph.D.; AMY L. COOK, Ph.D.E-mail: [email protected]

VICE PRESIDENT RETIREESJoseph D. FitzGerald, Ed.D.5 Progress Street, Weymouth, MA 02188Tel. 781-264-3426E-mail: [email protected]

EXECUTIVE DIRECTORDONNA M. BROWNAdjunct Professor, UMass BostonP.O. Box 366, 779 Center StreetBryantville, MA 02327Tel. 781-293-2835E-mail: [email protected]

TREASURERASHLEY CARON25 Belmont Ave., Stoughton, MA 02072Tel. 508-212-0676E-mail: [email protected]

SECRETARYKATIE KOZAKE-mail: [email protected]

MEMBERSHIP COORDINATORDONNA BROWNE-mail: [email protected]

WEBMASTER/TECHNOLOGY COORDINATORROSS WOLFSONE-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]

COORDINATOR OFPROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTHELEN O’DONNELL, Ed.D.E-mail: [email protected]

COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITORSALLY ANN CONNOLLY19 Bayberry Road, Danvers, MA 01923Tel. 978-774-8158 • Fax 978-750-8154E-mail: [email protected]

NOVEMBER 2014 3

A Free Workshopfor Guidance Counselors and Educational Consultants

Helping Students with Learning DisabilitiesNavigate the College Search

Friday, January 30, 201510:00 – 11:45 a.m.

Help students prepare for the college search process by exploring issues thatface students with learning disabilities.

• Receive practical, hands-on suggestions you can share with parents andstudents.

• Learn about documentation expectations, legal requirements, and therange of admissions processes that confront students.

• Develop your repertoire of skills in understanding learning disabilities tohelp your students find the “right fit” for their postsecondary experience.

For more information, go to http://www.curry.edu/Navigate

SPACE IS LIMITED • ADVANCED REGISTRATION IS REQUIREDRSVP 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/

4 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

November isNational Child Safety and Protection Month

Legalization of marijuanablurs the message “Drug prevention experts say the ‘JustSay No’ approach of the 1980s does notwork. The goal of parents should not beto prevent their kids from ever tryingmarijuana. Instead, the focus should beon practical reasons to delay use of anymind-altering substance, including alco-hol, until they are older.

The reason is that young brains con-tinue to develop until the early 20s, andthose who start using alcohol or mari-juana in their teens are far more vulner-able to long-term substance-abuse prob-lems, among other difficulties.”

— Tara Parker-Pope, “Legalization blurs mes-sage to teens about marijuana,” New York Times,The Boston Globe, August 19, 2014.

Tougher rules sought fore-cigarettes GENEVA – Governments should havetougher rules for electronic cigarettes –banning their use indoors and puttingthem off limits for minors – until more

evidence can be gathered about theirrisks, the United Nations health agencysaid….The popular nicotine-vaporproducts, particularly the fruit, candy,and alcohol-drink flavors, could serveas gateway addictions for children andadolescents.

— John Hellprin, AP, “UN seeks tougher rulesto control e-cigarettes,” The Boston Globe, B8,August 27, 2014.

Firearm access linked tomortality risk “Firearm access in the U.S. is associatedwith increased risk for death, both bysuicide and homicide.

In a new meta-analysis, researchersanalyzed the results of 15 observationalstudies that looked at firearm ownershipor availability in the home. People withaccess to firearms had an increased riskfor suicide (pooled odds ratio, 3.24), com-pared with people without access. Fire -arm access was also associated with beingthe victim of a homicide (pooled OR,1.94), and for women, the risk was even

higher (OR, 2.84).An editorialist says that the meta-

analysis likely underestimates mortalityfrom firearm access because the authorsdid not include population-level studies.”

— Kelly Young, Physician's First Watchreviewing Anglemyer A. et al., Annals of InternalMedicine, Jan. 21, 2014, NEJM Journal Watch,February 10, 2014.

Firearm-related fatalitiesincrease in Massachusetts According to a study reported in theBritish Medical Journal, Massachusetts isone of the states with an increasing rateof firearm-related fatality rates (FRF).Driving the rise was an increase amongCaucasians and non-Hispanics. Overall,the study found a wide variation in timetrends among states, with the FRF ratetwice as high in African-Americans thanCaucasians.

— Bindu Kalesan et al., “State-specific, racialand ethnic heterogeneity in trends of firearm-related fatality rates in the USA from 2000 to2010,” BMJ Open, Vol. 4, Issue 9, August 2014. ■

NOVEMBER 2014 5

Did you know…• Most Massachusetts jobs require postsecondary education. “A recent study

by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce estimatedthat nearly 75 percent of the jobs in Massachusetts will require education beyonda high school diploma.

Many of the jobs are expected to require STEM training, but nationally, onlyabout 14 percent of college undergraduates major in science-related fields. Manyswitch to a non-STEM major before graduating.”— Matt Rocheleau, “A call for help boosting college graduation rates,” The Boston Globe,October 1, 2014.

• Federal funds have been awarded for STEM advancement. Fifteen com-munity colleges state wide will share in $20 million to promote programs andtrain prospective workers in science, technology, engineering and math. ■

FREE Reach Higherworkshop offered

for counselorsWestern Massachusetts Counselors Asso-ciation (WMCA), in conjunction with theNew England Association for CollegeAd mission Counseling (NEACAC), willpresent a full-day professional develop-ment workshop, Reaching Higher to En -sure School Counselors Have the Tools toMake All K-12 Students Career & Col-lege Ready, on Friday, November 14, atSpring field Technical Community Col-lege. The time frame is 8:00 a.m. – 2:35p.m.

The program will include a keynoteaddress, a panel presentation entitled“Trends in College Admission & Finan-cial Aid: Looking Beyond 2014,” a col-lege application review exercise, and twobreakout sessions: “What High SchoolCounselors Need to Know: Recommen-dations, Transcripts, & Essays” and “ThePower of the Partnership: Developingan Early College Awareness Program.”

Confirmed speakers include:

• Jon Westover, UMass Amherst andNEACAC President-Elect,

• Louisa Davis-Freeman, SpringfieldTechnical Community College,

• Amy Cembor, Providence Collegeand NEACAC Past President,

• Jeff Gallant, Boston College andNEACAC Professional DevelopmentChair,

• Kate Shea, Westfield State University,

• Dru Tomlin, Ph.D., Director ofMiddle Level Services, Association forMiddle Level Education, Westerville, Ohio.

The program will be part of the pledgefrom NEACAC and WMCA to supportthe White House Reach Higher Initiative,whose goal is to give more students accessto postsecondary educational opportu-nities. In order to provide high-qualityprofessional development to school coun-selors— which in turn helps their studentsreach higher — the program is FREE.However, there will be a $20 charge forregistrants who do not show up.

Go to www.masca.org for registrationinformation. Direct questions to Bob Bard -well at [email protected]. ■

6 COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

DESE RegionalWorkshops

Massachusetts Department of Elementaryand Secondary Education is offering a pro-fessional development series for schools,districts, and community partners forschool year 2014-15 that supports collegeand career readiness (CCR) for all stu-dents. Monthly webinars and regionalface-to-face meetings are open to all dis-tricts and community partners in the state.

The goals are to:

• Increase the five-year graduation rate

• Increase MassCore completion rate

• Increase the number of students en -rolling in postsecondary education

• Reduce the number of students whoenroll in developmental (remedial) course -work during their postsecondary educa-tional experience

• Increase the number of students,schools, districts and programs partici-pating in career development education(including career awareness, exploration,and immersion activities)

Regional sessions will promote sharingacross teams, individual team time, andparticipation in role-alike sessions. Teamswill leave the day with a CCR action planthat emphasizes coherence across CCRinitiatives as well as connections to otherkey education initiatives.

The sessions will focus on content/topics that tend to run across many pro-grams and initiatives focusing on collegeand career readiness.

November 20, 2014Southeastern MA Regional Convening,Holiday Inn, Taunton

December 2, 2014Central MA Regional Convening,Devens Common Center, Devens

January 15, 2015Northeastern MA Regional Convening,Westford Regency, Westford

January 22, 2015Western MA Regional Convening,Delaney House, Holyoke n

DESE Monthly WebinarsContent-based and thematic webinars will be offered from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m.on the following dates. The webinars are open to all interested parties(schools /districts, community organizations, higher education institutions,workforce development organizations).

Month Webinar Title

10/14/14 Building a Positive School Culture in the Context of thenew Discipline Bill – Chapter 222

12/09/14 Integration of College and Career Readiness:The Personal/Social Domain

2/10/15 Graduation and Dropout Rate Data

3/10/15 Career Development Education: Career Awareness,Exploration and Immersion

4/14/15 Summer Transition Programs

5/12/15 Individual Learning Plans

6/09/15 MA Model for Comprehensive School Counseling Programs

NOVEMBER 2014 7

CARRIGAN (continued from page 1)seling programming on self-assessment,career development, goal setting, earlycollege planning, the college essay, col-lege financing, FAFSA completion, andmore can help all of your students andfamilies realize that college or some typeof postsecondary education is possibleand important.

One of the favorite components ofour school counseling curriculum is ourannual College Day. Held every yearduring March Madness when our schoolcounselors are presenting classroomlessons on college planning, teachers andstaff wear college t-shirts and sweatshirtsrepresenting their alma maters. It has be -come a great school-wide event with fac-ulty, staff, administration, and studentswearing college gear and talking aboutpostsecondary opportunities. Althoughthis event may not make our studentscollege ready, it is a fun way to promotea college going culture at our school.

This idea originated with a counselorfrom Brockton High School, and weremain very thankful that she shared itwith us. If you have great programmingat your school, I hope that you, too, willshare your best practices with colleaguesacross the Commonwealth.

As you continue to plan your 2014-2015 school year, I hope you will thinkabout what you and members of yourschool counseling department can do topromote college and career readiness.

Reach Higher CampaignAs you may know, First Lady MichelleObama recently launched the ReachHigher campaign. The goal of this pro-gram is to help inspire every student inAmerica to take charge of their futureby completing their education past highschool, whether at a professional train-ing program, a community college, or afour-year institution.

This movement has gained momentumsince the First Lady addressed schoolcounselors at ASCA in July. A WhiteHouse Convening was held at Harvardin July, and a second White House Con-vening will be held in San Diego inNovember.

I am happy to report that representa-tives from MASCA are poised to helplead the way here in Massachusetts. Wewill keep you posted with updates, andI thank you for the work you do everyday to promote college and career readi-ness and to encourage all of your stu-dents to reach higher. n

First Lady’s Reach Higher InitiativeAn effort to inspire every student in America to take charge of

their future by completing their education past high school,whether at a professional training program, a community

college, or a four-year college or university.

www.ReachHigher.govTwitter@ReachHigher

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE PAIDNEWBURYPORT, MA

PERMIT NO. 96

Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc.COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK

Sally Ann Connolly, Editor

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

Win a FREEMASCA

Membership

Post yourSMART Goals and DDM’s

on MASCA’s website.

Go to the websiteand look for sidebar

on the right.

www.masca.org

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.

25th AnnualService Academies & ROTC Night

Danversport Yacht Club • DanversWednesday, November 5, 2014

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

This event typically attracts around 300 students and parents.For more information, contact the coordinator, Ed Bryant,

[email protected].