MASCA
Counselor’s Notebook MASSACHUSETTS SCHOOL COUNSELORS ASSOCIATION
Vol. 52, No. 3
November 2015
MASCA Leaders Remembered and Celebrated
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aptain Edward Curtis Bryant, died peacefully in the Merrimack Valley Hospice in Haverhill, MA, at the age of 89. A MASCA Past President (1979), Ed was a career school counselor and an important, contributing member of MASCA. Born in Albany, NY, Ed’s family moved to Massachusetts when he was young. After graduating from Winthrop High School, he served in the US Navy from 1943-1946. A graduate of Boston University, Ed worked at BU for several years before beginning his school counseling career at Masconomet High School. Moving to Rockport, he continued his career as a guidance counselor at Rockport High School. In 1958, Capt Bryant joined the Coast Guard Reserve until he retired as a Captain in 1992. His professional associations were many, including North Shore Guidance Director President, MA Career Development Association, MA School Counselors Association, National Career Development Association, and American Vocational Association. He is survived by his wife Mary Lou Ellis Bryant of Ipswich, MA, his sister Bertha Murphy of Bethlehem, PA, his children Ellen Aulson of Lusby, MD, Curt Bryant of Rowley, MA, and Kim Watson of Montpelier, VT, his two step-children Carrie Burns of Farmington, CT, and Daron Jacobs of Pembroke MA, 11 grandchildren, and 3 great grandchildren. He was predeceased by his daughter Diane in 1968.
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Captain Edward Curtis Bryant
Carol A. Ryan-Tarka
Printed on recycled paper
arol A. Ryan-Tarka, 73, of Leominster died Monday, September 21, 2015 in Life Care Center of Leominster. Carol was born August 1, 1942 in Fitchburg, daughter of Edmund B. and Hazel M. (Lister) Ryan and was a lifelong resident. She taught in the elementary schools in Fitchburg for several years, and then became a Guidance Counselor in the elementary and secondary schools in Fitchburg. She also taught at Fitchburg State College. An active participant of the Massachusetts School Counselor Association, Carol served as president from 1987-1988. In 1998, Carol chaired the MASCA team that produced the Comprehensive Developmental School Counseling Curriculum Guide. At almost 200 pages, this guide was cutting edge, incorporating the latest research on developmental guidance at all levels. In recognition of her many contributions to MASCA, Carol became the fifth member to receive an O.S.C.A.R (Outstanding Service to Counseling Award of Recognition). For a number of years, Carol served as chair of the First Timers Breakfast Reception, graciously welcoming new members to MASCA. Carol is survived by several cousins in this area, New York, and New Jersey. She was predeceased by her husband Andrew J. Tarka, Jr. on March 15, 2015.
95%
OF RECENT B.A/B.S. GRADS completed their degree in 4 years
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ACADEMIC COACHES available for student support
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COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
MASCA
President’s Message
By RUTH CARRIGAN, MASCA President
2015 - 2016 OFFICERS PRESIDENT RUTH CARRIGAN Whitman-Hanson Regional High School 600 Franklin Street, Whitman, MA 02382 Tel. 781-618-7434 • Fax 781-618-7098 Email: Ruth.Carrigan@whrhs.org PAST PRESIDENT TINA KARIDOYANES Mansfield High School 250 East Street, Mansfield, MA 02048 E-mail: pastpresident@masca.org PRESIDENT-ELECT KATE SALAS, Ed.D. Mattacheese Middle School West Yarmouth, MA E-mail: presidentelect@masca.org VICE PRESIDENT ELEMENTARY TBA 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 MELANIE SHAW Rockland High School 52 Mackinlay Way, Rockland, MA 02370 E-mail: mshaw@rocklandschools.org VICE PRESIDENT POSTSECONDARY IRIS GODES Dean College 99 Main Street, Franklin, MA 02038 Tel. 508-541-1509 • Fax 508-541-8726 E-mail: igodes@dean.edu VICE PRESIDENT COUNSELOR EDUCATORS MEGAN KRELL, Ph.D.; AMY L. COOK, Ph.D. E-mail: vpcounselored@masca.org VICE PRESIDENT RETIREES HELEN O’DONNELL E-mail: vpretirees@masca.org 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 TBA MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR KATHERINE GETCHELL E-mail: membership@masca.org WEBMASTER/TECHNOLOGY COORDINATOR JEAN ATWATER-WILLIAMS E-mail: webmaster@masca.org COORDINATOR OF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TBA COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK EDITOR AMY WHEELER Conservatory Lab Charter School 320 Washington St. Boston, MA 02135 E-mail: cn@masca.org
NOVEMBER 2015
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y the time you read this issue of the Counselor’s Notebook, we will be about one third of the way into the busy school year. With the year in full swing, it is the perfect time to start thinking about being part of the 2016 MASCA Annual Conference and MA Reach Higher Convening that will be held on Tuesday, April 5th at the Holiday Inn in Boxborough, MA. The conference plans are starting to take shape with a great pre-conference on the afternoon of April 4th with Attorney Gini Tate presenting on Legal Issues for School Counselors. Gini is a gifted presenter who will provide us with great legal advice on issues that school counselors face today. Our pre-conference events also include a wonderful President’s Reception with MASCA Tribute and Graduate Student Awards, as well as some exciting entertainment. Our full day conference on April 5th will include our first annual MA Reach Higher Convening. Programming throughout the day will include sessions addressing the career, social/emotional, and academic domains as well as program choices specifically designated as a “Reach Higher,” which will be focused on preparing all of our students to “Reach Higher” for education and training post high school.
Although we have no idea at this point if she will attend, First Lady Michelle Obama has been invited as a special guest. You can be part of the conference in several ways. If you have a great program or best practice to share, we invite you to respond to the “call for programs” to submit a program proposal. Details can be found on the MASCA website and proposals will be accepted through November 15th. If you are interested in joining the conference committee, volunteers are always welcome. Please get in touch with me and we will find a place on the committee for you to share your talents and expertise. Most importantly, I encourage you to attend the 2016 MASCA Annual Conference and MA Reach Higher Convening. It will be a rich professional development opportunity and you should leave the conference armed with great ideas and practices that can be easily implemented in your schools. If you have any questions regarding the 2016 MASCA Conference and MA Reach Higher Convening, please feel free to contact me at president@masca.org, and as always, thank you for the important work that you do and the difference that you make in the lives of your students every day. 3
Celebrate What You Want to See More Of
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By KATE SALAS, Ed.D. MASCA President-Elect
elebrate what you want to see more of.” This quote by Tom Peters, motivational speaker and author of In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies, resonated with me as a way to positively promote model school counseling programs. School counseling programs are all over the place in terms of daily activities and responsibilities. The role of the school counselor is often defined by an administrator who lacks knowledge of the ASCA or MA Model. In my more than 15 years as a school counselor, my school counseling positions have varied greatly. I have run the gamut of 100% responsive services to 100% classroom guidance with a healthy dose of pseudo administrator in between. Celebrating the people who are working hard to implement model school counseling programs is the answer to achieving desired results. MASCA offers several annual awards that promote excellence in school counseling. I challenge each school counselor to look at their program and ask: Is it a model school counseling program? If it is, then who helped it be this way? Please read the following descriptions of current MASCA awards and start to think about who you would consider recognizing. Award recipients will be celebrated at the MASCA Spring conference in Boxborough, MA. For the past two years, ASCA has invited each state to send their school counselor of the year to Washington, D.C. for a special celebration at the White House! 4
award winner is a model for new counselors demonstrating • MASCA Counselor of the the highest standards of profesYear: A current MASCA mem- sional competence, outstanding ber and licensed counselor serv- contributions to the school coming during the current school munity and/or profession, and year in an elementary, middle, or has demonstrated strong raphigh school, who has made out- port with students, parents, and standing contributions to his/her school personnel. school and is running a top-notch, comprehensive school counseling • The Retiring Counselor Award: A counselor who is reprogram. tiring in the current year or has • MASCA Administrator of the retired within the last five years. Year: An administrator who has This counselor has served as a made an outstanding and signifi- model for new counselors, demoncant contribution to the counsel- strated the highest standards of ing movement, developed and/ professional competence, made or implemented an innovative outstanding contributions to the program, or initiated unusual school community and/or profesimprovements of school coun- sion, and demonstrated excellent seling services in his/her area of rapport with students, parents, and school personnel. responsibility.
MASCA Annual Awards
• The George Thompson Memorial Scholarship Award: A $1000 scholarship award named in honor of George Thompson, a longtime friend of and contributor to MASCA, given to a school counseling graduate student who demonstrates exceptional promise for leadership in • MASCA Special Award: An contribution to our profession. individual who has made a con- Nominations from counselor tribution of unusual significance educators are encouraged. that substantially affects the Award nominations will be socounseling profession. The conlicited from December 1st to tribution directly affects counselors, students, or a school program January 31st. Nominations will and the individual is not eligible be reviewed in February and award winners will be notified in for any other MASCA awards. early March. Questions may be directed to • The Rising Star Award: An individual who has entered the Carrie Kulick-Clark, Awards school counseling profession Committee chair at ckulickwithin the last five years. The clark@braintreema.gov. • MASCA Leadership Award: A current MASCA member and licensed counselor serving during the current school year in an elementary, middle, or high school who demonstrates leadership in the counseling profession at the local, state, or national level.
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
NOVEMBER 2015
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Massachusetts DESE, Office of College and Career Readiness Blog
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Using Labor Market Information to Guide Informed Decision-Making
he Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) has developed a new training manual about Labor Market Information (LMI) as a tool to support career awareness and exploration activities for students of the Commonwealth. ESE offers this primer to the field in light of the increasing need to help students make better-informed choices about college and careers. ESE anticipates that this new resource will enhance the quality of Career Development Education (CDE) being offered in Massachusetts by incorporating this important body of information more deliberately into the process. The Department envisions that professionals will use this LMI primer in a wide range of settings, from middle and high school classrooms in which educators and counselors are helping guide student research about careers, to community settings where workforce professionals are supporting youth, whether in or out of school, who are placed in work-based learning experiences. This manual will be useful to educators in academic and comprehensive high schools as well as career vocational technical high schools. It will also support training and education being offered to adult learners in community colleges, workforce training programs, and other related programs throughout the state. The manual is not itself a career development guide, nor is it curriculum for students. Instead, it is meant for interested professionals to guide them through basic concepts about industry sectors and oc6
cupations across the nation, state, and regions and to introduce them to leading websites that present this information for public use. It does not aspire to making learners into experts; instead, it will equip professionals with the fundamentals. Our educators and counselors need a greater comfort level with this information in order to direct students to the right resources and to facilitate their efforts to answer some big questions about their future direction. LMI resources answer a multitude of questions, such as: does the occupation I am thinking about offer a living wage, or, how much education is needed for a career I am interested in, or, which industry sectors will offer a lot of opportunity when I finish
my college education? The Primer will give readers support to answer these and other questions. It will help them improve the way that they offer career awareness and exploration to students. The primary author of the manual is John Niles from Commonwealth Corporation, another important organization deeply active in workforce development and education in Massachusetts. ESE is developing supporting materials for training purposes, and will offer professional development opportunities on this important topic. To learn more, you are invited to participate in an ESE sponsored webinar on Using Labor Market Information on November 17, 2015 from 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm.
This chart compares the educational attainment levels in Massachusetts with attainment in the U.S. as a whole. Data covers the population aged 25 and over, and were downloaded from the Census Bureau, American Community Survey website (http://www.census.gov/acs/www/). The chart illustrates that Massachusetts has a lower percentage of its adult population that has less than a high school education, a high school diploma, or has some college but no degree, and a higher percentage of its population that has a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree – relative to the levels for the U.S. Other data show that the Massachusetts population ranks highest among all fifty states in the percentage of its population that has earned a graduate or professional degree. See the website published by National Center for Higher Education Management Systems http://www.higheredinfo.org/raceethnicity/Massachusetts_State_Profile.pdf. The share of Massachusetts residents aged 25 or older with a bachelor’s degree or higher rose from 27% in 1990 to 39% in 2010 – the largest percentage point gain among the fifty states. Migration was key to Massachusetts’ success: workers moving into Massachusetts from other states and countries accounted for more than half (57%) of the state’s total increase in residents with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. 2015. A Primer About Labor Market Information. http://www.doe.mass.edu/connect/cde/primer-labormarket.pdf.
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
CURRY COLLEGE
Building Technologies Career Education Day
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Friday, November 20th 9:00 am – 12:00 pm Complimentary lunch included RSVP by November 13th This is an opportunity for student groups to visit and explore the education, skills, and career opportunities offered in Building Technology majors. • A private, four-year, co-educational liberal arts college founded in 1879
• 21 majors and 65+ minors/concentrations leading to bachelor's and master's degrees
• Serving over 2,000 traditional undergraduate students
• Student/faculty ratio is 11:1 Average class size is 20 students
• Approximately 1,575 students reside on campus
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• 131-acre New England campus located just minutes from downtown Boston
• Offering a wide array of extra-curricular activities including 14 NCAA Division III athletic teams
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To register your high school age group go to: www.neit.edu/careerdays. For more information on all the majors at New England Institute of Technology go to: www.neit.edu.
What if you could seize the day? I’ve presented work to my peers at two national conferences. It’s been an incredible opportunity. KELLY CLASS OF ’16 HONORS STUDENT
At Westfield, you can. Find out how this environment inspires you. To think. To grow. To be curious. westfield.ma.edu/honors
NOVEMBER 2015
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It’s Okay to Not Be Okay
By BARBARA GREEN, PhD, Youth Health Connection (YHC) Medical Director (excerpt from Youth Health Connection, October 1, 2015, Vol. 10, Issue 1)
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just finished reading about Madison Holleran, her tragic suicide, and her family’s response to it, forming the Madison Holleran Foundation. YHC has begun collaborating with the Josh Anderson Foundation, formed after Josh also tragically took his life during his teen years. Both foundations and families are openly speaking out about their losses but also are dedicating themselves to creating a positive movement and conversation. Over the last 22 years, YHC has been working to reduce teen suicide, the stigma of mental illness, and any shame associated with seeking treatment. A recent survey completed by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention found that 90% of those queried stated that they value mental health and physical health equally. This indicates that most people do understand that mental well-being and physical well-being are inextricably interconnected. We cannot draw a line and separate the two. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among adolescents. The research shows that approximately 10% of college students seek help from college counseling centers with many arriving on campus with previously diagnosed mental health issues. Many mental health issues are first recognized during adolescence. It is our mission to: • Create open, honest dialog about mental health • Promote early identification, intervention and referral 8
• Acknowledge and promote the positive skills that define resilience • Be a participating school in “How Not To Keep A Secret,” our peer training program that uses the power of the teen voice and connects them to a trusted adult, teens helping teens.
“It’s okay to not be okay, and more importantly, it is okay to show you are not okay.” ~ Madison Holleran Foundation
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annamaria.edu | 508.849.3360 | Paxton, MA
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
Helping to Keep Every Kid Warm
(excerpt from Youth Health Connection, October 1, 2015, Vol. 10, Issue 1)
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or the 21st year, beginning on October 12, 2015 and concluding on January 8, 2016, Anton’s Cleaner will be hosting the local “Coats for Kids” collection. Bring in coats that your family no longer needs to any Anton’s Cleaner location or Jordan’s Furniture. The coats will then be collected, cleaned free of charge and
distributed through the “Coats for Kids” distribution partner’s network. Interested in collecting as a school community? Register your school on-line, post donations and then watch the leader board. This will register your school to participate in the School Rewards™ program with the chance to win
Experience TRADITIONAL without settling for TYPICAL. Located on a spacious 300acre campus, Southern New Hampshire University has a history steeped in innovation. Students have access to an award-winning faculty, a brand new $18 million library, as well as top-notch career development services. Visit our web site to learn more, or better yet, tour our campus. You’ll see that SNHU is anything but typical.
www.snhu.edu
NOVEMBER 2015
supplies for your school. In addition, students can submit a video showcasing how their school organizes their collection and why they participate in “Coats for Kids,” for the chance to win $250 in classroom supplies. To learn more about Coats for Kids visit: http://bit.ly/1j5RI7z.
New Counselor’s Notebook Editor
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fter the passing of Sally Ann Connolly, long-time Counselor’s Notebook editor, Amy Wheeler has stepped in as the new editor. Amy received her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Marist College and her Master’s degree in School Counseling from The College of Saint Rose. She was an elementary school counselor at the Dothan Brook School in White River Junction, VT for three years, and received the honor of Vermont New Counselor of the Year in 2014. She is currently the primary school counselor at the Conservatory Lab Charter School in Brighton, MA. Amy is excited to take on this new role of Counselor’s Notebook editor. She welcomes any suggestions from members about how the Counselor’s Notebook can be improved. Also, if you would like to write an article for an upcoming issue, please reach out to Amy. She can be reached at cn@masca.org. 9
School Counseling Graduate Student Connection
Scholarship Information
MASCA is pleased to announce we are again offering scholarships for MASCA graduate students to attend the 2016 MASCA Spring conference on Tuesday, April 5, 2016. Four $100 scholarships will be awarded. Scholarship recipients must commit to: • Attending the MASCA pre-conference Presidential reception in the evening on April 4, 2016 • Attending the MASCA conference on April 5, 2016 Serving as a conference volunteer for a minimum of 10 hours (Sample volunteer activities include: moderating sessions, assisting with registration, conference advertising, and other pre-conference activities) • Using the funds toward conference attendance expenses (e.g., hotel, registration, mileage) Interested graduate students can apply online at http://bit.ly/1QivCfS. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is December 31, 2015. Please note that 2015 scholarship recipients are ineligible to receive 2016 awards.
Donation Drive for ASCA Conference Scholarship
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By AMY WHEELER, Counselor’s Notebook Editor
eff Ream, school counselor at North Tahoe High School and founder of The Counseling Geek website is on a mission to help school counselors get to the ASCA National Conference. Despite it being one of the best professional development opportunities available to school counselors, many schools do not provide funding for counselors to attend, and therefore, counselors are forced to pay out of pocket. In 2013, Jeff decided to use his blog to try to raise money for a scholarship and was able to provide partial scholarships for two counselors. In 2014, he was able to provide two full scholarships and one partial covering registration costs. In 2015, he joined forces with Carol Miller from The Middle
School Counselor blog and they were able to raise $1,435 - enough for four full scholarships and one partial scholarship. Jeff and Carol are teaming up again this year and are looking for individuals and organizations who are willing to donate to their scholarship fund. So far, they have raised $1,711! If you are interested in donating, please visit http://www.thecounselinggeek.com/sccs-scholarship. Donations of all amounts help; even $5 can get more school counselors to ASCA 2016. Donations will be taken through February and the scholarship application will be available in early January on the Counseling Geek website and The Middle School Counselor blog (http://www.themiddleschoolcounselor.com/).
Poster Presentations
Graduate students are invited to submit a poster presentation for the 2016 MASCA conference on Tuesday, April 5th. The deadline is November 15, 2015. Complete the proposal online at: http://bit.ly/20MzPMx. Any questions about either the scholarship or poster presentation can be directed to Dr. Megan Krell at mkrell@fitchburgstate.edu. 10
COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK
More Colleges and Universities Drop SAT Requirement
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By AMY WHEELER, Counselor’s Notebook Editor
recent Boston Globe article by Peter Schworm highlights the trend of colleges and universities dropping the SAT as a requirement. Schworm explains that hundreds of schools have eliminated the SAT as part of their admissions requirements due to uncertainty about its ability to accurately predict college readiness/success and an increasing backlash against high-stakes standardized testing. While most schools that have dropped the SAT are small, private colleges, this year, two Boston-area public universities have also done away with test as a requirement (at least on a temporary basis): the University of Massachusetts Lowell and Salem State University. Both schools explained that this change in admissions policy may result in a more demographically diverse pool of applicants. Other schools that have done away with the SAT have seen an immediate impact on their pool of applicants. For instance, Wake Forest University, who became test-optional in 2009, saw a dramatic increase in minority students in their incoming freshman class. First-generation college students and minority students were most likely to choose not submit their scores when given the option. The simple policy change of making submitting your scores optional seems to increase the variety of applicants. While only 5-7% of students at Worchester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) choose to not submit their scores, knowing they have an option eases fears that they will be judged solely on their SAT performance. At WPI, students who do not provide their scores are NOVEMBER 2015
asked to submit a portfolio of their work. Supporters of the SAT claim that, when considered alongside grades and course selection, the SAT is a good predictor of college readiness that allows colleges to compare students from a range of academic backgrounds. However, critics disagree, and instead believe that the test gives already privileged students from wealthy, well-educated families more of an advantage, and may discourage talented, intelligent, and hard-working students from applying to college because of their SAT scores. Studies have also shown that eliminating the SAT as an admissions requirement does not reduce the quality of incoming students. Grade point averages and graduation rates for students who did and did not submit their SAT scores were nearly identical. Despite this, a majority of colleges still weigh the SAT heavily. According to a 2014 report by the National Association for College Admission Counseling, about 58% of colleges give admissions test scores “considerable importance.”
Grades in college prep courses are the leading consideration, followed by rigor of the high school curriculum. The number of students in the class of 2015 who took the SAT hit a record 1.7 million. How will these changes affect school counselors? It will be important for school counselors to help students determine whether the schools they are interested in applying for require an SAT score as part of admissions or not. If they are not required to submit scores, counselors will have to help students decide whether to take the test or not, or then, whether to submit their scores if it is optional. College Board reports that they are unveiling a redesigned SAT in the spring to better reflect what students are learning in school. Counselors will need to stay current with the demands of the test in order to help students prepare for the test. Schworm, Peter. “SAT Losing Favor as More Mass. Colleges End Requirement.” BostonGlobe.com. 6 Nov. 2015.
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Massachusetts School Counselors Association, Inc. COUNSELOR’S NOTEBOOK Amy Wheeler, Editor IN CASE OF NON-DELIVERY, RETURN TO: Donna M. Brown P.O. Box 366 Bryantville, MA 02327
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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.
The Mission of MASCA The mission of MASCA is to advocate for school counselors in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts by providing leadership, collaboration, and professional development. Stay informed by visiting MASCA’s website regularly. You can share your views with fellow MASCA members by joining in the Forum.
www.MASCA.org
FOR A CONSTANTLY CHANGING WORLD