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The audience for this topic is high school (9th-10th grade) students and their families. Counselors need to present the expectations of college and career post-secondary opportunities clearly to their audience. The reason I chose this topic is because teenagers need to have the information early and often about life after high school. It takes multiple times of seeing and thinking about the information before teenagers understand the choices they make today affects them later.

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Interview with Tina Otto, PATH advisor for Live Oak Academy

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Interview with Tina Otto, PATH advisor for Live Oak Academy

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Many people do not realize that schools must do certain post-secondary actions.  Schools are required to report how many students applied to post-secondary schools.  Counselors report students' graduation, completion of FAFSA or TAFSA, TSIA results, ACT/SAT scores, AP/IB results, and many other requirements that show college-readiness (28 Tex. Educ. Code).

Ms. Otto showed me her record-keeping method to ensure that she communicates with all juniors and seniors.  Our school has a fluid enrollment, so it can be a challenge to meet all new students when they enroll.  Some students are only enrolled for a few weeks to complete their graduation requirements.  She is only on our campus one day a week.  She often emails or calls students during the week.  She also schedules and administers the TSIA tests once a month.  Our campus keeps a log between the two counselors (Ms. Otto and Ms. Ybarbo) so they know what information has been gathered from which students.  Ms. Ybarbo meets with all students as they complete their coursework for graduation to make sure they have completed all documentation she needs to report to government officials.

A new requirement for high school counselors is to make sure all students fill out either the FAFSA or TAFSA for financial aid in higher education. This school district already makes a huge effort to get all students to apply to Austin Community College (ACC) if they have not applied elsewhere. Schools have to be genuine in their effort to help families fill out these forms since it deals with personal financial information. Some families are reluctant to share that information with anyone for various reasons. The daunting nature of the FAFSA and/or TAFSA can be a deterrent for some families to fill it out.

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Texas OnCourse Family Resource

The above link goes to a website that will guide families to make the best choice for their student. They can understand the terminology, and they see deadlines for upcoming events.

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College for All Texans
This is a resource to help families with practical financial tips for college. Many families assume that college must be paid either solely out-of-pocket money or take a loan. These families do not want to take a loan for such a huge amount not knowing if their child will be successful in college and beyond. This website guides families how to apply on the FAFSA and TAFSA forms for financial aid.

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Texas Career Search
Students can explore career opportunities that interests them. They can determine which career best suits their talents and personality. Many students have a pretty clear idea by high school what they want to do after high school. However, there are some who get to high school and still do not know what they want to do after high school.

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Data-Driven School Counseling: The Role of the Research–Practice Partnership

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Data-Driven School Counseling: The Role of the Research–Practice Partnership

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This article describes a partnership between a university and a secondary school to improve students' experience with the counseling program. The researchers determined that when students had positive relationships with the counselor they were more open to the advice being offered. Students gave more personal responses when the counselor was trying to find out what the student wanted to do after high school.

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Texas College Bridge
This article by Allison Rizzolo gives advice about closing the gap on college readiness. Far too many students are graduating high school without having good college ready skills.

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Every Student Succeeds Act

The ESSA was passed in 2015.  Section 1004 describes the efforts that schools need to do to get students prepared for college.  Schools must aid students in applying to post-secondary schools (S.1177 ESSA § 1004).

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INSTRUCTION IN HIGH SCHOOL, COLLEGE, AND CAREER PREPARATION
The Texas Education Code requires school districts to provide quality programs that guides students to be college-ready.  School districts must create personal graduation plans (28 Tex. Educ. Code § 28.016).

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HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATE;  ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT RECORD

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HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA AND CERTIFICATE;  ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT RECORD

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Diploma with Endorsements
The Texas Code requires that schools encourage students to graduate with an endorsement to be college-ready.  The law does require parent input for student to graduate without endorsements. The high school diploma without endorsement allows a student to enroll in a junior college.  They will have to start their college journey at junior college.  Counselors need to make sure that students are challenged and prepared for post-secondary life (28 Tex. Educ. Code § 28.025).

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NCLB Act is mostly unfunded currently. However, it set the precedent for accounting for all students.  NCLB Act mandated that all students be college or career ready.  NCLB had good aspirations, however, the reality was that the confines did not allow for the students as an individual.  NCLB called for 21st Century Schools in order to prepare students for future careers (Public Law 107–110 ).

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ACCOUNTABILITY - FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS For Hays CISD

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ACCOUNTABILITY - FEDERAL ACCOUNTABILITY STANDARDS For Hays CISD

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Hays CISD Board Policy
The policy lays out the guidelines for the district to adhere to the ESSA. The district must communicate with parents about their child's graduation plan (AID (LEGAL)-P, 2019).

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Code of Ethics
In the Educators Code of Ethics, counselors must advise students with the best information available.  Counselors must stay current on college admission requirements and graduation requirements.  Counselors must set aside their bias to advise students toward their best choice in career and post-secondary studies (19 Texas Admin Code § 247.2).

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It will be my responsibility to advise students about their future college and career opportunities. While it may seem intuitive for school counselors to advise students about future careers, lawmakers have solidified the requirements for all school counselors. Students should get the most up to date information in order to make the best decision for their future.

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·       Create a file for each student.

·       Keep current records that includes graduation plan, career choice, college interests, etc.

·       Aid students in filling out forms such as ApplyTexas, FAFSA, TAFSA, etc.

·       Attend update sessions for college admissions.

·       Schedule in school SAT and ACT testing sessions.

·       Recruit students to attend College and Career events.