RCA 2021: Making Meaning by EducationCounsel https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning Share a takeaway, comment, question, etc. that's on your mind during this Opening Session. en-us 2021-10-29 18:39:53 UTC 2022-05-05 14:28:32 UTC hello@padlet.com Padlet Instructions EdCounsel https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1854599795 Click on the "+" sign on the bottom right of the screen. 

Type your name in the top line (where it says "Subject"). 

Type your takeaway, comment, question, recommendation, etc. in the body part ("Write something beautiful..."). 

Click the "Publish" button on the top right corner.]]> 2021-10-29 18:39:53 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1854599795 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865535488 Simplify. Transparency. More purposeful in bridging k12 and higher education through collaboration, communication and partnerships. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:20:25 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865535488 Catherine Millett, Appreciated the many points about what are we asking of high school counselors, college admissions and college counselors? https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865535946 2021-11-03 18:20:36 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865535946 Ruth Wei - Important to avoid working in silos https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865536993 I appreciated Angel's charge to collaborate. I know RCA is a good example of that, but we could be making better use of the RCA network, ensuring that the voices of its different constituencies (including students) are reflected in our joint work.  I also think this is really hard work - creating something new that is practically feasible, scalable, credible, and equitable - so we definitely should not be working alone. Also, keeping in mind that admissions staff are limited in their power/control over the process -that's an important insight. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:21:03 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865536993 Catherine Millett. Agree with the need to connect what students are doing in high school with their experiences in PSE. https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865537959 2021-11-03 18:21:27 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865537959 Marie Bigham/ACCEPT https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865538025 We need to stop thinking of education as living in silos of "k-12" and "higher education". ]]> 2021-11-03 18:21:28 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865538025 Elliott Asp https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865538447 I heard there are two big buckets to solve, one is what "content or data" does HE need and the other is what is the process by which that info is shared]]> 2021-11-03 18:21:40 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865538447 Bob Schaeffer (FairTest) https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865539388 Angel is right that higher education admissions offices already have all the information they need to make "sound" decisions about applicants. But big questions remain unaddressed, such as how they should best use that information (factors,weights, diversity, etc.) and how they should best convey information about their selection processes to high school students and their advocates, including parents, counselors and the media]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:03 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865539388 Meg Swift https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865539527 Thinking about the concern of the burnout of the admissions profession and how to develop the next generation
 ]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:07 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865539527 College & Career acarter10 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865540182 What if NACAC was NACACC? College & Career Counselors? How would that shift the bridge between K12 and a range of meaningful postsecondary pathways? (Adam Carter)]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:24 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865540182 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865540680 How can we share this amazing progress of RCA and the shifts in K-12 to more performance tasks with more parents and students? 

]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:38 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865540680 Derek Terrell https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541178 I loved the talk about bringing everyone to the table. I think people think admissions folks make decisions on their own, but often there are institutional priorities and academic faculty that heavily influence the charge given to admissions offices and ultimately lead to the decisions they make. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:53 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541178 Trisha Ross Anderson https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541426 I like the focus on making things simpler--asking "do we need this?" and "how will we actually use it?" At the same time, I'm eager to explore other ways to get information to colleges they do need ( I think we can do better!)]]> 2021-11-03 18:22:59 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541426 Justin Wells, ELP https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541613 I appreciated the distinction being made between the "access problem" and the "match problem." Encouraging to remember that there are enough slots for students to participate in higher ed. Be good for all of us to approach these issues—and there are lots of issues—with an asset- rather than deficit-based mindset.]]> 2021-11-03 18:23:04 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541613 Thinking about the role of strong equity-focused leadership in higher ed to change incentives/systems to enable K-12 shifts to spread. https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541901 2021-11-03 18:23:13 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865541901 Blaire Moody Rideout https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865542366 Faculty engagement on these questions and issues is imperative. The academic review policies and guidelines that offices of admission use are informed (and often confirmed) by our faculty. There are rigor checks across the board that need to be examined both for their intent/use and how they lead to successful degree completion. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:23:26 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865542366 David Conley- How well we have worked out this problem and what we have to do next https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543023 I'm impressed by how well we have worked out the issues with this incredibly complex problem of rethinking college admission. Over the years, we have identified all the salient issues and pain points. We can also articulate how to address them in general terms and also have some proof-of-concept examples in the field. 

It seems we are now at the point of seeing if we can make all of this work in practice and at scale. This will require participation from a lot of people who have not had the opportunity to articulate the issues and solutions as well as well have. 

So, part of what we have to consider is how to bring along a lot of other folks who may now be open to seeing the issue and the possible solutions.]]> 2021-11-03 18:23:43 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543023 Maeve Skelly https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543412 The issue brought up regarding inequities based on resource gaps has really resonated with me. When certain private schools or better funded schools provide things like volunteering opportunities, internships, experiences that evidently set up some students better than others, how in the admissions process can we evaluate these students equitably? ]]> 2021-11-03 18:23:53 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543412 Esther https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543624 I appreciate the thoughtfulness of ensuring we build equity into what we are doing, as college admissions currently so disadvantage our low income students.]]> 2021-11-03 18:23:59 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865543624 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865544105 Need for alignment across K-12 and HE about what skills and dispositions they want data on]]> 2021-11-03 18:24:12 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865544105 Thinking about how rough student affairs/admissions work is right now (and the role of Twitter in that) - how hard it is to be visionary and have a systems thinking lens when the seas are so rocky. https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865545254 2021-11-03 18:24:41 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865545254 Does transparency mean having a formula for how to get into a college? https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865545435 2021-11-03 18:24:47 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865545435 Katrina Ruggles https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865546333 I like the idea of reducing burden on school counselors/educators.  I wonder if this could free up time for more meaningful work in helping the young person become Post-Secondary and Workforce Ready.  I also wonder how this work can help "level the field" for marginalized and rural youth who have fewer resources.]]> 2021-11-03 18:25:11 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865546333 Angela Landrum https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865547200 Strongly resonate with the "best of times, worst of times" notion. There is currently a unique opportunity to make important changes, advancements and innovations. How might we work together to remove barriers that impede progress toward these advancements?]]> 2021-11-03 18:25:32 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865547200 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865551392 Reflecting back on my college application process (high school class of 2017)—I was extremely stressed about LORs! It is interesting to me to hear that they are not actually that important. How can we be more transparent about info like this to current students?]]> 2021-11-03 18:27:26 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865551392 Jared Anthony https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865551559 For someone who operates in the K-12 space, the admissions process i.e. formulas, weighting, what is required, how all the requirements  are being used feels more and more like a black box.  Reflecting on Angel's comment of "can IHEs tell us what it is that they really need" , I wonder if that would help to reduce or maybe shed light into admissions. I also wonder if IHEs would be willing to share and if they would be willing to go so far as to provide students with clear information as to what information really matters to them for their admissions process? I think this would go a long way towards streamlining what students are already doing and how PA artifacts, portfolios, defense, could be structured for the admissions, placement, and advising processes. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:27:30 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865551559 Patricia Russell (MTC) https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865552423 The convening idea makes a ton of sense. Assuming the top priority is the learners' access to college, what are incentives that might inspire further shifts in the current systems admission systems?

]]> 2021-11-03 18:27:54 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865552423 Dennis Caindec, Internationals Network pad2228 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865552437 I'm wondering about alternate forms of admissions requirements aside from "tests". Our schools serve recently arrived immigrant students. They perform portfolios as part of their graduation performance based assessments. These types of artifacts are much more accurate depictions of what they can do and have learned. Multilingual, recently arrived immigrant students are underrepresented in IHE. What admissions criteria could be more inclusive?]]> 2021-11-03 18:27:54 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865552437 https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865554165
The mythology of "what matters" in college admissions is very strong. We need to have a real and honest understanding of how and why decisions are made in admissions well before we can make changes. ]]> 2021-11-03 18:28:34 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865554165 Torrance Robinson(trovvit) https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865554327 Wonderful session.  I agree a greater blurring of K12/HE needs to occur. Even better, let's make it student-centric and not institution centric. If we did this than the conversation  may change from "how to go from K12 to College" and more about "what is the next step of my learning pathway".]]> 2021-11-03 18:28:37 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865554327 Mike Flanagan (MTC) https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865556686 100% agreement on need to rethink and redesign these systems so that they prioritize equity.   To that end, I’d suggest that there are a few critical “precursors” for equity that have be front and center when you design these systems:
  • Authenticity:  We want learners’ actual work to be front and center, and we have to create models that resist tampering/coaching or even outright fraud/abuse.  
  • Efficiency (Readers):  The HE institutions that will serve the largest numbers of our learners and the learners that need the most supports are also the least likely to engage in “holistic reading” and most likely to rely on legacy metrics.    If you build models that the admissions readers in these schools cannot/will not use, then you will not be able to support these learners and their post-12 goals.
  • Scalability (School Adoption):  If our solutions cannot be widely deployed across schools with minimal overhead, then they’ll be essentially become another type of “luxury good”.  Nothing equitable about that!
Looking forward to digging into this, and more, in tomorrow’s spotlights!!!
]]> 2021-11-03 18:29:31 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865556686 Sean Bridgen: How can higher ed admissions counselors, academic advisors (faculty or primary roll), and k-12 counselors work together to help prospective students make more informed choices about institution (including institution type), major, etc? https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865557628 2021-11-03 18:29:53 UTC https://padlet.com/EdCounsel/RCA_Making_Meaning/wish/1865557628