This isn’t the last column of the year, but this is the last column when at least a few counselors still have students in the building. Since that’s often a time when computers get closed to focus on year-end activities, here’s a review of what made a counselor’s life more interesting this school year.
Renewed interest in career development dominated the second half of the school year, as increasing college debt and a shifting need in workforce have led society to reconsider the “four years of college is for everyone” mantra of the Great Recession. Economists still insist jobs that require four-year degrees will improve a state’s bottom line, but the message that plumbers are important is alive and well.
Testing trends also kept counselors on their toes, as College Board announced the first August administration of the SAT in about 50 years, and ACT announced plans for a July administration in 2018. What this will do to the testing plans of future juniors and seniors is anyone’s guess, but it does suggest a shift in test prep to the summer months. How will high schools respond?
Test prep managed to make its own headlines late this year, as a College Board report suggests students using the free online SAT prep through Khan Academy for 20 hours of guided tutoring can see impressive gains in their SAT score. If these findings stand the test of time, these 110 point increases will be a game changer.
Politics made a rare impact on the affective element of the counseling curriculum, as legal actions from travel bans to immigration raids have put man first generation families on edge. Counselors were asked to walk a fine line between supporting students without making political judgments—as a whole, they walked that line with dignity and professionalism.
Early FAFSA Filing allowed a record number of students to file for the FAFSA this year. By moving the filing date up to October 1, families were given more time to file the form, and to shop colleges by price. While some of these efforts were diminished by the removal of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool this spring, the new attention that was focused on FAFSA served its purpose, as the ability to pay for college continues to be on the minds of students, counselors, and policymakers alike.
No comments:
Post a Comment