April Showers Bring—Data?

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

There’s something about mid-April that inspires school counselors as nothing else can. For many, it may be that students have an extra spring in their step, now that they have shed their winter coats.  For others, the growth they’ve seen in their students is starting to come forth, and it’s clear they’re ready for the next grade, college, or the next phase of their lives.

Many counselors are also inspired by flipping their calendar two pages and realizing it will soon be June—and that “inspires” them to think about everything they need to get done in the next eight weeks.  Now more than ever, that will include some kind of data-driven assessment of the counselor’s year—how did things go, how could they be better, and how does this year shape what next year needs to look like?

The issue of data-based counseling has been covered completely by the work of Trish Hatch, and if you don’t have her book The Use of Data in School Counseling, use the last of your holiday gift cards to buy it for a fascinating summer read. Until you get to this detailed analysis, let these three questions guide you in your quest to generate thoughtful data over the next eight weeks of your wrapping up the school year:

What do you want to know about your program?  Data is only valuable if it answers a key question, and in this case, that question is “What does a successful counseling program look like?”  This could be the number of students you worked with, and it could be the number of students who are heading to college—but it could be something far more than head count, like change in school climate, a shift in attitudes about bullying behavior, or a change in the way teachers see the counseling office.  Ask yourself what you want to know—chances are, they’ll be a way to generate data to help you get the answer.

What do others need to know about your program?  It’s good to have data help you learn about your program, but it’s just as important to have data help others learn about your program—especially if those “others” are decision makers.  Take a moment to consider what your administrators, parents, and public want to know, and should know, about your program, and consider the role data can play in telling your story.  As you consider these audiences, remember to include any reporting you are required to make, to either your administrators or your state.  Some of this mandatory data may not mean much to you, but delivering it in a thoughtful, timely fashion is a statement of support of your administration, and that can be a powerful message all by itself.

What would you like to know at the start of next year?  More than one counselor gets to the end of the first marking period in the fall and says, “If only I had known more about this year’s incoming students/seniors/new students.”  If that was you, now is the time to think about the data reports that can give you the information you need in the fall to make your program run more smoothly.  From test scores to family income, baseline data can come in handy--  especially if you break it down to specific cohorts.

There’s still a lot to do to help students make the most out of this year, but thinking ahead to your end-of-the-year data needs can help shape your remaining school time in thoughtful, productive ways. 

SAT or ACT: Which Should Juniors Take?

By:  Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The debate over the new SAT rages on, as both counselors—and, interestingly enough, colleges—debate the merits of what test to take. For the counselors, it’s a question of which test their students should take; for the colleges, it’s a question of which test they’ll accept.

The question of “which test to take” has been with counselors and students for a long time—and the only reason it’s ever discussed is because most students don’t seem to like the answer:

If the goal is for the student to demonstrate their best ability on a standardized test, the best thing to do is to take each test once; evaluate the results on each, and take the one most comfortable to the student a second time.

It turns out that standardized tests are pretty different from each other. They may measure the same body of knowledge, but they go at it in different ways, much like two English teachers have different approaches to teaching the same book.  Since different students respond to different approaches—both in teaching and in testing-- with different degrees of success, it’s important to know which testing approach makes more sense to the student. The best way to do that is to take each test once.

Students don’t like this answer because it costs time and money; not only do they have to pay for two tests, but they have to spend time preparing for two tests, and have to give up an extra Saturday to take the same test. Other students will insist they already know which test they’ll do better on, since their PSAT scores were so good—or, in more cases, so bad.

There’s no question the SAT is designed like the PSAT, but there’s no telling how much students have learned in the six months since they took the PSAT- or how much better they will perform on the SAT, now that they know what the test looks like.  It’s certainly true that taking more than one test will cost more money, but fee waivers are available to students who can demonstrate need—and the chance of scoring higher on one test is well worth an extra few hours of sleep on oneSaturday.

Some critics still feel next year is an exception—since the SAT is new, they argue, it’s better to see how the first few test administrations go, and have juniors just take the ACT.  That approach would make sense, if we knew the updated SAT was going to be harder, or in Swahili—but there’s just as good a chance it will be easier than harder.  If that’s the case, students don’t want to miss that chance, so they should still take both—and if they’re looking for some kind of safety zone, take the old SAT in the start of junior year, before it disappears next winter.

There’s also a question of whether colleges will accept the new SAT, since it’s new and, well, untested.  This uncertainty is exactly the reason why students should take both tests.  If colleges find the new SAT is a little rough around the edges, they’ll review a student’s application based on their ACT scores.  If the new SAT turns out to be great, and it puts the student in a positive light, they will likely evaluate the application using the new SAT scores. 

Students don’t have to wait for colleges to decide; plan to take both tests, and know that’s the best way of making sure you put your best foot forward to colleges. 

Next Year’s Application Season Begins!

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The 2014 college application season officially ended this past Tuesday, when the last of the highly selective schools announced their decision at the end of the school day.  This has traditionally given school counselors time to mull over the decisions, support the students who received disappointing news, consider the trends and what they mean for next year’s class, and prepare for the senior awards ceremony in peace.

And then, there’s next year.

The same day the last of the decisions were dropped, Common Application announced changed toothier essay prompts for next year (in the interest of full disclosure, I am a member of the Common Application Board of Directors).  The new prompts were expected earlier in this year, but Common Application engaged its members and other in an extensive survey about the current essay prompts, trying to seek direction from those most familiar with them to see what, if anything, needed to be changed.

It turns out the current prompts were doing a pretty good job.  According to a post on the Common App blog, 82% of Members (remember, all members are colleges) thought the current prompts were doing a good job in the application process, and 90% of school counselors and others polled agreed.  That may leave room for growth, but given colleges have the option of adding their own prompts, it’s notably good that 4 out of 5 think the general Common App prompts are doing their job.

Of course, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth.  Based on survey results and discussions with key focus groups, Common App modified two of the prompts, and replaced the one prompt deemed most ineffective with something a little more precise.  Here are this year’s prompts—changes are in italics:

1. Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, please share your story.
2. The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure.  How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?
3. Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act?  Would you make the same decision again?
4.  Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma- anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution.
5. Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

Early counselor response to the changes has been positive, with particular delight expressed about the new prompt, prompt 4.  Early speculation is that this question will really ring a bell with analytical thinkers and STEM students as the other prompts do not.  The prompt also leaves room for the student-philosophers to provide an answer that takes on a more global, humanitarian perspective.

Both colleges and counselors are expressing relief at the removal of the prompt asking students to describe a place where they are content.  Many colleges felt that prompt didn’t reveal enough about the student, while counselors said there were just too many responses that talked about the student’s bedroom, or in many case, the shower.  Perhaps some students will use the new prompt to solve the problem of making the rest of the world as content a place as their bedroom. 

Who Needs Harvard? We Do!

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

The work of high school counselors just got a lot easier, and we have Frank Bruni to thank. His essay   “How to Survive the College Admissions Madness” uses real case studies to show students that life tends to work out pretty well for students whose dream school says no—and sometimes, it’s even better than if the dream school had said yes.

This is the ideal piece to pass along to anxious parents, right before admissions madness hits its peak.  It’s also a good piece to pass along to students, but I have to say, I don’t worry about them as much; they always seem to bounce back from the “no” of a college better than Mom and Dad do.  In any case, it makes for great family reading, so take a look at it, and share with your families, knowing the piece has its limits:

• First, the piece does share enthusiasm for the “who cares about Harvard?” movement that’s swirling about us, and that’s cause for concern.  Yes, Harvard’s hard to get into—but that’s because it’s a great school, and it plays an important role in the education of more than just the students who go there.

Aspiring hoopsters of varying abilities have pictures of LeBron James on their bedroom walls, and that inspires them to be better basketball players, even though few (if any) will make it to the NBA.  The same is true for the role Harvard plays in the goal setting and development of our bright students; giving their all to achieving a high academic goal ensures they will have the discipline, habits, and perseverance needed to be successful  in whatever college they attend, and the subsequent life they lead.  Without the high goal of Harvard, these students don’t realize all of who they are, and what they can achieve—and that makes us all a little poorer.

• Counselors wiser than I have pointed out that, while Bruni is trying to point out the value of every college, he doesn’t exactly do that.  His examples of students who went on to other colleges focuses largely on top tier schools, and more than one counselor has said there seems to be a message in the piece that says “Don’t worry—your child will still make their first million before they’re 30.”  This certainly limits the impact this piece can have if you work primarily with students who aren’t looking to Top 25 colleges, but there may be a way to use some of the ideas in the piece that will drive key ideas home about opportunity and achievement. 

• Parents will want to be careful about the messages they send their child about college.  Bruni ends his piece with a touching story about two parents who wrote a letter of unconditional love to their son the night before his college decisions came.  The letter proved to help the student through the rejections he received, and he was able to move forward and make the most of the college choices he had.

This level of parental insight is inspiring, but that doesn’t mean it should be replicated.  The parents made the right choice for their child—but the same letter, written to a child with a different set of values or level of self-esteem, could have the opposite effect. As we prepare students for Decision Day, let’s keep in mind this individual process is about who they are, not who we want them to be.  If we do that, we’ll know just what to say to make each student look forward to what comes after high school.  

A Gentle Reminder

By: Patrick O'Connor  Ph.D

There’s no such thing as “down time” for school counselors, but if there was ever a “crunch time”, this is it.  Sure, the first round of scheduling is over, but the second round of scheduling is about to begin.  Spring testing is on the horizon for many counselors (why are we in charge of that again?), and seniors are about to get admissions decisions from the nation’s most select colleges.  Once that smoke has cleared, it’s time to get ready for AP testing, award ceremonies, final exams, commencement—and a little more scheduling. Then, just like that, it’s over.

As we get ready to take the plunge, it’s important to hear the perspective of a student who caught her counselor on a bad day.  As I was told the story, the student wasn’t coming to see her counselor; they just happened to be in the hallway at the same time, with the student heading to class, and the counselor heading to another event of part of another busy day.  After seeing the very heavy scowl on the counselor’s face, the student concluded this was not the day to see her counselor—she was clearly in a bad mood.

Fair or not, it’s important to consider this experience from the student’s perspective.  As counselors, it’s easy for us to dismiss the concern with a reminder that counselors have too many tasks to complete, and too little time to do them; that too much of our work involves duties that have nothing to with counseling; that everyone has bad days.  When we put on our counselor lens and our adult lens, it’s easy to look past an inadvertent scowl, and not let it keep us from touching base with a counselor, or asking them for help.

The problem with that thinking is that students—our clients—aren’t adults. It’s certainly true that some of our students in greatest need aren’t the most logical thinkers, and the high emotions of some teenagers makes them impossible to please at times.  At the same time, these same volatile students are the ones who need us most, the ones who need to feel welcome by their counselor when the rest of the world has, at least according to them, given them the cold shoulder.  It isn’t easy to maintain a posture of openness and receptivity at all times, but when we tell students we’re there for them no matter what, that’s what we sign up for—always demonstrating at atmosphere of support for students who may not be thinking with linear precision.

It’s important to be honest with our students, and we don’t do them any favors by trying to portray adulthood as a seamless journey of joy-filled discovery.  But that’s a story we can tell once the student is in our office; the way we hold ourselves in the hallways and complete those “other duties as assigned” can make the difference in getting students in our offices in the first place.  So give a smile to your students, especially when they think they aren’t looking.  It can make a world of difference. 

Assumptions Can Kill a College Search

By: Patrick O'Connor Ph.D

It’s been a long, cold, lonely winter in Michigan, even though we haven’t had our share of snow this year.  The blizzard began in early January, when the Michigan Department of Education announced plans to drop the ACT as the statewide college readiness exam. Within hours, school officials—largely district superintendents—were throwing themselves in front of every TV camera in the state, making bold proclamations that all sounded the same:

“Well, if the state is going to require our kids to take the SAT, it’s about time our state colleges started accepting the SAT as part of their freshman application process.”

There is no doubt these spokespersons are sincere, well-meaning educators who are very busy people.  Having said that, how long would it have taken to call someone in their district who works more closely with college admission—say, a school counselor—and ask “The state is changing to the SAT.  Is that going to hurt our kids?”

There is nothing like knowing what you don’t know.

The avalanche has turned into light flurries, but it’s still enough to make a counselor feel snowbound.  Just the other day, a school principal supported the test change by saying “Think of the opportunities this creates for students to look at colleges beyond Michigan”, assuming that colleges beyond our borders had never heard of the ACT, let alone knew what to do with the scores.

This entire test-switching adventure is a gentle reminder of two keys in college counseling.  First, it is always important to challenge the assumptions of our students.  How many students come through our doors having picked up the idea that they aren’t “college material”, making it that much harder for them to understand all of the options available to them after high school? 

This is especially true when it comes to college costs.  Too many students limit themselves to the schools they think they can afford, when a full exploration of college options can turn up scholarships or other programs that make dream schools affordable, as long as the student is willing to look.

Second, it is essential to begin college awareness at an early age.  Attitudes about college costs and the “right” kinds of college begin early in our society; this is why applications for admission always increase at whatever college wins the football national championship. By talking to 7^th and 8^th grade families about college options and costs, counselors are giving students the tools to evaluate options after high school that put their interests, talents, and needs at the center of the search.  That’s the best way to make sure students are asking assumption-free questions.

Counselors looking for a college curriculum that makes sense to 7^th graders can turn to the National Association for College Admission Counseling.  Their Step by Step curriculum walks students and parents through the college exploration process from grades 7-11, and includes downloadable Power Points in English and Spanish—all for free.  No curriculum will make sure every student has an assumption-free college search, but NACAC offers a tried and true way to keep most students and families on the straight and narrow, no matter what college test they take. 

Why You Should Celebrate National School Counseling Week

By: Patrick O'Connor  Ph.D

It just figures that National School Counseling Week starts the day after the Super Bowl.

The country gorges on guacamole-covered chicken wings on Sunday, and when America's most misunderstood group of educators asks for three nacho chips and a high five on Monday, the country is too tired to party.

In some ways, we don't mind. The last time we made headlines, most people surveyed felt that school counselors were more of a hindrance than a help in applying to college. Before that, we were the punch line of a car ad -- "Your guidance counselor drives a minivan" -- or we were known as the washed-up teachers who were given offices close to the principal so he could keep an eye on us.

But Jenny doesn't see us that way.

Jenny was the quiet, slender girl who didn't cause anyone trouble, except herself. When two or three students saw Jenny needed help, they went straight to the school counselor, who called Jenny into that office close to the principal to talk about it in a safe, confidential place. Jenny got help, and became an even more beautiful person.

Steve doesn't see us that way either. Three weeks into school, he had his fifth unexcused absence, and was on his way to flunking a required course. He told his school counselor he was working late to support the newborn son no one knew he had. His counselor asked the teacher to give Steve one last break, but never mentioned why. Steve got it, graduated, and got a full-time job that paid enough to take care of his young family.

If you didn't know that, you're not supposed to. When someone's life slips or they don't know where to turn, school counselors give them the space for grace and dignity to rebuild and strengthen their lives, all without fanfare. Sometimes, if you don't know we're doing our job, we're doing our job pretty well.

Of course, we aren't perfect. Most of us work with 450 students at once, and some have twice that number. Since many principals think we should change schedules instead of lives, we don't have as much time to help students as we'd like, and most of us were never -- never -- trained how to help students apply to college.

I bet you didn't know that either.

Old habits die hard -- school counselors know that for sure -- but if you have a minute this week, stop by and thank your school counselor for everything you don't know they're doing, and put in a good word for them with the principal. We might not score winning touchdowns or drive fast cars, but when the goal is to drive 450 students to win their own big game, the minivan really rocks it.