Date post: | 28-Dec-2015 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | john-shawn-allen |
View: | 212 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Session C-24Mary K. Muncie
U.S. Department of Education
Kristen Demaree NCHELP
Jennifer Martin NASFAA
Session Agenda
• Introduction to NT4CM• The need for NT4CM• Pilot for Academic Year 2008-09 • Plans for Academic Year 2009-10• Discussion
Introduction to NT4CM
What Is NT4CM?• National Training for Counselors and Mentors
(NT4CM)—intended audiences
• Free training
– Designed at the national level, offered locally to high school counselors and college access community
– Includes details regarding the Federal student aid programs and state-specific programs
• Ongoing support
– Via monthly communications
Who Are the Players in NT4CM?
• Steering committee
• State coordinators
• Trainers local to the area who are professionals in Student Financial Assistance programs
The Need for NT4CM
Why Offer NT4CM?
• Usability studies as well as discussions with counselors told us that they:– Need up-to-date aid information– Prefer it to be face-to-face– Want it annually– Need on-going communication
vehicle
Why Offer NT4CM?
• Survey of states told us:– Some conduct annual training, but
not all have the resources– Modules re: new programs can
supplement what they do offer
NT4CM—History to Date• How we got to here:
– March 07—steering committee established• Planning begun and states polled • Decision to combine resources and pilot
– June—materials developed– August—Web goes live—webinars conducted– Sept.-March—sessions conducted– April-May—evaluation and lessons learned
How We Did It—The Process
• State Participation -- Pilot Year --17 states and Puerto Rico
- Alaska - Illinois + - New York+- Arkansas + - Iowa + - North Carolina- California - Kentucky + - Ohio- Connecticut - Maine + - Tennessee +- Florida + - Mississippi + - Utah + - Georgia + - New Hampshire
• State Participation –- 2009-10 --Those states below
and as noted by + above
- D C - Massachusetts - Washington
- Hawaii - Michigan - West Virginia
- Louisiana - Texas
State Roles—Coordinators• Managed logistics
– Securing trainers, dates, locations
– Determining participation level
– Ordering materials
– Conducting outreach and publicity
• Participated in bi-weekly conference calls with steering committee during planning phase and as needed throughout
• Offered ongoing feedback
• Shared best practices
Materials for NT4CM
• Developed and shipped by steering committee to state coordinators
PowerPoint presentationInstructor ManualParticipant GuideHandouts and resource lists
• Customizable outreach materials provided electronically
• Sample of Participant Guide circulating
NT4CM Web Site
Participant (public) Web site www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/NT4CM
•General program information – fact sheet, FAQs
•Registration—online or links to states’ sites
•Downloadable Participant Guide•Links to resources
NT4CM Web Site
Trainer and coordinator Web site www.fsa4counselors.ed.gov/trainers•Downloadable PowerPoint
presentation and instructor manual•Downloadable customizable outreach
materials•Train the Trainers webinar
2008-09 Workshop Overview
Agenda had three main sections:
– Federal aid (provided by NT4CM)
– State aid (provided by states)—template provided by NT4CM
– Resources (provided by NT4CM and states)
2008-09 Workshop Curriculum - Federal
• Overview of financial aid
• How to apply for federal aid
– FAFSA4caster
– FAFSA on the Web
2008-09 Workshop Curriculum - Federal
• Eligibility criteria and application procedures for Academic Competitiveness Grants
• How to search for federal, state, institutional and private scholarships
• Avoiding financial aid fraud
2008-09 Workshop Curriculum - State
• Using templates, detailed state grants, loans and scholarships:– General information– Maximum award– Eligibility criteria– Application procedure
2008-09 Workshop Curriculum - State
• Using templates, detailed state prepaid tuition plans and state college savings plans:– General information
– Contributions and outcomes
– Tax benefits
2008-09 Workshop Curriculum - Resources
Resources provided
– Fact sheets
– Web sites
– Phone numbers
• Developed two new modules geared for middle school audiences– Counselors– Students and families
• Encourage student and families to plan financially for college as early as possible
New Modules for 2009-10
• Plan to develop new modules throughout the year– Students with disabilities– Foster youth– Non-traditional students
• At the end of this presentation, want to hear what additional topics you would like to see addressed
Expansion of Workshop Materials
Plans for Academic Year 2009-10
Based on lessons learned and evaluations
Lessons Learned
• Earlier communications—to take advantage of piggy-backing opportunities
• Clearer delineation of criteria for participation—see separate handout
• Incentives for attending—CEUs• Expand steering committee and supporters• Build on successes—evaluations from pilot
• 62% responded “outstanding” when asked if the training met their needs for assisting students to prepare financially for college (4.6 rating out of 5).
• 78% responded “outstanding” when asked to rate the NT4CM materials (4.8 rating out of 5).
• 61% responded “outstanding” when asked to evaluate the case studies, charts, and other graphic illustrations, (4.6 rating out of 5).
*Data based on 461 surveys received out of 1,149 participants.
Evaluation
Evaluation–Quotes
• “Good job! Where were you guys all these years?”
• “Great workshop for someone wanting the basics of financial aid!”
• “Very helpful, I learned a lot about new programs. Thank you. I'd like to do this yearly to stay knowledgeable about updates.”
The Numbers for Academic Year 2009-10
• States– Players
• Sessions– Planned offerings
• Trainees– Estimates
Next Steps—and Your Ideas
• How do we recruit more states?• What can we add to fill a need?• Are there any comments from those
who participated in the pilot year or who are participating this year?
• What additional topics should we add to curriculum?
• Other ideas to plus up the effort?
Contact Information
We appreciate your feedback and comments. We can be reached at:
Mary K. [email protected] 202.377.3202
Jennifer [email protected] 202.785.6973
Kristen [email protected]
[email protected] and all inquiries