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Making a Difference
Every Day
April 5, 2016
Holiday Inn, Boxborough, MA
Table of Contents
Spring Conference Program Overview...............................................................
Presidents Welcome.........................................................................................
Preconference Workshop...................................................................................
MASCA Presidents Opening Reception & Award Ceremony...............................
Sponsors...........................................................................................................
Morning Learning Sessions (8:05-9:00)..........................................................
Morning Learning Sessions (9:05-10:00)......................................................
Keynote Session..............................................................................................
Exhibitors........................................................................................................
Graduate Student Poster Presentation Session...........................................
Graduate Student Scholarship Winners...........................................................
Afternoon Learning Sessions (1:45-3:15)....................................................
Afternoon Learning Sessions (3:25-4:15).........................................................
MASCA General Session..................................................................................
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Registration Open
3:00 5:30 pm
Pre-Conference Workshop
Atty. Gini Tate Legal Issues for School Counselors
5:30 6:00 pm
6:00 8:30 pm
Registration
7:00 8:00 am
7:45 am
Presidents Welcome
Ruth Carrigan, MASCA President
8:05 9:00 am
Awards Luncheon
2:10 3:05 pm
3:15 4:15 pm
Welcome
Ruth Carrigan, MASCA President 2015-2016
Welcome to the 2016 MASCA Annual Conference and MA Reach
Higher Convening. We have exciting workshops and keynotes
planned as well as a number of great exhibitors. Monday PreConference Workshop, Legal Issues for School Counselors, will be
led by Attorney Gini Tate. A wonderful President's Reception
sponsored by Bryant University featuring MASCA Tributes,
Graduate Student Awards, and Swing Dancing will be held on
Monday evening, and the full conference will begin on Tuesday.
As you can see in our conference program manual, our keynote speakers on
Tuesday include Keith Westrich, Acting Associate Commissioner of the Department
of Elementary and Secondary Educations Center for Vocational, Workforce, and
College Readiness Programs, and Dr. V. Scott Solberg from
Boston University. Dr. Solberg is an expert on Individual Learning Plans and will
share best practices and strategies that school counselors can use to help students
find success. In addition, we have over twenty five Learning Session options that
will provide excellent programming in the Academic, Personal/Social, and College
and Career Readiness domains. Please take time to visit our exhibitors while you
are attending the conference. Their support and sponsorship helps make our
conference possible.
As MASCA President, I want to thank you for your hard work and dedication. When
I think about the work we do, I like to remember the words of Michelle Obama
when she addressed school counselors at the 2014 American School Counselor
Association Conference, With every life you transform, with every life you safe,
you all have an impact that is truly beyond measure. Thank you for making a
difference in the lives of your students every day!
Preconference Workshop
3:00 5:30 pm
Federal Room
Exploring Career Paths for Students with Autism: How Can School
Counselors
Board
Advocate and Enhance Vocational Attainment
Laurie Dickstein-Fischer, PhD, LMHC, NCC, Salem State University
Students with Autism encounter a variety of barriers that impede their career
development and college access. Research is lacking on how school counselors can
advocate for these students regarding career and post-secondary opportunities.
Discover new career theories and interventions that are effective in promoting
diverse opportunities for students with Autism.
Reaching Higher: From the Ground Up
Directors
Katie Gray, Unique Potential Consulting
This session will focus on how the Reach Higher Initiative has served as a catalyst
for school counselors to be able to introduce new CCR initiatives. Participants will
hear about the nuts and bolts of what it takes to get a variety of different
interventions up and running. Come and get some ideas about what you can do at
the elementary, middle and high school levels to promote a CCR culture in your
school. Leave with an idea for a "pledge" of your own.
Keynote Session
10:30 11:30 am
Parade Room/Exhibit Hall
Keith Westrich
Acting Associate Commissioner of the Department of
Elementary and Secondary Educations Center for
Vocational, Workforce, and College Readiness Programs
As Acting Associate Commissioner, Mr. Westrich manages
and oversees Career/Vocational Technical Education, College
and Career Readiness and Adult Community Learning Services, all organized
around giving students the knowledge, skills and experiences necessary for future
success.
Most recently, Keith led the Departments College and Career Readiness unit to
advance the statewide efforts to help prepare all students for "Success After High
School."
Previously, Mr. Westrich was responsible for the Departments Connecting Activities
initiative providing resources and technical assistance to the 16 local Workforce
Investment Boards and local School to Career Partnerships supporting the
development and implementation of the states work-based learning agenda for
districts/schools participating in school to career programs across the
Commonwealth.
Admitster
MASFAA
MEFA
Bryant University
Merrimack College
Dean College
University
Suffolk University
Fuel Education
Future Ready MA
Ithaca College
Lasell College
and
Secondary
Education
Research
Wells Fargo Bank
Given the rising enrollment in the high school AP program, this presentation will cover
research on both the advantages and disadvantages of students taking AP courses. It will
also cover case studies of how different schools across the country have handled the
issue.
background information provide as well as strategies and tips for implementing a program
at your school. There will also be connection to state and national benchmarks and
standards.
Academic Impact Model, A.I.M. for Success!
Peter Robert Legere, University of Massachusetts Boston
A.I.M. for success is a strategy for designing and implementing an integrated model
incorporating (1) School-Wide Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (SW-PBIS), (2)
Character Education, and (3) Abraham Maslows psychological theoretical frameworks of
hierarchy of needs in a comprehensive school counseling program. Accountability is linked
to data-driven problem solving and support of school improvement. Schools' mission and
vision statements are considered along with Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) reports. The
data measure of A.I.M. aligns with The ASCA National Model and MASCA frameworks for
evaluating ethical and foundation best practices supporting systemic change and holding
stakeholders responsible.
Breaking the Language Barrier
Jennifer Mathews, Bridgewater State University
School Counselors who are fluent in Spanish are needed to close the multicultural gap. Our
nation currently serves 5 million ELL students, with nearly 85% of them being native
Spanish speakers (NCELALIEP, 2010). Culturally responsive school counseling programs
are critical because Hispanics/Latinos traditionally have not performed as well in school as
their White peers (Bernal & Knight, 1997). Benefits of having a Spanish speaking School
Counselor will be discussed. Additionally, strategies for schools and suggestions for School
Counselors to inform intentional programming will be presented. First hand experiences
will also be introduced.
1st Generation College Bound Students with Non-English Speaking Parents: A
How-To Guide to the College Application Process in Various Foreign Languages
Meaghan Monahan & Dimitri Kamberidis, University of Massachusetts, Boston
In order to accommodate non-English speaking parents and guardians of 1st generation
students who are unfamiliar with the college application and financial aid process, a
curriculum was created in a step-by-step format, in various foreign languages. The
curriculum includes a how-to guide to the Common Application, College Board Website,
FASFA and CSS Profile, differences between the SAT and ACT, and factors in the college
choice process such as public and private schools, location, and size of school. Finally,
information on the components that are required for a college application is provided,
including transcripts, teacher and counselor recommendations, and college essays.
Digital Footprint: Is anyone safe?
Jessica Montefusco, Westfield State University
As counselors, we are mentors, leaders and above all advocates for our students. We need
to make our students fully aware of the benefits and dangers about utilizing social media,
uploading photos, and putting their lives on the internet for all to see. With a collaboration
of videos, research, lesson plans and handouts; counselors will become fully aware of how
a student's digital footprints can change their future and what tools they will need to assist
in this pandemic.
Responding to Student Needs in Urban Areas Facing Community Violence
Sarah Ross, University of Massachusetts Boston
This poster presentation will examine the role of school counselors in responding to
student needs in urban communities where violence is pervasive. The presentation will
examine best practice and current research for how school counselors can effectively
support student needs when violence is present in the community.
Summer Melt
Nicole Moore, University of Massachusetts Amherst
The main focus of my poster will be to inform conference attendees about the
phenomenon known as "Summer Melt" and various interventions associated with it. This is
a major issue that is relevant to the work of school counselors because a large percentage
of college-intending students (in particular, students from low-income households) are
failing to enroll in college in the fall after high school graduation. This work is worth being
educated about because research is showing that various interventions can make a
remarkable impact on alleviating this phenomenon and increasing college enrollment.
Do students new to a school feel more connected when they participate in an
eight session new student peer leader group?
Jessica Ormsby, University of Massachusetts Boston
High school students who are new to a school often have trouble feeling connected to the
school. Research has shown that the more students feel connected to their school, the
better their academic and social-emotional outcomes. One solution is to hold a new
student peer leader group that can empower students to become more connected to their
school. Pre-interventions and post-interventions will be introduced to the students in the
group and measurable outcomes will be taken. In the form of a Marc Jr., I will be able to
compare and contrast outcomes to see if the group intervention was successful.
Beautify Your Stress!
Tinamarie Piscatelli, University of Massachusetts Boston
Stress is ugly. Caught between childhood and adulthood, many students in late
adolescence face grown-up problems and stressors. Socioeconomic status, peer
pressure, relationships, family conflict, and parental stress are just a few. These stressors,
and others, can lead to depression or other harmful coping mechanisms such as substance
abuse or suicide. Coloring can help. Really! Often associated with childhood, which is
usually a less stressful time in a persons life, coloring allows a person to make beautiful
something that feels so ugly. Beautify Your Stress! is an initiative designed to help
students conquer grown-up stress with coloring. Feeling stressed? Beautify!
Teen Dating Violence: Perceptions and Practices of School Counselors, the need
for education, policy, and programs, and Implications for School Counselors
Ryan Sacco, Salem State University
This poster will highlight research surrounding School Counselors' perceptions and
practices of teen dating violence, school policy, education, program offerings, and
implications for future practice. Focus will be put on the lack of awareness, and lack of
formal training that school counselors have in managing teen dating abuse situations, and
the lack of awareness of schools' polices (if they have one) on this topic. Strategies and
programs Melrose High School has instituted to curb teen dating violence, and my current
work with the Expect Respect curriculum in a boys counseling group will also be
highlighted.
Congratulations!
Graduate Student Scholarship Winners
Peter Legere, University of Massachusetts Boston
Janake Christensen, University of Massachusetts Boston
Jennifer Mathews, Bridgewater State University
Elizabeth Vassallo, University of Massachusetts Amherst
The Massachusetts School Counselors Association offered a $100.00 stipends to
four (4) selected graduate students. Stipends are provided to be used to
supplement costs of conference registration or lodging to provide additional
financial support to encourage graduate student involvement in the MASCA
Conference. The scholarship opportunity was available to any student matriculated
in a School Counseling program. Students needed to prepare an essay that
summarized how this professional development opportunity would inform their
training as a School Counselor. The winners received their stipend and certificate of
recognition at the Presidents Reception.
This session will review key methods to effectively help high school students
explore interests, strengths, work styles and career plans in classroom settings.
Participants will also have the opportunity to review effective materials and
resources for moving beyond interest assessments to reflection, application, and
planning for careers in a group.
Notes