© 2015 uaspire. all rights reserved.1 the power of award letter review and data analysis college...
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© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 1
The Power Of Award Letter Review and Data Analysis
College Access Affinity Call
June 4, 2015
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 2
AGENDA
uAspire: Overview - Award Letter Review and Data Analysis
Spring Branch ISD: Award Letter Review and Collection
YES Prep: Award Letter Initiative -- Data Analysis
Harvard Graduate School of Education: Measuring Impact
Discussion and Q&A
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 4
uAspire works to ensure that all young people have the
financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to – and through – a
postsecondary education
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 5
Award Letter Review and Data Analysis Initiative
AL Review &
Collection
AL Data Analysis
AL Reports + Financial
Fit Advising
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 6
The Power of Award Letter Data•Promote affordable colleges with younger students•Use data for financial fit at college list creation•Drives award letter comparison with students to find
affordable choice, to maximize aid, and build skills
GUIDE Students & Families
•Develop school counselor expertise with real #s•Target areas for data collection to learn more where
needed•Tie college cost to student postsecondary outcomes
BUILD Staff Expertise &
Data Set
•Nudge colleges to better packages•Create affordable pathways through partnerships•Spark state and national conversations
STRATEGIZE partnerships
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 7
What We Do: The Process
COLLECTION REVIEW
Guides student
decisions on where to ATTEND
DATA ANALYSISCaptures trends and awarding
practices, that we can compare.
SHARING INFORMATION AL Reports bring process full circle when we use AL data to train our Advisors and provide advising tools we use
to advise students on financial fit.
Informs students decisions where to
APPLY
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 8
Key Strategies: Award Letter Review Celebrate THEN Decide
Applaud acceptances, make choice after AL reviews
Build a consumer mindset culture and skills
Compare ALL award letters with comparison tool
uAspire Analyzer … consumerfinance.gov
Engage Families
Have them join AL comparison meetings
Use ACCESSIBLE language: “unmet need” vs. “estimated bill”
Connect college decision meetings with deposit and payment planning
Copyright © 2014 uAspire, All rights reserved. www.uaspire.org
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 9
Key Strategies: AL Collection Advertise
Promote the pro-social aspect of helping younger students
Offer incentives and creative marketing
Nudge Using the Calendar Build relationships with most common colleges
Request Award Letter delivery timelines
Build momentum off of May 1st deposit deadline
Seek ALL Letters Encourage students to bring in ALL letters , not just intending school
Know where to look: Email & Web-Portals are increasingly more common…
Offer MANY ways to contribute letters – photos, texting, PDFs, hard copies…
9 9
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 10
Key Strategies: Award Letter Data Analysis Make it ACCESSIBLE
Offer different content for different audiences: Board/Counselors/Students & Families
ALIGN award letter data with student data
Richer analysis to guide younger students
USE Data when advising students @ List and @ Decision
Advise seniors on financial fit of their college list based on their GPA and Pell eligibility
Challenge misperceptions of certain types of schools with students and families
Use trends analysis to drive hard conversations: and build financial literacy:̶R Parent PLUS, Net Cost vs. Gap or Estimated Bill, Payment Plan
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© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 11
AL Report EXAMPLE: Postsecondary Roll Up AUDIENCE: Students and Families
High-Low College List of Most to Least Expensive Net Cost Based on History of Students “Like Them”
Teach difference between listed price and net cost
Simple tool to assess college list for financial risk + safety schools
SBISD: Data and Demographics
School District in west Houston, TX•Our Students: 35,108 Total
• 57% Economically Disadvantaged; 52% At Rick• 1/3 Limited English• 61% Latino/Hispanic; 27% Caucasian/White• 95% taking SAT/ACT; 95% graduation rate
•Our Schools• 4 Traditional High Schools, 1 Charter High School, 1
Alternative High School• 2 middle schools- partnership with KIPP/YES Prep- High
school students will feed into 1 of the traditional high schools (Northbrook)
SBISD: Our T-2-4 Initiative
One Singular goal: T-2-4= double the # of students completing technical certificate or military training, two-year or four-year degree
•Our Team:• Traditional Guidance Counselors• Lead Postsecondary Counselors• Academic Advisors
•Our Outcomes to Date: Nov 2014 NSC• 63% enrolled in higher ed fall immediately after high school• 90% Class of 2012 Freshman to Sophomore Persistence• 45% Class of 2008 6-year graduation rate
The Value of Award Letter Review & Collection
• Increase knowledge & Improve financial decisions• Opportunity: Better meet the needs across the wide diversity of student
socio-economic backgrounds• Affluent families: Reluctant to submit FAFSA and focused on brand
name & legacy choices• Low-income families: Under-informed and targeted by expensive for-
profit institutions & technical programs
Students and Families
• Increased knowledge & mindset shift to address best-fit T-2-4 options• Opportunity: Wide diversity of perspectives from leadership to teachers
regarding best T-2-4 “fit” for students & importance of sound financial decisions
Faculty & Staff
AL Initiative Launch 2014-15
• Support for Campuses• uAspire Award Letter Training
• Academic Advisors, Post-Secondary Counselors, 12th grade counselors
• Post-Training Follow-up Meetings• Analyzing FAFSA/TASFA Data & Goal Setting • Brainstorming: Encouraging Buy-in at all levels (leadership, staff,
teachers, parents, etc.)• Parent Letter• Focus on 1:1 best practices
• Student Buy-in• Incentives (Pizza Party, Chick-fil-A Breakfast)• Senior Check-out Checklist• Texting• In Class Activity with Award Letter Analysis
Lessons Learned for 2015-2016 Strategies
• Earlier Communications• Fall Parent Meetings• Letters to Parents (Bilingual)
• In Class Outreach• Award letter analysis to underclassmen & Seniors
• District Campaign• Marketing & Communications Support
• Mentor Orientation & Training• Senior Check-out Checklist District Wide
• Options for students who will not receive award letters
Why Affordability as Priority for our Schools and Students?
• EDUCATE students & families about college affordability and the financial process earlier so they can better plan for their college education.
• DEVELOP a system for collecting and analyzing our students’ financial aid data, including EFC and award letters.
• INFORM our future graduates’ choices about college affordability and the path that best meets their needs personally, academically and financially.
• COLLABORATE with national experts on college affordability and other like-minded educational organizations and schools.
YES Prep: Award Letter Review + Analysis
FOCUS• Micro level
• impact student choices • support counselors
• Macro level • Build a database of
award letter packaging trends
• Use to inform students in advising and partnership strategies
GOALS• Measures of success
include: • staff feedback on
training utility • increase on staff self-
assessment of expertise • number of award letter
1:1 meetings held• number of letters
collected
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 26
Lena EisenEarly college planning initiative, Harvard Graduate school of education
Engaging Families in Award Letter Review (ALR)
Challenges to ALR Programs•Not enough time for discussion•Difficult to schedule•Low Parental Involvement
Solutions and Promising Practices•Creative and Flexible Scheduling•Enhanced Outreach to Families•Early Data Demonstrates Value
I Know What I Owe: Goals
• Increase # of students participating in ALR
• Engage more parents in ALR sessions
• Raise awareness about resources available to help families make informed financial decisions about college
• Explore and test new methods of community outreach
• Inform future programming – collect survey data before and after ALR sessions
• Spring break can be an effective time to reach families for Award Letter Review
• From 12 sessions in 2013 to 89 sessions in 2014 with promotion and spring break availability
• Participants felt they understood how much college would cost much better after meeting with the uAspire advisor
• 79% of parents and 96% of students
• ALR sessions increased the percentage who reported having a plan for how to pay for the 1st year of college:
• Parents: Pre ALR: 68% Post ALR: 82%• Students: Pre ALR: 29% Post ALR: 62%
I Know What I Owe: What We Learned
Measuring ImpactPerhaps most importantly, ALR sessions increased
understanding of financial terms and concepts
Percentage who reported understanding these concepts “well”
Parents Parents Students Students
Pre- Post- Pre- Post-
Total amount of financial aid offered 28% 78% 40% 76%
Total amount of loans being offered 24% 80% 36% 71%
Total amount of grants and scholarships 24% 75% 37% 67%
Amount you need to pay for 1st year that financial aid DOES NOT cover
16% 75% 14% 68%
How you will pay for the amount not covered by financial aid
0% 50% 7% 64%
Measuring Impact
Of 3,098 Students Who Reported Receiving a Financial Aid Award Letter…
…Percentage who answered “Yes”
Did Not Attend
ALR
Attended ALR
I know how much I will have to pay out of pocket for the first year of college
58% 86%
I made a tuition deposit to a college 41% 75%
Promising Practices• Award Letter Review Sessions are helpful Increase Award
Letter Review opportunities for parents Location Timing Method of Outreach
• Engaging students AND parents is even better Encourage / Facilitate Communication between students and parents throughout the application and financial aid process
• Enhance Visibility of Available Resources Be creative and flexible with programming options Be present in community publications, online, in person
© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 34
Presenters’ Contact Information
Laura Keane: uAspire, VP of Innovation and Partnerships laura@uaspire.org
Erika Scott: Spring Branch ISD, To and Through Facilitator, erika.scott@springbranchisd.com
Donald Kamentz: YES Prep Public Schools, Managing Director of College and Career Initiatives: dkamentz@yesprep.org
Lena Eisen: Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Manager of the Early College Planning Initiative: jme109@mail.harvard.edu
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