As high school and college students adjust to virtual learning and the realization that their college journey will look different than in the past, many of us are adjusting to how best to provide support. The education landscape is changing and will continue to look different as we move forward and make adjustments to the current conditions. We know how critical it is to be the best advocate to provide accurate and timely information to students and their families, counselors and educators, and others who serve them as they virtually navigate the college-going process.
The following resources work to do just that, from sources you can trust and rely on. Bookmark the pages and check them frequently to stay on top of updates and announcements.
National College Attainment Network (NCAN): Our colleagues at NCAN are offering best practices, FAQs, policy updates, and other news and information to support students during the coronavirus outbreak and recovery period.
American School Counselor Association (ASCA): ASCA is regularly hosting pop-up webinars for school counselors to discuss topics like School Counseling in an Online World and Ethical Considerations: School Counseling in a Virtual Setting
Center for Postsecondary Readiness and Success (CPRS): CPRS has pulled together a list of COVID-19 response and crisis intervention resources for school counselors related to bullying, hate, and stigma; career counseling; counseling online; college advising; crisis intervention; graduate and academic; grief and loss; people experiencing homelessness; identity development; and undocumented students.
COVID-19 Counseling Resources: This new website was created in partnership with the California Association of School Counselors and the Wisconsin School Counselors Association. This multidisciplinary team of more than 50 school administrators and counselors organized to provide a platform where information can be consolidated into a one-stop website to address massive school closures and community-wide health, mental health, and economic trauma. Information and links to resources were collected to assist educators, school-based mental health service providers, caregivers, and Pre-K-12 grade students.
NACAC: As college admission deadlines continue to evolve, NACAC is committed to providing a central resource for information about college admission events, deposit dates, and more as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.
National Association of Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA): NASFAA has developed a webpage dedicated to pertinent financial aid news related to COVID-19.
The Education Trust: Ed Trust has developed a webpage dedicated to understanding COVID-19’s effect on education equity. Ed Trust recommends six steps schools can take to address education equity while schools are closed due to coronavirus.
ACT: ACT is closely working with test site administrators and monitoring guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state government and local public health guidelines. During the week of May 26, ACT will notify students and announce all test center closings and cancelations for the June 13 test date. In addition, ACT is offering digital learning and workforce resources to assist students, teachers, educators, and workers affected by COVID-19. The shared resources are adaptable for use in home, through online learning, and in workforce settings.
College Board: The College Board has canceled the SAT and SAT subject tests scheduled for June 6. If it is safe from a public health standpoint, College Board will provide weekend SAT administrations every month through the end of the calendar year, beginning in August. This includes a new administration on September 26 and the previously scheduled tests on August 29, October 3, November 7, and December 5.
Webinars of Interest:
American Federation of Teachers (AFT): On May 7, ACT and AFT jointly hosted a webinar with Mawi Asgedom of Mawi Learning. The webinar focused on how parents can help stem a “COVID-19 learning slide.” Watch the recording
SwiftStudent: On May 14, ACT and SwiftStudent jointly hosted the webinar “Demystifying the Financial Aid Appeals Process” to discuss a new free online resource to support students, their families, and financial aid offices in streamlining the financial aid appeal process. Watch the recording
ACT’s Center for Equity in Learning and the American College Application Campaign will continue to monitor resources developed for the education field and share on social media and ACAC’s newsletter. You can find us on Twitter at @ACTEquity and @American_CAC and Facebook @AmericanCAC.