Louisianas First Choice for College Access. Professional School Counselor Workshop 2012 Welcome! LOSFA Professional School Counselor Workshop

Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

www.osfa.la.gov

Welcome!LOSFA

Professional School Counselor Workshop 2012

LOSFA Administered Programs and Presentation Topics

TOPS

START Saving Program

TOPS Tech Early Start Program

Chafee Educational Training Voucher (ETV) Program

Volunteer Firemen’s Tuition Reimbursement (Promotion Only)

FLY – Financial Literacy for You FLY Tour 2013

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College Knowledge

Go Grant

Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship

Health Care Educator Loan Forgiveness

John R Justice Student Loan Repayment Program

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LOSFA Administered Programs

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LOSFA Social Media Sites

http://www.facebook.com/LOSFA

http://www.twitter.com/LOSFA

http://www.youtube.com/ LOSFA1000

http://www.Flickr.com/LOSFA

Legislative and Program Updates

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TOPS – Military Extension• A qualified student who enlists and enters on active

duty in the Armed Forces within one year of graduation from high school must enroll in an eligible college no later than the semester, quarter or term following the one year anniversary of separation from active duty.

• The veteran must not have been discharged with an undesirable, bad conduct or dishonorable discharge.

• A student who meets these requirements and did not previously apply, must file a FAFSA within one year of separation from active duty.

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TOPS - ACT• A qualifying score achieved on a National,

International, Military, or Special ACT or equivalent SAT taken no later than April 30 and a first time qualifying scores on test taken after April 30 but before July 1 of the year of high school graduation will be accepted.

• Scores on tests taken after June of the year of high school graduation will not be accepted unless the student is granted an exception for a score earned on a test taken before September 30 of the year of high school graduation based on proof that the student was prevented from taking the test prior to July 1 due to circumstances beyond the control of the student and attributable to the administration of the test.

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TOPS – Academic Year• On March 19, 2012, the Louisiana Student

Financial Assistance Commission amended the Scholarship and Grant Program Rules to provide that the definition of the academic year includes the Summer Session and Summer-Fall Intersession. Beginning with the 2011-12 academic year and thereafter, the academic year begins with the fall term of the award year and concludes immediately before the next fall term commences.

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TOPS – Academic Year• As a result of this amendment, the hours a

student earns during a summer session or during the summer-fall intersession will be included in determining whether a student has met the requirement to earn 24 hours during the academic year. Students are not required to enroll for the summer session or in any intersession.

• TOPS will not automatically pay for a summer session.

• An award made for summer school expends one semester or term of TOPS eligibility for those students who qualify.

www.osfa.la.gov

Federal Student Aid Eligibility Change

• Students who enroll in college for the first time on or after July 1, 2012 must have a high school diploma or GED, or have been home schooled, to be eligible for federal student aid (federal grants including Pell, loans and work study). Students who were enrolled before July 1, 2012 are not affected by this change.

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Change to Pell Grant Eligibility• Pell Grants are need based federal grants

available to both full-time and part-time undergraduate students. They do not need to be repaid. For the 2012-13 award year, the maximum Pell Grant remains at $5,500.

• The maximum number of equivalent full-time semesters a student is eligible to receive a Pell Grant will drop from 18 to 12 semesters for all students, including those close to completion.

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TOPS Processing Cycle

• Processing cannot begin until we can match your FAFSA data, STS data and ACT data

• This data is matched by SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

• IF YOU DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ON YOUR ACT REGISTRATION, YOUR TOPS PROCESSING WILL BE DELAYED

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LOSFA:

College Access and

Outreachwww.osfa.la.gov

Program Presentations• All LOSFA presentations can be

personalized to fit the needs of a specific audience

• TOPS• FAFSA• What is Financial Aid? – An overview of

financial aid• State Aid Programs including TOPS• FAFSA• Federal Aid (Grant & Loan Programs)• Institutional Aid• Private Aid

www.osfa.la.gov

Program Presentations

• College Knowledge

• FLY: Financial Literacy for You

• FLY Tour 2013

• START Saving Program

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On-line Publications• LOSFA Loop Online Newsletter

• TOPS Brochure (Opportunity, Performance & Honors Awards)

• TOPS Tech Brochure

• Don’t Blow Your TOPS Flyer

• Don’t Blow Your TOPS Renewal Flyer

• Surfing the Web Flyer

• TOPS Core Curriculum Fact Sheet

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On-Line Publications• TOPS Core Curriculum for Graduates

of 2014 and thereafter Fact Sheet

• LOSFA Social Media Sites Flyer

• STARTing Line Online Newsletter

Printed Publications• START Brochure

• START Depositor’s Agreement Packets

www.osfa.la.gov

How Do I Schedule A Presentation?• Call or e-mail Jerri Mack

• [email protected]• (800) 259-5626• (225) 219-1012

• LOSFA Representatives are available for day, night and weekend presentations

• Request your date as early as possible• Please plan for adequate time for the

presentation• Scheduling an event with LACRAO does

not include LOSFA. Feel free to invite LOSFA to your LACRAO event.

twww.osfa.la.gov

PowerPoint Presentations

• You may request copies of LOSFA PowerPoint presentations to use at your school

• E-mail Jerri Mack– [email protected]

www.osfa.la.gov

STS Training

• Times and Dates To Be Determined

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Financial Aid Call In Night

• Monday, February 18, 2013

• Public Information Representatives will be available from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m.

• (800) 259-5626 or

(225) 219-1012

• Facebook Chat

www.osfa.la.gov

www.osfa.la.gov

Why do I need a Trailblazer?

• Trailblazers receive the first program updates after the legislative session

• Trailblazers can assist counselors with informing students on TOPS requirements

• Trailblazers can serve as Peer Counselors on financial aid

• Trailblazers are trained on all types and sources of financial aid

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What makes a good Trailblazer?

• Leadership skills

• Communication skills

• Outgoing personality

• Service oriented

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Earn a Trailblazer Letter of Achievement/ Recommendation

• Complete a series of twelve tasks

• Have your Counselor certify that you have done so

• Receive your letter of Achievement/Recognition in early 2013


July 2012• “Like” the LOSFA Facebook page

• “Join” the LOSFA Trailblazers Facebook group page

• Sign up as a College Goal Sunday Volunteer


August 2012• Meet with your Counselor upon return to school in

August and share your Trailblazer manual and other information learned at the camp.

• Work with your Counselor to develop and execute a plan to get all students at your high school to activate their Louisiana Connect accounts.

• Work with your Counselor to develop and execute a plan to encourage parents of your fellow students to activate their Louisiana Connect accounts.


September 2012• Write a short essay on what you learned at

Trailblazer Camp and have your Counselor Email it to LOSFA ([email protected]).

• Invite all your Facebook friends to “like” LOSFA on Facebook by sharing our direct Facebook link in a message.

• Make sure that your school Web site has links to LOSFA’s Web site and to the Louisiana Connect portal.


October 2012

• Work with your Counselor to schedule a College Day/Career Night/LOSFA presentation event at your school.


November 2012• Recommend to your Counselor a current

Junior at your school to be a 2013-2014 Trailblazer.

• Write a short essay detailing the activities you initiated, organized and/or executed to increase knowledge of financial aid opportunities at your school and have your Counselor Email it to LOSFA ([email protected]). The final deadline for receipt is November 30.


February 24, 2013• Attend College Goal Sunday at the location for which

you volunteered• Assist the LOSFA representative and the Site

Coordinator as needed• (This activity represents final completion of the task

you received credit for when you volunteered during

Trailblazer Camp last July. Fulfillment of this task will

be on the honor system as we want to get your

letters of Achievement/Recognition to you by mid-

December so that you can include them in college

admissions application packages.)

Trailblazers 2013

Northwestern State University

Natchitoches

July 14 - 16, 2013

Nicholls State University

Thibodaux

July 21 - 23, 2013

www.osfa.la.gov

Documents

Louisianas First Choice for College Access. Professional School Counselor Workshop 2012 Welcome! LOSFA Professional School Counselor Workshop