Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance LOSFA Welcome

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Welcome! LOSFA Professional School Counselor Webinar 2014 General Session LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) LOSFA Administered Programs TOPS START Saving Program – Louisiana’s 529 college savings program TOPS Tech Early Start Program – provides up to $600/AY to eligible 11 th or 12 th grade public high school students to enroll in six credit hours per semester in a vocational course of study leading to an industry-based certification in a top demand occupation at a public college Go Grant – Need based grant – $300 minimum yearly benefit for AY 2013/2014 – $3000 maximum yearly benefit for AY 2013/2014 LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Rockefeller State Wildlife Scholarship – – Forestry, Marine Science, Wildlife $2, 000/annually for undergraduates $3, 000/annually for graduate students Competitively awarded for up to 5 years Chafee Educational Training Voucher (ETV) Program – awards up to $5, 000 annually during the academic year to qualified students who have been in the foster care system Strategies to Empower People (STEP) - On behalf of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), LOSFA processes and makes payments for Adult Education and Vocational Education for the Strategies to Empower People (STEP) Program John R. Justice Student Loan Repayment Program – provides for the payment of eligible educational loans for state and federal public defenders and state prosecutors employed in Louisiana LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) LOSFA Social Media Sites http: //www. facebook. com/LOSFA http: //www. twitter. com/LOSFA http: //www. youtube. com/LOSFA 1000 http: //instagram. com/losfa 001 LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) LOSFA College Access and Outreach LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) New LOSFA Service Strategy: –Statewide Services –Concentrated Services –Intensive Services LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Statewide Services 2013 -2014 Outreach 2014 -2015 Outreach 184 Unique High Schools Visited in 2013 -2014 112 Unique High Schools Scheduled to visit through October 2014. Statewide Services are added on a weekly basis. Disclaimer: Does not include presentations at: Colleges & Universities, Community and Faith-based sites. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) 2014 -2015 Concentrated Services 80 High Schools LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) INTENSIVE SERVICES OFFERED THROUGH LA GEAR UP Our Student Events College Kick-off Events Area Leadership Programs Louisiana College Application Month College Goal Sunday College Acceptance Day Our Student Intensive Services Financial Aid Awareness Rewards for Success Scholarships Academic-year Clubs Advanced Placement ACT Prep Campus Field Trips Dual Enrollment Positive Behavior Support Tutoring Our Parent Support Services High School and College Readiness Workshops Campus Field Trips College and Financial Aid Workshops, including College Goal Sunday Social Support 2014 -2015 LA GEAR UP SCHOOLS * Services for High School Seniors Our Teacher and Counselor Support Services Professional Development Opportunities Academic and Curricular Support LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) LOSFA Events Motivate, Instruct and Follow Through • • • Trailblazer Camp College Kick-off College Application Month College Application Workshops Counselor Webinars TOPS Seminars STS Workshops College Goal Sunday FAFSA Completion Workshops Spring FLY Tour College Acceptance Day LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

LOSFA’S 5 Point Match Aptitude, Skills, Interest Match What’s your Career Path? How much education do you need to get there? Academic Match Which programs are you eligible for? Cost of Choice Match Which program results in completion with the best income to loan debt ratio? Social and Emotional Match Which environment works best for you now? Online versus seat time? Large campus, Urban Setting, Small Campus, Rural/Suburban Setting? Weekday, Weeknight or Weekend Class Schedule? Retention Match Developed by Sujuan W. Boutté, Ed. D. Which program has the greatest success rate with retaining students like you?

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) 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 LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Program Presentations • • College Knowledge FLY: Financial Literacy for You FLY Tour 2015 START Saving Program LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) LOSFA Online Publication Resources LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Opportunity, Performance and Honors Brochure LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Tech Brochure LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Don’t Blow Your TOPS Poster LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Don’t Blow Your TOPS Renewal Poster LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Core Curriculum for High School Graduates 2014 -2017 LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Tech Core Curriculum for High School Graduates 2014 -2017 LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Core Curriculum for High School Graduates 2018 and thereafter LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Social Media Sites Flyer LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Surfing The Web for Financial Aid LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) TOPS Core Courses Approved by BESE and Board of Regents for Calculation on 5. 00 Point Scale LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) START Brochure LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) How Do I Schedule A Presentation? • Call or e-mail Jerri Mack • jerri. mack@la. gov • (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. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Power. Point Presentations • You may request copies of LOSFA Power. Point presentations to use at your school • E-mail Jerri Mack – jerri. mack@la. gov LOSFA’s Vision is www. osfa. la. gov to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) STS Training • Times and Dates To Be Determined LOSFA’s Vision is www. osfa. la. gov to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Trailblazer Leadership Conference • Redesign of Trailblazer Camp for 2015 making the Trailblazer experience available to more students representing more high schools • One-day Saturday conference in July at a few college campuses in the state • Students can apply directly with us to attend, with approval from a school official • Students will participate in a variety of activities at their high school in order to receive a letter of recommendation they can use for college admission purposes • Dates and more details will be available soon LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) 2014 Legislative Changes • ACT 566 – TOPS & TOPS TECH: – 2018 graduates & thereafter – Social Studies Requirement for Civics (1 unit) • Government, Civics, AP US Government & Politics: Comparative, or AP US Government & Politics: United States – Social Studies Elective (2 units) • Addition of: Economics, AP Macroeconomics & AP Microeconomics LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • ACT 733 – TOPS & TOPS TECH: – 2018 graduates & thereafter – Adds certain honors, talented and articulated courses that will be converted to a five-point scale for calculating the TOPS Core GPA for TOPS eligibility – Makes LOSFA responsible for defining “skill or occupational training” – Adds “any training leading to an industry-based certification, a certificate of applied science, or a certificate of technical sciences approved by the Workforce Investment Council offered by a provider regognized by the Louisiana Workforce Commission” to the definition of “skill and occupational training” LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • ACT 737 – TOPS & TOPS TECH: – 2015, 2016, 2017 graduates can use 1 Unit of Drafting to substitute for Fine Arts Survey – 2018 graduates & thereafter can use 1 unit of Drafting to substitute for 1 Art Unit – Allows students to qualify for TOPS Tech using the TOPS OPH Core for 2018 graduates – Deletes the TOPS Tech Core requirement to earn 1 Unit of Chemistry or Applied Chemistry – Requires 2 Units of Science from the list of TOPS Tech science subjects and adds Chemistry and Applied Chemistry to the list LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • ACT 737 – TOPS TECH EARLY START: – Provides that the TOPS Tech Early Start Award can be used to enroll in programs to pursue certifications approved by the Workforce Investment Council – Deletes the graduation exit exam requirements – Allows nonpublic postsecondary education institutions offering courses leading to an Industry. Based Certification, a Certificate of Applied Science, and/or a Certificate of Technical Sciences in a top demand occupation to participate in the TOPS Tech Early Start program LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • ACT 837 – Personally Identifiable Information: – Provides policies and procedures for the collection, receipt, use, protection and destruction of personally identifiable information – These procedures include requirements for consent from a parent or guardian for the public schools to collect and disclose certain personally identifiable information related to grades 6 -12 students to LOSFA to make it possible for the agency to determine eligibility for financial aid programs, including TOPS LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • Act 837 of the 2014 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature requires the governing authority of each school to provide a form to the parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled in grades eight through twelve which explains that the parent has the right to determine whether their child’s Personally Identifiable Information (PII) can be released to LOSFA and to the postsecondary education institution(s) to which their child applies. The form must be provided every year, and at least one parent or legal guardian must sign that they either grant consent or deny consent. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • PII includes the student’s full name, social security number, and transcript data. This information will be used by LOSFA to provide a TOPS Tracker to allow students and parents to track a student’s progress toward TOPS eligibility and to determine a student’s eligibility for a TOPS Award and other student financial aid. This information will also be used by postsecondary institutions to determine whether a student is eligible for admission. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • The Consent Form included in this Bulletin is for use by the parents and guardians of students enrolled in the eighth through the twelfth grades. The parent or guardian must give consent or deny consent to the collection of their child’s PII and the distribution of the PII through the Louisiana Department of Education to LOSFA and through the Board of Regents to the postsecondary institutions. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • We have also attached a cover letter to transmit the Consent Form to the parents and legal guardians. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • A Consent Form for every student is required by the law to ensure that PII is disclosed only for those students whose parent or legal guardian has consented and that the parents who deny consent do so with full knowledge of the effect of denial of consent. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • The Consent Form must be signed by the student rather than the parent or legal guardian if the student is 18 or is judicially emancipated or is emancipated by marriage. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • The Consent Form is being provided at this time to allow schools to begin the process of having each parent or legal guardian consent or deny consent. Schools should immediately start the process of obtaining completed and signed Consent Forms. The forms should be maintained by each school for use in updating the students’ electronic records at the state level when the procedure for doing so is made available. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) • At this time The Louisiana Department of Education, the Board of Regents and the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance are working together to develop and implement the procedure for annotating student records with either consent given or consent denied. All schools will be notified when this procedure is in place and will be given the instructions necessary to follow the procedures. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Consent Form LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) PII Cover Letter LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Louisiana Connect Update • Connect. Edu, the Boston-based vendor responsible for constructing and maintaining the Louisiana Connect College Access and Career Planning portal, filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization on Monday, April 28, 2014. • In July of 2014, Graduation Alliance purchased certain assets of Connect. Edu including the Louisiana Connect contract. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Louisiana Connect Update • The Louisiana Connect portal has remained live and accessible, but no data has been updated since 2013. • Students who previously had active accounts may still log in and access information previously saved in the portal. • The information in the public pages including the college cost calculator and the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator remain available. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Louisiana Connect Update • No new data may be populated to the portal until: – Consent forms for sharing of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) are collected and processed. The process of distributing and collecting consent forms may begin immediately. – A file format for the transfer of data between LDOE and Graduation Alliance is tested and implemented. This process is also underway. – LDOE has provided Graduation Alliance with a download of transcript data for all of academic year 2013 -2014 to close out the year. Because this data is for 2013 -14, all students that are currently in STS will be included in the data. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Louisiana Connect Update • After October’s STS harvest, and when the mechanism for flagging those STS student records that have given consent to share data has been activated, LDOE will provide Graduation Alliance with data for academic year 2014 -15. This data will include new 9 th grade students and any transfers. Only students for whom a consent form has been received will be included in this file transfer. • In the meantime, Graduation Alliance will be reviewing the 2013 -14 data to map it to the Louisiana Connect portal. LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access

Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) Contact LOSFA www. osfa. la. gov custserv@la. gov (225) 219 -1012 8: 00 a. m. – 4: 30 p. m. Monday - Friday LOSFA’s Vision is to be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access