Dear MASCA Members:

Welcome to MASCA Matters, a new monthly electronic communication format. The purpose of this email is to transmit important information to you regarding MASCA, our affiliates, ASCA or the school counselor profession in general. This is not meant to take the place of our monthly Counselor’s Notebook, but to supplement the information that is contained in the Notebook. Please let me know what you think.

In this Issue:

October 10th conference information
Department of Education’s proposed changes regarding MCAS
Recap from the August Leadership Development Institute & Governing Board meeting
Committee Chair Profile

Fall Conference Highlights
The October 10 conference at the Sturbridge Host Hotel & Conference Center promises to be historic. Not only will Commissioner Driscoll and other top deputies from the MA Department of Education be present, but all principals and superintendents in Massachusetts will also be invited to participate in the discussion about the MA Model and how to successfully implement it. In addition, we will welcome Dr. Carolyn Stone, President of the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) who will provide the keynote, “Educators Partnering to Eliminate the Achievement Gap” which addresses exemplary practices and collaborative school counselor and administrator efforts to promote student success. More details will be available on the MASCA website. You must register by October 3.

Department of Education’s proposed changes regarding MCAS Performance Levels
At its’ June 27 meeting, the Massachusetts Board of Education agreed to seek public comment on the proposed changes to the MCAS standards for competency determination and the awarding of the Certificate of Mastery. Public comment on both changes will be accepted by the Department until September 29 and a formal vote is scheduled to occur at the Board’s October 24 meeting. The first change would raise the minimum competency determination scaled score to 240 (Proficient) or meet the Needs Improvement threshold scaled score of 220 and fulfill the requirements of the Educational Proficiency Plan. The Educational Proficiency Plan would require a school to submit a review of the student’s strengths and weaknesses in the content area, a list of the required courses the student will take and pass in grades 11 & 12 as well as a description of the assessments the school will administer to assure the student is making progress towards proficiency. Specific details about the changes can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/proposed/p603cmr30.doc. The second change relates to changes to the Certificate of Mastery and the addition of a Certificate of Mastery with Distinction. Language describing these changes can be found at http://www.doe.mass.edu/lawsregs/proposed/p603cmr31.doc . Please take time to review these proposed changes and provide feedback to the Department. The official MASCA response will be posted on the MASCA website by the end of the month.

Leadership Development Institute Recap
Twenty-five members of the Governing Board participated in the 2006 MASCA Leadership Development Institute in North Adams on August 6 & 7. The two-day institute provided an opportunity for members to network, learn about how MASCA works and have some fun. Eight board members took advantage of the nearby white water rafting during the day on Sunday and seven members went golfing at nearby Waubeeka Golf Course in South Williamstown. Sunday night brought all members together for dinner and working groups. We stayed at the beautiful Porches Inn (www.porches.com) directly across from the Mass MoCA. On Monday we spent the morning discussing how we want MASCA to operate and brainstorming ideas about where we want the organization to be going. We concluded our day with a Governing Board meeting. Many thanks to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts which acted as our official host, as well as American International College, Assumption College, Clark University, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Salve Regina University, Springfield College and St, Joseph’s College of Maine who also provided financial support. Thank you to all who participated and made this wonderful opportunity possible.

Committee Chair profile
This feature of each month’s MASCA Matters will highlight one of our 12 committee chairs. The purpose is to help you get to know our committee chairs, what their committee(s) does and why they are important to our organization.

Helen O’Donnell, Ed.D : Professional Development and Conferences Committee Chair
Active in MASCA for decades, Helen has served on the Governing Board in numerous capacities, including Technology Committee chair and affiliate co-trustee from Franklin Hampshire Guidance Association (FHGA). Since 1979, she has presented a variety of conference workshops. In 1989, Helen worked with MASCA leaders to host AACD’s (now ACA) Annual Conference in Boston as designer and chair of AACD’s first Software Festival. Currently, Helen is a MA Model writing team member and president of FHGA.

After service as a professional school counselor at the junior high and elementary schools since 1969, Helen recently retired from the Northampton Public Schools, where she mentored and supervised over 25 school counseling interns. While practicing at the elementary school level, she was instrumental in establishing peer mediation programs. With FHGA members and The Mediation and Training Collaborative (Greenfield), Helen founded and chairs the 2-day annual Summit of Peacemakers: A Conference of Peer Mediators held each June for the past 13 years. Over the years, thousands of middle and high school students with their advisors have attended this conference to learn advanced mediation skills and network with other peer mediators from all over the state.

While not working for MASCA or FHGA, Helen is an adjunct at Fitchburg State, spends time with her family (husband, Jim, adjunct in PE/Health Dept. at Springfield College; daughter, Kelly, Financial Aid at Amherst College: and son, Jim, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, Kingswood-Oxford School, W. Hartford) and loves being “grandma” to Katie and her most recently, Chelsea Rose. She also enjoys golfing, gardening and crocheting.

Since assumed leadership of MASCA’s Conferences Committee, Helen has blended together the fall and spring conferences committees, streamlined committee functions and protocols, defined job descriptions, and identified dates and sites for future MASCA conferences. You will see many of her efforts at the upcoming fall conference, MA School Counselors Catch the Model when MASCA unveil the MA Model. With the Professional Development Committee, Helen has helped MASCA provide high quality programming at our conferences as well as designing a process for MASCA to award of Professional Development Points (PDP’s). She is also working on an initiative for MASCA to co-sponsor professional development programs with interested affiliates around the state.

Helen has been awarded MASCA’s Leadership Award (1989) and a Presidential Award (2003). In May, 2005, Helen was honored with MASCA’s O.S.C.A.R. Award (Outstanding Service - Counselor Achievement Recognition) , the highest award bestowed upon our members. She is one of the hardest working and dedicated members and we are lucky to have her chair not one, but two of our twelve committees. Thank you Helen!

Bob Bardwell
School Counselor & Director of Guidance & Student Support Services
President, Massachusetts School Counselors Association
Monson High School
55 Margaret Street
Monson, MA 01057
413.267.4589x1107
413.267.4157 (fax)
bardwellr@monsonschools.com

www.monsonschools.com/guidance
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Opportunities without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national
origin, sexual orientation, and disability.