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 11th or 12th 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
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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/LOSFA1000
http://instagram.com/losfa001
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
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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
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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
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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)
PowerPoint Presentations
• You may request copies of LOSFA PowerPoint
presentations to use at your school
• E-mail Jerri Mack
– jerri.mack@la.gov
www.osfa.la.gov
LOSFA’s Vision is to
be Louisiana’s First Choice for College Access
Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA)
STS Training
• Times and Dates To Be Determined
www.osfa.la.gov
LOSFA’s Vision is 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 IndustryBased 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
• ConnectEdu, 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 ConnectEdu 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 9th 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