“FAFSA Made Easier,” “Guide to Conducting a Financial Aid Presentation” and “What’s Next Illinois”

You’re invited!

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is pleased to announce that the staff in the Division of College Access and Outreach will once again present a series of professional development opportunities.  Scheduled to take place in the fall and winter, these interactive workshops are uniquely designed to help you and other college access professionals in assisting students and families through the process of planning for, applying to, and paying for educational opportunities beyond high school.

Plan to join us in October, November or December.  For your convenience, this year you will have the ability to attend up to 3 workshops per date and site.  At select sites, you will have the option of attending a session in Spanish. 

How to register

Click here to register online.

Session descriptions

• “FAFSA Made Easier”
  Developed as an intensive line-by-line review of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid for 2010-11.  Participants will gain insight about current intricacies of the FAFSA and anticipated changes.  Special emphasis is placed on dependency questions, financial aid worksheets, issues of student eligibility, and how to avoid common mistakes. 
   
• “Guide to Conducting a Financial Aid Presentation” –
  in English
  Designed to enhance your helping relationship with students and parents, this interactive session introduces financial aid concepts and strategies for maximizing on limited resources.  Participants will learn to speak “financial aid” and to prepare interactive financial aid presentations for parents, students, and multilingual audiences.  Ready-to-use presentations and tools will be made available to complement your next financial aid event. 
   
• “Guide to Conducting a Financial Aid Presentation” –
  in Spanish
  Spanish is the second-most popular language in the country and the primary language spoken in more American homes than any other foreign language.  This interactive session was created to help participants speak “financial aid” and to prepare a financial aid presentation in Spanish.  You will be provided with ready-to-use presentations and Novelas EducativasTM - a series of short films created in the style of popular Spanish-language telenovelas.  **Note:  Fluency in Spanish is required to attend.  It is only offered at sites designated with an (S).
• “What’s Next Illinois”
  An introduction to major functions of WhatsNextIllinois.org, an interactive online tool of the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).  Participants will learn how this tool can support student achievement and integrate career development and college planning into academic activities.  Emphasis will be placed on how it can be customized for your community and tailored to enhance your counseling efforts, reporting mechanisms, and lesson plan development.

Locations, dates and campus maps

October 8, 2009
Illinois Valley Community College
Fireplace Lounge
Oglesby, IL
campus map

October 20, 2009
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Room 3030
Deerfield, IL
map

October 22, 2009
Elgin Community College (S)
Student Center, Room 174
Elgin, IL
campus map

October 27, 2009
John Wood Community College
Room D 022
Quincy, IL
campus map

October 29, 2009
Danville Area Community College
Theater in the Bremer Conference Center
Danville, IL
campus map

November 03, 2009
Lincoln Land Community College
Trutter Center
Springfield, IL
campus map

November 06, 2009
Malcolm X College (S)
Room 2408
Chicago, IL
campus map

November 13, 2009
Rend Lake College Market Place
Room 354 A & B
Mt. Vernon, IL
campus map

November 20, 2009
Oakton Community College (S)
Room 1608
Des Plaines, IL
campus map

December 11, 2009
Illinois Student Assistance Commission
Room 3030
Deerfield, IL
map

Stay tuned for more…

“FAFSA Made Easier,” “FAFSA Expert” and “Consumer Economics of Higher Education” will be offered in January and February at 10 sites throughout the state.  Click here to view session descriptions, locations and dates.  Online registration starts December 1, 2009. 

How to earn CE and CPDU credit

ISAC Professional Development Opportunities are approved for Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDU) as authorized by the Illinois State Board of Education and for Professional Counselor/Clinical Counselor Continuing Education (CE) credit as authorized by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulations.  We will award CE and CPDU to session participants at a rate of one per contact hour.
 
How ISAC links you to NT4CM and KnowHow2HELP

The ISAC Professional Development Series is part of the National Training for Counselors and Mentors (NT4CM) and the statewide KnowHow2Help initiative.

• National Training for Counselors and Mentors (NT4CM)
  Developed by Federal Student Aid, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), and National Council of Higher Education Loan Programs (NCHELP), the program has expanded its partnership to include the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) and American School Counselor Association (ASCA). This free, annual training program is designed to provide counselors and mentors with information and materials that will help them more effectively advise students and their families about how to prepare financially for college. These one–day training sessions provide attendees with comprehensive up–to–date information regarding federal and state student aid programs. The Illinois Student Assistance Commission is the designated provider of NT4CM training in the state of Illinois and has been since the inception of the program in 2007.
   
• KnowHow2Help
  Created by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission as a counselor and mentor-focused supplement to the national KnowHow2GO college awareness campaign, a variety of ready–to–use college awareness materials is available to session participants at no cost during the 2009–10 ISAC Professional Development Series. As the lead partner of the campaign in Illinois, ISAC offers an ever–expanding array of professional development sessions and college access tools designed to help the educational, counseling, and social service professionals that support the students of Illinois in their pursuit of postsecondary education.

Questions

For more information about the 2009-10 Professional Development Opportunities presented by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC), visit the Training Calendar for Partners within the e-Library at collegezone.com or send an e-mail to OutreachTraining@isac.org.

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