2011-12 Financial Aid Certification Program (New) - Online Registration Is Now Open for Winter Sessions! Brought to You by the Illinois Student Assistance Commission

After a successful start to our fall certification schedule, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) is happy to announce that online registration is now open for our next set of certification sessions!

It is critical that professionals who interact with Illinois students during the financial aid and college application processes are knowledgeable about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and financial aid. This year, ISAC is integrating its professional development opportunities, highly acclaimed by new and seasoned counselors and mentors, into a formalized annual certification series that gives professionals a detailed understanding of financial aid programs and systems. For the first time, ISAC is providing participants session-specific knowledge assessments to measure their comprehension of the financial aid content and trusted resources presented. Session participants that successfully pass each knowledge assessment will receive an official certificate of completion from ISAC via e-mail.

ISAC also awards Professional Counselor/Clinical Counselor Continuing Education (CE) credits and Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDUs) to session participants at a rate of one per contact hour. In order to earn these units and/or credits, it is necessary to attend each session in its entirety and complete one Session-Specific Knowledge Assessment, an ISAC and Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) Evaluation Form, and an ISBE Evidence of Completion at the end of each session.

Plan to participate in one or several of these opportunities brought to a location near your home or office by ISAC's Division for College Access and Outreach. All sessions are offered at no cost to counselors, mentors, and members of the general public.

Below is an overview of the winter sessions that will be offered this year.

WINTER SESSIONS

Sessions will be offered in January and February at 10 locations. Online registration is now available at collegeillinois.org/FinancialAidCertification/.

Winter sessions will run from 8:30 am to noon.

Session 1 - Expert Guide: FASFA Relevant Documents
Get your hands on a printed resource designed specifically for counselors and mentors. We review a collection of documents that are references for the FAFSA.

Session 2 - FAFSA Expert Training: Need Analysis and EFC Calculations
How do they come up with the Expected Family Contribution (EFC)? Learn how factors such as parents' age, income, savings and family size are used in the federal methodology to determine the EFC. Using lifelike scenarios, participants complete guided calculations to learn the intricacies of determining financial need.

Winter Sites Include:

January 18, 2012	ISAC, Deerfield, IL
January 20, 2012	Robert Morris University, Chicago, IL
January 26, 2012	Kaskaskia College, Centralia, IL
January 27, 2012	Parkland College, Champaign, IL
February 7, 2012	Roosevelt University, Chicago, IL
February 9, 2012	Moraine Valley Community College, Palos Hills, IL
February 14, 2012	Lincoln Land Community College, Springfield, IL
February 15, 2012	Carl Sandburg College, Galesburg, IL
February 16, 2012	Kishwaukee College, Malta, IL
February 24, 2012	Truman College, Chicago, IL

How to Register

Registration details, including dates and locations, are available online at collegeillinois.org/FinancialAidCertification/ and from the Partner Training area of ISAC's e-Library (which may be accessed via collegeillinois.org/counselor). For your convenience, we will be sending e-Messages with the latest information and updates about this series of year-round sessions. If you have colleagues who are not already e-Messaging subscribers, encourage them to sign up at collegeillinois.org/application/registration/.

Additional Questions

Send us your questions via e-mail at ISAC.OutreachTraining@isac.illinois.gov.