© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved.1 The Power Of Award Letter Review and Data Analysis College Access Affinity Call June 4, 2015

© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved. 1

The Power Of Award Letter Review and Data Analysis

College Access Affinity Call

June 4, 2015


AGENDA

uAspire: Overview - Award Letter Review and Data Analysis

Spring Branch ISD: Award Letter Review and Collection

YES Prep: Award Letter Initiative -- Data Analysis

Harvard Graduate School of Education: Measuring Impact

Discussion and Q&A


Laura Keane

uAspire


uAspire works to ensure that all young people have the

financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to – and through – a

postsecondary education


Award Letter Review and Data Analysis Initiative

AL Review &

Collection

AL Data Analysis

AL Reports + Financial

Fit Advising


The Power of Award Letter Data•Promote affordable colleges with younger students•Use data for financial fit at college list creation•Drives award letter comparison with students to find

affordable choice, to maximize aid, and build skills

GUIDE Students & Families

•Develop school counselor expertise with real #s•Target areas for data collection to learn more where

needed•Tie college cost to student postsecondary outcomes

BUILD Staff Expertise &

Data Set

•Nudge colleges to better packages•Create affordable pathways through partnerships•Spark state and national conversations

STRATEGIZE partnerships


What We Do: The Process

COLLECTION REVIEW

Guides student

decisions on where to ATTEND

DATA ANALYSISCaptures trends and awarding

practices, that we can compare.

SHARING INFORMATION AL Reports bring process full circle when we use AL data to train our Advisors and provide advising tools we use

to advise students on financial fit.

Informs students decisions where to

APPLY


Key Strategies: Award Letter Review Celebrate THEN Decide

Applaud acceptances, make choice after AL reviews

Build a consumer mindset culture and skills

Compare ALL award letters with comparison tool

uAspire Analyzer … consumerfinance.gov

Engage Families

Have them join AL comparison meetings

Use ACCESSIBLE language: “unmet need” vs. “estimated bill”

Connect college decision meetings with deposit and payment planning

Copyright © 2014 uAspire, All rights reserved. www.uaspire.org


Key Strategies: AL Collection Advertise

Promote the pro-social aspect of helping younger students

Offer incentives and creative marketing

Nudge Using the Calendar Build relationships with most common colleges

Request Award Letter delivery timelines

Build momentum off of May 1st deposit deadline

Seek ALL Letters Encourage students to bring in ALL letters , not just intending school

Know where to look: Email & Web-Portals are increasingly more common…

Offer MANY ways to contribute letters – photos, texting, PDFs, hard copies…

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Key Strategies: Award Letter Data Analysis Make it ACCESSIBLE

Offer different content for different audiences: Board/Counselors/Students & Families

ALIGN award letter data with student data

Richer analysis to guide younger students

USE Data when advising students @ List and @ Decision

Advise seniors on financial fit of their college list based on their GPA and Pell eligibility

Challenge misperceptions of certain types of schools with students and families

Use trends analysis to drive hard conversations: and build financial literacy:̶R Parent PLUS, Net Cost vs. Gap or Estimated Bill, Payment Plan

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AL Report EXAMPLE: Postsecondary Roll Up AUDIENCE: Students and Families

High-Low College List of Most to Least Expensive Net Cost Based on History of Students “Like Them”

Teach difference between listed price and net cost

Simple tool to assess college list for financial risk + safety schools


Erika ScottSpring Branch ISD, TX

SBISD: Data and Demographics

School District in west Houston, TX•Our Students: 35,108 Total

• 57% Economically Disadvantaged; 52% At Rick• 1/3 Limited English• 61% Latino/Hispanic; 27% Caucasian/White• 95% taking SAT/ACT; 95% graduation rate

•Our Schools• 4 Traditional High Schools, 1 Charter High School, 1

Alternative High School• 2 middle schools- partnership with KIPP/YES Prep- High

school students will feed into 1 of the traditional high schools (Northbrook)

SBISD: Our T-2-4 Initiative

One Singular goal: T-2-4= double the # of students completing technical certificate or military training, two-year or four-year degree

•Our Team:• Traditional Guidance Counselors• Lead Postsecondary Counselors• Academic Advisors

•Our Outcomes to Date: Nov 2014 NSC• 63% enrolled in higher ed fall immediately after high school• 90% Class of 2012 Freshman to Sophomore Persistence• 45% Class of 2008 6-year graduation rate

The Value of Award Letter Review & Collection

• Increase knowledge & Improve financial decisions• Opportunity: Better meet the needs across the wide diversity of student

socio-economic backgrounds• Affluent families: Reluctant to submit FAFSA and focused on brand

name & legacy choices• Low-income families: Under-informed and targeted by expensive for-

profit institutions & technical programs

Students and Families

• Increased knowledge & mindset shift to address best-fit T-2-4 options• Opportunity: Wide diversity of perspectives from leadership to teachers

regarding best T-2-4 “fit” for students & importance of sound financial decisions

Faculty & Staff

AL Initiative Launch 2014-15

• Support for Campuses• uAspire Award Letter Training

• Academic Advisors, Post-Secondary Counselors, 12th grade counselors

• Post-Training Follow-up Meetings• Analyzing FAFSA/TASFA Data & Goal Setting • Brainstorming: Encouraging Buy-in at all levels (leadership, staff,

teachers, parents, etc.)• Parent Letter• Focus on 1:1 best practices

• Student Buy-in• Incentives (Pizza Party, Chick-fil-A Breakfast)• Senior Check-out Checklist• Texting• In Class Activity with Award Letter Analysis

Lessons Learned for 2015-2016 Strategies

• Earlier Communications• Fall Parent Meetings• Letters to Parents (Bilingual)

• In Class Outreach• Award letter analysis to underclassmen & Seniors

• District Campaign• Marketing & Communications Support

• Mentor Orientation & Training• Senior Check-out Checklist District Wide

• Options for students who will not receive award letters


Donald KamentzYES Prep Public Schools, TX

• Who we are?• Who we serve?• What we do?

Why Affordability as Priority for our Schools and Students?

• EDUCATE students & families about college affordability and the financial process earlier so they can better plan for their college education.

• DEVELOP a system for collecting and analyzing our students’ financial aid data, including EFC and award letters.

• INFORM our future graduates’ choices about college affordability and the path that best meets their needs personally, academically and financially.

• COLLABORATE with national experts on college affordability and other like-minded educational organizations and schools.

YES Prep: Award Letter Review + Analysis

FOCUS• Micro level

• impact student choices • support counselors

• Macro level • Build a database of

award letter packaging trends

• Use to inform students in advising and partnership strategies

GOALS• Measures of success

include: • staff feedback on

training utility • increase on staff self-

assessment of expertise • number of award letter

1:1 meetings held• number of letters

collected

YES Prep: Award Letter Initiative Implementation Plan

YES Prep AL Data: Year In Review Report

AL Data Analysis: High-Level Findings

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YES Prep Award Letter Initiative: Lessons Learned

• WINS

• CHALLENGES TO TACKLE NEXT


Lena EisenEarly college planning initiative, Harvard Graduate school of education

Engaging Families in Award Letter Review (ALR)

Challenges to ALR Programs•Not enough time for discussion•Difficult to schedule•Low Parental Involvement

Solutions and Promising Practices•Creative and Flexible Scheduling•Enhanced Outreach to Families•Early Data Demonstrates Value

I Know What I Owe: Goals

• Increase # of students participating in ALR

• Engage more parents in ALR sessions

• Raise awareness about resources available to help families make informed financial decisions about college

• Explore and test new methods of community outreach

• Inform future programming – collect survey data before and after ALR sessions

• Spring break can be an effective time to reach families for Award Letter Review

• From 12 sessions in 2013 to 89 sessions in 2014 with promotion and spring break availability

• Participants felt they understood how much college would cost much better after meeting with the uAspire advisor

• 79% of parents and 96% of students

• ALR sessions increased the percentage who reported having a plan for how to pay for the 1st year of college:

• Parents: Pre ALR: 68% Post ALR: 82%• Students: Pre ALR: 29% Post ALR: 62%

I Know What I Owe: What We Learned

Measuring ImpactPerhaps most importantly, ALR sessions increased

understanding of financial terms and concepts

Percentage who reported understanding these concepts “well”

Parents Parents Students Students

Pre- Post- Pre- Post-

Total amount of financial aid offered 28% 78% 40% 76%

Total amount of loans being offered 24% 80% 36% 71%

Total amount of grants and scholarships 24% 75% 37% 67%

Amount you need to pay for 1st year that financial aid DOES NOT cover

16% 75% 14% 68%

How you will pay for the amount not covered by financial aid

0% 50% 7% 64%

Measuring Impact

Of 3,098 Students Who Reported Receiving a Financial Aid Award Letter…

…Percentage who answered “Yes”

Did Not Attend

ALR

Attended ALR

I know how much I will have to pay out of pocket for the first year of college

58% 86%

I made a tuition deposit to a college 41% 75%

Promising Practices• Award Letter Review Sessions are helpful Increase Award

Letter Review opportunities for parents Location Timing Method of Outreach

• Engaging students AND parents is even better Encourage / Facilitate Communication between students and parents throughout the application and financial aid process

• Enhance Visibility of Available Resources Be creative and flexible with programming options Be present in community publications, online, in person


Discussion: Q&A


Presenters’ Contact Information

Laura Keane: uAspire, VP of Innovation and Partnerships [email protected]

Erika Scott: Spring Branch ISD, To and Through Facilitator, [email protected]

Donald Kamentz: YES Prep Public Schools, Managing Director of College and Career Initiatives: [email protected]

Lena Eisen: Harvard Graduate School of Education, Project Manager of the Early College Planning Initiative: [email protected]

Documents

© 2015 uAspire. All rights reserved.1 The Power Of Award Letter Review and Data Analysis College Access Affinity Call June 4, 2015