A Note from Western Region VP Al Mijares

Mar. 2012

Western News

VP Al Mijares

Greetings!

It’s been an exciting spring across the region as more students are finding paths to college and career readiness, in many cases because of access to important work at the College Board.

This spring, the College Board collaborated with the Idaho Department of Education to offer the SAT® to the state’s 20,000 high school juniors. Roadtrip Nation supported this effort by sending a team to rally students on high school campuses throughout the state. Together we are raising awareness of postsecondary opportunities and increasing aspirations for life after high school.

More than 170 test center supervisors trained to administer the SAT, and during four higher education workshops across the state, admission, advising and registrar professionals were introduced to the SAT and ACCUPLACER® offerings.

The Western Regional Office hosted two California county offices of education open houses focused on college readiness in Riverside and San Diego counties, where educators learned about the College Board’s latest resources and tools to connect students to college and career success. Regional staff also hosted AP® Diagnostics in the Salem-Keizer Public Schools in Oregon and San Bernardino City Unified School District in California.

In Arizona, Gilbert Public Schools and Scottsdale Unified School District will begin phasing in SpringBoard® as the ELA curriculum for all middle school students in 2012-13.

Staff members have conducted workshops for professionals across the region, including “The Way Education Pays” and “Changes in Latitudes, Changing in Attitudes: Charting a Career in College Admission.” Both of these sessions will be offered at the 2012 Super Conference in Reno, Nev., next month. Staff also have presented sessions in partnership with regional members on trends in college pricing and student aid.

School counselors got a preview of the BigFuture™ site at a luncheon in Honolulu, where they offered positive feedback on the new site and enthusiasm for how it can help them in their work.

Teams from Nevada and Washington, two states from WRO out of six invited, attended the kickoff for the Affinity Network, hosted by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center. Representatives from school districts, community colleges and four-year universities will discuss Common Core State Standards for success over the next year.

In other important news, the Western Regional Assembly is pleased to welcome its newly elected council members:

• Academic Assembly: Alan Lechusza Aquallo, Palomar College; Karen Rowan-Badger, University of Southern California; and Francisco Villegas, Partnership for LA Schools
• College Scholarship Service Assembly: Marilyn Ponti, Whitman College, and Rick Weems, Southern Oregon University
• Guidance and Admission Assembly: Emily Decker, Lewis & Clark College, and Roxanne Kammerer, Juan Diego Catholic High School

Additionally, we elected a new Board of Trustee member, Chio Flores from Washington State University, and a new National College Scholarship Service Assembly member, Anne Prisco from Loyola Marymount University.

Lastly, a reminder to register for the 32nd Annual College Board Summer Institute on College Admission and School Relations, being held July 22–26 at the University of San Diego. The 2012 Summer Institute faculty includes Yvonne Berumen, Mount St. Mary’s College; Pat Coleman, Dominican University of California (retired); Deren Finks, emeritus at Harvey Mudd College; Alice Kleeman, Menlo-Atherton High School; Kevin MacLennan, University of Colorado at Boulder; James Montoya, The College Board; Stephen Pultz, University of San Diego; Edward Schoenberg, Otis College of Art and Design; Bryan Whish, Colorado State University- Fort Collins; and Michelle Whittingham, UC Santa Cruz. More details on the Summer Institute, including the registration form, can be found at www.collegeboard.org/si

Thanks for all of your work on behalf of students in our region. I hope your academic year finishes up well and that we’ll all have a productive summer.