Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Logo
Security Portal
|
School Profiles
The Department has moved to 135 Santilli Highway in Everett. The Department's office and Licensure Welcome Center are open. The new location has free parking and is a short walk from the Wellington station on the MBTA's Orange Line.

Fall 2010 YPFC Letter to Superintendents

Dear Superintendent, Early this summer, we reached out to encourage your participation in the launch of YourPlanForCollege, the Commonwealth's new college and career web portal. We received an overwhelmingly positive response to this outreach, and now have over 75 high schools across the Commonwealth participating in this exciting opportunity. If you have not had the chance to take a closer look at the portal, there is still time to sign on this fall and be up and running for the 2010-2011 school year. YourPlanForCollege is a component of Governor Patrick's Education Action Agenda, and it was created in partnership with MEFA, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary, and Secondary Education and the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The portal is free for Massachusetts students, families, and high schools, and it provides robust online resources and tools to assist students and parents in learning about and preparing for college and careers. The portal also contains tools that will ease the administrative burden of school staff, allowing them to spend additional time helping students make the best decisions for their future. Benefits of YourPlanForCollege include:
  • Information about and applications for scholarships and financial aid
  • A searchable database of more than 3,000 colleges and universities, and interactive tools to help students identify college and career interests and options
  • Advanced reporting, information and communication tools for counselors
  • Massachusetts-specific tools such as MCAS test preparation and alignment with the Massachusetts Model for Comprehensive Counseling Programs and Career Development Education Benchmarks
  • SAT and ACT test preparation
  • District-level tracking and reporting of information, such as student progress toward completion of high school graduation requirements, college application rates, and college application results
  • Complete college application packages, including official transcripts, letters of recommendation, and test scores; the complete package can be submitted online to participating colleges and universities
  • Transmittal of secure student academic information uploaded directly from high school data systems into the portal for use in college applications, a unique feature among online college planning tools
  • Available in both English and Spanish
We encourage you to experience the portal's extraordinary functionality firsthand by registering for a YourPlanForCollege webinar. Webinars designed specifically for superintendents are scheduled weekly through the middle of November.
October 21st - 10:00 am November 5th - 11:00 am
October 27th - 10:00 am November 12th - 11:00 am
The webinars will include a demonstration of the web portal's features and tools for students, counselors and parents, as well as school and district level reporting capabilities. Please RSVP on-line at www.yourplanforcollege.org under Upcoming Events if you would like to participate. Please feel free to contact Martha Walsh, the YourPlanForCollege Director, at (617) 224-4855 or mwalsh@yourplanforcollege.org if you have questions or would like to schedule an in-person demonstration. Additional information is also available at www.yourplanforcollege.org. Currently, high schools must initiate access for students to the YourPlanForCollege portal, so it is crucial that you explore the portal and complete the Participation Agreement if you would like your students to benefit. By completing the agreement, you will ensure that students, parents, and guidance counselors at your high school(s) will have access to this free, robust college and career access tool. Thank you for considering this opportunity. We look forward to your participation in this important effort to increase college and career awareness, access and success for students in the Commonwealth. Sincerely,


Paul Reville
Secretary of Education		 Mitchell D. Chester, Ed.D.
Commissioner of Elementary
And Secondary Education 		Richard Freeland, Ph.D.
Commissioner of Higher Education




Last Updated: October 25, 2010



 
Contact Us

Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149

Voice: (781) 338-3000
TTY: (800) 439-2370

Directions

Disclaimer: A reference in this website to any specific commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm, or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public and does not constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.