Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse

Recent Posts

A Guide: Searching for Scholarships

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Nov 4, 2020 11:05:13 AM

Searching for scholarships can be overwhelming for students! Here, we’ve organized our tips into three simple steps to get students started on the scholarship search and application process, with downloadable resources for students, parents, and educators. For a deeper dive into scholarships, head to the Texas OnCourse Academy or the Scholarship Basics for Educators page.

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Staying on Course for College and Career during COVID-19

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 21, 2020 11:04:43 AM

COVID-19 has been an education game-changer.

COVID-19 has rocked our world as educators. Schools have closed, in-person classes and activities have pivoted to virtual or hybrid, and as we struggle to keep up, we worry about our students falling behind. We are committed to serving the dynamic needs of Texas educators, particularly as it relates to college and career readiness. We provide consistently updated information on COVID-19 resources for Texas educators. We recognize that your students are becoming more independent and tech-savvy during the pandemic and are managing their time and education from home in many cases. Keeping them on track for postsecondary success is a top priority.

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Topics: College Planning, Educators, Coronavirus, Distance Counseling and Learning

COVID-19 Update: What to Expect from the TSIA2

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 20, 2020 3:29:03 PM

Earlier this week, we hosted a webinar in partnership with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board on the TSIA2. We know this is a topic that y’all have a lot of questions about. Nearly 1,000 people registered for the webinar and 500 joined live! We’ll quickly summarize some key differences with the new assessment here. 

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Topics: Applying to College, College Planning, High School, Entrance Exams

Webinar: Understanding the TSIA2

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 19, 2020 4:34:14 PM

The release of the Texas Success Initiative Assessment 2.0 will change college readiness benchmarks across the state. In our October 2020 webinar, we provided updates on the TSIA2 from experts at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. 

During this webinar, we were joined by Keylan Morgan, college readiness and success specialist at the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. We also moderated a lively question and answer session with our guest speakers and heard best practices from Texas OnCourse educators. Below, we summarize key highlights from the webinar.

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Topics: Webinar, Applying to College, High School, Entrance Exams

COVID-19 Update: Scholarships

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 14, 2020 4:32:53 PM

With National Scholarship Month just around the corner, we’ve started getting some questions about how COVID-19 will impact scholarships.

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Topics: College Planning, Coronavirus, High School, Financial Aid

Seven Steps to Requesting SAT Accomodations

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 9, 2020 3:34:52 PM

Students with disabilities may face more obstacles than their peers during the college application process. The College Board offers test accommodations to help students with disabilities obtain the same opportunities for higher education as other students.

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Topics: Applying to College, College Planning, Educators, High School, Entrance Exams

Academic Undermatch by Socioeconomic Status

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 9, 2020 3:16:47 PM

Academic undermatch occurs when students would qualify academically for admittance to a college or university that is more selective than the alternative they choose. For example, a student would be academically undermatched if their achievements permitted them to attend Harvard, but the student chose to attend a local community college or not attend college at all. Assisting students with building a well-balanced and comprehensive college list plays an important role in avoiding academic undermatch. Research shows academic undermatch as a potential source of low and stagnant college completion rates, and low-income students are more likely to undermatch. 

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Topics: Applying to College, College Planning, Educators, High School

Early Action vs. Regular Decision: How to Choose

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 9, 2020 2:52:08 PM

When preparing students and their families to complete college applications, one of the most important aspects is to help them understand the various types of admission options that are available. A student's selected colleges may offer the following admission options: Early Action (EA) I or II, Early Decision (ED) I or II, Restrictive Early Action (REA), and Regular Decision I or II. Review and share the following document to help your students learn more about each option.

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Topics: College Planning, Educators, High School

Comparing ASVAB Tests

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 9, 2020 10:16:20 AM

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is a series of aptitude tests that evaluates developed abilities in order to predict future academic and professional success in the military. 

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Topics: Educators, High School

COVID-19 Update: FAFSA Updates

Posted by Rose Frezza, Texas OnCourse on Oct 2, 2020 12:28:16 PM

Happy October! You know what the first day of October means: The FAFSA is officially open! Today, we have a couple of important FAFSA and financial aid updates to share with you.

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Topics: College Planning, Coronavirus, Financial Aid