The Texas OnCourse Educator Blog

As COVID-19 threatened to derail even the best-laid postsecondary plans this past fall, Texas school counselors and teachers said they are most worried about their students’ college readiness – more so even than their physical or mental health.

Use this handy document to review the course requirements for each of the five endorsements on the Foundation High School Program. 

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.

Normally this time of year, many high schools and districts would be hosting in-person financial aid nights to boost FAFSA completion. Because of social distancing guidelines, many of these sessions need to become virtual. Read on for tips on how to host one and what information to include.

What are endorsements? 

For parents and guardians, hearing that their eighth grader will have to select an endorsement can be confusing. After all, when today’s adults were in school, such a thing didn’t exist!

Today, we have two short updates for you. First, a new resource for mental health from the Texas Education Agency (TEA). And second, new information from the Coordinating Board on how COVID-19 has affected dual credit.

We have made some significant updates to modules in the Texas OnCourse Academy! The Academy is our premiere college and career planning resource for educators. 

School is underway, and it’s looking different in many parts of Texas and the country. While some counselors and educators are delivering in-person support, most are entirely virtual or somewhere in-between, offering hybrid instruction. We decided to talk to six veteran Texas school counselors to collect tips for virtual school counseling during COVID-19.

Financial aid season is quickly approaching. We want to make sure you’re teed up to help your students afford college. This week, we’ll walk you through some new and existing information and resources and review trusted financial aid tips during COVID-19.

2020 has been full of unique challenges for educators and students. Many of you are juggling shifting deadlines, new enrollment processes, and new systems for sending students to college this year. In our September 2020 webinar, we break down how to help students plan for college during COVID-19 and share resources to keep you on track. More resources like those in this webinar can be found in the Texas OnCourse Academy under College Costs, Admissions and Application Process, and Financial Aid Application Process.