List of Sectionals for Wednesday and Thursday May Include:
- Academic and Career Planning
- Mental Health & AODA Issues in Schools
- Mindfulness and Mindsets in the Classroom
- Hot Topics in School Counseling Today
- State of the State in School Counseling
- Promoting a Climate of Respect in Schools
- Counseling Ethics and Boundaries
- Hands-on Activities for Counselors
- Using Technology in School Counseling
- Data, Data, Data – Accountability and Effectiveness
- The Role of School Counselors in PBIS/RTI
- Making ASCA Work for You
- Hiring Today’s School Counselor
- Tools to Develop a Sustainable Bullying Prevention and Response Program
- Wisconsin School Counselor Program Accountability Report (WSCPAR)
- Advocacy and Leadership for School Counselors
- Cyberbullying…the Road Ahead
- College Admissions Counseling
You Spoke, We Listened…
Following our 2016 Annual Conference, WSCA invited our conference attendees to respond to the 2016 Conference Evaluation. Approximately 430 attendees participated and provided feedback about their conference experience. We would like to take some time to respond to the feedback we received, specific to sectionals.
Can the sectional offerings and descriptions be made available sooner?
We do try to have the sectional offerings and descriptions listed on our website as soon as we can. Last year we were able to have the offerings posted by mid January. We will continue to work hard to have them posted even earlier this year. Please be watching our website for the most up-to-date list of sectional offerings.
The sectional I wanted to attend was full…
During the sectional selection process, our team identifies the topics we believe will be the most popular sectional topics at conference. To do this, we consider survey feedback, current trends, state initiatives, and hot topics in school counseling. These sectionals are then placed into our two largest sectional rooms, which each hold approximately 260 attendees. All other sectional rooms hold approximately 100 attendees. We understand your frustration, and are working to find a solution to this problem so we are able to more accurately predict and plan for highly attended sectionals.
The sectional I attended was promoting the purchase of curriculum, a program, and/or books…
Within the sectional proposal application, a presenter must indicate if he/she will be promoting the purchase of curriculum, programs, and/or books. As our team processes the proposals, we work very hard to filter out any proposals that appear to be selling or promoting products. We also understand that practicing counselors use various resources and may reference these resources during their presentation. When this occurs, we will have it noted in the sectional description.
I was not aware of the sectional changes and cancellations…
Occasionally, sectional changes do occur after our conference materials have already been printed. When this happens we will always provide an insert in the conference booklet indicating any changes. We also provide this information at the opening keynote on Wednesday. Unfortunately we also have experienced cancellations the day of the conference. We will provide this information at the opening keynote when possible. We will also post a sign on the sectional room door to make attendees aware.
There were very few sectional offerings for the elementary level…
Each year, we aim to increase the number of offerings for the elementary level. Despite our efforts, we have very few sectional proposals submitted for this level year after year. We are looking to YOU for help. If you know an elementary school counselor who is doing some great things, please, please encourage her/him to submit a sectional proposal!
Some of the sectional offerings did not have handouts available…
Last year we were able to provide handouts digitally for the first time. It was optional for presenters to upload their presentations and handouts, so we were not able to provide handouts for every sectional. We will continue to improve our process to provide handouts to attendees. This year, we will make the handout link more accessible to attendees, and we will work to increase the number of handouts available online. Please note that handouts will not be made available prior to the start of our conference. All handouts will be available during and after the conference.
I wish there was more time to network with other counselors…
This year we are making some big changes to allow more time for attendees to network with colleagues and fellow counselors, and to visit with exhibitors. On Wednesday, we will now have 30 minutes between sectionals, and the day will end at 5:00pm. We have decided to forgo the WSCA Reception on Wednesday to give attendees extra time to spend networking. We have also added even more time to lunch, allowing lunch to be one hour and 30 minutes. Because these changes will slightly impact the number of sectionals offered, there will be the option of attending early bird sectionals on Wednesday morning. Watch for more information about these changes in the coming months!
