Oct-Dec 2026

Come see us at ARIN...in the fall! 🍂

📅MARK YOUR CALENDARS:

Collaborative Meeting Dates
Please save the following dates for this year's School Counselors Collaborative meetings. I look forward to connecting, sharing, and growing together at each one!

• September 21, 2026
• November 9, 2026
• January 11, 2027
• April 5, 2027

(Visit ARIN's Course Registration site (opens in new window) to register for the trainings)

Examine:

• Current credits toward graduation
• Keystone status
• Students who may need an Act 158 graduation pathway
• Students who have not demonstrated proficiency on one or more Keystone Exams
• CTE students who may qualify through the CTE pathway
• Students who may need an alternative assessment or evidence-based pathway
• Students experiencing mobility, homelessness, foster care, or other circumstances that may affect credit accumulation

Pennsylvania's statewide graduation requirements continue to provide pathways, including the Keystone Proficiency, Keystone Composite, CTE Concentrator, Alternative Assessment, and Evidence-Based Pathways. Read more about it here (opens in new window).

A short checklist:

☐ Review 2026 assessment results
☐ Identify students who need Keystone remediation
☐ Review students with repeated unsuccessful attempts
☐ Identify students who may qualify for an alternative pathway
☐ Coordinate with special education staff regarding accommodations
☐ Document the student's graduation pathway
☐ Communicate with families

For October–December, seniors and families can begin to understand:

• FAFSA completion
• FSA ID/account creation
• Financial aid terminology
• Federal, state and institutional aid
• Scholarship searches
• Net price calculators
• Comparing financial aid offers
• Financial aid scams
• What students should do if their family situation makes FAFSA (opens in new window) completion complicated

Timeline at a glance:

October: help seniors and families know where to start
November: check FAFSA completion and follow up with students who have not started
December: help students address missing information and scholarship deadlines

Mental health always matters. This timeline may help to guide practice:

October

• Re-establish referral systems
• Review crisis procedures
• Identify students who need check-ins
• Review attendance concerns

November

• Grief and family stress
• Holiday assistance/resources
• Food insecurity
• Attendance and disengagement

December

• Depression/anxiety warning signs
• Family conflict
• Isolation
• Holiday stress
• Winter break safety planning

The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD)'s 2026–27 School Safety & Mental Health Grants (opens in new window) provide $138.779 million in noncompetitive, formula-based funding to eligible school entities across Pennsylvania.

• Application Deadline: October 16, 2026, by 11:59 p.m. via the PCCD Egrants System.
• Project Period: 24-month projects running from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028.
• Funding Amounts: School districts receive a $100,000 base plus an Average Daily Membership (AADM) formula allocation; other eligible entities receive $70,000.
• Baseline Requirements: Schools must satisfy all Level 1 Baseline Criteria for both physical safety and mental health before using funds for Level 2 or Level 3 advanced activities.

Eligible Uses

• Physical Security: Enhancing building security, technology upgrades, and security assessments, including weapons detection and lockable cell phone bags paired with phone restriction policies.
• Mental Health: Expanding school-based counseling, trauma-informed care, threat assessment implementation, and telehealth equipment.
• Cybersecurity: Establishing or upgrading network protections, staff training, and risk assessments.

Use the fall to ask:

• Is the school counseling program aligned to student needs?
• Are services being delivered across academic, career and social/emotional domains?
• Are students receiving developmentally appropriate career planning?
• Is data being used to identify students needing additional support?
• Are counseling activities connected to measurable outcomes?

Graduation

• Act 158 pathways
• Keystone results
• CTE pathway
• Evidence-based pathway

College

• FAFSA
• Scholarships
• College applications
• Financial aid follow-up

Career

• CTC
• Apprenticeships
• Industry credentials
• Employer connections
• Career readiness experiences

Student Support

• Attendance
• Education instability
• Homelessness
• Mental health
• Crisis referrals

Documentation

• Graduation plans
• Postsecondary plans
• Counseling contacts
• PDE 339 program evidence

The United States Senate Youth Program, established in 1962 by U.S.

Senate Resolution, is a unique educational experience for

outstanding high school students interested in pursuing careers in

public service. The 65th annual United States Senate Youth Program

Washington Week will be in Washington, D.C. March 6 – 13, 2027. The

national deadline for all states to submit their delegate selections is

December 1, 2026. Two student leaders from each state, the District

of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education Activity will

spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government

in action. Students must be actively serving in high-level elected or

appointed leadership positions to qualify to apply.

The deadline to apply is October 4. (opens in new window)

The Pennsylvania State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) released a

set of data dashboards that will enable Pennsylvanians to examine

critical aspects of the sector including enrollment trends, affordability,

graduation rates, and production of degrees and credentials aligned

with workforce needs. These dashboards mark the first time in history

that this information has been made available to the public in a

cohesive, transparent manner.

The 71st Annual PSCA Conference (opens in new window) will be held from December 2–4, 2026, at the Penn Stater Hotel and Conference Center in State College, Pennsylvania.

Event Details

• Dates: December 2–4, 2026







• Location: The Penn Stater Hotel & Convention Center, 215 Innovation Boulevard, State College, PA 16803
• Key Topics & Focus Areas
• Legal and Ethical Issues: Navigating student confidentiality, parent rights, and overregulated school environments.
• Court Rulings: Updates on 10 primary legal rulings covering bullying, academic advising, child abuse, Title IX/sexual harassment, and transgender youth support.
• Networking: Connecting with school counselors, district leaders, and student support professionals from across the state

Register for the 2026 SAS Institute! (opens in new window)

The 2026 SAS Institute brings Pennsylvania’s educational leaders together for four days of purposeful learning designed to strengthen the systems and relationships that help people and organizations flourish.

The upcoming Strategic School Counseling Summit: Data-Informed Practice & Postsecondary Pathways in Pennsylvania takes place on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM EST at the Universal Technical Institute Exton Campus in Exton, PA.

Summit Overview

• Focus: Connecting academic achievement with career exploration and postsecondary decision-making using data-informed practices.







• Hosts: Organized via a collaboration between Hatching Results, SCUTA, and Universal Technical Institute.







• Target Audience: Designed specifically for Pennsylvania school counselors to elevate college and career programming.

• Key Learning Objectives:

  
  

  
  

  • MTMDSS Framework: Apply a Multi-Tiered Multi-Domain Student Support framework across all postsecondary pathways.

  
  

  
  

  • Data Utilization: Learn to use SCUTA and other data reporting systems to monitor student progress and identify needs (participants receive complimentary SCUTA access).

  
  

  
  

  • Family Engagement: Confidently guide students and families through real-world career conversations and future opportunities

  
  

House Bill 2218 (School Counseling Services Act):

The PA House overwhelmingly passed House Bill 2218 (opens in new window) to standardize and protect counseling time. It requires districts to create written, public-facing K-12 counseling plans. It also prevents schools from pulling counselors away for unrelated duties like substitute teaching, hallway monitoring, or lunch duty. The bill is currently before the Senate.

The Counseling Compact:

Governor Josh Shapiro signed legislation enacting the Counseling Compact (opens in new window) in July 2026. This makes Pennsylvania the 40th state to join the interstate licensure compact, improving license portability for professional counselors