Routine Assignments - Basics

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What is a Routine Assignment?

A Routine Assignment is a 'Generic' version of an Assignment. A counselor would build a Routine Assignment for the purpose of not having to re-write the same Assignment over-and-over-and-over. Routine Assignment Ex: Request Letters of Recommendation

Routine Assignments can be accessed 2 ways:

Any Student Record > Assignments Tab > Blue Beach Ball > Routine Assignments
- You can only assign an entire Routine Assignment Group (a collection of assignments) from the Assignments Tab. We will go over groups below.
From Settings > Routine Assignments
- You can only Bulk Assign Routine Assignments by accessing them from settings. We will touch on that topic later in the article.

Building a Routine Assignment

Go to Settings > Routine Assignments
Click the button labeled: + Add New
Enter Assignment Name
Add a Link to the Routine Assignment
- Tip: Do not apply a link to editable documents here. This is a great place to add links to public resources like fafsa.com, commonapp.org, or college websites
Move down to the description box and enter assignment instructions
- ? Do Not address these instructions to a specific student
To the right you will some options that you will not touch for now
- Assigned To
- Start Date
- End Date
Add a Routine Assignment Group to categorize it
- By default, we give you two groups
  - The Blue Prints To College Counseling
  - New Counselor Assignments
- If you don't want to use the defaults, simple 'X' out the current group, type the name, and hit enter
  - The Routine Assignment Group will automatically update in the list after we finish creating the assignment
Enter Confidential Notes
Click "Create" at the top right

You should now have returned to the Routine Assignments page where you will see the new group title in a banner. Click the group banner to locate the Assignment you have just created. The banner will expand, showing a summary of the assignment.

Tip: To view/edit the assignment, click the pencil icon on the left corresponding to the assignment.

Assigning A Routine Assignment

We assign routine assignments in a student's Assignments Tab

Any Student Record > Assignments Tab > Blue Beach Ball > Routine Assignments
The window that opens displays your groups separated into banner rows
- You can click the ">" symbol to the right of each group and select individual assignments by checking the boxes next to them
- Or you can check the box next to the group name to select the entire collection of assignments in this group as mentioned in #1 above.
- ? As soon as any box is checked, the assignment(s) will be assigned to the student. If you inadvertently applied an assignment, it can be removed easily by clicking the garbage can next to any particular assignment in the Assignments Tab
In the central columns for the assignment, select the icon(s) under the appropriate assignee(s) (Student, Parent, Counselor (you)) to identify who the assignment is intended for.
Your student/family still cannot see the assignment. Choose a start date, and the assignment will then display in the student portal.

Hot tip: How to increase student engagement in the student portal.

Settings > Webmaster > grab your unique Student Portal link and add an "external link" to each Routine Assignment. When your student receives an assignment via email, they will also receive the link directly to your portal. This returns the student to the portal. CounselMore has done several behavioral studies that showed students are more likely to engage the portal when there is "click convenience."

How many avenues to communication do you leave open?
If a student is able to reach their counselor from email, text, phone, portal, meetings - then the counselor is setting the expectation that they will check all communication channels.

If the counselor would prefer the student communicate using one or two specific channels, then the counselor must reinforce that by not engaging on the other avenues and steering the student's communication back to the chosen line.

Students can leave comments per assignment and click Done when an assignment is complete. 

A counselor can view text messages in app and not be at the end of every message alert. 

A counselor's time is valuable, they shouldn't feel they have to jump each time a message comes in.

To streamline your practice, streamline your response.

Would you like to know more about the CounselMore Comprehensive Assignments packages? These are pre-written, client-facing that can be used for all high school grades. The assignments package follows the comprehensive college readiness process. Read more here.