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      Routine Assignments - Creating the First Assignment

      How to turn an assignment on or make it active

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      • The audience of each Assignment is decided per assignment.

       

      • Those that are marked for Parents will be delivered only to "contacts" listed in the Student Profile Information (Biography Banner): Contacts
      • Each contact has an option to be copied or not copied on parent communications.

       

      • Those that are marked for student, will only be sent to the student. 

      • Each assignment can be made visible and invisible to the client by choosing the "start date" of when the assignment should become visible to the student or parent portal.

      • Assignments that are already "visible" can be emailed directly from the Assignments tab to their respective audiences.

      • Click the pencil to open an Assignment. From within each assignment, you can link directly to any document located in the student's Google Drive folder. 
        • By linking directly to the associated document the student will receive the email containing,  assignment instructions and a direct link to the task. By offering your student click-convenience you will increase their ability to perform and complete the task.

       

      Questions:

      Not all Single Counselor plans have access to custom portal invitation. Some counselors use the first assignment email as a a way of welcoming the parent to the parent-portal in addition to the custom portal invite or in place of it. Others invite parents and students to their respective portals and the first assignment is what they see when entering their portal.

      • Is the Welcome Assignment considered a Routine Assignment?

      Yes. The Welcome or the first assignment should be considered a Routine Assignment because you will use it repeatedly and the goal is to automate all processes that are repeated within your workflow.

       

       

      The First Routine Assignment you will create is the Parent / Student Welcome assignment. After creating the Routine Welcome assignment, think about when you will use it in your workflow. 

      • If you choose to email the first assignment, you'll be letting your client know:
        • What Assignment Progress Summary emails look like and where to find them in the weeks to come.
          • This tangible benefit to your services is an asset to every busy parent.
        • That the portal invite is on-the-way shortly.
        • That when they receive an Assignment Summary email they will also receive a simultaneous text message. (counselor chooses to turn this feature on.)

       

      • By receiving an email that includes links to their assigned Google Drive folder or student-portal login page, you are familiarizing the client with the value of the portal by engaging them in the functionality first. 
        • Study shows us that click-convenience and first-time user experience play a critical role in the student's ongoing engagement in the portal. Therefore, thinking through your clients' journey will contribute to greater accountability throughout the process. If you have questions, talk to your Tech Mentor.

       

      • When creating your first Routine Assignment, be sure to include a unique link to your portal (found in your web-master settings.)

       

      Samples of First Assignments:

      Brought to you by our Blueprints Assignments Package 

      (sold separately for a one time fee.) 

       

      These are samples of how you might choose to introduce your process to your clients by emailing the first assignment, prior to portal invite. This is offered as a suggestion. There are hundreds of ways you might choose to initiate your practice.

       

      [STUDENT]  <<Link to Portal>>  <<Link to Google Drive folder>>

      Welcome to the first steps in your college journey!

       

      This email and the assignment description you're reading now is how I will keep you on track. You will receive assignments via email but complete your assignments in a not-complicated portal. Assignments will be linked to associated documents, that means you won't have to send me attachments.

       

      Most assignments will require some action. The specifics of each task will be listed at the bottom of each assignment. There will also be an estimated time that the task should take, letting you plan for time.

       

      During our first meeting you will gain access to a portal where you can see more. Through the portal you will have access to your college list, view assignments, upload documents, track your application processes, and much more.

       

      Please look in your email for an invitation to your portal soon.

      [PARENT] <<Link to Portal>>  <<Link to Google Drive folder>>

      Welcome to the first steps in your student's journey!

      The assignment description you're reading now is how I will keep in touch with you throughout the entire process and provide updates on the student's progress. Some assignments are purely informative and others will require some action.

       

      At the bottom of each assignment you'll see action items required from you. I will email progress summaries to you after each meeting until the application season begins. Then we will focus on the application tracker and you will receive regular exports of the tracker status.

       

      Any necessary resources will always come linked at the top of every assignment. Research has shown that click convenience has a significant impact on the student's increased rate of task completion.

       

      The progress summaries are meant to keep you in the loop but you will also get access to a portal where you can see more. Both Student and family member(s) have access to the portal to access your student's college list, view assignments, upload documents, track your application processes, and much more. Access to a proprietary college information database is available within the student and family portals.

       

      Please look in your email for an invitation to your portal. Parents are invited but not required to use the portal. Students will be required to update their assignment status, research colleges, and craft essays using the student portal and Google Drive tools.

       

      We appreciate you choosing us to guide you through this important process. Your next progress summary is on its way soon.

       

       

      You may also be interested in these articles:

       

      Introduce CounselMore to Parents - Example of email communication

      When does a counselor share their screen with a student and when not

      How can I apply the same Assignment and document to several students at one time?

       

      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.​