PARENT NIGHT NORTH HILLS PREPARATORY JANUARY 2016 Road to College Counseling Office Spring Semester Curriculum Night Road to College Counseling Office Spring Semester Curriculum Night Jakkia Hollingsworth – Dean of College Prep/Academic Langston Ross – College Counselor Sonya Barron – Alumni Counselor Mabie Jo Gibbs- Academic Counselor

AGENDA FOR EVENING 6:00 PM- 7:15 PM- PRESENTATION- ROAD TO COLLEGE COUNSELING STAFF 7:15 PM- 8:00 P.M. – PRESENTATION ON THE IB PROGRAM- AP/IB DEAN KATHERINE BIELA

PARENT NIGHT NORTH HILLS PREPARATORY JANUARY 2015 Interpreting Your PSAT and ACT Scores

Your Scores Score You can see your projected SAT score online in My College QuickStart ( ).

My College QuickStart

National Merit Scholarship Corporation Information The Selection Index is the sum of your critical reading, mathematics and writing skills scores. If it has an asterisk, you do not meet all of the eligibility requirements for the competition. For example, the National Merit Scholarship is only for 11 th grade students.

College Admissions Practice NHP Grade LevelSATACT FreshmanPSATEXPLORE SophomorePSATPLAN JuniorPSAT/NMSQTACT

ACT: WHAT DO MY SCORES MEAN? Your scores are between 1 and 36 on the ACT. Just like grades, your scores tell you how well you did on each test. Your Composite score is simply the average of your test scores in English, Mathematics, Reading, and Science(rounded to a whole number). College Ready Scores (out of 36): Math 22 English 18 Reading 18 Science 23 These indicate college readiness, but not necessarily for selective schools.

ACT benchmark scores are used to predict your scholar’s college success in English, College Algebra, and Biology. BASED ON MY SCORES, AM I COLLEGE READY?

HOW CAN I IMPROVE? Prepare through additional study opportunities in their current courses. Many scholars often opt to attend test preparation to improve test- taking strategy and content mastery, while also easing students into the college testing environment.

CREDIT RECOVERY For students who fail a ONE semester course (ex. Government, Economics): Summer School in June at NHP using the PLATO online self- paced learning system. Cost TBD, but predictably $200 per semester, as in previous years. For students who fail a semester of a TWO semester course (aka year-long course) (ex. English, Math) If a scholar fails both semesters, they must the full year for credit recovery. Maximum of two semesters of credit can be earned (1 morning class, 1 afternoon class)

UPDATES ON CREDIT RECOVERY Any student that has failed a course for semester one will be provided the opportunity to recover the credit, prior to summer school through a new program called Summer School Now. Through this program, students will be able to recover first semester credit online during the second semester. Students will be awarded credit upon successful completion of the online course. The cost for the program is $200.00, and if the student completes the course prior to May 27, 2016 we will return $ This is a lot less expensive than the $ per course fee that we charge for our Summer School program. We will be in contact with all parents if your scholar failed a subject for semester one in the upcoming week. If you are interested in enrolling your scholar, please fill out the bottom portion of this letter and return it to Mrs. Hollingsworth or Ms. Gibbs in the Counseling Office by Monday, February 1 st, Upon receipt of the payment, students will be shown how to use the PLATO program and issued their logins If you have any questions at all, please reach out to Summer School NOW!

COURSE REGISTRATION Counselors will register incoming 11 th graders for next years’ courses in their English classes this month. Course registration sheets with lists of course offerings will be distributed in class and posted on NHP webpage. Counselors will perform credit checks to ensure all students have their credits from 9 th, 10 th, and 11 th grade, and students missing credits will be on credit recovery plans during 12 th grade. 12 th graders have five required courses. English, Math, Science, Social Studies, one semester Theory of Knowledge, 1 semester Economics Three elective periods, often used to satisfy Diploma Program requirements

UPDATES OF COURSE REGISTRATION 1.Any student that has failed at least one semester of the preceding course will not be permitted to take 2 or more courses in the same subject area. (ex. Failing one semester of Algebra II, then enrolling in AP Stats and Pre-Cal the following year) 2.IB Economics a. Available to all incoming 11 th graders 1.a.Snapshot: Grade 11- AP MicroEconomics/AP Macro Economics and TOK/Government 1.b. Grade 12- IB Econ (full year)and TOK/Study Hall 3.Psychology/ AP Psychology- Offered to incoming 11 th graders

SUMMER ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES Colleges like to see students doing something worthwhile with their summers. Examples include : Volunteering Summer jobs Camps and Internships Summer courses Research is key! **Also, see counselors for summer programs that suit your goals and interests.

COLLEGE PLANNING FOR JUNIORS Juniors can begin meeting with Mr. Ross in February to discuss: College Lists Reviewing Personal Statements Reviewing Resumes

SAT VS. ACT OR BOTH? It is highly recommended to take BOTH tests to determine the test that your scholar is most comfortable taking. Increased comfort level = higher score earning potential. Once a student has established their preferred assessment, we suggest to take that tests no more than three times, as studies have shown that students normally reach their highest score during those three attempts if they have had test prepped before and/or throughout the three attempts.

THE NEW SAT Handout provided Please also reference the CollegeBoard website for more in-depth comparisons between the current SAT, New SAT, and the ACT.

NATIONAL COLLEGE FAIR!!! Thursday, April 7, :30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Arlington Convention Center Exhibition Halls Ballpark Way Arlington, Texas Transportation will possibly be provided. Communication will be offered upon time to register for attendance. Sign-Up sheet will be located in the RTC Office.

COLLEGE FAIR TIPS 1.Review the National College Fair website for colleges attending and register. 2.Select 5-10 priority schools with which you will visit. Please take this time to seek out colleges that are not local and are readily accessible. Avoid local college long lines. 3.Diversify your list to include private liberal arts colleges and public institutions. 4.Do not just stand there, awaiting the admissions song and dance from representative. Start out with a personal greeting or introduction. 5.Ask thoughtful, not commonly asked questions or those with which you can easily find answers on the website. 6. Request a business card.

COLLEGE FAIR QUESTIONS GOOD EXAMPLES  "What is the campus atmosphere like at your school? What do students do in the evenings and weekends?"  "What do students like most about your college? Is there anything you are aware of that they don't like?"  "What is the area (town, city) around the college like?" BAD EXAMPLES Bad Examples include:  “Can you tell me about your school?”  “Do you have study abroad?”  “Is your _______ program good?”  “What is your student to teacher ratio?

SPRING EVENTS CALENDAR 1. RTC College Visits Date: Tuesday, Feb. 16 th Location: UT Austin and Southwestern University (Georgetown) 2. J.U.M.P Day (Juniors Only) Date: April 23rd Time: 9:00am-3:00pm Location: Peak Preparatory 3. College Signing Day (mandatory for all students) Date: April 28 th Time: All Day Location: SMU Moody Coliseum *Please note that attendance for all events are mandatory to ensure best college admission outcomes and mandatory for College Signing Day.