9th - 11th Grade Parent Information Night Tomball High School January 2017

Agenda Graduation Requirements Course Selections SAT and ACT EOC Testing AP vs DC Post Secondary Planning Scholarships

Graduation Requirements Foundation Graduation Program Endorsements Distinguished Level of Achievement Performance Acknowledgements

Foundation Graduation Program 4 credits ELA 3 credits Mathematics 3 credits Science 3 credits Social Studies 2 credits LOTE 1 credit Fine Arts 1 credit PE .5 credits Health .5 credits Speech 4 credits Electives 22 credits

Endorsements STEM Business & Industry Arts & Humanities Public Services Multidisciplinary 4 credits Must have 4 years of Math and Science Total: 26 credits to graduate

Distinguished Level of Achievement 4 credits in Math (Algebra 2) 4 credits in Science Curriculum requirements for Foundation 1 or more Endorsement areas Mandatory to be eligible for the top 10% Automatic Admission

Performance Acknowledgements A student may earn a performance acknowledgement for “B” or higher in a Dual Credit course “3” or higher on an AP Exam PSAT commended scholar SAT math + reading = 1250 ACT score = 28 Earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license (Welding, Health Science)

Algebra II, Chemistry, and Physics and 4 Computer Science or 2 additional Math courses or 2 additional Science courses or 4 Engineering (PLTW) or A coherent sequence of 3 credits from 2 of the above

Business & Industry Career and Technical Education A coherent sequence of courses for 4 or more credits that consists of at least two courses in the same career cluster, including at least one advanced CTE course and the final course from one of the following clusters. Clusters Agriculture, Food, Natural Resources, Architecture and Construction Business Management and Administration Finance Manufacturing Marketing or

Business & Industry (continued) English Four English elective credits including three levels in one of the following areas: Debate or Advanced Journalism: Newspaper or Advanced Journalism: Yearbook or Combination A coherent sequence of four credits from the above programs

Public Services Career and Technical Education A coherent sequence of courses for 4 or more credits that consists of at least two courses in the same career cluster, including at least one advanced CTE course and the final course from one of the following clusters. Clusters Welding or Education and Training/Human Services or Health Science or Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps Four courses in JROTC

Arts and Humanities Social Studies Foreign Languages Fine Arts Five Social Studies credits or Foreign Languages Four Levels of the same language other than English or Two levels of the same language other than English and two levels of a different language other than English or Fine Arts Four credits from one or two disciplines of fine arts

Multidisciplinary Studies Four advanced courses that prepare a student to enter the workforce successfully or postsecondary education or Four credits in each of the four foundation subject areas to include English IV and chemistry and/or physics or Four credits in Advanced Placement or dual credit selected from English, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Economics, Other Languages, or Fine Arts

STAAR/EOC Testing Dates

STAAR/EOC Testing March 28, 2017 – English I March 30, 2017 – English II May 2, 2017 - Algebra 1 May 3, 2017 – Biology May 4, 2017 - US History

Credits for Grade Classification Sophomore – 6 credits Junior – 12 credits Senior – 18 credits Graduation – 26 credits (meeting all specific state credit requirements)

Course Selections for 2017-2018

Course Selections-Timeline January 10th - Cougar course selection day Course verification sheets will go home February 7th for parent review Course selection changes due by February 16, 2017 See THS website home page for the TISD High School Course Selection Guide

Local Credit Options Office Aide (11th or 12th) Duty assignments made by Assistant Principal No State Credit awarded, local credit only Is not included into GPA calculation Student must be in good standing with attendance and discipline

Senior Release Late Arrival or Senior Release Students must have enough state credits to be eligible Students must have passing scores on all state required STAAR EOCs Students must be off campus during release time

Course Request Changes Changes must be in writing and turned in to appropriate alpha office by deadline Students wanting Dual Credit courses should attend DC meeting and get started on the Lone Star College exceptional admit process Final schedule change requests due in writing by February 16, 2017.

Advanced Placement Dual Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) or Dual Credit (DC) Both can earn college credit Colleges can award a student credit based on AP exams in May. The student must be enrolled in the college before credit is awarded. Lone Star College awards college credit on a transcript at the end of the semester the student is enrolled in the college course. Both give 15 quality points per semester toward high school GPA The TISD Course Description Book provides course descriptions and requirements.

Advanced Placement (AP) AP courses are open enrollment. Expectation is that all students take the AP exam during the first two weeks of May. Students are required to pay for each AP exam taken ($98 per test)

More Advanced Placement College credit is based on AP exam scores. Scores range from 1 to 5. Passing scores range is from 3 to 5. Most colleges require a 3 or higher. Check with each college for required passing score. Students earning below a 70 for the semester in any AP course may be removed for the spring semester.

Profile of the Student Who Should Take an AP Course Able to work at a higher level of rigor and faster pace of a university course Above grade level in reading, and the specific area of the AP course Above grade level in writing skills, especially for English and Social Studies courses Interests match courses in the areas the student wants to pursue as a career

Dual Credit (DC) Student dually enrolled in THS and Lone Star College Courses taken on THS campus Student is responsible for course fees and textbooks Grade and credit posted on both high school and college transcripts Credits generally accepted by Texas state colleges and universities. Check with each college/university for credit transfer details.

Dual Credit (DC) FIRST time DC students are REQUIRED to attend ONE of these meetings: January 31st – 6:45am or 2:45pm in the LGI February 1st – 6:45am or 2:45pm in the LGI RETURNING DC students – Mrs. Nichols will be coming to the classrooms during the week of February 6th Firm deadline for DC – April 7th Must be qualified for all!

Making an Informed Decision: AP vs. DC Professes interest in subject selected Research what colleges are accepting and requiring, as well as degree requirements Research the expectations/work load of each course Don’t overextend yourself! Carefully consider time commitment and be able to balance academic load with extracurricular activities, family life, or outside commitments.

Informed Decision Is the student self motivated? Does the student persevere when faced with challenging material? Does the student plan and work ahead on long term projects? Talk to current subject teacher in courses considering AP or DC. Talk to your counselor.

Check with Universities Transfer Course Equivalency Search universities website for AP scores needed to obtain college credit

Post Secondary Planning

What are my options? Four year university Community or Junior College Associate degree or certificate program Military Many branches and scholarships available to help you fund your education Tech School Certifications for specific job areas Work

SAT New in the spring of 2016 Removed the penalty for wrong answers Essay is optional and is given at the end Post secondary schools will determine how/if they will use it. More information can be found at www.collegeboard.org

SAT/ACT PrepMe on Naviance http://connection.naviance.com/tomballhs Recommended to take in the spring semester of the junior year Writing component should be taken www.collegeboard.org for SAT www.actstudent.org for ACT Please review/practice for tests! PrepMe on Naviance http://connection.naviance.com/tomballhs Username – Student TISD ID# Password – tisd + date of birth - tisd03031999

Freshman To Do List Begin a “senior” file – grades, EOC scores, PSAT scores, college info, scholarship info, etc Establish membership in clubs & organizations within your school Begin community service hours & building a resume Be thinking about career interests & goals

Sophomore To Do List Take challenging coursework. Review post graduation plans. Gather college information. Get involved in your school. Run for leadership roles. Community service. Student athlete planning on playing in college? Register for NCAA. Taking DC in 11th grade? Attend DC meeting for steps.

Junior To Do List Take SAT and/or ACT in the spring. Schedule college visit days (2 each year in 11th and 12th!) Research college entrance requirements (required test scores, deadlines, essay requirements, scholarship opportunities, etc.) Study, study, study! GPA sent to colleges comes out before the fall of the senior year. Community Service.

To Do List Summer BEFORE Senior Year Visit colleges and make decisions on where to send applications. Write essays for college applications. Study if taking SAT/ACT again in fall. Continue looking for scholarships. Apply Texas (for Texas Public Universities) opens August 1st. Start the application early, especially if you are attending a competitive 4 year university.

What makes my college application complete? For Texas public universities apply at www.applytexas.org All others see the university website Official Test Scores Must come from testing agency (SAT-College Board or ACT) Official Transcripts—Available this summer! Send 6th semester rank/GPA Application Fee

Letters of Recommendation Not required for all college applications If needed, request from someone who knows the student well Counselor Recommendation/Brag Sheet available on Naviance Allow 2 weeks for processing Give the person addressed, stamped envelopes AND date needed by the college

Scholarships http://connection.naviance.com/tomballhs Username - Student ID# Password – tisd + date of birth ex. tisd03031999 www.cappex.com www.scholarships.com

Thank you for coming! Please feel free to contact your child’s counselor with specific questions you may have about their graduation plan. A-Fe Amy Vann Fi-Le Keyla Carroll Li-Rod Karen Hill Roe-Z Nancy Lynch College & Career Emily Nichols