Counseling Department 8th Grade Course Selection Presentation Spring 2019

Important things to think about GPA- Grade Point Average Points are assigned to semester averages based on difficulty of coursework (Regular, PAP, AP, Dual Credit) Class Rank Ranking is based on the 6.0 weighted scale Official GPA and Rank will be calculated at the end of your 10th grade school year

GPA? What is it? All semester grades GPA starts in 9th grade All semester grades averaged together Harder classes get extra points added: Dual Credit College Classes Pre-AP and AP classes

Classification Freshman - less than 5 credits Sophomore - minimum of 5.5 credits Junior - minimum of 11.5 credits Senior - minimum of 17 credits 26 total credits required to graduate

Foundation High School Plan Foundation plus Endorsement(s) English 4 Math 3 Science Social Studies Fine Arts 1 PE Languages other than English 2 Electives 5 7 Total Credits for Graduation 22 26

Endorsements A student may earn an endorsement by successfully completing: Curriculum requirements for the endorsement 4 credits in math 4 credits in science A Sequence of elective courses in an endorsement pathway

Five Endorsement Areas STEM Public Services Business & Industry Arts & Humanities Multidisciplinary

Distinguished Level of Achievement To be eligible for the top 10% automatic admissions, students must earn Distinguished Level of Achievement requirements: 4 credits in math including Algebra II 4 credits in science All Foundation High School Program Requirements At least one endorsement

Performance Acknowledgements A student may earn a performance acknowledgement by demonstrating outstanding performance: In a dual credit course (12 hours with 3.0 or higher) In bilingualism or bi-literacy On an AP Exam (3 or higher) A score on the PSAT(qualifying for National Merit, National Hispanic or National Achievement Scholarships), ACT (score of 28 excluding writing) or SAT (combined Critical Reading and Math score of 1250) For earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or industry certification or license

STAAR (EOC Exams) ALL students are required to take and pass 5 End of Course exams to be eligible for graduation Algebra 1, English 1, English 2, Biology, US History

Earning College Credit While in High School Students have an opportunity to earn college credits by taking AP and or Dual Credit courses Advanced Placement Credit earned by passing AP exam. Exam scores and credit awarded varies with each university Texas universities will award credit for AP scores of 3 or higher Dual Credit Offered through Alvin Community College Placement test required prior to enrolling in courses Cost=$168 per 3 credit hours plus textbooks Opportunity to graduate with both high school diploma and Associate’s Degree

2019-2020 Course Selection Must select 8 total classes Be sure that you have obtained teacher permission for all courses requiring approval A parent signature is required If selecting dual credit courses, remember that you must meet ACC requirements. See Ms. Burgess, ACC Dual Credit Advisor for any questions that you may have

Suggested Courses for 9th Grade English 1 Algebra 1 (Have not had Algebra 1 in JH) Geometry (Have had Algebra 1 in JH) Biology W. Geography PE (Athletics/Band/Cheer/Dance/Color Guard/ROTC) Foreign Language Fine Art (Art/Band/Choir/Theatre) Endorsement Course (Endorsement Pathway)

THS Schedule

UIL Activity Class Schedule

Pre-AP and AP Courses Students may petition to move from an advanced class to a regular level class during the 6th week of the semester

Available Dual Credit Classes for 9th Grade High School Course Title HS Credits TSI/Pre-Req Learning Strategies (PSYC 1300) 0.5 Admission Only Art Appreciation (ARTS 1301) R/W Art History (ARTS 1303) Theatre Appreciation (DRAMA 1310) R or W Acting 1 (DRAMA 1351) Spanish 1 (SPAN 1411) 1 Spanish 2 (SPAN 1412) 1411 C+ Business Information Management (BCIS 1307) Mass Communications (COMM 1307)

How Do I Qualify for Those Courses? Apply to ACC at www.alvincollege.edu and click Apply Now Take the TSI Required College Ready TSI Scores: Reading - 351 Writing - 4+ on essay and 340+ objective score or 5+ on essay and 310-339 objective score Math - 350 Complete Early Admissions Contract Register for Dual Enrollment Orientation Pay tuition and purchase textbooks (if required)

Deadlines Admissions Deadline for Dual Credit April 26, 2019 Course Selection Deadline February 22, 2019 College Now Scholarship Deadline April 5, 2019 Can be found on the THS website on the Counselor’s Page

TCCHS Counselors Juan De la Garza (A-Gi) delagarzaj@pearlandisd.org Priya Patel (Gj-O) patelp@pearlandisd.org Kimosha Seastrunk (P-Z) seastrunkk@pearlandisd.org Please see your counselor if you have any questions regarding classes or your graduation requirements and 4 year plans

ACC Dual Credit Advisor Turner College & Career High School Gwendolyn Burgess (281) 727-1611 GBurgess@alvincollege.edu Akilah Martin ACC Director of Dual Credit (281) 756-3726 AMartin@alvincollege.edu

QUESTIONS?