How do I see my counselor? Counselors are available before school, during your lunch or immediately after school. In the event of an emergency, please ask you teacher to be excused and come straight to the counseling department. What are some things your counselor can help with? Personal issues Academic concerns College preparation

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN NINTH GRADE AND BEYOND? Essential Question??? WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN NINTH GRADE AND BEYOND?

Let’s Talk About GPA (Calculating/Importance/Types) The Importance of Course Rigor Transcripts Promotion Requirements Graduation Requirements Student Responsibilities in the classroom (Study skills, make-up work, talking to your teacher, cheating policies)

High School Vocab AP course – Advanced Placement/College level course taught in high school. Block – Class period lasting 90 minutes Credit – Unit earned upon successful completion of a high school course CTE – Career and Technical Education Electives – Non-required course that is chosen based on student interest EOC – End of course tests given at the end of specific high school courses Extra-Curricular Activities – Activities that may meet outside of the school day IB – International Baccalaureate – Academically rigorous program similar to AP Quality points – Points assigned to letter grades at each course level, used to compute GPA Required course – Course that must be taken to fulfill graduation requirements SAT and/or ACT – standardized test taken for college admissions

Future Read Core Plus 24 Core Graduation Requirements: 4 English credits (English I, II, III, IV) 4 Math credits 3 Sciences/4 Social Studies or 4 Sciences/4 Social Studies (8 total credits) (US History is a 2 year course starting with 2012-2013 9th grade students) 1 Health/PE credit 8 Electives

Frequently Asked Questions: If I only need 24 credits, can I graduate early? -Yes, however, many colleges prefer students to stay in high school all four years to take advantage of advanced course work. Your counselor is the best person to talk with about this decision. Do I have to take foreign language to graduate? -No, however, you need two levels of foreign language in order to attend a 4 year college. Many colleges recommend 3 to 4 levels of foreign language.

Promotion Requirements 9th to 10th grade: 6 units of credit 10th to 11th grade: 12 units of credit including English I, II and Common Core I 11th to 12th grade: 18 units of credit including English I, II and Common Core I

Athletic Requirements Must meet local promotion standards Must have earned a 2.0 GPA from previous semester Must have 85% attendance from previous semester Must pay a $100.00 per athlete, per season participation fee or meet the waiver criteria Must receive a medical examination each year

Attendance Recovery If a student misses more than 10 days in any class, that student must make up the days missed, hour for hour, after school. Transportation home is NOT provided. If the student does not recover absences in excess of 10, that student may receive an automatic “F” for that course.

How Seriously Does Homework Affect A Student’s Grade in High School Homework is not only for practice anymore!! Homework is often factored into a student’s grade, so completing ALL of the assigned homework is a MUST !! Teachers in high school, for the most part, will not accept late homework – even if it is one day late (unless the student has a valid, excused absence). Copying another student’s homework or allowing another student to copy your homework is considered cheating. Cheating results in 2 days of in-school suspension and a ZERO on the assignment.

Can Zero’s on my homework tank my grade? Let’s see…. Homework in most courses is 30% of your grade. Therefore if you have the following homework grades: 100, 0, 90, 80, 95, 50 (late grade), you will have a 69 for your overall homework grade. Therefore, the highest grade you can make in the course will be a “B” if you get 100’s on all other tests, projects and quizzes.

Remember…. A failed course may have to be repeated (if required) Failed grades STAY on your transcript Higher grades make your GPA higher, SO STUDY, ATTEND CLASS, COMPLETE HOMEWORK

Want to go to College? Review college entrance requirements Take challenging classes that prepare you for college Grade point average and class rank are calculated beginning in grade 9. Honors/AP/IB classes earn extra quality points Explore Careers Participate in extracurricular activities

Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA Weighted GPA calculates the extra quality points earned from taking Honors, AP and IB courses. Unweighted GPA does not include the extra quality points from taking Honors, AP and IB courses. Each class is on 4.0 scale regardless of the level. Colleges are interested in seeing both GPA’s. However, most colleges use the weighted GPA in making their acceptance decisions.

What is a GPA & Who cares? Letter Grades Standard Course Honors AP/IB A 4 5 6 B 3 C 2 D 1 F *GPA is short for Grade Point Average. It is cumulative (starts in 9th grade) and determines your class rank.

Where will your GPA take you? College/University Numbers reflect middle 50% of students admitted in 2013 UNC-Chapel Hill 4.8 Duke University 5.2 Appalachian State University 4.0 UNC-Wilmington 4.1 Western Carolina 3.5 East Carolina 3.8

Report Card vs. Transcript -Grades from one semester -Unofficial document -Used by parent or guardian -Includes some personal information such as address, student ID number -Includes Quarter, Semester and Exam grades Transcript -Record of all high school final grades -Legal official document -Used by colleges, military and employers -Includes identifying information such as address, DOB and EOG information -Includes class rank and cumulative GPA -Includes only the final grade for each course

Transcript

What does your transcript say about you? Your cumulative GPA (all grades earned in high school) Your class rank Rigor of courses Graduation requirements

(honors and AP IB earn extra quality points) How do I calculate a GPA? Step 1: Assign each grade a numerical value A=4 B=3 C=2 D=1 F=0 (honors and AP IB earn extra quality points) Step 2: Add the numeric point value of each course attempted Step 3: Divide your total from step 2 by the total number of credits attempted

Your Turn…. Using the chart from the earlier slide, calculate Ricardo and Heather’s weighted GPA. Who has a higher GPA? Why? Ricardo Honors English C Common Core Math I B Honors Earth/Env A World History B Ricardo’s GPA_____ Heather AP English III B Honors CCM II D Honors Biology A World History C Heather’s GPA____

Check your answers Ricardo Heather Honors English C = 3 CCMath I B = 3 Honors Earth/Env A = 5 World History B = 3 3+3+5+3 = 14, 14/4 = 3.5 GPA AP English III B = 5 Honors CCM II D = 2 Honors Biology A = 5 World History B = 3 5+2+5+3 = 15, 15/4 = 3.75 GPA

Being Successful in High School Basic Requirements -Come to school regularly -Be on time to class -Have your materials -Pay attention in class -Complete your assignments -Find out what you missed when absent and make up work in a timely manner Going Above and Beyond -Review and Preview notes -Attend tutoring -Communicate with your teacher -Take detailed notes -Study nightly -Keep a calendar -Stay organized

QUESTIONS