Junior/Senior Guidance September 2013 Welcome

Counseling Staff Amanda Breeden All Students A-F Lissa Testa All Students G-M Lance Hendrick All Students N-Z Addison Snyder College & Career A-K Randy Trevino College & Career L-Z Debbie Barnes Registrar Wendy Herring Office Coordinator

TRANSCRIPTS Transcripts- PLEASE CHECK CAREFULLY - Middle School grades - Summer school, CBE, Correspondence, etc. - GPA - Class rank - Top 10% rule

Credit Checks & Graduation Plans 26 credits required for graduation Distinguished, Recommended Both are college-bound plans

Graduation Plans - Side by Side Recommended Distinguished English Mathematics Science Social Studies Lovejoy Leadership (speech) Heatlh Fine Arts Physical Education Technology Foreign Language Additional Electives TOTAL CREDITS26 26 ***The Distinguished Plan requires 4 advanced measures

Distinguished Achievement Diploma (DAP) What is an Advanced Measure? A student needs any 4 of the following: A Junior year PSAT score that designates them as commended or higher A score of 3 or higher on an AP test (each score is one advanced measure) A college academic course and Tech Prep articulated college course with a grade of 3.0 or higher (each 3.0 is one advanced measure) An original research project judged by a panel of professionals in the field (only 2 projects can be used and the senior project would qualify as one)

Additional Graduation Requirements Class of 2014 Senior Project TAKS Tests Class of 2015 Senior Project STAAR Tests

GPA GPA Table – page 14 of the Course Guide (Lovejoy High School Webpage – Academics and Schedules – Course Guide) GPA Table Rank GPA vs Official GPA

Exclusions  Students must earn the 26 credits required for graduation. For each additional credit earned beyond the required 26, students may exclude a maximum of eight semester grades from his/her GPA calculation. Excluded grades may not include the required 26 credits.  Some classes are automatically excluded Off Campus PE Correspondence Classes Summer School Dual Credit Classes ASC or CAT classes Math Labs Audited Classes

Exclusions Possible exclusions Electives Fine Arts Technology LOTE 5 th math or science class

Exclusions – Timeline Class of 2014 First Time – June 2013 Both Rank and Official GPA Second Time – January 2014 Both Rank and Official GPA Third Time – After the 5 th six weeks 2014 Rank GPA only (this locks the rank for graduation) Fourth Time – June 2014 Official GPA only for final transcript Class of 2015 First Time – June 2014 Both Rank and Official GPA Second Time – January 2015 Both Rank and Official GPA Third Time – After the 5 th six weeks 2015 Rank GPA only (this locks the rank for graduation) Fourth Time – June 2015 Official GPA only for final transcript

Testing  PSAT – October 16, 2013  STAAR – ELA – March 31 – April 3, 2014; Math, Sci, SS – May 5-16, 2014  AP Tests – May 5-16, 2014  SAT, ACT, SAT II (Subject Tests) (Schedule your own tests ) 

Tips for Academic Success Your student should: teachers when absent or having difficulty in a class Contact counselors about classes or other concerns Use an academic planner or something else to organize assignments (time management) Attend LHS tutorials Utilize the CAT – Center for Academic Training Math and Science tutorials are available daily Look at Power School each week and share the information with parents Get enough sleep!

Important Dates Open House – September 9, :00 – 6:30 Parent meeting for 9 th and 10 th grade 6:30 – 8:00 Open House - Follow student schedule to all classes (all grades) College Fair – September 11, :00 – 3:00 -- Main Gym