Georgetown High School February 2015

The courses you take, the activities you participate in, and the way you choose to conduct yourself have a huge impact on the options you will have available to you upon graduation. Take advantage of the many opportunities afforded to you in high school to ensure that you have the best chance possible of achieving your personal goals.

 Transition to High School  Graduation Requirements  Endorsement Pathways  Pre-Registration  CareerCruising.com

Moving on to high school from middle school is an important event in your education. New experiences, new friends, and new responsibilities are in store. Your teachers, counselors, and principals are here to help you make a successful transition.

 Promotion is out - Classification is in.  7 Periods out – AB Block Schedule in - Most classes meet every other day.  Tests abound-Final exams, STAAR, TSI, ASVAB, PSAT, SAT/ACT, etc.  An Endorsement Pathway is required.

 Grade Point Average shows how you did overall in all of your courses. If you get straight A’s you have a 4.0 GPA.  Class Rank is based on your weighted GPA and determines what percentage of the class you are in (top 50%, top 25%, top 10%, top8%).  Your transcript is your official high school record.  NOTE: Applying for college at beginning of 12 th grade means 9 th grade determines 1/3 of a student’s WGPA!

 Rigorous curriculum designed to prepare students for college and/or post-secondary employment  Pre-AP and Advanced Placement Courses  College credit while in high school  ACC’s Early College Start-available after 10 th grade)  Tech Prep Articulated Courses  Advanced Placement Test Scores for 3 or above

 Endorsement Pathways  Performance Acknowledgements  CareerCruising.com  Occupational Exploration  College Search  Employment Skills  Electronic Portfolio  College and Careers Center

 Clubs and Organizations  Service Projects and Activities  UIL Activities and Competitions  Special Events

Students must successfully earn at least 26 credits in a plan of study that includes specific courses in English, math, science, social studies, and other required courses and electives. Students must also select and complete an endorsement as mandated under HB5.

IMPORTANT: The Distinguished Level of Achievement is required for automatic admission to state 4 year universities.

Endorsement pathways are intended to give students opportunity to take a concentration of related courses in high school to help them be better prepared for post- secondary education and careers.

 Arts and Humanities  Business and Industry  Public Service  STEM  Multidisciplinary REMEMBER: Endorsements can be changed if you change your mind anytime during high school.

 In general, students must earn 4 credits from a sequence of related courses designated for a particular endorsement pathway.  While it is possible for students to meet the requirements for more than one endorsement, “collecting” endorsements is not really the intent of the mandate.  Scheduling conflicts may require students to set priorities regarding the endorsement completion requirement.

GHS freshmen will begin on the multidisciplinary endorsement pathway. If you want to choose another endorsement pathway, you and your parent/guardian will need to meet with your high school counselor.

CareerCruising.com is a web- based program that can assist students and families with career exploration, college research, and employment skills throughout high school and beyond. It also has a course planning tool.

Username: georgetown Password: careers

Access CareerCruising.com directly or with the link on the GHS homepage under “For Students”. Remember to type GT- before your case-sensitive username.

Students are expected to complete a pre-registration worksheet with parents. This plan will be used to enter course choices on CareerCruising.com. There will be opportunity to make adjustments at a later date.

Remember, you have the next 4 years to set up the rest of your life. Make them count!