Overview Welcome & Introductions Counseling Office Information Graduation Requirements Testing Requirements Calculating GPA HOPE Scholarship College Admission Testing College and Career Exploration

 Principal: Dr. Edward Spurka  9th Grade Administrator: Mr. Chris Bennett  10th Grade Administrator: Mr. Forti  11th Grade Administrator/ Assistant Principal: Mrs. Latoya Gray  12th Grade Administrator/ Curriculum Assistant Principal: Mrs. Amy Price  Associate Administrator: Mrs. Kim Premoli

Students are assigned to counselors based on the first letter of their last name: Counselor Student Caseload Leigh Popp A – E Bonnie SchechterF – Lal Gwen DannerLam – Ri Samiah GarciaRj – Z Chip FlemmerGraduation Coach Nancy SheridanRecords Coordinator Tammy SpeerCounseling Secretary

 Academic planning; 4-Year Graduation Plan; College/Career Planning; Goal Setting; Problem Solving; Recommendation Letters; Transcript Requests; Graduation Status Tracking; Transition Planning; College Visits.  Classroom Guidance: What You Need to Know as a Sophomore – Week of Nov. 11  Responsive Services: As needed.  Individual and Small Group Counseling; Crisis Intervention; Consultation and Collaboration with Parents, Teachers, Administrators; Referrals to Outside Agencies.  New Student Enrollments; Withdrawals, Academic Placement & Scheduling; Standardized Test Coordination & Interpretation; Special Programs (Honors Night, National Merit, Parent Information Nights, Nominated Scholarships).

 Reasons to see a counselor: ◦ Struggling Academically ◦ Questions about college/career planning ◦ Questions about four year plan for graduation ◦ Guidance on dealing with academic issues ◦ Guidance on dealing with personal issues ◦ Just want to meet your counselor!!

 Appointments: Students – stop by before school, during lunch or after school. If counselor is not available, fill out the Counselor Appointment Form. Parents – Need appointments – ing the counselor is the preferred method of contact.

 Student Enrollments & Withdrawals: Make an appointment with Counseling Secretary/Records Coordinator  Student Records Request: See Counseling Secretary/Records Coordinator

Graduation Credit Requirements = 23 RequirementsCredits Language Arts4 Mathematics4 Social Studies3 Science4 Health/Personal Fitness1 W Lang and/or Fine Art and/or CTAE3 Electives4 Students planning to enter/transfer into a 4 year college/university must take a minimum of two units of the same world language.

Grade 9Grade 10Grade 11Grade 12 English9 th Lit/Comp H 10 th Lit/Comp H 11 th Lit/Comp H AP Literature MathCCGPS Algebra GPS Geometry GPS Adv. Algebra GPS Pre- Calculus ScienceBiology *Phys Science * ChemistryEarth Systems Social Studies Amer Gov (.5) World History US HistoryEconomics (.5) World Language Spanish 2 H Spanish 3 H Spanish 4 H AP Spanish ElectiveBand General Health is often paired with American Gov. in 9th grade. (Also semester class worth.5 Credit) Personal Fitness is also required and can be taken at the student's leisure anytime during the four years.

◦ 5 credits= 10th grade promotion ◦ 11 credits= 11th grade promotion ◦ 17 credits= 12th grade promotion ◦ 23 credits= GRADUATION! Remember: Semester Class =.5 Credit Year Long Class = 1 Credit

 In schedule  PLATO  Fulton Virtual School (FVS)  GA Virtual School (GAVS)  Summer School ◦ Be aware that the NCAA may or may not approve courses taken through a non-traditional format such as online, distance learning, correspondence, credit recovery, etc.

Credits and Honor Points Credits ̶How many credits are required to be in the 11 th grade? Need 11 credits earned by the start of the 2014/2015 school year. If a student does not have 11 credits then the student is placed in a 10 th grade homeroom and cannot attend any junior activities. Student can be promoted to 11th grade when proper credit is earned. Honor Points ̶Which courses receive honor points? 7 additional points are added at the end of each semester to passing grades in Honors, AP, and Joint Enrollment / College Courses.

 To participate in sports, students must have passed FIVE classes from the previous semester.  Must be on track to graduate (Not retained in a lower grade).

Testing Requirements End of Course Tests (EOCT) EOCT’s count 20% of the final grade in the classes listed below. After it is averaged in, the grade must be 70 or above to receive credit for the course. Students must pass the following classes. Are not required to pass EOCT, just class. MATH SOCIAL STUDIES ENGLISH/LANGUAGE ARTS SCIENCE Algebra 1 U.S. History Ninth Grade Literature and Composition Biology Geometry Economics American Literature and Composition Physical Science Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSWT) All students must pass the GHSWT (Writing Test)– test is taken Junior year

Cumulative Numeric Average Fulton County calculates numeric averages by adding up all grades in classes and dividing by the total number of classes taken. The numeric average is on a 100 point scale i.e. 87 out of 100 All grades included in this calculation – failed grades, summer grades, online grades…

A Word on Grade Point Average (GPA) Student should contact college to find how they calculate GPA Most colleges use this scale: A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, F = 0.0 Most colleges only consider academic core courses (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Foreign Language) Some colleges may give additional points for Honors, AP, and College courses Some colleges may take off the additional 7 points added for Honors, AP and college courses High School GPA is calculated by the postsecondary institution not the high school (Fulton County does not calculate) College GPA is different than the Fulton County Numeric Average

HOPE GPA Calculation A 3.0 GPA is required by averaging core coursework, including failing grades, on a 4.0 scale Core CoursesConversion English Math Science Social Science World Language Honors points are removed and a 0.50 weighting is added back in for AP courses only, not to exceed 4.0 Middle school credit is not calculated in the HOPE GPA All calculations are done by the Georgia Student Finance Commission Counselors are not responsible for calculating the HOPE GPA A 2.99 GPA does NOT qualify you for HOPE A90 to Points B80 to Points C70 to Points F0 to 690 Points

HOPE – Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally – is Georgia’s unique scholarships and grant program that rewards students with financial assistance in degree, diploma, and certificate programs at eligible Georgia public and private colleges and universities, and public technical colleges Qualifications:  Be a U.S. citizen and legal resident of Georgia  Be a graduate of an eligible high school  Be registered with Selective Service (males)

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP  Earn a 3.0 GPA in high school (calculated by GA Student Finance Commission)  Recipients must have 3.0 GPA at checkpoints to maintain  Graduate valedictorian or salutatorian OR  Earn a 3.7 GPA in high school AND earn a 1200 combined score of reading and math on a single administration of the SAT or a 26 composite score on a single administration of the ACT by your graduation date  Recipients must have 3.3 GPA at checkpoints to maintain. ZELL MILLER SCHOLARSHIP

 Beginning with students who graduate on or after May 1, 2015, students must pass at least two courses from a list of academically rigorous courses in order to meet the requirements to be a HOPE Scholar upon high school graduation.  Advanced Math – such as Adv. Algebra or Pre-Calculus  Advanced Science – such as Chemistry or Physics  AP in a core subject  Advanced Foreign Language – such as Spanish 2  Core subjects taken at USG Institution.

HOPE SCHOLARSHIP  Public Institutions: Students attending public colleges or universities receive a HOPE award amount, up to a maximum of 15 hours, based upon a per hour rate at the institution he or she is attending. (see chart on GACollege411.org)  Private Institutions ◦ Full-time student $1,854 per semester ◦ Half-time student $927 per semester  Public Institutions: Pays current academic year standard undergraduate tuition for number of hours enrolled (public)  Private Institutions:  Full-time student $2,000 per semester  Half-time student $1,000 per semester ZELL MILLER SCHOLARSHIP *Check award amounts on

Available to students seeking a technical certification or diploma regardless of high school grade point average or graduation date Covers a percentage amount of the standard tuition charges from the previous year Must earn cumulative GPA of 2.0 at 30 semester hours/60 semester hours to maintain

 Read widely and write extensively, both in and out of school  Take advantage of the PSAT/NMSQT score report (PSAT – October 16 th )  Become familiar with the SAT/ACT question types, format, and directions (SAT Question of the Day)  As a junior - Sign up for a prep course at

It is recommended students take the SAT and/or ACT at least twice during junior year and once at the beginning of their senior year College Entrance Exams

SAT Versus ACT Type of Test SAT Test of critical thinking and problem solving ACT Content-based test Test Dates October 5 November 2 December 7 January 25 March 8 May 3 June 7 October 26 December 14 February 8 April 12 June 14 Score 600 to to 36 Penalty for wrong answers YesNo Structure Critical Reading Math (through Algebra 2) Writing English Math (through trigonometry) Reading Science Writing (Optional)

 Time to start!  Counselors will work with students on Georgia Career Information System (GCIS)  Begin college visits on school breaks  Use the New COMPASS Center to research colleges and scholarships  Attend College Fairs: NACAC College Fair – March Ga World Congress Center Cambridge HS College Fair – March 19 (6-8pm)

 Assessments  Exploration  4-Year High School Plans  College Planning  Educational, college and career management.

Georgia Career Information System (GCIS)

 Our new college and career center!  Career shadowing program: Cambridge CEO  Resume assistance  Essay writing resources  Mock Interview experience  College (any Post-secondary education) Search Tools  Scholarship Resources  Enrichment Opportunities and Internship Resources  College Visits To Cambridge

 GPA – Typically average in academic core on a 4.0 scale (English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language)  Course Selection (rigor; difficulty level) – Selective colleges are looking at the strength or rigor of courses throughout high school – Show progression  Test Scores (SAT and/or ACT)- Plan taking during 11 th grade year  Class Rank – Based on overall numeric weighted average  Extracurricular Activities – Leadership and participation in clubs, service organizations and sports can be particularly important to colleges  College Application Essays – Required essays on the college application are important because they demonstrate writing ability and give the college more information about the student.  Letters of Recommendation -Usually two letters from teachers and one from counselor is needed  Resumes – Contains academic info., honors & awards, extracurricular activities, work/volunteer experience, etc.

Freshman Profile UGA  Middle 50% GPA:  SAT: 1790 –2060 (CR/M/W)  ACT :  Average # AP courses: 4-6 GA State  Average GPA: 3.4  Average SAT: 1106 (CR/M)  Average ACT: 24 Ga Southern  Average GPA: 3.21  Average SAT: CR 556, M 559, W 531  Average ACT: 23 Gwinnett Technical College  Graduate from High School  Submit SAT/ACT scores or take Compass test GA Tech  Mid-50% GPA: 3.85 –4.11  Middle 50% SAT: (CR/M/W)  Middle 50% ACT:  Average # AP courses: GCSU  Middle 50% GPA:  Middle 50% SAT: (CR/M) Kennesaw State  Minimum Academic GPA: 2.5  Minimum SAT: 950 (CR/M) Georgia Perimeter College  High School recalculated GPA of 2.0 on College Prep Course work  Submit SAT/ACT scores or take Compass Test

Special Programs Night February 2014 INFORMATIONAL MEETING FOR STUDENTS INTERESTED IN: AP CLASSES DUAL ENROLLMENT CAREER TECHNOLOGY PATHWAYS FINE ARTS PROGRAMS

Advanced Placement - AP ̶Program of college-level courses ̶Receive recognition from more than 3,600 colleges and universities that annually receive AP Exam scores. Over 90% of 4-year colleges in the U.S. provide credit and/or advanced placement for qualifying scores ̶Required to take the AP exam in May

Tuition is paid through local system funds Students can live on campus or commute but are responsible for these expenses All high school End of Course Tests and the Georgia High School Writing Test requirements must be satisfied Any student interested must notify their counselor early in Spring Semester. * Deadline for applications to be submitted to college and for CHS paperwork to be completed with counselor is March 30 th, regardless of college deadline. * Deadline for dual enrollment application and supplemental documents to be submitted to the college is May 1 st. MOWR/ACCEL An opportunity for students to attend a postsecondary institution full-time (MOWR) or part-time (ACCEL) during their junior and/or senior year of high school Students will receive high school credit and college credit simultaneously while attending college classes on the college campus. Move on When Ready Dual Enrollment Opportunities – MOWR/ACCEL

 Challenge yourself academically and aim for high grades.  Create Resume - list involvement/accomplishments  Don’t clutter your schedule with a multitude of extracurriculars. Colleges would rather see you passionate about a few worthwhile activities, clubs, sports, charities, etc.  Analyze your PSAT score and look for areas to develop.  If going to highly selective college, consider taking SAT Subject Test immediately after taking related course at school.

Cambridge HS Counseling Website  Sophomore Advisement PowerPoint Presentation  Upcoming Events  College/Career Counseling  Academic Counseling  Much more!!

 You should have received text alerts for this meeting  Remind101 registration information located online at

Q & A  Please complete the Survey and hand it back to a counselor before leaving It is the policy of the Fulton County School System not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, national origin, age, or disability in any employment practice, educational program, or any other program, activity or service.