1. Junior Seminar November 2013

2. The important Junior Year  Why is junior year considered the most important year of your high school career? –Meeting requirements for graduation –Planning for post-secondary goals: college, career-readiness, and other pathways

3. Graduation will be here before you know it… WILL YOU BE PREPARED FOR WHAT’S NEXT?

5. GOALS OF JUNIOR SEMINAR  Review graduation requirements/transcript  Understand college admission criteria  Identify resources available for help  Establish a timeline for junior year

6. Standard Diploma

7. Advanced Studies Diploma

8. Standard Diploma  22 standard credits  4 English  4 Social Studies  3 Math  3 Science  2 Health & PE  5 Electives (Must include 1 fine art or career/tech elective; and 2 sequential electives)  1 Econ & Personal Finance  Verified credits (6) Advanced Diploma  26 standard credits  4 English  4 Social Studies  4 Math  4 Science  2 Health & PE  3 World Language (or 2x2)  1 Fine art or career tech  1 Econ & Personal Finance  3 other electives  Verified Credits (9) Standard vs. Advanced

9. What are verified credits?  A verified credit is earned when a student passes a course and the associated end-of- course SOL test.  In some cases, students may utilize substitute tests or certifications to earn verified credits

10. What is a TRANSCRIPT??  The transcript is a report of all the courses you have taken and the final grades in each course.  The level of rigor of each class is included on the transcript (AP, Honors).  Your GPA (grade point average) for each year and the cumulative GPA for all the years up to now.  The GPA is weighted—extra points for Honors and AP classes are accounted for.  Your attendance record  Your verified credits

11. What do colleges want?  Strong academic record  Extracurricular, Athletic, and Community Involvement  Well-prepared application package – required demographic forms, essays/personal statements, and teacher/counselor recommendations –It is very important to get to know a few of your teachers and your school counselor so that you can get good recommendations for college

12. College Entrance Exams ACT (American College Test)ACT (American College Test) –Consists of five subjects: English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing –Writing component is optional (though recommended) –Top composite score is 36 SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test)SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) –Consists of three subjects: Verbal, Math, Writing –Each test is scored on a scale of 200-800  TEST FEE WAIVERS are AVAILABLE if your receive FREE/REDUCED lunch!!  Take the SAT and/or ACT in the Spring of 2014

13. “What if I’m not ready to go to college?”  Gap Year  Military  Apprenticeship programs (through FCPS ACE)  Two-year Colleges/Community Colleges  Employment

14. Use Your Resources School Counselors Mrs. Foster @ the Career Center Teachers Share plans with us and we will help you explore your options!

15. FCPS 24-7 and Family Connection  To get to Family Connection you must enter through your Blackboard/FCPS  24 ‐ 7 account (http://fcps.blackboard.com). Click on Family Connection logo.

16. Use Family Connection

17.  View and exchange information about your plans with school counseling staff through this extensive resource!  About Me -Develop plans -Record activities -Identify skills & interests (Interest Surveys)  About College -Search for colleges -See College acceptances (Scatergrams)  From Your School -Messages from Mrs. Foster -Additional resources for career & college exploration

18. College Scatergram

19. Junior Timeline  Fall 2013 – Review graduation requirements to make sure you’re on track  Winter 2014 – Begin exploring Family Connection as a research tool for college and careers  February/March 2014 – Register for college entrance exams SAT or ACT  Spring - Summer 2014 – Visit colleges, start college essays, start college list. Counselors will be meeting juniors individually at this time for course registration.  September 2014 – Tentative college list is submitted  October 2014 – Early Decision/Early Action requests for transcripts, counselor recommendations are submitted to your counselor

20. Before you know it…