1. VHS HONORS PROGRAM “Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.” ~Archimedes, 220 BC vistahonors.wordpress.com

2. The Purpose 1.Highlight the different aspects of the VHS Honors Program 2.Explain some of the things parents really want to know 3.Highlight some of our most often asked FAQ’s vistahonors.wordpress.com

3. Structure of the Honors Program IB Classes & Diploma Program Advanced Placement Honors Classes vistahonors.wordpress.com

4. Classes are primarily taken in the 9 th & 10 th grades. VUSD offers a GPA bump for grades of “C” or better. Provides foundation of knowledge, skills and time management for college and for success in AP and IB classes. Honors Classes vistahonors.wordpress.com

5. Advanced Placement *The Advanced Placement Program (AP) is administered by the College Board. *AP classes are college level courses taught primarily in the 11 th and 12 th grades. *AP classes have an optional exam administered each May. Passing these exams may result in earning college credit while in high school. *AP classes completed with a “C” or better earn a GPA bump (high school and college). vistahonors.wordpress.com

6. Advanced Placement Examples of AP Courses: *AP Human Geography (9 th Grade primarily) *AP Visual Art classes (11 th /12 th ) *AP European History (10 th Grade) *AP US History (11 th Grade) *AP Economics {Micro/Macro} (12 th Grade) *AP Psychology (11 th /12 th Grades) *AP English (11 th Grade) *AP Statistics (11 th /12 th Grades) *AP Calculus (12 th Grade) *AP Chemistry (11th/12th Grades) *AP Physics (11th/12th Grades) *AP Biology (11th/12th Grades) *AP World Language classes (11th/12th Grades) vistahonors.wordpress.com

7. International Baccalaureate *The IB Program is an international program that exists to provide a well-rounded and academically challenging curriculum to students throughout the world. *IB Examinations are based on international standards and evaluated by international educators. * VHS was the first IB school to exist, west of the Mississippi River. *IB courses completed with a “C” or better earn a GPA bump. * Students can engage the IB Program in 2 ways: Classes & Diploma Program vistahonors.wordpress.com

8. 1. Students may pick and choose to take challenging IB courses in areas that they are interested (Math, Art, Science, Dance, History, Business, Literature, Language, Music, etc). –Students can take external exams at the end of these courses that earn them an IB Certificate in that area. Students may earn university credit by passing IB HL exams while in high school. International Baccalaureate Certificate Program vistahonors.wordpress.com

9. 2.Students may choose to take a rigorous course of study in six different areas to earn an IB Diploma. These students receive an actual IB Diploma in addition to the VUSD diploma. –On their VUSD diploma, students earn a special emblem recognizing their efforts and are rewarded by being able to wear a special cap and gown at graduation. International Baccalaureate Diploma Program vistahonors.wordpress.com

10. The six different areas of study for the IB Diploma are: 1. English Language 2. Language (second) 3. Individuals & Societies (social science/history) 4. Experimental Sciences 5. Math Science 6. The Arts / Elective International Baccalaureate Diploma Program vistahonors.wordpress.com

11. IB Courses *IB English Literature *IB French *IB German *IB Spanish *IB History of the Americas *IB Physics *IB Business and *IB Environmental Systems Management and Societies *IB Biology *IB Theory of Knowledge *IB Math Studies *IB Mathematics *IB Visual Arts *IB Music *IB Theatre Arts *IB Dance vistahonors.wordpress.com

12. International Baccalaureate Diploma Program To receive the IB Diploma, students test in the six areas explained previously and also complete: 1.TOK Class (Theory of Knowledge) 2.CAS (Creativity/Action/Service) 3.Extended Essay vistahonors.wordpress.com

13. CAS CAS stands for “Creativity, Action, Service” CAS & Character Leaders joined forces! CAS Integrates the six IB Groups into real world service experiences CAS is 150 Hours over two years Local, domestic and international service opportunities exist for students. vistahonors.wordpress.com

14. College Talk Don’t forget that college admissions are based on multiple factors. In addition to enrolling in the most challenging classes that a student can handle, community service and leadership experiences are also very important! vistahonors.wordpress.com

15. PARENTS REALLY WANT TO KNOW... vistahonors.wordpress.com

16. Top Four Reasons for Honors VHS Students Said… Want to be challenged by the rigor of IB/AP courses, Feel it is a matter of personal pride to be enrolled in Honors classes, Want a better life for themselves and their families, Want to be as competitive for college admission as possible. vistahonors.wordpress.com

17. Some VHS Statistics 1,079 out of 2,577 students are taking at least one honors course. IB 2013- 71 students and 196 tests taken 2014- 78 students and 206 tests taken AP 2013- 448 students and 708 tests taken 2014- 517 students and 900 tests taken 31 AP Scholars last year 27 IB Diploma Candidates 2013 & 14 vistahonors.wordpress.com

18. Interesting AP Research According to the largest-ever study of the effects of AP on college success, University of Texas researchers found that students who take AP courses in high school are more likely to graduate from college within four years and have higher grade point averages in college than similar students who did not take AP courses. Hargrove and Dodd (2007) found that students who successfully participated in one or more AP exams and courses significantly out-performed their non-AP peers. These comparisons were made among peers with similar levels of academic ability and family economic status. http://collegeready.rice.edu/ap-and-college-readiness vistahonors.wordpress.com

19. Additional Benefits of IB The average acceptance rate of IB students into university/college is 22 percentage points higher than the average acceptance rate of the total population. The acceptance rate of IB students into Ivy League institutions (Princeton, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania) is between 3 and 13 percentage points higher compared to the total population acceptance rate. UC awards students who complete the IB diploma with a score of 30 or above with 30 quarter (20 semester) units toward their UC degree. Students who receive IB certificates with scores of 5, 6 or 7 on Higher Level exams will receive 8 quarter (5.3 semester) units. https://www.ibo.org/iba/commoncore/documents/GlobalDPDestinationSurveyUS.pdf http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/exam-credit/ib-credits/index.html vistahonors.wordpress.com

20. How, What, When for Exams Registration for IB Exams begins October 1 st, 2014. Registration for AP Exams will be in early 2015. Fees, Reduced Cost Eligibility and registration forms will be available soon. vistahonors.wordpress.com

21. What are Exams like? AP & IB Exams vary in length based on the level and course content. AP & IB dictate the exam time length, date and hour for administration. Students are legally excused from class during the sanctioned testing time window as dictated by AP & IB. IB Exams occur over several sittings, whereas AP exams are done at one time. vistahonors.wordpress.com

22. FAQ’S vistahonors.wordpress.com

23. Frequently Asked Questions Q: How do I find out how my student is doing in an honors class? Sign up for Parent Portal to view your student’s progress. Contact your student’s teachers by email (check the VHS website!). vistahonors.wordpress.com

24. Frequently Asked Questions Q: How can my student participate in sports and/or performing arts and still be in honors? Organization skills Study habits Weekly Progress Reports vistahonors.wordpress.com

25. Frequently Asked Questions Q: If my student is struggling, how can they get additional help? Classes now have a 20-minute academic extension Tuesday through Friday. The library and the computer lab are open after school every day for student use. Panthers After Hours hosts many tutorials. Have your student check out the schedule and attend tutorials on a regular basis. vistahonors.wordpress.com

26. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Is it better for my student to be enrolled in College Prep classes and get an “A” or Honors classes and get a “B”? Colleges and Universities expect to see that all applicants take the most rigorous course offerings available at the student’s high school. Remember, their competition is taking the most difficult classes. UCLA had 86,521 applicants last year and accepted 15,760 of them (18.2%). Who’s getting in? Honors classes receive a GPA bump on their VHS transcript. vistahonors.wordpress.com

27. Frequently Asked Questions Q: This all sounds great, but when is it too late to start taking Honors courses? It is never “too late” No more “waiver” requirement-open access Do begin as early as possible because of the foundational skills and knowledge required to be successful in the most rigorous courses. vistahonors.wordpress.com

28. What Is New With VHS HONORS? vistahonors.wordpress.com

29. AP Human Geography IB Business & IB Environmental S&S Recognition efforts: WAVE Scholar Wall, WAVE SCHOLAR celebration, Winter IB Diploma Release Celebration, & more! Memorandum of Understanding between VUSD and CSUSM –promises that all graduating seniors, from the class of 2017 and beyond, will receive guaranteed admission to CSUSM if they meet California State University (CSU) eligibility requirements and a minimum GPA of 3.0. This is what is new… vistahonors.wordpress.com

30. Program Coordinator: Michael Pink Web-Site: www.vistahonors.wordpress.comwww.vistahonors.wordpress.com E-Mail: michaelpink@vistausd.org VHS HONORS PROGRAM “Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.” ~Archimedes, 220 BC vistahonors.com