January 2019 WHS School Counseling Team Website:

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "January 2019 WHS School Counseling Team Website:"

Chastity Barrett
5 years ago
Views:

1 January 2019 WHS School Counseling Team Website:

2 Timeline for Scheduling January 24 Deadline to add your course requests in Power School Jan. 28-Feb.8 Counselors will meet with you individually to go over course requests Late April Schedules are distributed May Schedule changes may be made with a Schedule Change Form signed by a parent May 20: Schedule Change Deadline. After this date, changes made per the WHS Schedule Change Policy

Key Things to Remember as You Build Your Schedule Select 15 credits plus 2 alternate credits All Juniors must take English, Math, and US History Prepare yourself for college: schedule a rigorous

3 Key Things to Remember as You Build Your Schedule Select 15 credits plus 2 alternate credits All Juniors must take English, Math, and US History Prepare yourself for college: schedule a rigorous schedule and plan ahead for your Senior Year Mentoring and College Entrance Prep are Courses that can ONLY be Taken in Junior Year While not required for all diploma tracks, many colleges require at least two years of the same World Language for admission

4 Use Your Transcript to Help Plan Use your transcript to review: Diploma Track Graduation Requirements Total Credits GPA Grade Trends Some courses cannot be taken twice be sure you re not signing up for a class that you have already taken! Some exceptions to this are retaking a class for a higher grade or Elective PE classes

5 Diploma Tracks at Westfield High School All student will graduate with one or more of these State of Indiana Diplomas Core 40 WHS students may graduate with the AP Capstone diploma, in addition to any Indiana Diploma AP Capstone Diploma Core 40 with Technical Honors Core 40 with Academic Honors

6 Core 40 Diploma Requirements English 42 Credits Required 8 Credits Sign up for English: On-level or Honors English 11 or AP Lang and Comp/AP Seminar Math 6 Credits in grades 9-12 Sign up for the next level of math: On-level, Honors or 3-Tri Algebra I Geometry Algebra II PreCalc, AP Stats or College Algebra Science Biology 2 credits 6 Credits Physical Science 2 credits ICP, Chemistry or Physics Any 2 additional science credits

7 Core 40 Diploma Requirements Social Studies 2 Credits of US History 6 Credits US History I, II or III (Choose any 2 credits) ACP US History I & II (2 credits) AP US History (3 credits) Physical Education PE I and Health in 9 th Grade 4 Credits PE II in 10 th Grade Advanced Health OR Elective PE

8 ISTEP Exams ISTEP is the state Graduation Qualifying Exam Students must take and pass the ISTEP English and Math exams in order to graduate Students will also take the ISTEP Biology exam, if they have not already done so ISTEPs will be taken in two parts: Part 1 in March Part 2 after Spring Break ISTEPs are very important exams. Do Your Best!!

9 Academic Honors Diploma 47 Total Credits Required Complete all Core 40 Requirements, plus: 6-8 World Language Credits (3 years of one language or 2 years of two different languages) 2 Additional Credits in Math beyond Algebra II 2 Credits in Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theater, Interior Design or Yearbook) A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at graduation No Grade Below a C- in any class required for either Core 40 or AHD Two college-level courses through AP or Dual Credit/ACP classes, or specific SAT/ACT scores prior to graduation

10 AP Capstone Diploma AP Seminar taken in 11 th grade with AP Language and Composition Team Project and Presentation Research-based Essay and Presentation Written Exam Counts as 2 AP courses/ap Exams AP Research taken in 12 th grade Counts as required English 12 credits Academic Thesis Public Presentation and Defense 3 Additional AP Courses taken anytime throughout High School and passing scores on all exams AP Exam 1 AP Exam 2 AP Exam 3

11 AP Classes College Board curriculum is widely recognized by colleges and universities Possible college credit, depending on the AP exam score. Public colleges in Indiana are required to award college credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5 Fees - $94 for the exam, $142 for Seminar & Research; will be included in book fees ACP and Other Dual Credit Classes Both high school and college credit may be awarded College curriculum a variety of colleges and universities offer dual credit Credit is based on the grade earned in the class and may be transferrable to other universities Fees vary depending on the program, but are greatly reduced AP, ACP and Dual Credit Webinar online at

students who have a 60% or higher potential of passing an AP exam Your counselor can

12 Your AP Potential: Located in Your College Board Account Your PSAT scores can help determine which AP classes might be a good fit for you Letters will be sent out to students who have a 60% or higher potential of passing an AP exam Your counselor can also talk with you about AP Potential Discuss the possibility of AP classes with your teachers this year

13 Graduation Requirements: Technical Honors Diploma 47 Total Credits Required Complete all Core 40 Requirements, plus: Earn 6 HS credits in a CTE college and career prep pathway Earn 6 college credits from dual credit courses in CTE pathway OR Earn a stateapproved, industry based certification or credential A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at graduation No Grade Below a C- in any class required for either Core 40 or THD Two college-level courses through AP or Dual Credit/ACP classes, or specific SAT/ACT or Accuplacer scores

14 Ways to Earn the Technical Honors Diploma at WHS Project Lead the Way 4-Year Engineering Pathway 4-Year BioMedical Sciences Pathway

15 Ways to Earn the Technical Honors Diploma at WHS Business, Marketing and Computer Science Tourism and Hospitality Construction, Manufacturing & Technology Adv Tech Education Through Ivy Tech 6 or more high school credits in related course-work AND 6 dual college credits OR industry-based certification J. Everett Light Career Center

16 Off-site Career and Technical Education: JEL and Ivy Tech Classes meet from 12:00-3:00 PM. Students take classes at WHS during Periods 1, 2 and 3 Classes are yearlong and are worth 6 of your 15 credits Transportation provided by WHS, but some JEL courses do require students to have their own transportation A contract and application are required to take JEL/Ivy Tech courses; both are available from your counselor Classes are available for college credit and students may receive industry-based certifications See Course Book for complete list of classes and descriptions

2019-2020 Course Book Course Book and Course

17 Course Book Course Book and Course Offerings List available online at

18 What to Look for in the Course Book Title BYOT, Pre-Reqs, Credits, etc. Description CHEMISTRY, ADVANCED PLACEMENT (L) (1-2-3) This is a BYOT class Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chemistry I (1-2) and successful completion of Algebra II (3-4) Recommendation: A in Honors Chemistry I (1-2) and B or better in Algebra II (3-4) A course for grades 11 and 12 Course is at least 25% laboratory A three credit course A Core 40 and AHD course The AP Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. This course will follow the AP College Board curriculum for Chemistry, which reviews topics from Chemistry I in much greater depth and covers additional content not introduced in first year chemistry. Students who take an AP Chemistry course will develop advanced inquiry and reasoning skills, such as designing a plan for collecting data, analyzing data, applying mathematical routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains. Students in this class should plan on spending a minimum of 1 hour per night on class work. A comprehensive description of this course can be found on the College Board AP Central Course Description web page at:

19 New Classes for Advanced Technical Theatre AP Spanish Literature & Culture CCR Bridge, Literacy Ready CCR Bridge, Math Ready Computer Science III Cybersecurity Computer Science III-Software Development CVS Pharmacy Tech Externship Developmental Reading EMS Film Literature Genres in Literature: Science Fiction & Adventure Industrial Technical Maintenance Information Technology Support Innovation by Design Intro to 3D Art Intro to Housing & Interior Design Jurassic Paleontology Medical Spanish I and II Peer Tutoring: English Learners Poetry

20 Mentoring and Leadership The course will examine effective leadership strategies and skills, as well as the habits of effective leaders. This class trains students choosing to serve as mentors in the Freshmen Mentor Program during their Senior Year. Requirements to be a Mentor: Be in good behavioral and academic standing at WHS, with a minimum 2.5 GPA Attend Freshman Orientation Teach the Freshman Mentor Program curriculum during PlusTime every other week throughout the school year Connect with your individual mentee at least every two weeks (lunch, after school, Period 6, extracurricular activities) Please note: when you are signing up for this class, it is listed in the Multi-Disciplinary section of Power School and is called Mentoring.

Summer School through Indiana Online Students may take up to 2 credits online over the summer $50 Technology Fee per Credit Students must register online for courses in April and May at www.

21 Summer School through Indiana Online Students may take up to 2 credits online over the summer $50 Technology Fee per Credit Students must register online for courses in April and May at Detailed information will be ed home this spring. Counselors then approve course requests upon registration Possible courses include PE, Health & Wellness, Social Studies and elective credits Counselors typically don t approve English, Math, Science or World Language credits unless students are retaking for a higher grade

22 Your Cumulative GPA: Not happy with it? Now is the time to turn it around! Colleges favorably view the turn-around Junior year grades are generally the last grades that are shown on your transcript as you apply to college The closer you get to graduation, the more difficult it is to change your GPA substantially

23 College and Careers: Start Planning Now! Visit College Campuses Two excused absences per school year in 11 th and 12 th Utilize your breaks! Shamrock College Rep Day March 13 th in the WHS Main Gym, 3 rd Period Greater Indianapolis Northside College Fair March 13 th at The Grand Park Event Center 6:30-8:00 pm College Presentations at WHS see Naviance for Schedule and sign up in PlusTime Utilize your Naviance Account! You can learn more about thousands of careers and colleges there!

Planning Ahead for the SAT and ACT SAT and ACT are standardized

college admission Colleges will accept either test score, and

College-bound students should take BOTH exams at least one

24 Planning Ahead for the SAT and ACT SAT and ACT are standardized exams that are necessary for most college applications and college admission Colleges will accept either test score, and will often take the higher score between the two. College-bound students should take BOTH exams at least one time, starting in the winter/spring of Junior Year, and again in the fall of Senior Year.

25 Preparing for your SAT and ACT College Entrance Preparation Class Can only be taken in Grade 11 Emphasizes SAT preparation Found in either the English Electives or Math Section in PS Khan Academy Links to your College Board account and your PSAT results Offers personalized practice recommendations Both College Board and ACT have free test prep on their websites Sample test questions and short quizzes Full practice tests Question-of-the-Day: posted on their websites, Twitter and apps

26 Putting Your Course Requests in PowerSchool The red exclamation point means you need to complete the section. New this year: All students must enter a possible Career Pathway when choosing their courses.

27 Check the Pre-Requisite Notes to be Sure That You Have Met the Requirements

28 Trouble Shooting when You Get an Error Message If you see an error, check the course number to determine why it is not allowing you to sign up. You may not have met a course pre-requisite, or maybe you didn t sign up for all required trimesters of the course.

29 Selecting Your Two Alternate Credits Scroll all the way to the bottom to select your two alternate credits

to see that you have all your selected courses and 2

30 Hit Submit and Review Your Course Requests for Accuracy Click here to see a list of all your course requests Check to see that you have all your selected courses and 2 Alternate Hours Requested Print your course requests for your records.

31 Important Reminders Have your course requests in PowerSchool by January 24 Choose 15 credits and 2 alternates Counselors start meeting with students on January 28 Schedules distributed in April. Schedule Change Deadline: May 20

Welcome Parents! Class of 2021

Welcome Parents! Class of 2021 How to prepare for CHS! Finish strong!! 4 th quarter determines fall eligibility. Good habits now mean a successful start next year. Tour of CHS Volunteers from the class