CURRICULUM NIGHT
NACAC FACTORS IN ADMISSION DECISIONS 2014 1 2 3 4 5 6 Factors in College Admissions Considerable Importance Grades in college prep courses 79.2% Grades in all courses 60.3% Strength of Curriculum 60.2% Admission Test Scores 55.7% Essay or Writing Sample 22.1% Counselor Recommendation 17.3% 12 Extracurricular Activities 5.6%
HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA OPTIONS STANDARD VS. ADVANCED Advanced Studies Diploma Course Requirements for Students Entering 9 th Grade for the First Time in 2011-2012 and Beyond Subject Area Standard Diploma Verified Credits Adv Diploma Verified Credits English 4 2 4 2 Mathematics 3 1 4 2 Laboratory Science 3 1 4 2 History and Social Sciences 3 1 4 2 World Language 0 3 Health and Physical Education 2 2 Fine Arts or Career & Technical Education 1 1 Economic and Personal Finance 1 1 Electives 5 3 Student Selected Test 1 1 Total Credits 22 6 26 9
BALANCE: WHEN THINKING ABOUT NEXT YEAR'S SCHEDULE - KEEP IN MIND BALANCE! Joy of Learning Stress Academic Challenge Work Time Life Family Extra curricular commitments WE WANT ALL STUDENTS TO SELECT A COURSE SCHEDULE THAT WILL PROVIDE THEM WITH A LEVEL OF CHALLENGE TO STRETCH THEMSELVES AND PURSUE INDIVIDUAL INTERESTS. We do not want schedule choices to harm your quality of life or your ability to grow as a healthy (emotionally, mentally, physically, and socially) teenager.
OUR TEENS ARE BUSY
WHAT DO THE EXPERTS SAY? MAKE SURE THAT YOUR CLASS SCHEDULE DEMONSTRATES THAT YOU ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF ALL THAT YOUR SCHOOL OFFERS. REMEMBER THAT MOST COLLEGES WILL WANT TO SEE THAT YOU ARE TAKING COURSES IN EACH OF THE FIVE MAJOR SUBJECT AREAS: ENGLISH, MATH, FOREIGN LANGUAGE, SOCIAL STUDIES, AND SCIENCE. REMEMBER TO ALWAYS SIGN UP FROM AMONG THE MOST CHALLENGING COURSES THAT EXCITE YOU THE MOST. DO NOT FEEL PRESSURED TO TAKE HONORS OR ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES JUST BECAUSE THEY ARE HONORS OR ADVANCED PLACEMENT COURSES. COLLEGES WILL WANT TO SEE THAT YOU ARE PURSING A REASONABLE LOAD FROM AMONG THE MOST DEMANDING IN YOUR OWN SCHOOL CONTEXT. - UVA UNDERGRADUATE ADMISSIONS WEBSITE
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE? CONSIDER YOUR ACADEMIC STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. IN WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU DO WELL AND ENJOY? CONSIDER PREVIOUS GRADES AND TEST SCORES. PAY ATTENTION TO TEACHER RECOMMENDATIONS. WHAT ARE YOUR INTERESTS?? WHAT IS YOUR ACADEMIC MOTIVATION?? WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS??
MATH PROGRESSION 3 YEARS STANDARD VS. 4 YEARS ADVANCED
AN OVERVIEW OF SCIENCE 3 YEARS STANDARD VS. 4 YEARS ADVANCED
SOCIAL SCIENCES 3 YEARS STANDARD VS. 4 YEARS ADVANCED 10 TH WORLD HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY 2 OR AP WORLD HISTORY AP WORLD HISTORY IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST CHALLENGING COURSE YOU HAVE TAKEN THUS FAR. THIS COURSE WILL REQUIRE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM. SUCCESS IN AP WORLD HISTORY WILL REQUIRE A COMMITMENT TO SELF MOTIVATION AND SELF DISCOVERY. STUDENTS MAY STRUGGLE EARLY ON OR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR OR EVEN FOR THE ENTIRE YEAR. STUDENTS ACADEMIC EXPECTATIONS WILL OFTEN BE REVISED DURING THE COURSE OF THE PROGRAM TO REFLECT THE INCREASED CHALLENGE. 11 TH U.S. & VIRGINIA HISTORY OR AP US HISTORY OR DUAL ENROLLMENT US SEE NEXT SLIDE 12 TH U.S. GOVERNMENT OR AP US AND COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT THERE ARE NO PREREQUISITES FOR THIS COURSE, ALTHOUGH IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT STUDENTS WERE PREVIOUSLY ENROLLED AND SUCCESSFUL IN A HIGH SCHOOL HONORS LEVEL HISTORY COURSE (I.E. PRE-AP WORLD HISTORY, AP WORLD HISTORY OR AP U.S. HISTORY). STUDENTS SHOULD EXPECT TO READ AND WRITE AT A COLLEGE LEVEL. THE AP STYLE MULTIPLE CHOICE AND FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS WILL REQUIRE STUDENTS TO NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS OF A DIVERSITY OF GOVERNMENTS, BUT ANALYZE AND INTERPRET DATA AND INFORMATION RELEVANT TO U.S. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS IN THE FIRST SEMESTER AND SIX CORE COMPARATIVE COUNTRIES (GREAT BRITAIN, RUSSIA, CHINA, MEXICO, NIGERIA, AND IRAN) IN THE SECOND SEMESTER.
ENGLISH (4 YEARS ALL DIPLOMAS) ENGLISH 10 ACADEMIC HONORS READ WIDELY AND OFTEN FOSTER MY SPIRIT OF INQUIRY; SEEK ANSWERS MAKE CONNECTIONS REFLECT THOUGHTFULLY REFINE MY THINKING DEVELOP MY CAPACITY FOR ANALYSIS WRITE WIDELY AND OFTEN REVISE DEEPLY DEMONSTRATE ORIGINALITY WORK DILIGENTLY Honors requires a year-long, two-part portfolio assessment. Emphasis on writing and an individual inquiry project answering a Big Question. ENGLISH 11 ACADEMIC HONORS AP ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENGLISH 12 ACADEMIC DUAL ENROLLMENT ENGLISH AP ENGLISH LITERATURE
WORLD LANGUAGES & CULTURES 3 YEARS ADVANCED ONLY AP OPTIONS IN LCPS SPANISH, FRENCH, GERMAN AND LATIN COLLEGE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS MOST FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTIONS REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF 2-3 YEARS COMPETITIVE SCHOOLS LIKE TO SEE 4-5 YEARS WITH AN ADVANCED LEVEL AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE AND MANDARIN CHINESE (NOT AT JCHS) ARE EACH OFFERED 3 YEARS MANY COLLEGES WILL NOT ACCEPT ASL FOR FL CREDIT
HEALTH & PE HPE 9 WILL INCLUDE THE NEW CPR/FIRST AID GRADUATION REQUIREMENT ALL STUDENTS MUST TAKE PE IN 10 TH GRADE THIS INCLUDES A QUARTER OF CLASSROOM DRIVER S EDUCATION TRAINING. ONCE A STUDENT HAS FINISHED THE CLASSROOM PORTION AND IS ISSUED THEIR GREEN CARD, THEY MAY SIGN UP TO TAKE BEHIND-THE-WHEEL. THIS CAN BE DONE INDEPENDENTLY THROUGH A PRIVATE COMPANY OR THROUGH JCHS FOR $225. PE ELECTIVE OPTIONS INCLUDE ADVANCED PE 1 AND 2 CAN BE TAKEN FOR A FULL YEAR OR A SEMESTER
ECONOMICS & PERSONAL FINANCE ALL STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE ECONOMICS & PERSONAL FINANCE FOR GRADUATION THIS COURSE WILL BE OFFERED FOR JUNIORS AND SHOULD BE ONE OF YOUR ELECTIVE COURSES. NEW! YOU CAN FULFILL THIS GRADUATION REQUIREMENT WITH AP ECONOMICS AND THE COURSE WILL INCLUDE THE NEEDED PERSONAL FINANCE CURRICULUM. ECON/PF WILL BE OFFERED ONLINE THIS SUMMER
ELECTIVE OPTIONS THERE ARE SOOOO MANY!!! MATH COMPUTER MATH, AP COMPUTER SCIENCE AP STATISTICS SOCIAL SCIENCES PSYCHOLOGY, GLOBAL SOCIAL ISSUES WORLD OF IDEAS/WORLD RELIGIONS AP PSYCHOLOGY AP HUMAN GEOGRAPHY SCIENCE AP BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, PHYSICS AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE ISR ENGLISH YEARBOOK/NEWSPAPER CREATIVE WRITING/PUBLIC SPEAKING WRITING CENTER BUSINESS MARKETING FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION THEATRE ART MUSIC BAND, CHORUS, ORCHESTRA, GUITAR
SHOULD I TAKE AP? AP COURSE AGREEMENT ONLINE MUST BE COMPLETED ARE YOU THINKING OF ATTENDING A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY AFTER HIGH SCHOOL? CAN YOU DEVOTE TWO TO THREE HOURS TO HOMEWORK EACH DAY? ARE YOU WILLING TO MAKE A FIRM COMMITMENT TO PERSEVERE IN THE AP COURSE UNTIL YOU FIND SUCCESS, EVEN IF THE COURSE PROVES TO BE CHALLENGING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR? ARE YOU WILLING TO MANAGE YOUR TIME? ACADEMICS IS A KEY TO COLLEGE ADMISSION AND OVER COMMITTING YOURSELF CAN HAVE A NEGATIVE EFFECT ON YOUR ACADEMIC TRANSCRIPT WITHOUT PROPER TIME MANAGEMENT. AP Course Information Sheets: https://www.lcps.org//site/default.aspx?pageid=154085
SHOULD I TAKE AP? AP COURSE AGREEMENT ONLINE MUST BE COMPLETED DO YOU LIKE TO READ WITHOUT BEING TOLD TO DO SO? CAN YOU LIMIT COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES DURING THE WEEK? ARE YOU WILLING TO COMMIT YOURSELF TO COMPLETING ASSIGNED TASKS ON TIME? ARE YOU WILLING TO COMMIT EXTRA TIME TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF YOUR WRITING SKILLS? ARE YOU WILLING TO SPEND EXTRA TIME AND EFFORT TO EARN A COLLEGE CREDIT IN A HIGH SCHOOL COURSE? AP Course Information Sheets: https://www.lcps.org//site/default.aspx?pageid=154085
HOW ARE AP COURSES CONSIDERED BY COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES? AP COURSES SHOW A COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY YOU ARE READY FOR COLLEGE LEVEL WORK. STUDENTS HAVE THE OPTION OF ALSO TAKING THE AP EXAM (AT THEIR EXPENSE, $84/EXAM) TO EARN COLLEGE CREDIT. AP EXAMS RANGE FROM 2-3.5 HOURS, DEPENDING ON THE SUBJECT STRUCTURE VARIES - MAY CONSIST OF SOME COMBINATION OF MULTIPLE CHOICE, FREE RESPONSE, ESSAY AND SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS. AP EXAM SCORES RANGE FROM A 1-5 ABOUT 58% OF PUBLIC COLLEGES GIVE CREDIT FOR A SCORE OF 3; MEANWHILE, ONLY 33% OF PRIVATE COLLEGES ACCEPT THIS SCORE. THE MORE SELECTIVE AN INSTITUTION IS, THE MORE LIKELY THEY ARE TO REQUIRE HIGHER AP SCORES (4 OR 5) IN ORDER TO RECEIVE COLLEGE CREDIT.
MONROE TECHNOLOGY CENTER APPLICATIONS DUE BY MARCH 31 Great option for students interested in new technical diplomas Dual enrollment credit possibility with NOVA, Shenandoah University and/or Virginia Tech for courses with an * EMT * Administration of Justice * Advanced Networking / Networking Administration Auto Collision Repair Technology Auto Servicing Technology * Biotechnology Building Construction Computer Integrated Engineering and Design (CIED)* Computer Digital Animation * Computer Systems Technology (CST) * Cosmetology Culinary Arts Environmental Plant Science * Firefighter * Graphic Communications Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) Health & Medical Sciences * Laboratory Technology Masonry Nail Design Technology Pharmacology Technology Practical Nursing Radiology Technology * Television Production Veterinary Science Welding
DO I NEED SERVICE HOURS FOR GRADUATION? THERE IS NO SERVICE HOUR REQUIREMENT TO GRADUATE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA JCHS ENCOURAGES ALL STUDENTS TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY AND WILL RECOGNIZE YOUR SERVICE AT GRADUATION. KNIGHTS GIVE BACK CHAMPEION 25 HOURS/YEAR TRACK YOUR HOURS ON ONLINE THROUGH THE JCHS WEBSITE
Registration Process DAYS January 26 January 26, 9-10:30am January 30 & 31 January 30 & 31 January 30 & 31 January 30 February 6 March 17 January 29 March 17 June 16 WHAT Teacher course recommendations for the 2016-2017 school year will be loaded into the students course selection. Coffee with the Counselors for Rising 9th Grade Parents RSVP: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4fa8aa2eaafd0-parent Counseling registration video during Advisory JCHS Course Recommendation Days Teachers will be holding a conversation with students in every block about course recommendations for 2017-2018 Rising 9 th grade Registration at Mercer Middle School Mini Conferences 10 minute one-on-one sessions to discuss your child's course recommendations and selections for the 2017-2018 school year. RSVP: www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4fa8aa2eaafd0-course JCHS Individual Academic Counseling during Advisory PHOENIX online course registration Course registration portal will remain open in StudentVUE until March 17 LAST DAY FOR ALL SCHEDULE CHANGES!!!
DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR ME IN CHOOSING MY COURSES? THE BEST ADVICE IS FOR A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT TO TAKE THE TOUGHEST COURSE THAT THEY CAN TAKE THAT WILL NOT ROB THEM OF A LIFE AND THAT WILL OFFER THEM A GOOD CHANCE TO BE SUCCESSFUL.
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING COURSE SELECTION HTTPS://WWW.LCPS.ORG/PAGE/123 277