Welcome to

8th Grade Parent Night

March 28, 2019

Azle

High

School

Introductions

• Principal – Randy Cobb

• Counselors

▫ Heather Huffaker (A-C) – hhuffaker@azleisd.net

▫ Amanda Terrell (D-K) – aterrell@azleisd.net

▫ Melissa McPherson (L-Q) – mmcpherson@azleisd.net

▫ Nicole Murray (R-Z) – nmurray@azleisd.net

▫ Laurie Wheeler – Student Services – lwheeler@azleisd.net

▫ Melody Borger – C.O.O.L – mborger@azleisd.net

Tonight’s presentation • Academic Information

• Testing Requirements

• Graduation Requirements

▫ Endorsements

▫ Distinguished Achievement

▫ Performance Acknowledgments

• Career Planning

• Scheduling Information

• Advanced Placement/Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment programs

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL

• Understand your academic record

• Know your school

• Be in school every day

• Know how to get good grades

• Set Goals

• Get Involved

• Make Good Choices and Decisions

• Use Available Services – Counselors are your friends!

• Plan and Prepare for your future

Clubs and Organizations Involvement in student organizations and community service is vital

for college admissions

Anime Club AP Ambassadors Club Band Bowling Club Cheer Choir Color Guard & Winter Guard Communities in School Computer Club Creative Writing Club Criminal Justice Club Dazzlers FBLA Future Business Leaders of America FCA Fellowship of Christian Athletes FCCLA Fishing Club FFA HOSA Interact Junior Rotarians National Honor Society PAL Peer Assistance Leadership

Pro Start (Culinary) Robotics Rocket Challenge Rodeo Club Skills USA Auto & Industrial Arts Sports Medicine Student Council Student Leadership TAFE (Future Educators) Thespians TSA (Technology) UIL Journalism UIL Ready Writing UIL Literary Criticism UIL Math UIL Science UIL Spelling and Vocab UIL Social Studies VASE Visual Arts Scholastic Event Yearbook

Grade Classification

Classification is based on the number of credits earned not the number of years completed in high school

Grade Classification

Credits required for 1st time 9th graders

9th 0 - 6.5 credits

10th 7 - 13.5

11th 14 - 20.5

12th 21 +

TRANSCRIPT

GPAs and class rankings

• Grades are the single most important factor in college admissions decisions.

• Admissions officers will want to see consistently good performance

• If your grades improve from 9th grade, that will be a plus in your favor as well.

• Admission committees will also look closely at the rigor of courses that you have taken. They want students who have challenged themselves during high school.

All AHS teachers offer tutoring on Wednesdays after school and at least one other day. Buses will take

students home at 4:30 pm on Wednesdays.

GPA and Class rankings

• What is a GPA and why is it important?

• GPA stands for Grade Point Average.

• The GPA represents the number of grade points a student earns for each graded high school course.

• Dividing a student's total grade points (semester grades) earned by the total course credits attempted determines a student's GPA.

• Pre-AP/AP/Dual credit/enrollment courses – students receive 5 points per semester for each PASSING grade in a Pre-AP and AP class.

GPA and Class rankings cont.

• Students are ranked by their GPAs

• The highest GPA holds the status of Valedictorian

• The 2nd highest GPA holds the status of Salutatorian

• Students in the top 10 of their class receive special recognition their senior year

Class rankings and automatic admission

• Students in the top 10% of their class receive automatic admission to most state universities if they graduate with Distinguished Achievement.

• Many scholarship entities look at GPA and class rank when giving scholarships.

Attendance

• Student must attend each class 90% of the time to earn credit.

• If students are not in attendance 90% of the time then students will be denied credit and must repeat the course.

• No Attendance Camp at high school

Higher education – go get it!

• Types of Higher Education ▫ Community College - Associates Degree and Certificate

programs ▫ Technical School ▫ University ▫ On-The-Job Training

• Why Go? ▫ Discovering yourself

Explore your interests Expand your knowledge and skills Meet lifelong friends Increase your understanding of the world

Higher education – go get it! ▫ Improve the quality of life you enjoy

Type of home (home ownership in a safe, secure neighborhood)

Career opportunities

Financial Security (savings account, emergencies, family vacations)

Benefits (healthcare, dental, paid vacation)

Mean Annual Earnings by Education Level

Less than High School $23,400

High School Graduate, no College $40,352

Some College, no Degree $46,800

Associate Degree $48,308

Bachelor’s Degree $71,552

Master’s Degree $82,628

Doctoral Degree $113,308

College Comparison High School Class Rank Test Score

Texas Tech University Top 10% First Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter

ACT Automatic Admission

24 26 27

Application Review

SAT

1180 1260 1290

University of North Texas Top 10% First Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter

ACT Automatic Admission

20 23 26

Application Review

SAT

1030 (CR + M) 1130 (CR + M) 1250 (CR + M)

University of Texas at Austin* Top 7% All others

ACT Automatic Admission

Holistic Review

SAT

Texas A&M University* Top 10% First Quarter All others

ACT Automatic Admission

30 Holistic Review

SAT

1360

STAAR

• STAAR assessments include 5 end-of-course (EOC) assessments:

▫ English 1

▫ English 2

▫ Algebra 1

▫ Biology

▫ US History

PSAT

• Only offered once a year in October

• Can be taken during the 10th and 11th grades

• 11th graders who take the PSAT are eligible for National Merit Scholarships

• 11th graders who achieve Commended Status and above on the PSAT will earn a Performance Acknowledgement on their diploma and transcript

• Testing prospective college students for the purpose of admission

• Taken during their junior year or at the beginning of the senior year

• Administered several times during the year at various locations and may be taken as many times as the student wants to take the test

SAT— www.collegeboard.org ACT— www.actstudent.org

SAT and ACT Admissions Tests

Graduation Requirements

Course Offering Guide

www.azleisd.net

House Bill 5 • The Texas Education Agency and HB5 require that all 8th

grade students select an Endorsement upon entering the ninth grade. This process will occur for AISD students during the spring scheduling process. Students may graduate with more than one Endorsement. Student and parent signatures are required on the projected four-year plan for the Endorsement selection.

• Students may change their Endorsement choice throughout their high school career but course selections need to be carefully considered so that Endorsement options are not limited. Additionally students and parents must complete the appropriate process and documentation.

Achieve

Texas

Five

ENDORSEMENTS

• English 4.0

• Mathematics 4.0

• Science 4.0

• Social Studies 4.0

• Health 0.5

• Speech 0.5

• Physical Education 1.0

• Technology App. 1.0

• Fine Arts 1.0

• Foreign Language 2.0

• Electives 6.0

TOTAL CREDITS 28.0

Business & Industry

Endorsement Students must complete a coherent sequence of four credits in CTE that includes at least two courses in the same career cluster and at least one advanced CTE course

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources

• Architecture & Construction

• Manufacturing

• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics

• Business Management & Admin

• Finance

• Marketing

• Hospitality & Tourism

• Information Technology

• Arts, A/V Technology & Communication

OR

Students may complete four credits in either Advanced Journalism Newspaper or Yearbook

Public Services

Endorsement

Students must complete a coherent sequence of four credits in CTE that includes at least two courses in the same career cluster and at least one advanced CTE course

• Education and Training

• Government & Public Admin

• Health Science

• Human Services

• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security

Arts & Humanities

Endorsement Students must complete one of the following sequence of courses:

• A coherent sequence of four credits from one or two of the following categories:

▫ Art

▫ Music

▫ Dance

▫ Theatre

• Four courses of the same language in a language other than English (LOTE) OR

• Two courses of the same language in a LOTE and two courses in a difference language in a LOTE OR

• A total of five social studies courses (listed on this plan)

STEM

ENDORSEMENT

Students must complete either:

Two additional math courses for which Algebra 2 is a prerequisite (for a total of five math courses)

OR

Two additional science course in addition to Biology, Chemistry and Physics (for a total of five science courses)

MULTIDISCIPLINARY

ENDORSEMENT

Students must complete one of the following:

• Four advanced courses that prepare a student to enter the workforce successfully or postsecondary education without remediation from within one endorsement area or among endorsement areas OR

• Four Advanced Placement or dual credit courses OR

• Four courses in each of the four foundation subject areas to include English IV and chemistry and/or physics

DISTINGUISHED

ACHIEVEMENT

• Completion of the courses on each endorsement plan will qualify a student for Distinguished Achievement which will be noted on the student’s diploma and transcript

• A student must earn this level of achievement to be eligible for top 10% automatic admission

Performance

Acknowledgments

• A student may earn a performance acknowledgment on their transcript for outstanding performance in any ONE of the following seven ways:

Performance Acknowledgements

1. Successfully completing 12 hours of dual credit courses

with a grade of 3.0 or higher

2. In bilingualism/biliteracy by earning an 80 or above in

all English classes and completing three credits in the

same language in a language other than English

3. Earning a score of 3 or above on a College Board

Advanced Placement exam

Performance Acknowledgements CONT.

4. Earning a score on the PSAT that qualifies the student as a

commended scholar by the National Merit Scholarship Corp.

5. Earning a combined critical reading and math score of at least

1250 on the SAT exam

6. Earning a composite score of 28 on the ACT exam (excluding

writing)

7. Earning a nationally or internationally recognized business or

industry certification or license by performance on an exam

sufficient to obtain a certification

Choices360 – Career Guidance Tool

• Each year in high school, students will make a Projected Four-Year Plan (p. 18) with their counselor to lay out a path of courses in their chosen career cluster. The course catalog is organized by career cluster for ease of selection.

• Explore career interests while in high school - save money in college

Student and parent signatures are required to register for high school

Scheduling Information

AHS counselors will individually schedule 8th graders

▫ Forte Junior High –April 1st and 2nd ▫ Azle Junior High – April 3rd and 4th ▫ Friday, April 5th – makeup day

• Course Offering Sheet (Blue)

• Course Catalog and Planning Guide • Endorsements (pgs. 19-23)

• Sample Course Request Sheet (p.25)

Parents are invited to schedule an appointment with their student’s counselor to discuss their schedule and personal graduation plan

Things to think about when choosing

classes

• Career Interests

• Endorsement Areas and Career Pathways

• Personal Interests

• Extracurricular Activities

• Pre-AP/AP Classes

FINISH STRONG!

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

• This program is intended for students who can perform at rigorous academic levels and who have a willingness to:

▫ Actively engage in sophisticated concepts

▫ Be judged by rigorous, college-level standards

▫ Complete longer and more complex nightly assignments Organization and time management skills are a must

▫ Complete the Advanced Placement Examination in May (for AP classes)

For additional information about the AP program, visit

www.collegeboard.org/ap/students

Advanced Placement (AP) Program

continued

• In order to take a Pre-AP course, students must the following requirements:

▫ All Pre-AP/AP students must complete prerequisite work for each Pre-AP/AP course they intend to take.

Distributed April 18th

Due May 31st

All prerequisite work will be done in Canvas

Dual Credit and Dual Enrollment • To qualify to take a dual credit course, a student must:

▫ Have written permission from high school counselor or principal

▫ Enroll at the college/university offering the course(s)

▫ Meet the entrance requirement of the college/university including the required placement exams

• Students who make an A or B in 12 hours of dual credit courses will earn a Performance Acknowledgement

Dual Credit

• Azle High School has agreements with Weatherford College to offer college courses at AHS taught by AHS faculty

• Dual Credit course offerings at AHS:

▫ Chemistry

▫ Biology

▫ Anatomy and Physiology

▫ Government/Economics

▫ Art Appreciation

▫ Humanities

• Dual Credit courses may also be taken at the Tarrant County College or Weatherford campus

Texas OnRamps Dual Enrollment

• Blended learning courses

• Offered to juniors and seniors

• UT Austin developed curriculum

• No TSI requirement

• Aligns directly with content and skill expectations of entry-level university classes

Texas OnRamps Dual Enrollment

• Students who take dual credit/enrollment courses are twice as likely to complete a degree/certification in 6 yrs

• Texas Core curriculum credit, transferable

• 10 points added to students’ high school gpas for passing semester grade in a course

• Low risk, late drop policy

• Pass/fail option

• Free! (For students and Azle ISD)

Texas OnRamps Dual Enrollment

Courses • College Algebra

• College Statistics

• College Chemistry

• College Physics 1&2

• College Geoscience

• College US History

• College Rhetoric (English)

Dates to remember

Fish Camp

▫ Forte – Tuesday, May 21st

▫ AJHS – Wednesday, May 1st

Thursday, May 30th - Last day to request schedule changes. Only schedule changes pertaining to computer errors will be addressed during the following school year. Projected four-year plans with Endorsement choices are also due to your counselor this day.

Friday, May 31st – Pre-AP summer work must be turned in on Canvas (information will be given to students) August – 9th grade schedule pickup at AHS

Closing

Fresh Start!

Questions?

Thank you for your time!

AHS Counseling Office Phone: 817-270-1750

Fax: 817-270-2170