Freshmen & Sophomore Parents & Students Class of 2016 & 2017: What You Need to Know

Freshmen & Sophomore Parents & Students Class of 2016 & 2017: What You Need to Know Counselors –Dina Powis & Demetria Howard CCR Advisor – Narietha Carter-McClain Elkins High School October 2, 2013

Priorities for Freshmen/Sophomores • Making sure students are on track to graduate with specific plan, including Distinguished, Recommended, Foundation, or Minimum • Freshmen: PLAN-ACT test preparation and successful completion ( Mega-Test Day is coming!) • Sophomores: Practice SAT test preparation and successful completion ( Mega-Test Day is coming!) • Determining career goals • College visits, career shadowing, and summer enrichment activities • Make sure you are well rounded Where do we start?

Making sure students are on track to graduate Freshmen/Sophomores Meet with your counselor and CCR discuss ( We will be coming around to English classes): • Your graduation plan ( know it!!) – DHSP, RHSP, or MHSP • The more rigor the more competitive you are for college and scholarships • Minimum plan means minimum opportunities • What your dream colleges require for acceptance. Do your research – be proactive! • What you would like to major in and what colleges have summer programs for you to explore specifics • Rank/GPA

specific Graduation plans • Distinguished • Most competitive for admissions into top colleges/universities and for scholarships • Recommended • Competitive for admissions into top colleges/universities and for scholarships • Even top athletes should complete • Foundation • On-track for community college or open-enrollment college • Minimum • On-track for community college or open-enrollment college

PSAT/SAT & ACT test preparation and successful completion ( Mega-Test Day is coming!) ACT Prep, 1 full-year access, is available at a reasonable price at http://www.actstudent.org/onlineprep/order.html

Importance of act plan • Serves as the midpoint measure of academic progress in ACT's College and Career Readiness System. • Assists 10th graders in building a solid foundation for future academic and career success and provides information needed to address school districts' high-priority issues. • It is a comprehensive guidance resource that helps students measure their current academic development, explore career/training options, and make plans for the remaining years of high school and beyond. • Whether students are college-bound or plan to enter the workforce directly after high school, ACT Plan can help all students. • Essentially, it is an early detection/assessment tool to determine if students are on the right track.

Importance of PSAT • Practice for the national qualifying exam ( 1 year early) • If student performs well it makes them: • Competitive for scholarships ( colleges will have a bidding war over you) • Admissions into top ranked schools, including Ivy-League • Follows them to careers, including those on Wall-Street • Sends your information to interested colleges that will begin to contact students based on their performance and match with college/university

College visits • Visit colleges/universities with: • Family & friends during breaks and vacation days, and/or during the 2 days the district allows • AVID • Place of worship • College alumnae organizations • Even colleges and universities • Summer Enrichment camps • Federal TRIO programs, Upward Bound, Bridge, and, Talent Search, etc. ***Many times these trips are free

career shadowingand summer enrichment activities • Participate in college/university sponsored summer enrichment programs specific to your major • Could be 2 months or 2 days, but gives experiential experience • Take college courses at your local community college to get classes out of the way. • However, make sure to do well in them. • Contact colleges of your choice and get on their mailing list NOW! • Get to know the admission counselor from your top colleges now, no later than the summer before your senior year.

Make sure you are well rounded • Join an organization, extra-curricular, athletics, become a leader, etc. • Shadow someone in your career(s) of choice • Participate in CTE. • Do a co-op, internship, etc. **Keep a running tab on everything in the form of a resume

Greetings from your College & career readiness Advisor Narietha D. Carter-McClain, M.P.S.A. Fun facts: I Bleed Maroon (Aggie Alumni) I am the youngest of 8 children My favorite quote is: • “Education is Freedom!” My 2nd favorite quote is: • “If not you? Who?; If not now? When?”

This Year’s Theme Who Wants to be a Millionaire? • This year’s theme for Elkin’s High School College & Career Readiness (CCR) • In 2002, a Bachelor’s degree-holder could expect to earn 75 percent more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school diploma. Today, that premium is 84 percent. • On average:

Definition of College & career Readiness FBISD contends that College and Career Readiness encompasses academic, career, and Technical knowledge and skills that enable students to: • Enroll and succeed in credit-bearing, first-year courses at a post-secondary institution without the need for remediation; • Earn a high-level industry certification; • Gain entry-level employment in a high-skill, high-wage job; and/or • Enter military service through the branch of the student’s choice.

Making Dollars makes Sense: Wasting Them Does Not • It has been the dirty little secret of higher education for decades: • Tens of thousands of college students can't do the work. Developmental education — re-teaching basic skills in reading, writing and math — is a $200 million-a-year problem in Texas, funded by taxpayers, colleges and the students themselves. • FBISD’s College & Career Readiness initiative not only aims to increase the number of students that technically meet CCR standards but also increase the number of students that actually enroll in and complete college and career training during high school and after high school completion College Ready means no Developmental Ed., and therefore reduced double spending Being academically and organizational prepared for college and careers

The more you invest in yourself the more your investment pays out

College & career Readiness Counters Barriers • College & Career Readiness will: • Provide all possible information needed to understand college and career options, requirements, and expectations (Information) • Provide every possible scholarship and financial aid opportunity to students and family in a timely and user-friendly forum (Money) • Assistance and resources to best prepare students for entrance exams, college level work, and training for highly skilled careers will be provided (Preparation ) • With the appropriate access to the above 3 there should be little to no fear. Students transition to the next step in their life fully prepared. (Fear)

College & career Readiness Programming? CCR campus programming: • College & Career representatives, speakers, and fieldtrips • Inform students/parents about ACT/SAT preparation workshops • Fee waivers made available to qualified students • College and Technical training program application workshops • Career and college major analysis and counseling, considering workforce trends • College & Career planning from enrollment to graduation • Scholarships & Financial Aid workshops and counseling • Much more…

Where can you find the College & career Readiness Center? • In the Elkins High School library: • Far right hand corner in room 332.6 • Available during lunch and after school meetings/seminars • Mrs. Carter-McClain’s office is pass the circulation desk to the left in room 332.2 • Available throughout the day for individual college and career advisement as well as by appointment before and/or after school

College Visits – sign up • Follow CCR on Twitter for scholars and college visits - @CCRElkinsHS • Sign-up on-line COMING SOON • CCR website COMING SOON • Scholarships will be provided

Scholarships & Financial Aid Students need to register for the following: • Fastweb.com • Knightwire • Twitter • Scholarships.com • Scholarships4students.com • Do you FAFSA form by March 1st, but priority deadline should be Valentine’s Day • Even if you are a millionaire b/c • Many scholarships that are not need based require the FAFSA for record keeping purposes • Many scholarships will not even look at the application without a FAFSA/copy of FAFSA

Determining your major & College Activity • List your top 5 careers • For each of your 5 careers list 2 majors that you can major in to get to/prepare for your career of choice • Then list 2 colleges that you would consider attending that have your majors of choice • Each student should apply to a minimum of 5 colleges, more so 10 • Ex. Medical Doctor ( Career) • Majors: (1) Biology or (2)Psychology • Colleges that have my major (1) University of Houston or (2) Texas A&M University

Raffle for College Application Tools • Get your tickets ready!

References • https://aasa.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/Journals/AASA_Journal_of_Scholarship_and_Practice/JSP-Fall_09%20FINAL.9-22-09.pdf#page=46 • http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1195&context=colleagues • http://cie.asu.edu/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/viewFile/1070/401 • http://casn.berkeley.edu/resource_files/Proven_Strategy_2-25-10.pdf • http://www.txblc.org/research/an-economic-engine-for-the-21st-century/ • http://casn.berkeley.edu/resource_files/Proven_Strategy_2-25-10.pdf • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/the-george-w-bush-institute/education-reform-jobs_b_2011891.html

Freshmen & Sophomore Parents & Students Class of 2016 & 2017: What You Need to Know