FRESHMAN & SOPHOMORE PARENT MEETING

November 5, 2015

COUNSELORS

Mr. Shane Varga Students A-G

COUNSELORS

Mr. Joe Metanias Students H-O

COUNSELORS

Ms. Janiece FitsGerald Students P-Z

COUNSELORS

Kathy Utz College Counselor

COUNSELORS

Mrs. Sheryl Suppinger Director of Counseling

Freshman Four Year

Plan• Roadmap for graduating

and moving on to college• Maps out courses for all

four years

• Driven by student’s diploma goal• Core 40 with Academic

Honors Diploma• Core 40 Diploma

• A living document that can be revised as needed

COUNSELING ACTIVITIES

CORE 40 DIPLOMA

CORE 40 diploma requirements for class of

2016• Theology8 credits• English8 credits• Social Studies6 credits (World History, US History,

Government, Economics)• Math6 credits (Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II)• Science6 credits (Biology, Chemistry or Physics or

ICP, any additional Core 40 science course)• PE2 credits (must be completed before sophomore

year)

CORE 40 DIPLOMA• Health1 credit (sophomore year)• World Languages Recommended but not required*• Electives11 credits

• 1 credit must be in Personal Financial Responsibility or passing score on optional assessment (can also be counted as an elective)

• 1 credit must be in Fine Arts

• Total of 48 credits

ACADEMIC HONORS DIPLOMA

Same as Core 40, but with the following

exceptions:• 2 additional Core 40 math credits• 2 electives must be in the area of Fine Arts• World Languages (6-8 credits)

• 3 years in one language or 2 years in two different languages

• Overall GPA of B or higher• Grade of “C” or better in courses counting toward

diploma

(ADDITIONAL REQUREMENTS CONTINUED ON NEXT SLIDE)

ACADEMIC HONORS DIPLOMA

• Additionally, complete one of the following*• 4 AP credits and corresponding AP exams• Earn a combined score of 1750 or higher on

the SAT (critical reading + mathematics + writing; minimum 530 on each section).

• 26 or higher ACT composite• 6 credits for dual high school/college

courses• Combination of 2 AP credits & 3 dual credits

8TH GRADE CREDITS

Students may opt to carry over world language and

math credits; however, it is not required

Credits that are carried over will be factored into

the student’s GPA

They have until spring of their junior year to make

a final decision

Students have a weighted

and an unweighted GPA• Honors and AP courses

give additional GPA points towards the weighted GPA

• Both cumulative GPA’s are on a 4.0 scale

Class rank is determined

by the student’s weighted

GPA

GPA & RANK

The cumulative GPA is what

will be reported to colleges

The cumulative GPA is

comprised of semester

grades only

The semester grades are

comprised as follows:• 40% each quarter• 20% final exam

Algebra ECA/ISTEP • administered freshman year

English ECA/ISTEP• administered sophomore year

Science ECA/ISTEP• administered the year students

take the Biology course

In order to graduate, students

must receive passing scores on

Algebra and English

ECA’s/ISTEPS’s

ECA/ISTEP EXAMS

WHAT IF MY STUDENT DOES NOT PASS THE

ECA/ISTEP?

Your student will be given an opportunity to take the Algebra and

English ECA/ISTEP exams at least once each year following the

initial attempt

Mathematics and Language Arts Labs are courses that students

can take that will give concentrated help in the respective subject

areas and help students master the skills tested by the ECA/ISTEP

There is an ECA/ISTEP waiver that students may qualify for if they

are unable to pass the exam, but it is contingent on a number of

factors

COLLEGE ATHLETICS

The NCAA Eligibility Center certifies whether

prospective college athletes are eligible to play

sports at NCAA Division I or II institutions. It does

this by reviewing the student-athlete's academic record,

SAT or ACT scores, and amateur status to ensure

conformity with NCAA rules.

Source: www.collegeboard.com

If your student has aspirations of

playing sports at a Division I or II

school, it is critical to become

familiar with the NCAA

requirements concerning

coursework, GPA and ACT/SAT

scores

Some courses do not meet NCAA

requirements

Utilize www.CoreCourseGPA.com

free of charge

NCAA ELIGIBILITY

DIVISION I ELIGIBILITY

There are new requirements for college-bound

student-athletes enrolling full time at an NCAA

Division I college or university on or after August

1st, 2016.

DIVISION I CONT…

Minimum core course GPA: 2.300

Ten core courses required before beginning of

senior year

Slight changes in GPA/test score index (sliding

scale*)

These changes are required for the student to be

eligible to compete in collegiate games.

* Sliding Scales link on last slide

QUALIFIERS ETC.

Full Qualifier: can compete in collegiate games,

can receive athletic aid (scholarships), and can

participate in practices their first year.

Academic redshirt: can receive aid

(scholarships), and can practice. Cannot compete.

Nonqualifier: During 1st year cannot receive aid,

cannot practice, cannot compete

FULL QUALIFIER DETAILS

16 Core Courses:

- 4 years English;

- 3 years math at Alg I or higher;

- 2 years natural or physical science (one lab);

- 1 year additional English, math, or science;

- 2 years social science;

- 4 years additional from areas above or foreign

language & religion

DETAILS CONTINUED

Minimum required GPA:

- Minimum GPA of 2.300 required for competition in

those 16 Core Courses.

Graduate from High School.

Core-course progression.

- Must complete 10 before senior year

- Of the 10, seven must be english, math, or science

NONQUALIFIER DETAILS

If a college-bound student-athlete does not meet

either set of requirements, he/she is a nonqualifier.

Nonqualifier Defined:

Cannot receive athletics aid during the first

year at an NCAA Division I college or university

Cannot practice or compete during the first

year at a Division I college/university

WHEN TO REGISTER

Students must register online at www.eligibilitycenter.com

. They will have to enter personal information, answer

questions about their course work and sports participation

outside of high school and pay a registration fee.

NCAA recommends registering junior year of high school.

The full chart of the sliding scale for both Division I & II

can be found at the link above.

COLLEGE EXPLORATION

It’s never too early to start thinking about college!

Encourage your student to begin thinking about factors that are

important to them in selecting a college (see

http://www.actstudent.org/college/factors.html)

Great websites to get students started with college exploration• Naviance program used by Saint Joe• www.TriptoCollege.org (Timeline, Real Answers, Indiana Colleges, Paying

for College)• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/ (step-by-step roadmap to college)• http://www.educationplanner.com/ (explore careers, search for a college,

learn about financial aid, find grants or scholarships, plan a campus visit)• http://www.collegeanswer.com/ (saving for, planning for, paying for college)

Naviance has numerous

capabilities for students:• Explore careers and colleges• Request transcripts• Request teacher letters of

recommendation• Research scholarships• Create Resumes

NAVIANCE

CAREER & COLLEGE EXPLORATION ACTIVITY

Freshmen will complete the Career Interest Profiler in Naviance

A list of matching occupations will be generated based on student input

Students will examine one career more closely from the list or pick one

they are interested in and explore the following areas:• Job description, related occupations, related skills & abilities, typical

tasks, most common work activities, average salary, related major

The focus will then shift to college exploration as students research:• A college offering a major leading up to career of interest• General info about that college (school type, enrollment, campus

surrounding)• Specific admissions info about that college (required tests, average GPA)• Financial aid (cost of out-of-state tuition, books, available grants &

scholarships)• Student Life

Students also have the option to

take a personality test in Naviance

that is a student-friendly version of

the MBTI called “Do What You Are”

Students then get a personalized

report detailing strengths and

blind spots, preferred learning

style, etc. as well as a list of

careers compatible with MBTI type

CAREER EXPLORATION

Highlight students’ accomplishments during high school

Counselors go into sophomore English classes to facilitate students with

creating resumes

Resumes can be a great asset when filling out college apps, applying for

scholarships, etc. and are useful to counselors and teachers writing

letters of recommendation

A great opportunity to focus in on “wow factor” or “hook”

Students should update resumes yearly!

Source: www.InLikeMe.com

RESUME-BUILDING ACTIVITY

TIMELINE

9th Grade• Extracurricular activities- depth, not breadth• Participate in summer or weekend programs offered at colleges

(see Naviance and www.TripToCollege.org for programs)• Begin documenting extracurricular activities, volunteering,

awards, etc. in the resume building section of Naviance called “About Me”

• If interested in playing sports in a Division I or II college, take advantage of free SJHS access to CoreCourseGPA.com.

• Utilize Naviance and other helpful websites to explore colleges and determine required high school coursework

• Take SAT Subject Tests when you have successfully completed the corresponding course in high school study (B+ average or better).

TIMELINE

10th grade•  Take the PSAT in October (all sophomores participate during school day

at St. Joe)• Read materials sent with PSAT score report and consult your guidance

counselor to explore ways to improve on future standardized tests• Save your best work in courses and the arts for your academic portfolio• Attend college night in November at Saint Joe• Take a tour or attend an information session at colleges of interest (see

http://www.triptocollege.org/timeline/visiting_colleges.cfm)• Update resume in Naviance with additional co-curricular and volunteer

activities, employment, etc.• Register for June SAT Subject tests as appropriate• Line up a good summer experience (job, internship, enrichment program)

TIMELINE

For more detailed guidelines for each year of high school,

please visit the following websites:• Our counseling website (on the guidance home page, click on

timelines link in the box on the right hand side of the page)• http://www.triptocollege.org/ (click on timelines)• http://www.actstudent.org/college/checklist.html• http://www.inlikeme.com/apply/college-admissions-planning-list

-and-timeline.html

• http://www.inlikeme.com/plan/college-planning-high-school-sophomores.html

• http://www.inlikeme.com/plan/college-planning-high-school-junior-years.html

• https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/make-a-plan

SAT

Contains three sections: reading, writing and math.

The critical reading section includes reading passages and

sentence completions.

The writing section includes a short essay and multiple-

choice questions on identifying errors and improving

grammar and usage.

The mathematics section includes questions on arithmetic

operations, algebra, geometry, statistics and probability.

ACT

The ACT consists of four multiple-choice tests:

English: 75 questions, 45 minutes

Mathematics: 60 questions, 60 minutes

Reading: 40 questions, 35 minutes

Science: 40 questions, 35 minutes

Plus an optional Writing test: 1 prompt, 30

minutes

Check with colleges of interest to see if this is required

SAT VS. ACT

The ACT and SAT are different tests that measure similar but

distinct constructs. The ACT measures achievement related to

high school curricula, while the SAT measures general verbal

and quantitative reasoning. (www.actstudent.org)

If time and money permit, we recommend that students take

both or at least the practice tests for both. (www.InLikeMe.com)

Check to see if colleges of interest require the SAT or ACT or if

they will accept either.

TIMELINE FOR ACT/SAT

Sophomore Year• Fall: Take the PSAT (Use Naviance PrepMe to study for it!)• Spring: Consider taking SAT II Subject Tests

Junior Year• Fall: Take the PSAT (Use Naviance PrepMe to study for it!)• Many juniors take the SAT for the first time in March, and the

ACT in April.• We recommend any time after the 1st semester of the junior

year.Senior Year

• Students may wish to take the SAT/ACT again in the fall in hopes of improving scores

In General• Start early: aim for at least 2-3 attempts • Plan ahead, especially if your student is interested in Early

Decision options

Source: www.InLikeMe.com

Naviance, PrepME (FREE)

http://www.number2.co

m• Free SAT & ACT

prep course

www.collegeboard.com• My College

Quickstart

www.actstudent.org

SAT/ACT PREP WEBSITES

Courses Taken

Grades Received

Class Rank

Standardized Test Scores

Personal Statements & Essays

Recommendations

Extracurricular Activities

Interviews

COLLEGE ADMISSIONS FACTORS

“A student's grades in

college-preparatory

classes remain the

most significant factor

in college admission

decisions.

” (www.collegeboard.com)

HIGHLY SELECTIVE COLLEGES LOOK FO R S TUD EN TS W HO:

Complete core academic requirements.

Take more challenging classes, even though they may have

slightly lower grades than they'd achieve in lower-level courses.

Enroll in several college-prep or college-level courses (such as

AP and perform well)

Take four years of a world language and science, showing

evidence of academic discipline and challenge.

(Source: www.collegeboard.com)

In addition to rigor of

curriculum, high GPA,

high test scores, and

meaningful volunteer

experience, they also

look for:• Evidence of passion• Emotional

intelligence

IVY LEAGUE COLLEGES