Atascocita High School 2011 Junior Sophomore Parent Night

Atascocita High School 2011 Junior & Sophomore Parent Night

Graduation Requirements • Recommended Plan that prepares you for college and to be Texas Ready. • Distinguished Achievement Plan for those students whose accomplishments merit acknowledgement on a national level

Recommended Plan • • • English 4 credits Math 4 credits Science 4 credits Social Studies 4 credits PE 1. 5 credits Health. 5 credits Communications Applications. 5 credit Fine Arts 1 credit Second Language 2 credits Technology Applications 1 credit Electives 3. 5 credits Total 26 state credits

Distinguished Achievement Plan • Meet all the requirements of the Recommended Plan AND • 1 additional year of Second Language • Specific Math/Science requirements • 4 Advanced measures (in any combination) – A score of 3 or above on an AP exam – A grade of 80 or above on a dual credit/tech prep course – A score on the PSAT that qualifies a student as a commended Scholar or higher by the National merit Scholarship Corp. , the National Hispanic Scholar Program, or the National Achievement Scholarship Program for Outstanding Negro Students.

Credit Requirements for Classification Students are classified by the number of academic credits they have earned at the beginning of the school year. 0 -5. 5 credits = 9 th grade 6 -11. 5 credits = 10 th grade 12 -17. 5 credits = 11 th grade 18+ credits = 12 th grade

Course Requirements Subject Required Courses English (4 credits) Must include English 1, English 2, English 3, English 4 Math (4 credits) Must include Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Additional Math Science (4 credits) Social Studies (4 credits) PE (1 ½ credit) Must include Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, plus an additional science Must include World Geography, World History, US History, Govt. /Econ Ex: Phys Ed, Athletics, Band (1 st semester only), Cheer (1 st semester only)

Course Requirements (cont. ) Foreign Language ( 2 Credits) Spanish, French, German, Latin, ASL (2 credits in the same language) Comm. Apps (½ credit) Fine Art Ex: Dance, Band, Choir, Art, (1 credit) Orchestra, Theater Arts Health (½ credit) Technology Ex: Desktop Publishing, Computer Science Application (1) Digital Graphics/Animation, etc. Electives (3 ½)

Thinking about Pre-AP or AP? • More rigorous coursework • More homework and independent work • Requires more responsibility and self motivation • Summer reading • Prepares students for AP exam.

Recommendations for Successful Honors Course Selection • Maintain – 80 in Honors Classes – 90 in Level Classes • Honors/AP to level moves only at the end of the first: – Progress Report (3 weeks) -- Report Card (6 weeks) – Semester – Parent and Teacher Signature required for change – Level change forms available from House secretary

What is Dual Credit? Its an agreement between Lonestar College and Humble ISD to provide students with the opportunity to take college courses while still in high school and earn both college credit and high school credit simultaneously.

Dual Credit Facts • Dual credit enrollment courses may be taken at the high school as part of the students regular class schedule or in some cases at one of the Lonestar campuses. • Pre-Requisite: Must successfully pass English 2 and all parts of the TAKS test.

Texas Virtual School Network (www. Tx. VSN. org) • • Clearinghouse of online courses Provider/Receiver Districts Allotment Funding for now High school student may take up to 2 Tx. VSN courses/semester – Part of 7 period day – Outside of regular school day

Interested in taking an online class? • Step 1: See if you are ready for online instruction – Go to http: //txvsn. readi. info • log in: atascocita password: student Email your results to your counselor! • Step 2: Look at the course catalog to see what classes you would like to take – Go to www. txvsn. org • Hover mouse over Tx. VSN Catalog • Click on High School • Select Year: 2010 -11 • Select Semester: Fall, then Search **This is the list of courses available this past fall (next fall’s courses are not published yet) and will give you a good idea of what will be offered next fall.

• Step 3: Talk to your counselor about enrolling in a Tx. VSN course – Review Smarter. Measure results • Are you self-motivated? • Are you ready for the independence? – Which course(s) should you take online? – Will you take the course(s) as part of your 7 periods or in addition to the 7 next year?

Course Request Sheet • • • Select appropriate courses for next school year, using your transcript and the graduation requirements sheet found in the course planning guide. Select 7 courses - A combination of semester-long and/or year-long courses. Remember to select 4 core courses first ( Eng, Math, Science, S. S. ) List at least three (3) alternate courses Parent signature is required

Course Selection Guide A copy of the Course Selction guide can be found on the internet at the following link: http: //www. humbleisd. net/22321055103443683/l ib/22321055103443683/_files/HS 20112012 Planning. Guide. pdf

TAKS Test • • 9 th Grade TAKS 10 th Grade TAKS 11 th-12 th Grade Exit Level TAKS Students first take the exit-level TAKS in the spring of their junior year. • The exit level TAKS includes math, science, social studies and English language arts. These test are based in the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills, or TEKS, which are the curriculum standards that teachers use every day in the classroom as the basis for their instruction. • Students must pass their classes as well as all four sections of the Exit level TAKS in order to receive a diploma and graduate from a Texas public high school.

Spring TAKS Dates ELA 10 th & 11 th March 1, 2011 Science 10 th & 11 th April 28, 2010 Math 10 th April 26, 2011 Math 11 th April 27, 2011 Social Studies 10 th & 11 th April 29, 2010

College is in your future! • To research college information (majors, cost, SAT scores) go to: www. collegeboard. com • You need to find out what the requirements are for the schools that you are interested in attending: GPA requirements, SAT/ACT scores and tuition. Decide what you would like to study in college (MAJOR). Helpful Websites Financial Aid: www. fafsa. ed. gov ACT: www. act. org SAT: www. collegeboard. com Scholarships: www. fastweb. com

What are the differences between the SAT and ACT Tests? • ACT – English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing (optional) Assessment. ACT tests a student’s acquired skills. • SAT I – Critical Reading, Writing, and Math Assessment. SAT tests how well students reason. • SAT II – Subject tests (The more selective & competitive colleges require/recommend one or more).

Test Dates/Deadlines Test Date Deadline Mar. 12, 2011 Feb. 11, 2011 April 9, 2011 Mar. 4, 2011 May 7, 2011 April 8, 2011 June 11, 2011 May 6, 2011 June 4, 2011 May 6, 2011 ****State Legislature has approved a one time fee waiver allowing all Juniors to take EITHER the SAT or ACT test free. Junior students will be given further information regarding this during their Junior Presentation. ****

Important Dates February 2011 2 -3 ----Junior Presentations 9 -10 ----Sophomore Presentations 11 ----Junior Course Selections Due to English 3 teacher 18 ----Sophomore Course Selections due to W. History teacher 23 -24 ----Sophomore Conferences March 2011 2 -3 ----Junior Conferences April 2011 12 ----English Department Pre. AP/AP Parent Night Incoming Freshmen & Sophomores in the WHITE LGI Junior/Seniors in the RED LGI

Parent Night Room Numbers • Room 1115 Science Courses (Chemistry Pre AP/L, Aerospace, Physics Pre AP/L/POP, Forensic Science, Astronomy, Environmental Systems, Aquatic Science, Anatomy and Physiology, Animal Science, Earth and Space Science) • Room 1111 Math Models, Algebra 2 Pre AP/L • Room 1112 Algebra 3, College Algebra H (/Dual Math 1314), Pre-Cal Pre. AP AB, Pre-Cal Pre. AP BC, APStatistics • Room 1109 AP Math (AP Statistics, AP Calculus AB, AP Calculus BC/AP Science Courses (AP Bio II, AP Chem II, AP Physics II, AP Environmental Science) • Room 1103 OL English III and IV, OL Economics/Government, U. S. History, History of the Americas, History of Sports in America (Both Juniors and Seniors) • Room 1104 AP English III, College Transition, AP History, and Dual Credit History, (Incoming Juniors Only) • Room 1107 AP Economics/Government, AP and Dual Credit English IV, College Transition (Incoming Seniors Only)