Transcript McKinney High School Open House September 13, 2004

8th Grade Parent Meeting
Getting Ready for HS
Begin Your Journey With the
End in Mind!
Every step beyond high school requires a high
school diploma – Military; Technical School;
College
Where do want YOUR journey to end?
Organize for Success!
Use some system –
Folders; Spirals; Binders;
Calendars
Study DAILY & divide
study time into
increments
Take advantage of
tutorials
Stay on Target
High School Policies
Must attend 90% of class days for
credit
UIL Rules in Academic Planning
Guide (APG)
Seven period school day (7:30-2:30)
–7 periods over 4 years = 28
possible credits
Work must be turned in on time
Freshman Year Timeline
August- Orientation/Fishcamp
September- Open House, College Night, Club and
Organization Fair
October- Explore Test
End of First Semester- Final Exams
January/February- Review 4-year plan/Explore Results
begin making selections for sophomore courses
March-April- Begin reviewing college websites
April-May- End of Course Exams
May- Review Summer School options (acceleration)
GRADE Policies
Progress reports at the end of each 3 weeks
Report cards issued every 9 weeks
Final course grade must be 70 or better to earn credit
Students are promoted to the next grade, based on
the number of credits earned. In order to be classified
as a sophomore students must earn 6.0 credits
MISD Grade Point System
Weighted system
More grade points are
awarded for Pre-AP
and AP courses
Subject to Change
Freshmen courses
are foundational to a
strong GPA
throughout HS
GPA & Class Rank
The GPA = (all grade points / number of
courses)
Rank is based on GPA
Grade pts are based on semester average
Grades below 70 earn 0 grade pts!
Semester Averaging
May restore credit for a failed 1st
semester course if the average of 1st
and 2nd semesters grades is equal to
70 or better
Cannot average summer school
with regular school grades
Academic Planning
Requirements for Graduation:
see Academic Planning Guide
4 credits English
4 credits Math
4 credits Science
4 credits Social Studies
2 years of the same Language Other Than English
1 credit Fine Arts
.5 credit Professional Communications
.5 credit Health
1 credit P.E. or Athletics
5 credits of electives
26 Credits TOTAL
Recommended Vs. DAP
Both Plans Require:
26 credits total
Passing scores on End of Course Exams
Distinguished Achievement Plan ALSO requires:
One of your electives must be a 3rd year of your current world
language
IPC and Math Models cannot be used as core credits on the
DAP
You must complete any combination of 4 of the following
advanced measures:
 Original Research Project
 Test Data (AP Exam with 3 or higher)
 College Courses (Eng, Gov or Econ) with grade of 80+
Additional Details in the Academic Planning Guide.
Pre-AP Expectations
Preparation for college level courses (AP or
Dual Credit)
Advanced coursework requires significant
additional preparation outside of the school day
Heavy emphasis on critical reading (silent,
sustained reading), writing, and higher order
thinking skills. Summer reading may be required
(see APG)
Requires strong organizational and time
management skills
These courses have “open” enrollment, but
there are strict guidelines in the APG regarding
policies and procedures for the course
So, how many advanced
courses should be taken?
Students and parents should
carefully consider:
Student abilities and previous performance
Student interest in a particular discipline
Involvement in extracurricular activities
Time requirement for each class
Ways to Get Ahead
Summer School
1st sem: usually three weeks in June (dates TBD)
2nd sem: usually three weeks in July (dates TBD)
only one semester per session
$$$ TBD
Limited course selections.
Check with MS counselors in May
Possible courses for acceleration:
Fine Arts
PE
Communications
Online Courses
Current Course Offerings:
Health
Psychology
First available in the spring of junior year:
Government
Economics
If you are interested in taking a course online,
stop by your CURRENT counseling office in May
to pick up an application!
Early Graduation
The state currently offers a $2000
scholarship for students
graduating in 36 months or less;
There is a $500 scholarship for
graduating in 41 months or less.
If you are interested, plan ahead
and meet with your HS counselor
before the end of 9th grade
Parent Information
•Communication
•Sign up for Email Distribution List
•Check out the Website
•Progress reports are distributed every 3
weeks to students (and available on the
HAC)
•Report cards are distributed at the end of
each quarter
• Look for the Teacher Syllabi & Contact
Information
College Planning
Successful College Planning
Register for challenging classes
Earn high grades. Remember, freshman year will
make up 1/3 of the GPA you will use to apply to
college
Read! And, learn to write well – Essays are HUGE!
Get Involved! School sponsored activities are a must!
Growth and leadership in a few is better than “so-so”
participation in many!
Give back to your community – Volunteer!
Document activities, awards, honors, extracurricular
and volunteer activities for college resume
Create connections with teachers and counselors –
Recommendation letters are often required.
Search for your passion(s) in life!
WHAT COLLEGES LOOK FOR
SAT or ACT scores
GPA
Rank
Difficulty of courses
Essays
Extracurricular
Activities
Community service
Letters of
recommendation
Interview
•Remember, if you rank in the Top 10% (or 9% at
UT) of your graduating class, you are guaranteed
automatic admission to the Texas public school,
not major, of your choice
• Research potential colleges thoroughly! Each
one is different!
Questions?
Have a Great Year