Welcome to DCHS Senior Night

1. Welcome to DCHS Senior Night Agenda High School Graduation College Admissions, Testing, Financial Aid General Information

2. www.dctigers.com Counselors Calendar Grade Level Newsletters Scholarship Newsletters Forms

3. COUNSELORS • Sabrina Ellison-Brown, A-E • SharleeDunnavant, F-L • LaRosa Johnson, M-Smi • Tameka Collins, Smo-Z, PLC, Night School, Project Grad, Virtual Academy, Alternative School

4. Important Senior Dates College Probe Fair Sept 17, 2013 ASVAB Oct 9, 2013 Financial Aid Nights Oct 28, 2013 and Jan 16th, 2014 GHSGT Retest Nov 4-8, 2013 Apply to College Day Nov 13th Please see the Counseling Calendar for college recruiter visits and scholarship information.

5. Upcoming PTSA Events • OCCUPY DCHS: Thursday, September 19th @ 9:00am (parents invited to come visit classes all day long) • Coffee with the Principal: Thursday, September 19th @ 6:30pm - "Meet the Coaches Night" - Topic: Getting Connected to DCHS for Student Success

6. Important Websites Career – College – and Financial Aid information www.GAcollege411.org Calculate your GPA www.back2college.com/gpa.htm • Only use A – B – C – D – F • The ‘Additional Calculator’ at the bottom of the page is the most helpful.

7. SENIOR KEYImportant Websites

8. Typical High School Schedule

9. Language Arts Requirements 4 Units • Ninth Grade Lit • American Lit • 2 more credits of approved literature • **Options: Honors, AP, Pre IB, IB • **EOCT required for Ninth Grade and American Lit

10. Math Requirements4 Units • Math I • Math II • Math III Prep • Math III • Math IV • AP Statistics • AP Calculus • **Options: Accelerated, Pre IB, IB • **ECOT required for Math I and Math II

11. Science Requirements4 Units • Biology • Physical Science or Physics • Chemistry, Earth System, Environmental Science, or AP or IB science • Approved fourth science • **Options: Honors, AP, Pre IB, IB • **EOCT required for Biology and Physical Science

12. Social Studies Requirements3 Units • American Government (half credit required) • World History • U.S. History • Economics (half credit required) • *Options: Honors, AP, Pre IB, IB • **EOCT required for US History and Economics

13. Required Electives • Health and Personal Fitness (1.0 credit) • CTAE/Fine Arts/Foreign Language (3.0 credits any combination) • General Electives (4.0 credits)

14. Reading the Credit Summary Students can earn 8 credits per school year. If your student needs more than 8 credits to meet graduation requirements then credit recovery is NEEDED! *Credits earned are denoted with a check mark. * Credits in progress are circled or shaded *A check mark on the GHSGT / EOCT line indicates the portion of the test that has been passed. • GHSGT/EOCT Passed: (one  in each box is required) • ____LA ____MA ____ SC ____SS • __WR ___9th lit ___ Ma 1 __ PhySc ___ US His • ___Am Lit ___ Ma 2 ___Bio ___Econ

15. Credit Summary Continued *Compare the circled or shaded course requirements with the courses on the class schedule. * If a schedule adjustment/Credit Recovery class is needed, the student needs to see his/her counselor ASAP. * Through out the year, keep track of your requirements needed for graduation. *Students and parents should compare the transcript and student’s testing record with the credit summary in order to verify that the credit summary is correct. * Alert your counselor if you have any concerns! This is a team effort !

16. Special Senior Honors • STAR Student (Highest SAT score) • DCHS Honor Grad (3.75 GPA) • Board Scholar (3.5 GPA) • Valedictorian & Salutatorian (Highest points based on numeric grades)

17. Credit Recovery *E2020 Class – Seniors have priority *Night School registration Fulltime – no cost Part time - $200 per ½ cr. *CHAMPS apply through Mr. Fossum – no cost *Summer School Registration in May – cost $400 per credit *Return to DCHS next fall – no cost

18. GHSGT • Georgia High School Graduation Tests Must pass the Writing Test AND the 4 subject tests. This is accomplished by either passing the GHSGT or passing the corresponding EOCT. Review / Study sessions / USATestPrep.com • High School Certificate • ALL course requirements and credits are met but all GHSGT have not been passed or exempted. Cannot participate in graduation ceremony. The Graduate has the responsibility to register for the re-tests about 4 weeks prior to the test. Tests are given every July, Sept, Nov, March

19. General Admissions Info • Send applications now. You do not have to wait for ACT/SAT results • Early decision does not help/guarantee admittance. The benefit is knowing if accepted or not by December. • Colleges look at Rigor – GPA – ACT/SAT scores first. The essay, if required, is also VERY important. Leadership and extra-curricular involvement can sometimes make a difference, especially in the 2nd round. • An athlete should apply to the college he/she is interested in athletically AND communicate with the college coach.

20. College Admissions • Apply Now – don’t wait for ACT/SAT scores • ACT / SAT – code at least 4 colleges to receive scores • Early Decision = Yes or No or Deferred (maybe) Everything is submitted through the Career Center!

21. College Admissions Testing College Admissions Tests ACT (knowledge based) SAT (knowledge/logic/reasoning based) COMPASS (knowledge based) Only a few schools require the SAT II -Subject Test FREE SAT course – collegeboard.com ACT – no blanks SAT – don’t guess wildly (A= Answer All) (S= Skip what you don’t really know) Official ACT & SAT scores must be sent directly to the college by ACT/SAT. The student must make the request.

22. College Admissions Testing The ACT/SAT is required for all 4-yr colleges and universities BUT NOT for all 2-yr GA colleges. However, 2-yr colleges may use acceptable scores to exempt the student from the COMPASS test. The COMPASS test is for Technical Colleges and Placement for 2-year colleges. The SAT II Subject test(s) may be required at the college/university you hope to attend. Check the college’s website to see if it is required. The ACT/SAT test should be taken after Math II.

23. College Admissions Testing From the University System of Georgia: Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA on the required high school courses and aminimum ACT or SAT scores for admission to research, regional and state universities: Individual Colleges may set higher standards. ACT 17 English And 17 Math SAT 430 CR And 400 Math

24. College Admissions: Freshman Profile Kennesaw State University 2012-2013 Freshman Profile • Average SAT Critical Reading Score:  548 • Average SAT Math Score:  541 Freshman applicants must meet the following admission criteria: • Graduate from regionally accredited high school recognized by KSU • Complete CPC classes: 4 English, 4 Mathematics, 4 Natural Sciences, 2 Foreign Languages in the same language, 3 Social Sciences. For information about what courses fulfill these requirements, check here. • Satisfactory scores on SAT or ACT. Full standing admission requires a 950 combined Critical Reading and Math minimum on the SAT (minimums of 490 Critical Reading and 460 Mathematics). As an alternative KSU will honor a minimum ACT score in English of 20 and Mathematics of 19 with a composite of 20. • Academic grade point average minimum of 2.5 as calculated by KSU, using only the Required High School Curriculum Courses. This GPA is calculated using a 4 point scale. AP and IB classes are not weighted differently.

25. Fee Waivers A fee waiver allows the student to waive the cost of the ACT/SAT exam and sometimes the college application fee. To receive the 2 SAT fee waivers a student must be academically on track for a 4-year college, prepared to take the SAT (passed Math II), and receive free or reduced lunch. Students who qualify for the SAT fee waiver are also eligible for 4 college application fee waivers. To receive the ACT fee waiver a student must also be academically prepared to take the ACT and receive free or reduced lunch. Students who qualify for the ACT or SAT fee waiver are also eligible to use a fee waiver for the NCAA application. See Mrs. Shelley in the Career Center for more information.

26. College/Scholarship Applications DCHS College & Career Center opens at 8:00 am and offers the following services… • Scholarship Newsletter (also at dctigers.com) • College and Scholarship information • College admission officer visitations • Military recruiter visitations • Submitting College/Scholarship Application a. Submit application via the College & Career Center or on-line b. Turn everything into Mrs. Shelley c. Request Transcript d. 2 weeks or more notice for recommendation letters e. $3.00 cash (no stamps/envelopes necessary)

27. HOPE • 3.0 GPA in ALL core/academic classes (English-Math-Science-Soc Studies & Foreign Language) • Qualifying for HOPE a. GPA b. Apply (FAFSA or GSFAPPS) c. Correct SS# d. Must be a Georgia Resident – if less than 24 months call GSFC @ (770) 724-9000 e. Go to GAcollege411.org for more information

28. HOPE GPA • Honors, PIB, AP and IB course grades qualify for point enhancement at DCHS. Honors and PIB courses receive a 3 point enhancement to the student’s final grade while AP and IB courses receive a 5 point enhancement to the final grade. However, when calculating HOPE GPA the GSFC will subtractthese points and convert the unweighted grade to the 4.0 scale. Once the unweighted grade is converted to the 4.0 scale GSFC adds .5 to the unweightedGPA score for only the AP and IB courses to a maximum of 4.0.

29. HOPE GPA Scale 100 – 90 = A = 4.0 89 – 80 = B = 3.0 79 – 74 = C = 2.0 73 – 70 = D = 1.0 69/ below = F = 0

30. Scale: A is a 4.0 D is a 1.0 B is a 3.0 F is a 0 C is a 2.0 Scale: A is a 4.0 D is a 1.0 B is a 3.0 F is a 0 C is a 2.0 Honors/AP Courses and HOPE GPA

31. Determining Your HOPE GPA • HOPE GPA is calculated by the Georgia Student Finance Commission. • DCHS does NOT calculate HOPE GPA. • Log onto the GSFC website at www.gacollege411.org to determine your HOPE GPA. • Your student will need to verify their birthdate and social security number.

32. NCAA Information • Submit ACT / SAT scores directly to NCAA • Sign request form to send transcript ($3) • Submit a transcript from ALL high schoolsattended with the original application. • Request a FINAL transcript in May through Mrs. Shelley in the College & Career Center. WWW.eligibilitycenter.org

33. Honor Cords/Stoles • Beta Club • DCHS Honor Grad • Key Club • National Art Honor Society • National French Honor Society • National Honor Society • National Spanish Honor Society • International Thespian Society

34. Graduation Graduation • Students will receive an information letter with dates of practice and guidelines in the Spring. • Right now, it looks like we will have the graduation ceremony at the State University of West Georgia. The exact date and time will be given soon. • The senior letter and contract can also be accessed on the senior page under Clubs and Organizations at dctigers.com • The senior must sign and return the contract in order to participate in graduation.

35. Senior Honors Night SR Honors Night (by Invitation) • Date – Spring TBA • Location - Theater • Academic Awards for students receiving cords/stoles/pins from Honor Clubs and Organizations. • Provide Notification of Scholarship when awarded to Ms. Shelley in the College and Career Center

36. Questions . The Douglas County Board of Education does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, religion, national origin, disability or age in educational programs or activities, or employment practices.