CENTRAL BUCKS HIGH SCHOOL SOUTH

CLASS OF 2016

KERRY MONKGINNY BARRETT

PART ONE

College Planning

OVERVIEW

“You can lead a boy to college, but you cannot make him think”

Elbert Hubbard

CB South Guidance Website Junior Year TimelineStandardized Testing SAT, ACT, APCareer & College Search Process

Naviance

CB South Guidance Website

Guidance Homepage

Postings PowerPoint presentations Updates * Useful info

Links to Naviance * Portal * E-Prep Resources * Contact information

Junior Year TimelineFALL WINTER/SPRING SUMMER

Course selection for senior year (Portal opens January 9, 2015).

Call admissions to set up campus tours and visit schools of interest.

Meet visiting college admission reps visiting South.

Attend District College Fair on March 11th, 6:30pm @ South.

Register for fall SAT, ACT and SAT Subject tests.

PSAT October 18, 2014. Scores returned early December.

Take the SAT/ACT & if necessarySAT Subject Tests, AP exams.

Start looking at college applications.

Naviance: Research careers/majors from surveys completed in 10th; update resume and game plan with major.

Naviance: College search process. Identify colleges of interest. “Request for Counselor Recommendation”.

Naviance:Parent & Student complete “Request for Counselor Letter of Recommendation”.

Request teacher recommendations from 11th grade teachers.

Revisit college application essay written in English 11 & fine-tune existing activity resume.

Standardized Testing

SAT’s www.collegeboard.org

SAT Reasoning Test Math, Reading, & Writing

Designed to predict freshman year academic success.

Cost: $52.50

SAT Subject Test Some “Very Selective Colleges”

may require 2 or more for admission and/or placement.

*One hour tests

*Can take up to 3 on one test date

*Scored on a 200-800 point scale

*Cost: $26.00

Available Subject Tests:

English: Literature History: US History

World History Mathematics: Level 1

Level 2 Science: Biology E and/or M

Chemistry

Physics Languages: Chinese French,

German, Spanish, Italian, Latin,

Modern Hebrew,

Japanese, Korean

ACT

ACTstudent.org

Cost: $38.00 w/writing

$54.50

Fast Facts…

ACT has pulled ahead for the first time in 2012:

1,666,017 took the ACT 1,664,479 took the SAT

The ACT is accepted by all 4-year colleges and universities in the United States.

Most widely taken by students from the Midwest, Southwest, and Deep South.

Taken with writing it may exempt you from the need for SAT Subject Tests.

Designed to predict freshman year academic success.

SAT vs. ACT

SAT ACTTest Structure

Measures Aptitude: Critical Reading, Math, Writing skills.

Measures Achievement:English, Math, Reading, Science Reasoning & optional Writing.

Test Content Math: Arithmetic, Algebra 1&2, Geometry, data analysis.Reading: sentence completions, short and long critical reading passages, reading comprehension. Writing: essay, grammar, usage, and word choice.

Math: up to trigonometry. Science: experiments and charts.Reading: 4 passages: Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities, Natural Science. English: grammar.Writing: optional section; recommended

SAT vs. ACT

Register OnlineSAT

www.collegeboard.org

ACTwww.ACTstudent.org

Wrong Answers Penalty .25 deducted for each

No Penalty

Scoring 200-800 per section, added together for a combined score. A 2400 is the highest possible combined score.

1-36 for each subject, averaged for a composite score. A 36 is the highest possible composite score.

Are all scores sent to schools?

Yes and No; “Score Choice” option now available.

No, student can make specific requests.

Test Security PolicySAT ACT

Online registration requires student to upload a digital

photo, which will be included on a photo admission ticket.

Students required to present photo admission ticket and a valid form of ID for admittance to the designated test center and at various times throughout the day. Absence of either document will preclude student from testing.

Students must pre-register; standby (walk-in) testing will no longer be permitted, nor will test center changes be permitted on test day.

Testing: “Official Score Report”

Some colleges require “official score reports” directly from

testing company

• Most schools will accept scores from the transcript, some do not (most notably PSU).

• Student contacts/pays testing company to send score report directly to college.

• Takes about 4-6 weeks • When registering, students can request

scores be sent to up to 4 colleges for FREE.

SAT• Is score choice the right choice?• Most colleges, if viewing all test results will

consider or combine the highest score from each section for a “Super Score”.

When registering for any standardized test, be sure to include CB South school code 394-992 and check Parent Portal to make

sure scores have been sent to South (assessment tab).

Advanced Placement (AP) Testing

Why take the AP Test?Can be used for college credit and

course level placement.May help students “place out” of

college courses.May allow students to achieve

advanced standingCheck individual college policies

on credit awards:www.collegeboard.org/ap/creditpolicy

Cost: $91.00; far less expensive than a college course.

Administered first 2 weeks of May @ CB South during school day.

19 AP

course

s

offered at

CB South

Standardized Testing Preparation

• www.collegeboard.org ~ SAT• Free practice tests• Familiarize yourself with test content

•www.actstudent.org ~ ACT

•E-Prep: Free for CBSD students; see Mr. Pecic in library

•Private SAT prep through individual and group tutoring

•Plenty of other online sites that provide free SAT/ACT practice

•PSAT: Utilize the results

•SAT prep books

When to test?

SAT Spring of Junior Year Fall of senior year

ACT Spring of Junior Year

Fall of Senior Year

AP First 2 weeks of May; same year as AP course

SAT Subject Tests Immediately following related coursework

When is SOUTH a testing site?

ACT’sApril 18, 2015 Spring Junior Year

October 2015 Fall Senior Year

SAT’sJanuary 24, 2015 Winter Junior Year

March 14, 2015 Spring Junior Year

May 2, 2015 Spring Junior Year

June 6, 2015 Spring Junior Year

October & November 2015 Fall Senior Year

South CEEB code is 394992Other High Schools/districts may host SAT/ACT on other test dates

Test Optional

Students can opt not to send their SAT/ACT to colleges for admission review.

www.fairtest.org provides a comprehensive lists of colleges who allow the choice of Test Optional.

Beginning the College Search Process

Don’t worry, there are over 4,100 post-secondary schools

in the United States

from which to choose!

Resources

Naviance : log in with email and birthdateInternet; see Guidance Website for linksIndividual college websitesTraditional guidebooks and college brochuresMeet with college admissions representatives

who visit South each fall (schedule/print passes on Naviance).

College Fair: March 11th, 6:30p.m. at CB South

What can I do in Naviance?

Meets all your needs throughout the entire process…

Organize and keep personal recordsCareer Plan Surveys (Part of CBSD Graduation Requirements)

Career and College Search ToolsAnalyze Data Visit College Websites

Application links Scholarship list

Career Matches based on:

personality , interests, academic strengths, favorite

activities, amount of prep/education

Begin Researching Colleges Here…

Narrow your search to find the best fit

• 2 or 4 year• Public vs private• Coed vs single sex• Size of locale • Enrollment• Location• Distance from home• Religious affiliation• Competitiveness• Major• Sports & Divisions

Keep a record of your research

Compare yourself to 3 years of CB South students

Program Planning for 12th Grade

Process begins in January.

Check now to make sure you and your student have access to the portal.

Maintain rigor and/or add challenging courses.

Join us again….

FEBRUARY 19, 2015Program Planning Process, Timeline, College search

process, decision factors, types of applications, teacher & counselor recommendations.

APRIL 23, 2015Summer activities, introduction to transcript process,

looking ahead to senior year.

SEPTEMBER 2015Senior timeline, transcript request process,

teacher/counselor recommendations, financial aid & scholarships, final decisions.