Red Terrors Glynn Academy GA College 411 & Your HOPE GPA What are we going to do? “Whatever it Takes to Graduate Independent, Productive Citizens” GA College 411 & Your HOPE GPA Plus, we’re making a BIG change to transcripts!

GA College 411 www.gacollege411.org Georgia College 411 is a one-stop shop where students can: Discover career interests Plan your high school courses Find out about & follow a college planning timeline Explore Georgia and nationwide colleges Learn about ways to pay for college Prepare for the SAT & ACT Apply online to participating colleges Set up an online portfolio to keep track of everything! Check your HOPE GPA

GA College 411 www.gacollege411.org

GACollege 411 is Now More Important Than Ever!!! Checking Your HOPE Scholarship GPA

GA College 411 & Transcripts GACollege411 is a GA Student Finance Commission website. GA Student Finance Commission is in charge of administering the HOPE Scholarship Program. Starting this year, all public high schools are required by law to upload student transcripts for all students to the GACollege 411 website. Students will now have access to check their official HOPE GPA at any point during high school using the GACollege411 site. Note--you must have something posted to your transcript for this to work. At this time, 9th grade students do not have anything posted to their transcript.

How This Affects Transcripts Glynn Academy posts a GPA and numerical GPA on your official transcript. This GPA is NOT your HOPE GPA. We do not compute the actual HOPE GPA and there are discrepancies between what we report and a student’s HOPE GPA. Now, students will be able to check their actual HOPE GPA from the source, GA Student Finance Commission. Hooray!!!

Setting Up Your GACollege411 Account What you need to do: We’ve gone ahead and created GACollege411 accounts for all of our students. You’re welcome! You will receive your login information and a temporary password in advisement today. From your home computer, you will need to sign in to GACollege411 at www.gacollege411.org . The sign-in is located at the top of the gacollege411 homepage. When you sign in, you will be prompted to reset your password. Write this down on your red sheet and keep it in a safe place.

Accessing Your HOPE GPA with GACollege411 What you need to do: Once you’re signed in to your account, you will be able to click on the Shortcut for “My HOPE GPA” An instruction sheet with additional information has been provided, please follow all steps listed on this sheet. If you have any problems with your GACollege411 account, please review the instruction sheet first and then see your counselor if problems persist.

Getting Familiar with GA College 411 An Overview of the GA College 411 Planning Tabs Career Planning High School Planning College Planning Financial Aid Planning Your Portfolio

Career Planning Tab The Career Planning Tab provides a place for you to: Learn About Yourself Explore Careers Get a Job Learn Answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Career Planning Learn about the Georgia Work Ready Program

High School Planning Tab The High School Planning Tab provides a resource for you to: Monitor your high school plan of study (account must be created first) and learn more about state and local graduation requirements Plan your high school career (including a timeline for college planning) Prepare for standardized tests (GHSGT & EOCTS) Get answers to frequently asked questions

College Planning Tab The College Planning Tab allows you to: Learn about college admissions requirements to make sure you’re taking the correct classes to meet college requirements Prepare for college admissions testing Explore colleges by name or program of study/major Apply to college online Get answers to frequently asked questions about college planning

Financial Aid Planning Tab The Financial Aid Planning Tab provides information about: HOPE Scholarship & Grant programs Basic information about Financial Aid opportunities (Financial Aid 101) Financial Aid Calculators—how much college can you afford? A scholarship database Tools for building your own financial aid plan Links to the FAFSA and the HOPE grant application Information about how to manage student loans and college finances wisely

Your Portfolio Tab At GA College 411, you can create a portfolio to save all of your planning information throughout your high school years. Since we have already created your account, you are one step ahead. It is VERY important that you remember your username and password because you will be able to apply to colleges in the future using this account. Write down your username and password in a safe place.

GA College 411 Grade specific planning Advisors—please go over information specific to your advisement grade level

9th Grade Planning As a 9th Grade student, you should focus on the High School Planning & Career Planning tabs of GA College 411

9th Grade Planning 9th Grade students need to focus on learning about themselves by taking interest inventories and exploring their career interests Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore “Learn About Yourself” and “Explore Careers” to see the types of inventories available

9th Grade Planning 9th Grade students should also focus on the High School Planning Information Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore “High School Planning Timeline” for 9th grade students. Then check out study tips.

10th Grade Planning As a 10th Grade student, you should continue focusing on the Career Planning and High School Planning tabs of GA College 411 & begin looking at the College Planning tab

10th Grade Planning 10th Grade students need to continue learning about themselves by taking interest inventories and exploring their career interests Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore “Learn About Yourself” and “Explore Careers” to see the types of inventories available

10th Grade Planning 10th Grade students should also focus on the High School Planning Information Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore “High School Planning Timeline” for 10th grade students. 10th Grade students will also be learning more about College Credit Now Options.

11th Grade Planning As an 11th Grade student, you should be exploring the College Planning tab and beginning to prepare for college admissions testing. If you haven’t already done so, you need to explore career options on the Career Planning tab of GA College 411.

11th Grade Planning 11th Grade students should pay close attention to the “High School Planning Timeline” on the High School Planning Tab Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture to review the “High School Planning Timeline” and highlight information month by month for 11th grade students. Juniors should plan to take the SAT and/or ACT for the first time during their junior year. Fee waivers are available for those who qualify. We are offering free SAT Prep classes for juniors for the January & March test dates. Register in the Guidance Office—you must show proof that you are registered for the corresponding test date.

12th Grade Planning As a 12th Grade student, you should be exploring the College Planning tab and the Financial Aid Planning tab and begin the college and financial aid application process

12th Grade Planning Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore the links on the College Planning Page Remember students can apply directly to colleges from this section of GA College 411. Activity: Click on the Financial Aid Planning tab to explore the links available

12th Grade Planning 12th Grade students should use the High School Planning Information to help them plan their college applications Activity: Click on the hyperlinked picture and explore “High School Planning Timeline” for 12th grade students. Remember, SAT & ACT registration information is available in the Guidance Office. Fee waivers are available for students who qualify. Free online test prep is available through e2020. SAT Prep classes will also be available before the January and March SAT test dates.

Reminders for All Students All students, grades 9-12 need to use GaCollege411 and should utilize the site every year to assist with high school and post-secondary planning. If you need help with academic or college planning (or have trouble accessing your GACollege411 account), please see your counselor. Do “Whatever It Takes” to be successful!