The Ninth Grade Year Building a Foundation to be Successful in High School

Curriculum: The Building Blocks  Each day in each class is an essential building block to a bright future. Be There Everyday!  Each course in the set of Graduation Requirements joins together to form a well-rounded education which prepares you for your future goals.  Every class counts

High School 101 What do you know?...  How many classes will you have each semester at OCHS?  How many credits should you have at the end of each school year if you pass all your classes?  So how many credits should you have total at the end of 4 years?  Do you know how many credits you need to graduate?

Graduation Requirements Subject Area # of Units English 4 Lit/Comp units Math 4 units – not including Math Support Courses Science 4 units – 4 th science can be AP or selected CTAE classes Social Studies 4 units Health/PE ½ unit of each

Graduation Requirement, cont. CTAE, Languages, and/or Fine Arts 3 units in any combination Academic Electives 3 additional English, Math, Science, Social Studies or Language units (includes Math Support and Reading and Writing) Electives 5 – can be from any area Credits to move to next grade 4, 12, 20

Standardized Tests: the gauge used to measure progress  PSAT- Given in October to all Sophomores and Juniors. This year all freshman were offered the opportunity to take the PSAT as well.  PLAN- Given in October. Practice for the ACT  End of Course Exams- Different subjects have standardized final exams which will count 20% of the final average.  Georgia High School Graduation Test- The only GHSGT you must take and pass is the Writing Test.

EOCT (End of Course Tests)  Given in Math I/Accelerated Math I, Math II/Accelerated Math II, 9 Lit/Comp, American Lit Comp, Biology, US History, and Economics  (3 EOCT’s your freshman year)  Replaces the final in these classes  Counts as 20% of the final grade

Exam Exemptions EXAM EXEMPTIONS Exam exemptions are a privilege provided the student meets the following criteria: 1. Has a “90” average or above in the course. 2. Has no more than three (3) class absences in the course. Seniors and Juniors are allowed an additional two (2) days each year for college visits. School-related field trips will not count toward the total absences. 3. Has no more than three (3) tardies in the class. 4. Has no out-of-school suspensions or in-school suspension (ISS) for the semester. 5. All fine/debts have been cleared. 6. The teacher has the option not to allow the exam exemption within his/her respective course. A teacher may require additional criteria to be met for the student to qualify for an exam exemption in a particular course. The teacher’s requirements for the exam exemption must be included on the course syllabus. NUMBER OF EXAM EXEMPTIONS ALLOWED 1. Freshmen may exempt one exam per term. 2. Sophomores may exempt two exams per term. 3. Juniors may exempt three exams per term. 4. Seniors may exempt four exams per term.

Stay Headed in the Right Direction  Good attendance  Get involved!!  Know the requirements and keep track of your status  Challenge yourself by taking rigorous classes  Start a resume of your accomplishments and activities  Get to know your counselor

Tardies & Absences Tardies: Tardies:1-Warning 2- 4 silent lunch 5- 3 days detention 6-1 Day of Saturday School 7-1 day of ISS and loss of driving privileges for 5 days 8-3 days of ISS and loss of driving privileges for 10 days 9+ Out of School Suspension Absences: *The only absences that are excused are with a doctor’s note, death of immediate family, and college visits for Jr.s/Sr.s or school field trip. *A student can have no more than 3 absences in one class in order to exempt exams *A student may have no more than 3 parent notes per semester *A parent note is only accepted if a student is absent for 3 or more periods * If a student has 10 or more unexcused absences in one semester they are reported to the DMV and can lose their license.

Planning for College What do I need to be doing if I plan on attending college after high school?

HOPE Scholarship  Requires a 3.0 GPA. Scholarship will pay 90%  All academic courses are included  How do I check my student’s HOPE GPA – go to  Zell Miller Scholar Program 3.7 and 1200 on combined math and verbal (one sitting) Will pay 100%  You may lose and regain HOPE only ONCE…

GA College 411   State’s one stop shop for all post-secondary education  Has 5 different career inventories  Allows student to build an online resume  Is tied to all Georgia colleges (traditional and technical, public and private)  Calculates HOPE average  Transcripts

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