College and Career Readiness October 2015

Four Year Plan Plan your courses over four years Track IRHS graduation requirements: Are you on track to obtain 22 credits? 2 years of a foreign language for a 4-year university? Calculate GPA

Junior Brag Sheet List Honors, Pre-AP, and AP classes taken and grades earned List extracurricular activities, clubs, organizations, awards, sports, band, etc. List any employment opportunities you may have had

Post-Secondary Options  Four-year Colleges & Universities  Offer Bachelor degrees (Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Fine Arts) and advanced degrees  Community Colleges  Offer Associate of Arts or an Associated of Science degree, as well as a Basic certificate, an Advanced Certificate, Technical Certificate Programs, and AGEC  Opportunity to transfer to 4-year university  Military Academies/Military  Career & Technical Schools  Apprenticeships

College Entrance Testing  All colleges and universities will accept either the ACT or the SAT scores  Some out of state colleges also require SAT Subject Tests as well as ACT or SAT scores  Research college website to determine exact requirements or contact the university directly  Registration can be completed online  SAT/SAT Subject Tests:  ACT:  IRHS code:  Athletes must remember to send their scores directly to the NCAA Eligibility Center

Use online study tools at each website Khan Academy resources Test at your choice of locations Recent data is showing IRHS students score better on the ACT SATACT When is it administered?Seven times per yearSix times per year Where do I register? What is the test content?Math: up to 9 th grade basic Geometry and Algebra II Science: none Critical Reading: sentence completions, short and long critical reading passages, reading comprehension Writing: an essay and questions testing grammar, usage and word choice (optional) Math: up to trigonometry Science: charts, experiments Reading: four passages, one each of Prose Fiction, Social Science, Humanities and Natural Science English: stresses grammar Writing: Optional Is there a penalty for wrong answers?No How long is the test?3 hours and 45 min.3 hours and 35 min (writing test 40 min.) How is the test scored? per section, added together for combined score 1-36 for each subject averaged for composite score. 36 is the highest composite score Are all scores sent to schools?Yes. If a student requests scores to be sent to specific college, the report will include the scores the student received on every SAT taken No. There is a score choice option. Students may choose which schools will receive their scores and which test date the schools will see. Best time to register?At least six weeks before the test date At least four weeks before the test date

College Planning Checklist Monthly checklists for Juniors and Seniors Information about when to visit colleges, when to take tests, when to apply for scholarships, when to apply to colleges Meet with college representatives visiting IRHS (Check IRHS Counseling website, Twitter, & Facebook for dates) College planning is an ongoing process!

College Comparison Worksheet Useful for collecting information regarding different colleges Helps you focus on major considerations when making decisions about which college you may plan to attend

NCAA and College Athletics Register with the Eligibility Center by the end of your junior year!

Financing College What is financial aid? The difference between what your family can afford to pay and what college costs Types of financial aid: Grants & Scholarships: Don’t have to pay back! Loans: Have to pay back Work study

Where do you look for scholarships? Future college websites Ironwood Ridge resources Facebook: IRHS Scholarships And More Counseling website Online scholarship websites ***Start applying for scholarships now!!!***

Finally… All of this information can be found on the Counseling website Share this information with your parents Download: College and Career Preparation Guide

 The Arizona Career Information System (AZCIS) allows you to create an electronic career portfolio to use in high school and beyond.  Register as a first time user:  Step 1:  User Name: ironwoodrhs  Password: 4azcis02 Please write down your new user name and password  Log in as a continuing user:  Same user name and password as in years past  If you forget your username or password, go to:  Or, see your counselor for your username/password AZCIS