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Building a Course Plan: Keystone National High School
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Overview Graduation requirements Types of Courses
Factors in college admissions The SAT and ACT Course sequencing by core area Tools and resources During today’s webinar, I will discuss how to create your four year academic plan. I’ll talk about the Keystone graduation requirements and I’ll also touch on minimum requirements for colleges and the recommended high school courses a student should take. I will talk about selecting the right high school courses based on a student’s post secondary plans and I will discuss some of the tools and resources students and parents can use to help choices about high school classes and post-secondary plans.
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Keystone National High School
Graduation Requirements 21 Credits Total (Can be fulfilled by Keystone and Transfer Credits) English – 4 credits Social Science – 4 credits Math – 3 credits Science – 3 credits Health – 1 credit Fine Art – 1 credit Electives – 5 credits Students who transfer in to Keystone must have….. A MINIMUM of 5 Keystone credits 1 in each core area (Math, Science, Social Science, Language Arts) and 1 additional credit Here is the Keystone credit breakdown. Students will need to successfully complete 4 English credits, 4 Social Science or Social Studies credits, 3 credits in Math, 3 credits in Science. One credit is needed in health and Fine Art. And students needs 5 elective credits. Please note that students who transfer to Keystone with a significant amount of credits must still complete 5 Keystone credits in order to receive a diploma. The credits have to be earned in each core area and one additional credit
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Types of Courses/Credits
Standard Keystone Courses Advanced Placement Courses AP classes are tough but expose student to college level coursework and help them build the skills needed for college. Students can earn college credit depending on their score on the AP test. These courses stand out in college admissions.
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What do colleges require?
Colleges and Universities will post the minimum and recommended entrance requirements. How can Keystone students figure this out? The College or University’s webpage or by calling them directly So, let’s talk about high school in terms of what colleges are looking for. College and Universities will post their minimum requirements and the recommended classes a high school student should take. But how do you figure this out? Does anyone know where you would find this information?
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Factors in college admissions
Acceptance criteria – in order of importance Public college Private college Grades in college prep courses 1. Grades in college prep courses Test scores Strength of curriculum Strength of curriculum 3. Grades in all courses Grades in all courses 4. Test scores Class rank if appropriate 5. Essay Essay Demonstrated interest Counselor recommendation 7. Teacher recommendation Teacher recommendation 8. Counselor recommendation
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A Deeper Look… How admissions officers look at your courses –
Difficulty of schedule – did you take the most appropriately rigorous schedule possible? Did you take courses that support your intended major? Did you take academic electives vs. electives? Admissions offices closely examine your transcript Basically when a college admissions officer looks at your Keystone transcript, they are looking for the following things. Did you take tough classes or did you take classes that were easy for you? For example, students can challenge themselves academically by taking an Advanced Placement or AP class. These courses are more difficult than a typical high school course and college admissions officers know that students who do well in an AP class are ready for college level coursework. You will also want to think about balancing your classes. If you are planning on majoring in Communications in college, did you take Journalism as an elective when you were in high school? Or if you plan to major in Computer Science, did you take any computer electives? Or did you take all academic courses as your electives. You can do that. You can take additional Social Science or Science courses to fill elective credit. Please note that admissions officers look closely at a prospective student’s high school transcript. They want to see a student who challenged themselves (not necessarily with all As), who took a variety of courses and who maybe went over the minimum number of credits in order to gain more knowledge.
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CONSIDER THE SAT/ACT The SAT and the ACT are college entrance exams. Students who are applying to colleges in the United States must have a score on either the SAT or ACT as part of their college applications. These tests are typically taken at the end of the Junior/Early Senior Year. Take into consideration the coursework covered on these tests when planning your courses! What’s on the SAT? MATH- Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry and Data Analysis READING – 5 reading passages WRITING - Optional What’s on the ACT MATH- Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Trigonometry SCIENCE- Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth/Space Sciences (geology, meteorology, astronomy) – tests critical thinking skills READING – 4 reading passages WRITING – Optional
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How do I select my high school courses?
Understand your graduation requirements Use Choices Planner to determine possible majors and career plans Research some colleges Identify the entrance requirements Reference the Course Catalog on Keystone’s Website! –Check for prerequisites:
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Keystone Math Sequence
3 Keystone Math Sequence Course sequence depends on student’s strength in Algebra I. Algebra I The ACT has Alg I, Alg II, Geometry and Trigonometry. The SAT has Alg I, Alg II, and Geometry. Geometry Prerequisite for AP Stat is Alg 1 and Alg 2 Algebra 2 Trig is a prereq for physics Trigonometry AP Statistics Pre-Calculus Calculus AP Calculus
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Keystone Social Sciences Sequence
4 Keystone Social Sciences Sequence Most college/universities require some type of American History or World History. Admission requirements at specific schools can be checked. These courses Geography American Govt. and Economics US History Civics Freshman Contemporary World issues World History Economics Psychology Sophomore Should be taken by College Bound Juniors and Seniors Junior AP European History AP Economics AP Micro Econ AP World History AP US Gov/Politics AP Psychology AP Macro Econ Senior Additional information can be found on the course catalog!
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Keystone Science Sequence
3 Keystone Science Sequence Earth Science and Physical Science are considered Science electives and should not be taken as Core Courses for college bound students. Biology Biology Lab Freshman Chemistry With Lab Environmental Science Sophomore Physics AP Biology Junior AP Environmental Science Senior Biology Lab is .5 credits and only available in Print. Trigonometry and Alg II are required before taking AP Physics. Check course catalog for specific details on each course’s prerequisites! Keystone + is an option for some courses!
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Keystone Language Arts Sequence
4 English 1 English 2 Keystone Language Arts Sequence Junior Level Courses English 3 World Literature Or Grammar and Composition, Business Writing, Journalism, and Creative Writing are considered English Electives and should not be taken as core language arts courses AP English Language AP English Literature English 4 World Literature Senior Level Courses Or AP English Language AP English Literature Additional information can be found on the course catalog!
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Foreign Language, Health and Elective Courses
These requirements can be done in years 9-12. 1 Five ELECTIVES i.e. Language Level 1 and 2 One HEALTH: i.e. Nutrition, Wellness and Health One FINE ART: i.e. Art and Music Appreciation/Fine Art Online 5 1 Last Slide! Full time students should be scheduled in 1 of the Core Courses each year as well as at least one ELE, HLT or FIN. Encourage college bound students to take extra Core Courses as electives. Encourage college bound students to enroll in two years of the same Foreign Language if possible. Some highly selective colleges and universities are looking for three years of the same Foreign Language. Additional information can be found on the course catalog!
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Additional Notes: Remember to check the course catalog for courses!
Partners should check in with Guidance every year to make sure they are on track for graduation Students have to be enrolled in senior level courses to apply to college (completed at least 15 credits) Students should plan to start their college applications almost an entire year before they plan to start college. This means if the student plans to start college in the Fall of 2015, they need to start preparing to apply to colleges in the Fall of 2014
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Account Manager 571-353-7699 or SKYPE: debbieh_k12 dhlavach@k12.com
Contacts Account Manager or SKYPE: debbieh_k12 Student Services Guidance Department
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