January 2018

WHS School Counseling Team

Follow us on Twitter: @WHSCollegeReady

Meet the WHS School

Counseling Center

What to Expect During Scheduling

Choose your classes and register in

Power School by January 15th

Jan. 18-30 Counselors will meet with you

individually to go over course requests

Late April: Schedules are distributed

May: Schedule changes may be made

with a Schedule Change Form signed

by a parent

May 18: Schedule Change Deadline. After

this date, no changes will be made, with few

exceptions, per the WHS Schedule Change Policy

Building Your Schedule: Things to Consider

All Seniors required to take

English, Math and US Govt & Econ

Prepare yourself for college: schedule a

rigorous course load for your Senior Year

Discuss course options with

teachers…which levels are the best

fit for you and your abilities?

It Starts with Your Transcript

• Diploma Track

• Graduation Requirements

• Total Credits

• GPA

• Grade Trends

Use your transcript to review:

• Some courses cannot be taken twice… be sure you’re not signing up for a class that you have already taken!

• Some exceptions to this are… retaking a class for a higher grade or Adv. PE classes

New Classes for 2018-2019• ABC Construction Prep Academy

• ACP US Government

• Adv Science: Agricultural Biotechnology

• Business Law and Ethics

• Elective PE: Basketball 101

• Entrepreneurship and New Ventures Capstone: C-Level School Store Management

• Ethnic Studies

• Intro to Communications

• Ivy Tech Technical Education Programs

• Merchandising II: Retail Fashion

• Musical Theatre

• Principles of Business Management: Retail Applications

• Robotics Design & Innovation

• Rock Band Ensemble

• Jazz Band Ensemble

Diploma Tracks at Westfield High School

Core 40

Core 40 with

Technical

Honors

Core 40 with

Academic

Honors

All student will graduate with one or more of

these State of Indiana Diplomas

AP Capstone

Diploma

WHS students may

graduate with the AP

Capstone diploma, in

addition to an Indiana

Diploma

Core 40 Diploma42 Total Credits Required

English 8 Credits Total (2 credits each year) English 9, 10 and 11 (Or AP Lang & Comp/AP Seminar)

English 12: 2 credits can be mixed and matched English 12-7 and 12-8

Creative Writing, Speech, Debate or Contemporary Lit

ACP Speech & ACP Composition

ACP Composition & ACP Literary Interpretation

AP Research (Required for AP Capstone)

AP Lit & Comp (Two or Three trimesters)

Core 40 DiplomaMathematics 6 Credits in grades (9-12)

Algebra I (2 credits in Honors, Regular or 3-trimester)

Geometry (2 credits in Honors, Regular or 3-trimester)

Algebra II (2 credits in Honors, Regular or 3-trimester)

Students must take either math or a Quantitative Reasoning (QR) course EACH year of high school, including Senior Year

Core 40 Diploma Science 6 Credits

Biology (2 credits in Honors, Regular or AP Biology)

Physical Science (2 credits of ICP, Chemistry or Physics)

2 additional Science Courses

Social Studies 6 Credits 2 credits of World History or 2 credits of Geography and

History of the World or AP World History

US History (2 credits in Regular or AP US History)

Government (1 credit in Regular, ACP or AP US Govt.)

Economics (1 credit in Regular or AP Micro, AP Macro or AP Micro/MacroEconomics)

Core 40 Diploma Physical Education 4 Credits

PE I and PE II (1 credit each)

Health (1 credit)

Advanced Health or Elective PE (1 credit)

Electives 12 Credits

At Least 5 Credits of Directed Electives:

World Languages

Fine Arts

Business/Technical

Graduation Requirements:Academic Honors Diploma 47 Total Credits Required

Complete all Core 40 Requirements, plus:

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at graduation

No Grade Below a C- in any class required for either Core 40 or AHD

Two college-level courses through AP or Dual Credit/ACP classes, or specific SAT/ACT scores prior to graduation

6-8 World Language Credits

(3 years of one language or 2 years of two

different languages)

2 Additional Credits in Math

(Pre-Calculus or AP Stats)

2 Credits in Fine Arts (Art, Music, Theater or

Yearbook)

AP Classes College Board curriculum is

widely recognized by colleges and universities

Possible college credit, depending on the AP exam score.

Public colleges in Indiana are required to award college credit for scores of 3, 4, or 5

Fees - $94 for the exam, $142 for Seminar & Research; will be included in book fees

ACP and Other Dual Credit Classes

Both high school and college credit may be awarded

College curriculum—a variety of colleges and universities offer dual credit

Credit is based on the grade earned in the class and maybe transferrable to other universities

Fees – vary depending on the program, but are greatly reduced

AP, ACP and Dual Credit Webinar online at

www.whscounselingcenter.com/course-book/

• You must currently be enrolled in this course to be on track for the AP Capstone

AP Seminar/Lang & Composition

• Academic Thesis

• Public Presentation and Defense

AP Research taken in 12th grade

Counts as required English 12 credits

• AP Exam 1

• AP Exam 2

• AP Exam 3

3 Additional AP Courses taken anytime

throughout High School and passing scores on all exams

AP Capstone Curriculum

Your AP Potential: Located in your College Board Account

Your PSAT scores can help

determine which AP classes might be a good fit for

you

Letters will be sent out to

students who have a 60% or

higher potential of passing an AP

exam

Your counselor can also talk

with you about AP Potential

Discuss the possibility of AP classes with your

teachers this year

Graduation Requirements:Technical Honors Diploma 47 Total Credits Required

Complete all Core 40 Requirements, plus:

A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at graduation

No Grade Below a C- in any class required for either Core 40 or THD

Two college-level courses through AP or Dual Credit/ACP classes, or specific SAT/ACT or Accuplacer scores

Earn 6 HS credits in a CTE college and

career prep pathway

Earn 6 college credits from dual credit courses in

CTE pathway

OR Earn a state-approved, industry based certification

or credential

Technical Honors Diploma:Options at WHS

Students at WHS can earn the THD through:

Project Lead the Way 8 credits (4 year) Engineering or Biomedical Sciences pathway,

including the Capstone courses

Business, Marketing and Information Technology 6 or more high school credits in business & computer classes

6 dual college credits

JEL or Adv. Tech Ed at Ivy Tech (Grades 11/12) Pathway designated industry-based certification

OR 6 dual college credits through specific JEL courses

2018-2019 Course Book

• Course Book and Course Offerings List available online at www.whscounselingcenter.com

What to Look for in the Course Book

CHEMISTRY, ADVANCED PLACEMENT (L) (1-2-3)

This is a BYOT class

Prerequisite: Successful completion of Chemistry I (1-2) and successful completion of Algebra II (3-4)

Recommendation: “A” in Honors Chemistry I (1-2) and “B” or better in Algebra II (3-4)

A course for grades 11 and 12

Course is at least 25% laboratory

A three credit course

A Core 40 and AHD course

The AP Chemistry course is designed to be the equivalent of the general chemistry course usually taken during the first college year. This course will follow the AP College Board curriculum for Chemistry, which reviews topics from Chemistry I in much greater depth and covers additional content not introduced in first year chemistry. Students who take an AP Chemistry course will develop advanced inquiry and reasoning skills, such as designing a plan for collecting data, analyzing data, applying mathematical routines, and connecting concepts in and across domains. Students in this class should plan on spending a minimum of 1 hour per night on class work. A comprehensive description of this course can be found on the College Board AP Central Course Description web page at: http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/

Title

BYOT,

Pre-Reqs,

Credits, etc.

Description

J. Everett Light Career Centerat North Central HS Most JEL classes meet during the afternoon:

Students take classes at WHS 1st, 2nd and 3rd period

JEL classes are from 12:00-3:00; students arrive back at WHS around 3:30 p.m.

Yearlong and is worth 6 of your 15 credits

Transportation provided by WHS, but some courses do require students to have their own transportation

A contract and application are required to take JEL courses; both are available from your counselor

Many JEL classes are available for college credit

See Course List and Book for classes and descriptions

Advanced Career and Technical Education Through Ivy Tech A number of pathways for students to earn Ivy Tech

credits

Students can receive state and industry certifications and can be work-ready after taking these courses

Yearlong and uses 6 of your 15 total credits

• Informatics and Cyber Security• Building Construction (Residential)• Visual Communications & Website Development• Automotive Service Technology• ABC Construction Prep Academy

Career-Based Classes with Release PeriodsSeniors have several options for classes that entail leaving the building to gain career experience or employment Cadet Teaching—allows you to shadow a teacher in

the school district Career Exploration Internship—work side-by-

side with a professional in your intended career area Independent Co-op—earn credit/grade for your

part time job. Requires 10 hrs of work/week Service Leadership—participation in community

service and volunteerism

Senior Seminar Release Periods Students may only take one Senior Seminar each

trimester. Will be either 1st or 5th period Credit for Senior Seminar does NOT count towards:

Your required number of credits for graduation Athletic eligibility Your cumulative GPA

Consider the colleges to which you will be applying and how they view release periods. The majority of colleges would prefer to see students taking a full course load.

After the schedule change deadline, students may NOT drop a class to take Senior Seminar!

Mid-Term GraduationIf you are planning on completing all your graduation requirements early to be a Mid-Term Graduate

• For students done after Tri 1:

• Enter 5 credits and 2 alternates

• Select both Mid-Term Grad 2 and Mid-Term Grad 3 in your PowerSchool Requests

• For students done after Tri 2:

• Enter 10 credits and 2 alternates

• Select Mid-Term Grad 3 in your PowerSchool Requests

Taking the SATs and ACTs Students must register online at the appropriate website

to take either College Entrance Exam

Students should take both exams for their greatest admission opportunity Both exams are accepted at all colleges and universities

Most colleges will use whichever score is highest between the two

Send Scores to Colleges Upon Registration Four free “score-sends” at this time

$12-13 per college to send scores later

SAT: www.collegeboard.com/sat

ACT: www.actstudent.orgFee Waivers Available for Students who Meet Financial Eligibility

TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE FEE REGISTRATION March 10, 2018 February 9, 2018 Feb. 10-28, 2018

May 5, 2018 April 6, 2018 April 7-25, 2018June 2, 2018** May 3, 2018 May 4-23,2018

SAT

www.collegeboard.com

Spring/Summer 2018 SAT and ACT Dates

Students

register

online for all

SATs and ACTs

TEST DATE REGISTRATION DEADLINE LATE FEE REGISTRATION February 10, 2018 January 12, 2018 Jan. 13-19,2018

March 20, 2018April 14, 2018 March 9, 2018 March 10-23, 2018June 9, 2018 May 4, 2018 May 5-18, 2018July 14, 2018 June 15, 2018 June 16-22, 2018

ACT

www.actstudent.org

*ACT School Day at WHS. Register by Dec. 1, 2017

Preparing for your SAT and ACT Both College Board and ACT have free test prep on their websites

Sample test questions and short quizzes Full practice tests Question-of-the-Day: posted on their websites, Twitter and apps

Khan Academy and College Board have partnered for free Test Prep for the redesigned SAT Links to your College Board account Offers personalized practice recommendations Turnitin Scoring Engine will score practice essays that use actual SAT

essay prompts

https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

Test Prep services Can be helpful, but are often costly. Utilize the free services first!

Beginning Your College Search Visit College Campuses

Two excused absences per school year

Utilize your breaks!

Shamrock College Rep Day

March 14th in the WHS Main Gym, 3rd Period

Greater Indianapolis Northside College Fair

March 14th at The Grand Park Event Center 6:30-8:00 pm

College Presentations at WHS—see Naviance/Colleges Tab

Grade 11 College Night Presentation and the College Application Book can be found at www.whscounselingcenter.com/college

College Admission Requirements Many colleges require at least two years of a World

Language

Indiana University and Purdue University require math to be taken in the senior year, at least through Pre-Calculus

Purdue University requires Chemistry for prospective engineering majors

Remember: It is YOUR responsibility to be certain you are meeting all admission requirements for the colleges

to which you will be applying! Look at the college website to learn about their specific admission requirements!

Summer College Admission Workshop Wed. May 30—Friday, June 1

Small group working seminar -

Approximately 35 students Develop resumes for: college applications, scholarships,

recommenders

In-depth training of the college admission process

Advice from Ivy League admission professional

Interview practice and coaching

Develop admission essays within the workshop

Fee: $130.00

Waiver for students who meet income guidelines

Registration form available after Spring Break at the front office

with Mrs. Vollmer–limited to 35 participants

Your Grades and Cumulative GPA: Not happy? Now is the time to turn it around!

Junior year grades are the last grades that are shown on your transcript as you apply to colleges

The closer you get to graduation, the more difficult it is to change your GPA substantially

Make a good final impression! Yes, your senior year counts!

Putting Your Course Requests in PowerSchool

The red exclamation

point means you need

to complete the section

Check the Pre-Requisite Notes to be Sure That You Have Met the Requirements

Trouble Shooting when You Get an Error Message

If you see an error, check the course number to

determine why it is not allowing you to sign up.

You may not have met a course pre-requisite, or maybe you

didn’t sign up for all required trimesters of the course.

Selecting Your Two Alternate Credits

Scroll all the way

to the bottom to

select your two

alternate credits

Hit Submit and Review Your Course Requests for Accuracy

Click here to

see a list of

all your

course

requests

Check to see that

you have all your

selected courses

and 2 Alternate

Hours Requested

Print your course requests for your records.

Important Reminders

Have your course requests in

PowerSchool by January 15th

Choose 15 credits and 2 alternates

Counselors start meeting with students on January 18th

Schedules distributed in April.

Schedule Change Deadline: May 18th