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HIGH SCHOOL PLANNING

Grade 9: Lesson #2

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Today we will

Assess a transcript and the purpose of the document

Be able to calculate a GPA

Review ways to keep track of your progress towards graduation

Create your 4-Year Plan in Naviance

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Who is Your School Counselor?

Ms. Valentine

A-Chi

Mrs. Pizzo

Cho-G

Ms. Flores

H-La

Mr. Johnson

Le-O

Mr. Ives

P-Sm

Mrs. Gers

So-Z

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The Why & How

How to do well in school?

Attendance
Engage in instruction
Ask for help!

Howard County Public Library offers free tutoring from 2pm-11:59pm
Talk to your teacher
Attend tutoring programs after school

Why do well in school?

Open opportunities
Build relationships
Build skills
Explore interests

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HIGH SCHOOL TRANSCRIPTS & GPA

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What is a high school transcript and why is it important?

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A High School Transcript

KEY:

HS credits earned in ms are included on transcript. The Grade is NOT included in GPA.
Innovative Pathways credits are included. The grade is included in GPA.
Dual credit classes are included on transcript. The grade is included in the GPA.

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Engage students how can a transcript help you keep track of your progress towards graduation?

Your high school transcript is a complete record of your academic achievements in high school. It starts with the first grading period of your first year of high school and is updated each term until you graduate.

Notice only final grades are reported on your transcript.

Share what the top of the transcript looks like as we did not include for confidentiality (name, address, dob, phone, counselor, school and address).

There are two types of high school transcripts: official and unofficial. The main difference: official transcripts are sent to colleges directly from high schools, while unofficial transcripts can be given directly to students. Many schools have online portals where you can print copies of your unofficial transcript. YOU CAN ALWAYS ACCESS YOUR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. Go to documents in synergy. Same place you access your report card.

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KEY:

Graduation requirements.
High School Assessments..
Service Learning and Wow.
Unweighted and Weighted GPA.
Grade calculation.

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Engage students how can a transcript help you keep track of your progress towards graduation?

Your high school transcript is a complete record of your academic achievements in high school. It starts with the first grading period of your first year of high school and is updated each term until you graduate.

Share what the top of the transcript looks like as we did not include for confidentiality (name, address, dob, phone, counselor, school and address).

There are two types of high school transcripts: official and unofficial. The main difference: official transcripts are sent to colleges directly from high schools, while unofficial transcripts can be given directly to students. Many schools have online portals where you can print copies of your unofficial transcript. YOU CAN ALWAYS ACCESS YOUR UNOFFICIAL TRANSCRIPT. Go to documents in synergy. Same place you access your report card.

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How are final grades calculated?

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Calculating Final Grades

Transcripts ONLY show final grades of all classes earning high school credit
Final grades include your quarter grades, midterm exam grade and final exam grade

1st quarter

2nd quarter

Midterm

3rd quarter

4th quarter

Final

NOTE: Biology and American Government final grades are calculated differently

FINAL GRADE

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Linked in the slide is the google sheet to calculate your final grade for a class. Grades are broken down by quarter and assigned a number. The linked grading calculator will help you determine what your final grade will be based on your grades in the prior quarters. (click on the link and show students the grading calculator)

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR SY23-24::Students entering the 9th grade shall have the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment for life science comprise 20% of the final grade. Therefore, students enrolled in Biology G/T (regardless of their grade level) this school year will be required to take the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment for Science and have it comprise 20% of their final grade for this course. Students in Biology G/T will not have a separate midterm or final exam grade.

Q1 = 20%

Q2 = 20%

Q3 = 20%

Q4 = 20%

Maryland Comprehensive Assessment for Science = 20%

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Weighted vs. Unweighted GPA

Important to strike a balance between rigorous but not overwhelming.
Colleges often reweight GPA’s to align with all schools in country. More important to take classes you excel in and challenged then strive for perfect GPA.

Grade	Regular	Honors	GT/AP
A	4.0	4.5	5.0
B	3.0	3.5	4.0
C	2.0	2.5	3.0
D	1.0	1.0	1.0
E	0.0	0.0	0.0

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Pause and Reflect

What is a GPA?

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What is the difference between weighted and unweighted GPA?

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Will my first quarter science grade show on my transcript?

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Will a high school course taken in middle school go on your transcript? Is grade factored in GPA?

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Are midterms and finals calculated in your final grade?

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GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

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Why is it important to keep track of your graduation requirements?

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Review Course History in Synergy

Students (and parents) can view their course history (all courses that have been taken and grades earned) in SYNERGY.
Go to Synergy, click on course history, and you can see all the courses you have taken.
If you click on the course, it expands and you can view your grade.

KEY:

-Green is completed.

-Orange is in progress

-Gray is not completed.

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Planning The Next 3 Years

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Naviance Course Planner

Course Planner on Naviance

The course planner enables students to connect course work to your graduation requirements, postsecondary goals and desired career pathway.

Make time to begin your course plan as course registration is upon us!

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Accessing Naviance Course Planner

Go to hcpss.me and click on Naviance.

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Click on “Courses” along the top and then “Manage Course Plans”.

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Click the pink plus (+) button on the right side of the screen.

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Select a plan: CTE or World Language

You can do both but you have to select just one for this
If you select CTE, you must select a Career Cluster but you do not have to select a specific Career Academy

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Begin creating your plan!

Under each subject area, click on “+ edit courses” to begin adding in the courses you are planning to take over the next 3 years!

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HCPSS High School Course Catalogs (LINK)

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Check-In

QUESTION 1

Name one way to keep track of your progress towards graduation.

QUESTION 2

How can a 4-year plan help you?

QUESTION 3

Do all colleges look at the weighted GPA?

QUESTION 4

What is one career pathway HCPSS offers?

QUESTION 5

Can you earn high school credit for any classes in middle school?

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POCKET WELLNESS

Tips for Reducing Stress

(to keep in your back pocket!)

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Strategies from the American Psychological Association

Sleep well! Sleep is essential for physical and emotional well-being.

Teens need eight to 10 hours a night.
To protect shut-eye, limit screen use at night and avoid keeping digital devices in the bedroom.

Exercise. Physical activity is an essential stress reliever for people of all ages.

Talk it out. Talking about stressful situations helps teens put things in perspective and find solutions.

Make time for fun — and quiet. Find a healthy balance between favorite activities and free time.

Get outside. Spending time in nature is an effective way to relieve stress and improve overall well-being.

Write about it. Research has found that expressing oneself in writing can help reduce mental distress and improve well-being.

Some research has found, for example, that writing about positive feelings—such as the things you’re grateful for or proud of — can ease symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Learn mindfulness. In a study of a five-week mindfulness training program for 13- to 18-year-olds, researchers found that teens who learned mindfulness experienced significantly less mental distress than teens who did not.

One-Minute Mindfulness Activity

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