Preparing for high school

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Preparing for high school post high school
success
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Preparing for success

• It is never to early to begin thinking about
  preparing for high school and post high school
  plans.
• The pathway that is set for students begins in
  middle school.

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What does preparing mean?

• There are many options after high school.
• Work
• Military
• Trades
• Apprentice programs
• Proprietary schools
• College

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Preparing for success

• What does it mean, preparing for high school
  success and beyond?
• How do I prepare my child and when?
• How do parents prepare themselves?
• What role does standardized testing, class
  offerings, and finances play in all of this
  process?
• Where do we go for help in answering all of these
  questions?

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Preparing for success

• Adults age 18 and older with a bachelors degree
  earned an average of 51,554 in 2004, while those
  with a high school diploma earned 28,645,
  according to new tabulations released today by
  the U.S. Census Bureau. Those without a high
  school diploma earned an average of 19,169.

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Preparing for success

• No matter what path is selected, there are some
  basic facts about preparing for a post high
  school life. One assumption we are making is
  that everyone is striving to earn at least a
  living wage.
• Living wage is what a family of four needs to
  earn for basic necessities. The US government
  has set the living wage at 38,500.

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How do I prepare my child and when?

• Spend a lot of time talking about goals and what
  is needed to reach those goals.
• Research jobs and what will be required to enter
  that field.
• Do not panic if your child does not know what
  they want to be, many things change between age
  12-25. Do not make the process a stressful
  situation.
• Also realize that over 30 of the jobs that your
  child will be competing for have not even been
  created yet.

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How do I parents prepare themselves?

• Be involved in creating your childs 4 year high
  school plan.
• Be aware of the recommended college core of
  classes 4 years of English, 3 years of math, 3
  years of science, and 3 years of social studies,
  and 2 years of foreign language.
• Honors and AP courses provide a challenge and
  rigor this has proven to lead to future success.
• Go over standardized test (EXPLORE, PLAN, ACT,
  and PSAE) to identify strengths and areas to
  improve to better prepare your child for the
  upcoming challenge of college.

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What role does my childs 4 year course selection
plan play?

• To make along story short, the more rigorous a
  students course load is, the better they will do
  in college.
• The higher the level of math reached, the more
  likely success will be attained in college.
• Students who take at least one AP (advanced
  placement) course do better in college.
• The senior year should not be viewed as the
  last time to have some fun. But at the same
  time, school should be an enjoyable experience.

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What role does standardized testing plan?

• Scores from the different standardized tests
  indicate student strengths and areas to improve.
• If my child scores low, does that mean they will
  never do well in college? NO! Standardized test
  scores are used as information to improve, not
  label and lock into a certain future path.

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What role should finances play in deciding
whether or not to do in college?

• NONE!
• Remember, do not eliminate any college because of
  costs before receiving financial assistance
  information.
• Remember to check with college officials for
  accurate costs.

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Where do I go if I need help ?

• The place to start is your childs guidance
  counselors.
• There are many web sites, one of the best is
  www.act.org The ACT web site has lots valuable
  information, practice tests, and other resources
  for students and parents.