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Next Stop: High School

Created By: Countdown to High School

Presented By:

+p. 2 11/7/2011High School Factors Letter

Objective: SWBAT identify and prioritize the factors they should consider when choosing a high school.

Do Now: You have $150 to buy a new pair of shoes. What factors do you take into consideration when deciding what shoes to buy?

(5 minutes)

+Factors…Style

Comfort

Popularity

Price

You would never buy a shoe without weighing the factors, shopping around, and trying a bunch on, right??

So why would you choose a high school without shopping around?

+Homework

P. 2-High School Factors letter

Term 1 ends on 11/10.

+8th Grade Isn’t Even Halfway Done Yet!So why are we already talking to you about

high school?

Complexity: The high school choice process in Boston is complicated, and you need support in figuring out how to choose a high school.

Importance: High school matters. Where you attend high school may directly affect your academic success in high school, and your preparedness for college.

Empowerment: YOU have the ability to investigate the high school options in Boston, and determine which will be the best fit. Don’t let someone ‘assign’ you to a school—make an educated decision!

+High Schools in Boston

Large, Comprehensive Public High Schools

Large High Schools Broken into Small Learning Communities

Exam SchoolsPilot SchoolsCharter SchoolsPrivate and Parochial Schools

+Go to this website:

www.cd2hs.org

+p. 3 School Options and Factors to Consider

Step 1: go to www.cd2hs.org

Step 2: Click on “School Options”

Step 3: Read about each type of school, summarize, give examples, and rate whether you’d want to attend them or not.

(15 minutes)

+Reflecting on School Options

Use the clickers to reflect on which school options you most prefer.

(5 minutes)

+Factors to Consider When Choosing a High School

SizeLocationThemeServicesApplication ProcessAcademic IndicatorsExtra-Curriculars

+Investigating Factors

Step 1: go to www.cd2hs.org

Step 2: Click on “Factors to Consider”

Step 3: Read about the factors you should consider when choosing a high school.

Step 4: Summarize each factor, answer one of the questions to ask yourself, and say how important it is to you in making your decision.

(15 minutes)

+Reflecting on Factors

Use the clickers to answer questions about the Factors

(5 minutes)

+Other Factors to Consider

Start and end time for the school day

Percentage of students passing MCAS in 10th grade

Average student score on the SAT

Percentage of students going to college

Percentage of students STAYING in college after the 1st year

When you visit schools, ask these questions if they are things you want to know about!

+Show What You Know

Of the factors you learned about today, which three are most important to YOU in choosing a high school? Why do these factors matter to you?