An Evening with the

NBHS Counselorsfor the

Classes of 2020 & 2021

COUNSELORSMrs. Nasser: A – CorrMrs. Schultze: Cort - HernMrs. Burton: Herr – Mel Mrs. Weaver: Men – Sa Ms. Hernandez: Sc – ZMrs. Garcia: CTE/Dual Credit

Mrs. Miller: College and Career Center Coordinator

Rico Herrera: College and Career Center Assistant

ENDORSEMENTSAll plans are posted on the counselor website

• ARTS & HUMANITIES• Fine Art

• Foreign Language

• Social Studies

• BUSINESS & INDUSTRY• Business/Marketing/Finance/Agriculture

• IT/Arts/AV

• Communication/English

• MULTIDISCIPLINARY• 4 x 4

• Advanced

• PUBLIC SERVICE• Education

• Health Science

• Human Services

• Law Enforcement

• JROTC

• STEM • Math/Engineering

• Science

Can Endorsements Be Changed?

• Endorsements can be changed as long as there is time to complete necessary courses

• Multiple endorsement changes can put on-time graduation at risk

• Counselors will monitor courses for only one endorsement

Schedule Change Requests

• Students are given course verification sheets in May. This is the last time to request course changes for any reason.

• During the first two weeks of the semester, students may request a change only for the reasons listed on the first day schedule.

• Level changes (ex: AP to Honors) are considered at the end of the nine-week grading periods.

• Not all schedule change requests can be honored due to space availability, endorsement needs, etc.

DOES ONE GRADE REALLY MATTER?Semester grades show on the transcript and determine credit,

not 9 week averages

Really Good Grades!

• Look at the following:100

829188968685959385

Average = 90

Oops! Don’t like that zero!

• Look at the following:100

82918896868595930

Average = 81

Rank vs. GPARank at the end of the JUNIOR year is used for college

acceptance

• Rank includes 4 core areas (English, Math, Science, Social Studies), Foreign Language, and any additional Honors, AP, or Dual Credit courses

• AP or Dual Credit = maximum of 8 rank points

• Honors = maximum of 7 rank points

• Academic = maximum of 6 rank points

• GPA (Grade Point Average) includes all courses taken for high school credit

• GPA is on a 4.0 scale• GPA is unweighted

AP vs. Dual Credit

• Both are accepted by colleges/universities

• AP college credit is based on the AP exam score at the end of the year

• No testing requirements to take AP courses

• Dual Credit acceptance is based on TSI scores

• College credit based on performance throughout the year, not one exam

• College rules and deadlines apply

Dual Credit 2019-2020 School Year

• Dual credit packets will be available after spring semester begins

• Announcements will be made and information posted on the counselor website

• All instructions must be followed and deadlines met for students to be considered for dual credit courses

• TSI testing is mandated for students new to dual credit and scores must meet college readiness standards

• TCCNS.org (Texas Common Core Number System) may be accessed to compare college credits from San Antonio College and four year universities

POST-SECONDARY OPTIONS

Going Immediately to Work

Going on for Further Training/Education

• Military

• Private trade/technical/business

• Vocational Schools

• 2 Year Community or Junior Colleges

• 4 Year Universities

• Juniors get 2 days to visit colleges. Must turn in letter to attendance for visit to be excused.

Visit the College and Career Center

2 Year vs. 4 Year College or University

Community or Junior College• Technical certificates

• Credits to transfer

• Associate’s degree

• Less expensive than 4 year

• Most require 2 items

Application

Transcript

• Considered open enrollment in Texas

4 Year University

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD

• Most require 4 items

• Apply Texas

• Application Fee

• Transcript through Parchment on the high school home page

• SAT or ACT scores

Automatic Admission to Texas Public Colleges and Universities

• NBISD high school graduates who successfully complete the Foundation graduation program, earn one endorsement and have the distinguished designation (four years of math including Algebra II) will be automatically admitted into Texas public Universities or Colleges IF one of the following requirements is met:

• Applicant is in the top 10% of his/her class at the end of the Junior year OR

if applying to the University of Texas in Austin, fall 2020 Freshman applicants

must be in the top 6% at the end of their Junior year.

• Applicants must check the deadlines for admissions for each Texas College/University as they vary greatly. All deadline information may be found on the College/University website.

• Automatic admission into a university does not guarantee admission into a particular department

College ApplicationsBegin summer prior to senior year

Applytexas.org opens July 1, 2019

Admission decisions based on grades and

rank from end of junior year

Sophomores and juniors, keep your grades

up to have the best chance of college

acceptance!

See counselor or college/career website

for additional college information

Texas Success Initiative (TSI)

All students entering a Texas 2 or 4 Year public college or university must take the TSI test PRIOR to

enrolling in college level courses, unless exemption standards are

met.

EXEMPTIONS

• ACT standard: composite score of 23, with a minimum score of 19 for English and 19 for Math

• SAT standard: no composite score

Minimum score of 530 on Math

Minimum score of 480 on Evidenced

based Reading and Writing

SAT vs. ACTEither is accepted by Universities in Texas

SAT• Score range 400 - 1600

• 3 tests + optional essay

• Reading, Writing & Language, Math

• Calculator allowed for some problems

• Fee waiver available for students eligible for free or reduced lunch

• See college/career center for waiver

ACT• Score range 1 - 36

• 4 tests + optional essay

• Reading, English, Math, Science

• Calculator allowed for all problems

• Fee waiver available for students eligible for free or reduced lunch

• See college/career center for waiver

TRANSCRIPT REQUEST• Students must request transcripts

• Request must be completed using Parchment• Access Parchment on the high school web site • Request transcripts at least two weeks in advance• Transcript requests include grades, test scores, rank-in-class,

grade point average and a copy of most recent report card• Students receive a confirmation email from Parchment when

transcript(s) have been sent• Universities may take several weeks to process transcripts• Contact Ms. Kilman for issues concerning transcript

submission. ckilman@nbisd.org• Counselors do not send transcripts and are not permitted to

disclose rank or GPA via phone or email• Students are provided a free copy of the transcript twice per

year. It is student responsibility to pick up his/her transcript during distribution

NCAA Clearinghouse

Student-Athletes wishing to receive scholarship monies to play sports in college must register with the NCAA

Eligibility Clearinghouse

See your coach for more information!

GREEN CORDS

• Students must accrue 150 or more volunteer hours to qualify for a green graduation cord

• Student will document hours through Career Cruising

• Instructions and forms for tracking volunteer hours are located on the high school home page

• Documentation of volunteer hours must be entered by May 1 of the senior year

Junior Checklist

Have college discussion(s) with your parent(s).

Review your graduation plan and course requirements.

Read, work on vocabulary and keep up your grades.

Prepare list of questions to ask college representatives. What is important to you?

Register on college websites to receive their information and catalogs.

Get organized. Set up a file with folders for each college and other materials.

Attend college fairs and other meetings offered by your school.

Continue searching for scholarships and aid.

Learn financial aid basics. Know the types of aid and where they come from.

Visit colleges. There is no substitute for experiencing the college in session.

Review PSAT results and use them to prepare for SAT/ACT testing.

Plan your standardized testing schedule and begin to prep. Free prep is available on the NBHS counselor website.

Consider taking the SAT and/or ACT in March and/or June.

Start to narrow down your college list and fine tune your “must haves” in a school.

Evaluate your colleges as “safety, target or reach”. You need some of each.

Plan a productive summer that will enhance your resume.

Discuss finances with your family.

Think about teachers or other people that you might ask for recommendations.

Over the summer, research each of your target schools.

Talk to people who know about your target schools or went/go there.

If you are an athlete, register with the NCAA clearinghouse.

Sophomore Checklist in Approximate Order

Have college discussion(s) with your parent(s). Set 10th grade goals.

If offered, take preliminary/practice SAT and ACT tests.

Talk to people you know about careers and colleges.

Keep your grades up. Sophomore year is important!

Do you have a professional student email account for college correspondence?

Develop a rough target list of colleges. 10-12 is fine at this point.

Meet with your counselor to discuss your curriculum and options.

Continue extracurricular activities – remember, quality not quantity!

Can you obtain a leadership position in some area? Start something?

Begin or continue to work on your resume. Look for weak areas.

Get to know your teachers and be sure they know you care about grades.

Look at the websites of some of your “dream colleges”. See what they require.

Register on these college websites to get on their mailing lists.

Read more than the minimum high school required reading – work on vocabulary.

Analyze your practice or preliminary test results if applicable.

Continue to familiarize yourself with internet resources such as college comparisons, college websites, and scholarship searches.

Update your file and resume with any awards, honors, certificates, etc.

Any chance to visit some colleges over Spring Break?

Attend a college fair.

Plan an interesting summer that might enhance your resume.

Plan a challenging junior curriculum. Take the most difficult classes you can handle.

Study hard for sophomore finals.

Talk to people you know and those who attend your target colleges.

Make a plan for prepping for SAT and/or ACT testing.

Enjoy a productive summer!

Helpful Links• http://schools.nbisd.org/page/nbhs.counselor_home

• http://www.nbisd.org/page/cc.index

• https://www.parchment.com/u/registration/23646/account

• https://www.khanacademy.org/sat

• https://texasoncourse.org/

• https://www.texasgearup.com/

• https://www.goingmerry.com/

• https://www.onetonline.org

• https://www.bls.gov/ooh/a-z-index.htm#S