Planning for the Future – Items to Consider for HS Students and Parents
As we prepare for 2nd semester scheduling, I started thinking about ways to encourage students to take challenging courses that will require deep thinking and that will inspire learners to innovate, persevere and collaborate to solve the challenges of tomorrow. (Yes, that is a shameless plug for our school’s mission statement!) I thought about all of the options we give our students, the minimum graduation requirements, the fun courses (Fun, Food and Fitness), the interesting courses (South Dakota History), and the cool courses (Ceramics and Printmaking), just to name a few. It made me realize that we need to provide students with some additional, concrete, data-driven advice on what courses they should take before they graduate from High School.
We offer a wide range of great courses at Lennox High School. Our CTE program (Career and Technical Education) is top-notch and is a source of pride for the district. What other schools can offer onsite house construction, an outdoor campus, complete with hoop barn and animals in the summer and fall, an outdoor classroom, a nature trail through four distinct ecosystems, and an FFA program that regularly competes at Nationals?
Our Business program was developed in response to the high numbers of families that own and run their own businesses in the Lennox, Chancellor, and Worthing communities. If our current students are going to eventually run the family businesses, we want them to have the background to do so. Intro to Business, Accounting 1 and Accounting 2 are the perfect place to start to understand what it takes to run a successful business.
I am proud of every course we offer at Lennox High School and would recommend any of them. However, if your goals are to pursue a college education, there are some very specific recommendations and data that cannot be ignored. When we start talking about college and scholarship requirements, several things on a student’s transcript really stand out: GPA, Quality/Difficulty of coursework, Smarter Balanced test scores, and ACT scores.
Grade Point Average (GPA) is an easy one to describe…Just get as many A’s and B’s as you possibly can. Work hard on your assignments, prepare for your tests, and take advantage of study sessions and tutoring opportunities. Generally, if you are heading to a college or university, your GPA should be over 3.0. If you are hoping for academic scholarships, then a GPA of 3.5 and above is going to be a necessity.
Quality and Difficulty of Coursework does stand out on a transcript. Words like Dual Credit (DC), Advanced or Advanced Placement (AP) indicate the level of difficulty to the person reviewing your transcript. We have several of these options available at Lennox High School: AP Calculus, Advanced Chemistry, Advanced Biology, and next year Advanced Physics. Some courses do not have Advanced in their title but still indicate a higher level of difficulty, such as Spanish 3, Statistics, and Debate, to name a few. As you are signing up for classes, keep these things in mind. Push yourself!
Smarter Balanced Test Scores, taken during Junior year, are also on student transcripts. Students earning a score of 3 or 4 in English and Math are automatically admitted into State Universities. Students scoring a 2 or lower may be required to take remedial, non-credit earning courses. https://www.sdbor.edu/policy/Documents/2-3.pdf
ACT scores have been the standard for college entrance for many years. ACT scores are not required for Technical Schools; they use a test called Accuplacer. ACT tests are typically taken during Junior year and early Senior year. Scores range from 1-36, with colleges typically having minimum requirements of 18 for English, 20 for Math, 17 for Science, and 17 for Reading. We offer ACT Prep classes each year in the Fall. This course focuses on test-taking procedures and tips, not content. It is recommended that students planning to enter college take at least 4 years/credits of Math, Science, and English. Based on Lennox ACT results over the last few years, students taking 4 or more credits of Math, Science, and English score an average of 25.3 on the ACT. That is 4-5 points higher than students who do not take that type of course load!
As you sign up for classes, please consider all the information above. Think about your goals. Do they include college? If so, give yourself the best possible chance to be successful. Challenge yourself with courses and work hard; it will pay off in the end.
Chad Allison Chad.allison@k12.sd.us 605-647-2203 (ext. 5003)