10TH Grade Readiness Milestones at Issaquah High Sophomore year is very important for students who are preparing to be college and career ready. As a sophomore, you should plan to reach three key milestones this year: MILESTONE 1: A. During 10th grade, plan for junior year. Junior year is crucial because it is the last full year of your academic performance that colleges will see on your application. Because junior year is so important, you’ll spend time this year building your academic strengths, planning the courses you should take next year, and building your resume with extracurricular activities. Visit the Activities page on the IHS website & the Opportunities page on the College and Career website for ideas. We also encourage you to keep the following tips in mind for academic success: Continue to work to improve/maintain good grades. Don’t be afraid to ask for help from teachers and utilize additional support through after school labs and other supports as needed. Self-advocacy is a sign of success! Work to maintain a balance between your academic life and life outside of academics allowing for good sleep, nutrition, and well-being. MILESTONE 2: A. Begin the college admissions process (by taking the PSAT). Now is the time to begin preparing for college. Taking the PSAT during sophomore year will help you assess your academic skills and get good experience taking a standardized exam. You will take the PSAT on October 19th at 9:55am at IHS, and you will receive excellent personalized feedback and a free personalized online SAT study plan with your score report in January. MILESTONE 3: A. Learn about the three college options. Most careers require some type of post-secondary education or training. This year we encourage you to learn about the three college options that most students follow to prepare for their career choice: four-year college, two-year community college, or technical college. Career Cruising, the new online program you will use for your High School and Beyond plan, will require you to complete a college research exercise this year. More details to come. B. Learn how to make a financial plan for college. You can’t go to college unless you have a plan to make tuition and other expenses affordable. This year we encourage you to learn about financial aid, including scholarships, grants, loans, and part-time jobs that many students use to pay for college. You can now start the process of developing a financial plan for your life after high school. We encourage you to speak with your parents and our College and Career Center here on campus about financial planning for college. C. Explore careers and identify possible career interests. What are you interested in doing as a career? This year, you will complete a Career Matchmaker exercise as part of your 10th grade portion of your High School and Beyond plan (see the Career Center website for details). This will help you identify possible careers, and then learn about the education and training you will need to pursue those careers. Our College and Career Center also offers brown bag lunches on campus where you can hear professionals in career fields of your interest speak. We encourage students who are not pursuing a traditional four-year college path after high school to attend the Great Careers field trip in March put on by the Issaquah Schools Foundation. Sign up in the College and Career Center.
Sophomores: PSAT, HS & Beyond Plan, and Sophomore Year Milestones PSAT 1.) Practice for the SAT o Similar testing environment, written & scored by College Board. o Excellent personalized feedback provided w/ suggestions on how to prepare for the SAT. o It’s PRACTICE - scores are NOT a part of college apps & colleges never see your scores. 2.) Qualifying test for National Merit Program o Selection is based on total PSAT score in junior year. o Each year, IHS has a handful of students who qualify. PSAT Registration ~ school-wide test, sign up ASAP! • Study Guide: if you receive one today, you have already paid for the test or received a scholarship to test. If you did not receive a study guide… 1. Pay online & print out receipt, or bring a check for $15 made out to Issaquah HS to ASB bookkeeper & get a receipt. 2. Bring receipt to Ms. Soto in the Counseling office (2102) to pick up a study guide. • Scholarships are available: if you believe you qualify for a scholarship, but did not receive a study guide, contact the ASB Bookkeeper for a scholarship app, or contact your counselor via email.
Test Day ~ Wed, Oct 19th • • •
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Get a good night sleep, eat breakfast, dress comfortably in layers – it’s a long test. Bring no.2 pencils, eraser, calculator – that’s it! Do not be late, you must be IN CLASS ready to go AT 9:55. Be aware of standardized test policies: o Do not discuss test, may only work on current section, no looking forward or back o May not access anything other than pencil, eraser, calculator during test. No paper, rulers, cellphones, cameras, smart watches, pens, earplugs, etc, until all test booklets are collected. o Calculator: all scientific calcs are acceptable, some graphing calcs (see study guide). Whole process takes ~ 3.5 hours, no one leaves early. Lunch afterward, then rest of school day.
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