Counseling and Honors

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Counseling and Honors
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Who are the Counselors?

• Karen Lynch
• 7th Grade Counselor

Lisa Shortley 8th Grade Counselor
Amanda Vega de Garcia Student Services
Technician Parents of students new to the
district need to see Mrs. Vega de Garcia to
enroll.
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What do counselors do?

• Personal, social, and academic problems
• Parent conferences
• Promotion status
• Community referrals
• Crisis intervention
• Classroom guidance lessons
• Extended Learning Time (ELT), no sign up
  necessary, just attend
• Information on CJSF, School Service Award, and
  Academic Talent Search

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California Junior Scholarship Federation (CJSF)

• Free statewide honors club
• Qualified students must reapply every trimester
• Any 2 trimesters during 7th grade and first 2
  trimesters during 8th grade are required
• Whats the benefit?
• Practice for high school level of CSF which helps
  with college applications and leadership
  opportunities
• Recognition in promotion ceremony
• program

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School Service Award(CJSF with Distinction Award
for CJSF members)

• 20 hours of school service required
• Recycling program, Esperanza birthday club,
  campus beautification club, ELT tutoring, music
  tutoring
• Students get the applications from their
  counselor, Ms. Lynch

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Grades Online

• Sign up for grades online during 6th grade and
  your login will rollover from year to year. If
  you dont sign up this year, youll have to wait
  until Back-to-School night in October to get the
  codes to sign up and check your childs grades in
  7th grade.
• Ask your elementary school for the directions and
  codes to sign up.
• Students will need access to grades online (with
  their own email address and password or use of a
  parents email address and password) to register
  for their 8th grade electives at the end of 7th
  grade (and to track their own progress).

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Honors

• 7th grade Heterogeneous
• 8th grade Honors or heterogeneous
• All honors information will be sent home the
  first week of school

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Transitioning from Elementary to Secondary

• Students who have participated in the G.A.T.E.
  program in elementary school have shown that they
  have the potential for learning in a manner
  different from other students.
• In secondary school, grades 7 12, students who
  are G.A.T.E. identified may participate in
  honors programs with other students who have
  shown high achievement in the specified subject
  matter. The emphasis in honors level classes now
  shifts from student learning potential to a
  students actual academic performance. Standards
  are set in each academic area which an honors
  student, GATE identified or not, needs to meet or
  surpass in order to continue in the program.

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English - Reading

• To be successful in the honors environment,
  students should display high interest in reading
  and possess strong reading skills. Students will
  be reading books of their own choosing and
  reading novels assigned to them to complement
  instruction. As honors students are reading at
  more advanced levels, some of the books they
  choose to read will have more mature content as
  well.

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English - Writing

• Honors students will be required to write formal
  essays which earn top level rubric scores.
  Writing now becomes more purposeful with an
  emphasis on analysis, explanation, and
  evaluation. Honors students should have grade
  level mastery of spelling, punctuation, and
  grammar, and advanced skills in the areas of
  generating ideas, organization, voice, sentence
  fluency, and word choice.

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7th Grade Math

• All 7th grade students take Pre-algebra
• Ability levels are mixed within each class and
  each community
• Honors level work available to all students
• Special projects and challenge problems
  available to all students
• All students have the opportunity to move to
  algebra in 8th grade

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Grade of A or B AND Good work habits
7th Grade
8th Grade
Algebra 1
Pre - Algebra
Intro to Algebra
Grade of C, D, F OR Work habits need improvement
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Grade of A or B AND Excellent work habits
7th Grade Special case through testing and
invitation only.
8th Grade
Geometry Honors
Algebra 1
Algebra 1 Repeat
Grade of B, C, D, F OR Work habits need
improvement
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History Honors Curriculum

• 7th grade history classes are heterogeneously
  grouped and are differentiated.
• Students wishing to pursue an honors designation
  must demonstrate the following characteristics
  intrinsic motivation, focus, organization, and
  outstanding behavior.
• In addition, they should be critical thinkers,
  skilled writers, and read two years above grade
  level.

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Requirements

1. Alternate Assignments
2. Historical Novels
3. End of Unit Assessments

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• Criteria for qualification into 8th grade honors
• 90 GPA (or higher) average for the whole
  school year.
• Completion of the history portfolio with all
  necessary work.
• Satisfaction (or higher) citizenship mark for
  the whole school year.
• Outstanding work habits mark all three
  trimesters.
• 7th grade history teacher recommendation.
• Review of portfolio contents by 8th grade
  honors teachers.

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Honors Curriculum

• 8th Grade United States History

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Areas of Assessment

• Historical Novels
• End of Unit Assessments and/or Reflective
  Historical Essays
• Integration with the Honors History Classes

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9th Grade Honors History Criteria

• 90 class average (or higher) for each trimester
• Demonstration of advanced writing higher level
  thinking skills
• Satisfactory (or higher) citizenship marks for
  the whole school year
• Outstanding work habits all three trimesters
• 8th grade social studies teacher recommendation

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Honors Science

• 7th grade heterogeneous
• 8th grade honors or heterogeneous
• Positive behavior is necessary because of the use
  of chemicals during labs

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Requirements to Enter 8th Grade Honors Science

• Earn at least a 95 each trimester of 7th grade
• Turn in assignments on time
• Score at least 93 on metric competency during
  1st trimester
• Demonstrate mastery of graphing with at least 95
  on graphing assessment during 1st trimester
• Enroll in Algebra or Geometry as an 8th grader
• Outstanding or Satisfactory citizenship
• Earn at least a 90 on all honors components of
  differentiated assignments (ie. cell project,
  animal project, etc.)

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9th Grade Biology

• Earth Science for regular students, Biology for
  honors science students
• Requirements for Biology
• Must earn an A all three trimesters
• No less than an 88 in algebra or geometry during
  8th grade
• An outstanding or satisfactory in both
  citizenship and work habits.

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Questions?