How to Help Your Child Use College and Career Support Services

The new school year has started. As a superintendent of two public middle schools and a comprehensive high school, I have reflected on how I can change some of our school’s procedures and programs to fully support our college and career ready students. Here’s a list of changes that we will implement this year:

Use College and Career Support Services

I have learned that students need practice in completing a college application. Through this process, they will learn what is required to go to college. This includes prerequisite courses, community service activities, and work-based or intern experiences.
It is critical for students to meet and shadow professionals and employees in specific careers. Our high school will host a career day this winter before testing and future courses are selected. My students will be able to explore various careers through meetings and discussions with representatives of various professions.
The only standardized tests that count for college acceptance are the ACT and SAT scores. We continue to reinforce the academic skills required through critical thinking activities, vocabulary development, and a rigorous math foundation for all levels of algebra and geometry.
We are expanding our focus on visiting local colleges during the school day. Parents are encouraged to participate and attend these college information days with our students.
We are expanding our middle school program by having the students present a final service learning project at a local college campus. Parents, community members, and the public are invited to attend these community events.

Have Your Child Participate in College and Career Programs

We have expanded our college presentations to include financial planning. Through presentations by financial planners, banks, and college loan agencies, we help parents and students learn how to plan for college expenses. These presentations are made available to families of middle school students as well as families of high school students.
We are expanding the number of college level courses that our high school offers on our campus. These college classes are conducted by the local community college and qualify for college transfer units. Students are not required to take an AP exam to qualify for these college credit classes. To validate their accomplishment, they take an end of term college exam for each course. With a grade of C or better, their college course taken on their high school campus will transfer to a college with college credits. When students take college courses in high school, they are better prepared for rigorous college campus courses.
Added counseling support will be provided to students and their families who wish to enroll in college classes offered at their high school. Students can learn how to access community college classes and programs at a younger age and overcome the testing barriers of AP exams as well as reduce their college education expenses by taking college courses while in high school.

I look forward to hearing how you are able to help your child prepare for their future career and college experience.

Warm regards,

Yvette