During the registration process, students must choose a Course of Study. Parents and students should attend the scheduled community middle school's registration conference or parent meetings, sponsored by the 8th-grade school counselor. It is also important to attend the high school's transition night to understand the different Courses of Study, Career Pathways, and learn how high school experience can be rewarding. Students entering ninth grade should refer to Career Plan 6 when registering for classes each semester. Each Course of Study has specific requirements to fulfill and this affects student graduation. Middle School Counselors, High School Counselors and Career Development Specialists are able to explain Courses of Study and subsequent requirements.

Students should review their selected Course of Study and four-year plan to insure that mandated requirements have been met or are in the planning stage to be met during the four-year high school career so that graduation is an occasion to celebrate. Students should have an understanding of what classes they must successfully complete to graduate.

Remember, Courses of Study, such as College Tech Prep and Career Prep include Career Pathways. Four career/technical credits in a pathway must be successfully completed. One of the credits in a technical pathway must be a level II course.

Any student pursuing a College Tech Prep Course of Study will successfully meet the requirements of a College/University Course of Study by completing the Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II math sequence. Additionally, students must complete two units of foreign language and a fourth math course selected from the following: Pre-Calculus, Discrete Math, Advanced Functions and Modeling, AP Statistics or AP Calculus. For more information, please refer to the minimum university requirements for North Carolina. Students fulfilling these requirements will be a completer in the College Tech Prep and College/ University Course of Studies.

Don�t take risks. Schedule an appointment with the school counselor about the courses of study you may be interested in, mandated career pathways, and graduation requirements. It is your responsibility to learn what is required for high school graduation and what opportunities you have prepared for after high school.

THIS IS YOUR LIFE. STAY INFORMED!

"Some men see things the way they are and ask, 'Why?' I dream things that never were, and ask 'Why not?'" ~ George Bernard Shaw

All students will graduate from a rigorous relevant academic program that equips them with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to succeed in both post-secondary education and 21st-century careers and to be participating, engaged citizens. Academic rigor and relevance are based on established expectations that ensure all students develop the capacity to master content that is complex and challenging.

In this environment, school counselors and other adults in the middle and high school settings:

• Shall provide guidance and information to students about course elections and requirements prior to ninth grade

• Shall know and understand the number and nature of credits required for college entrance

• Shall encourage ninth grade students to complete these requirements in less than four years where feasible and appropriate

• Shall help students to set up schedules that promote their early completion (within three years) of requirements for college entry, to the extent appropriate for the individual student, as they assist, and advise ninth grade students in annual/semester course selection and in career planning activities

• Shall inform students about opportunities to accelerate completion of graduation requirements and early college entrance opportunities

• Shall provide information in such settings as orientation sessions and grade level meetings, small group settings, and/or one-to-one sessions

• Shall distribute and explain this information to school staff and parents

  
  "The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

Graduation Requirements

• In order to graduate from high school a student must earn 28 units/credits. Units/credits are earned by successfully passing a course.

• To graduate from high school, a student must complete a course of study. There are three courses of study from which to choose as follows:

North Carolina Course of Study Graduation Requirements

(1) Career Preparation This Course of Study is for the student who plans to go to work after high school graduation. Students completing this Course of Study must earn four credits in the same pathway. This student may complete a pathway in the JROTC or the Arts Discipline.

(2) College Tech Preparation - This Course of Study is for the student who plans to attend a technical or vocational school after high school graduation. Students completing this Course of Study must earn four credits in the same pathway, one of which must be a level II course.

(3) College/University Preparation This Course of Study is for the student who plans to attend a four-year institution. This course of study meets the minimum requirements for admission at the 16 campuses of the University of North Carolina.

Students may enter the military after completing any of the above Courses of Study.

Occupational This particular Course of Study is available for students with specific identified disabilities. The student who is on the Occupational Course of Study must have a current Individual Educational Plan (IEP). These students must complete three hundred hours of school-based training, two hundred forty hours of community-based training, and three hundred sixty hours of paid employment. Please contact your child's Exceptional Children's teacher for more comprehensive information.

A pathway is a group of similar courses related to a career plan. There are several pathways from which to choose. Pathways should be chosen based on the student's career interest.

Pathway: Agricultural and Natural Resource Technologies

Related Careers: landscaping, farming, forestry

Pathway: Biological and Chemical Technologies

Related Careers: chef, nutritionist, cafeteria worker

Pathway: Business Technology

Related Careers: office manager, bank teller, sales agent

Pathway: Commercial and Artistic Production Technologies

Related Careers: TV/radio broadcasting, small business owners, technology trades

Pathway: Construction Technologies

Related Careers: brick mason, plumbing, carpentry

Pathway: Engineering Technologies

Related Careers: engineering, networking, data processing

Pathway: Health Science

Related Careers: nursing, health professions, therapists

Pathway: Industrial Technologies

Related Careers: welding, architectural, industrial manufacturing

Pathway: Public Service Technologies

Related Careers: daycare workers, culinary, cosmetology

Pathway: Transport System Technology

Related Careers: automotive mechanic, engine repair, racing

"The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time." - Abraham Lincoln

Testing Requirements for Graduation

The North Carolina State Board of Education approved new high school exit standards requiring students entering the ninth grade for the first time 2006-07 and beyond to pass five EOC assessments:

Algebra I

Biology

English I

Civics & Economic

U.S. History

Students must also successfully complete a senior project. The exit standards apply to students in College Tech Preparation, Career Preparation, and/or College University Preparation courses of study. Students will be provided retesting opportunities if needed. Students following the Occupational Course of Study are required to meet rigorous exit standards as outlined in State Board of Education policy. Please speak with the Exceptional Children's teacher and review your child's Individual Education Plan.

NC Scholars

Students who complete the requirements for an academically challenging high school program will be named North Carolina Scholars and receive special recognition. Requirements for the NC Scholars Program are the minimum requirements for the College University Prep Course of Study. Students must have an overall four-year unweighted grade point average of 3.5.

Required Ninth-Grade Courses

Eighth grade End of Grade scores and academic history determine placement in ninth-grade classes. The availability of courses varies in area high schools. Usually, students entering the 9th grade will register for the following courses: English, math, science, social studies, health and physical education, and three electives. Students should consider their career pathways when selecting their electives.

Promotion Requirements

Grade 9 to Grade 10 - Students must successfully pass six (6) units� one of these units must include English I.

Honors Courses

Students entering 9th grade may be eligible to participate in honors courses. Honors courses are more rigorous than standard courses. Eighth-grade classroom teachers usually recommend upcoming 9th graders to participate in honors classes. If students are interested in participating in honors courses, they should speak with classroom teachers and school counselors. Students should have demonstrated ability through the EOG and classroom performance.

Advanced Level (Honors) Courses

These courses are more challenging and intensive than regular courses of the same title and will go beyond the state-mandated curriculum. Advanced Level Honors Courses are taken during the 10th-12th grade high school years. High school teachers usually recommend students to take advance courses in specific content area. Students usually have demonstrated self-motivation, ability, and initiative in specific content area.

Other Terms to Know

Online Classes- These are additional classes that may be taken on the student's home computer. Please view the PSRC web page and link to PSRC Online Home (Internet web-based instruction) or contact the PSRC Online Coordinator, at 671-6095.

Information Highway - These are courses taught via television from one school site to another.

Dual Enrollment - Allows students to take courses at a community college or university. This opportunity is not available for 9th graders; however, accelerated students can plan to participate in this program during the 11th and/or 12th grades.

AP Classes - Advanced Placement classes are college-level courses taught in high school. AP courses are not available for 9th graders; however; students can plan to take AP courses during the 11th and/or 12th grade. Classroom teachers usually recommend that students participate in AP classes.

PSAT - A practice test for the SAT is given at each high school in October. This is open to 9th graders who have completed Algebra I. There is a minimal fee; some students are eligible for waivers.

ACT - This college entrance exam is for students who are planning to enter a college or university. This exam tests in the following skills areas: English, Math, Reading, and Science. There is also an optional Writing Test that measures skill in planning. The website is an excellent Education and Career Planning resource. There is a test preparation link and an explanation of test scores.

SAT Scholastic Aptitude Test (College Board) - This is a three-hour college entrance exam that measures verbal and mathematical reasoning skills. Students who are planning a college career usually take this exam. The verbal section includes critical reading and the mathematical section measures problem-solving, Algebra, arithmetic, and Geometry. There is also a required 25-minute student-written essay.

The SAT has twenty-two subject tests that a student may select to test in; these tests are one hour in length and mostly multiple choice. The SAT website has an SAT Prep Center; the College Board recommends that students test in the spring of their junior year of high school

Any student can visit these websites online and register to take a college entrance exam. You may be eligible for a fee waiver, which would exempt the testing fee, please visit the websites.

The following tasks should be completed at the middle school before students enter high school. Some of these activities will occur during 7th grade and other activities during 8th grade. These activities provide a framework to determine academic interests, personality styles, strengths, and areas to improve during middle school and high school.

Please discuss the significance of these tasks and activities with your child and help them understand how they can provide insight into areas they might excel and areas that might be challenging. Also, these tasks might offer information to increase self-efficacy, build relationships, and connect to other people with similar interests.

Also, visit websites that are informational and offer ideas concerning personality, careers, interests, and adolescence. School counselors, career development specialists, classroom teachers and principals assist in completing the tasks and checklist:

Interest inventories provide insight into which career pathway students may experience significant success.

Students complete Career Portfolios and Career Development Education Plan, also called 4-year plan.

High School and Middle School Counselors plan orientation/registration.

• Orientation and registration of students take place at schools.

• Registration materials sent home.

• Parents are invited to local middle schools to review registration and participate in completing their child's Career Development Education Plan.

• Students and parents are invited to the high school's transitional night.

• Completion of the registration process

Please review the sample of the Career Development Education Plan (4-year plan) and become involved in completing the actual plan at the middle school. Additionally, participate with your child in the registration events.

We look forward to partnering with students and parents to work toward successful educational outcomes!

CAREER PLAN 6

"Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make them come true. " - Leon J. Suenes

Program at a Glance

The Public Schools of Robeson County and Robeson Community College have established a formal partnership to offer high school students the opportunity to participate in early high school. The Robeson Early College High Schools is located on the campus of Robeson Community College.

Early college high schools are small schools located on college campuses that offer a blend of high school and college coursed that support the completion of high school graduation requirements and two years of college during a program of five years or less. Students enrolled in the early college program will begin their college work based on their performance during the 9th and 10th grades where high levels of academic readiness have been developed. Forty new 9th graders will be accepted in the fall of each year. The maximum student enrollment will be 200.

Benefits

Learning takes place in a personalized, supportive environment.

The program helps to remove major barriers to post-secondary access and success.

Students enjoy a rigorous, challenging program of study.

Students are rewarded for hard work by the opportunity to accelerate their learning with the goal of completing two years of college.

Many of the barriers associated with making the transition from high school to college are removed.

Students have access to college resources.

Affordable cost for post-secondary education.

The Typical Early College Student

Early college high schools are designed for motivated students who are typically underrepresented in post-secondary education but have shown potential in middle school, first-generation college attendance, students for whom the cost of college is prohibitive, single parent home, etc.

See your school counselor for additional information.

"It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge." - Albert Einstein

English l-H; English 11-H; English 111-H; English lV-H

Spanish I; Spanish II

Algebra IA; Algebra I; Geometry-H; Algebra II-H; Discrete Math-H

Earth Science-H; Biology-H; Physical Science- H; Chemistry-H

World History-H; Civics & Economics-H; US History-H

Principles of Business

Digital Communications

Computer Applications; Computer Applications II

Career Management

Health and PE

SAT/ACT Preparation

College Prep Success I, II, III, IV