Guidance

Students should consider taking AP and Honors classes. Colleges and technical schools look for rigorous courses on transcripts. Students should be cautious about choosing which subjects to take at the AP and Honors levels, however, so as not to jeopardize their GPA for college admittance and HOPE eligibility. Students should take AP and Honors courses in areas of their strengths.

AP and Honors Course placement is for the entire school year. Students are expected to complete daily homework assignments as well as outside projects. Parents should support and encourage their children?s full participation in these areas and attend the required informational meeting for all qualified Honors and/or Advanced Placement students. ALL AP STUDENTS ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE AP EXAMS WITH A FEE OF $100.

AP Courses currently available:

• AP English Language (11)
• AP English Literature (12)
• AP US History (10)
• AP Psychology (11, 12)
• AP Government (11,12)
• AP Calculus (12)
• AP Statistics (11,12)
• AP Biology (11, 12)

Honors Courses currently available:

• Honors English (9, taken in 8th)
• Honors English (10, taken in 9th)
• Honors English (11, taken in 10th)
• Honors Chemistry (10, 11)
• Honors Physics (11, 12)
• Honors Spanish II (10, 11, 12)
• Honors Spanish III (11, 12)
• Honors Algebra I (taken in 8th)
• Honors Algebra II (taken in 9th)
• Honors Geometry (10)
• Honors Pre-Calculus (11)

Appeals Process

Refer to your AP contract with the class.

College Visit Form

Students, please take this form with you when traveling to visit a college. Make sure to bring the signed form back to the Guidance Office upon your return. College visit must be approved by Guidance Counselor or Principal before visiting and inform your high school office of your visit/absence.

The Dual Program is for students classified as high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors at accredited public or private high schools in the state of Georgia. Students may pursue postsecondary study at approved public and private colleges and technical colleges while in high school. Students will receive dual high school and college credit for courses successfully completed. Per the handbook, a student may not take a core class offered on campus through dual enrollment.

Students interested in the Dual Enrollment program should speak with their counselor. Students must apply to the post-secondary institution of their choice and contact the institution’s Dual Enrollment Program coordinator. Once accepted, students must complete the dual enrollment application at https://www.gafutures.org/hope-state-aid-programs/scholarships-grants/dual-enrollment/application-procedure-and-deadline/.

Scholarship Information

There are endless scholarship and grant opportunities. Students can find them
online, in the counseling center’s scholarship filing cabinet, through prospective
colleges/technical schools, and through the semester counseling scholarship
newsletter.

Students and parents should complete the FAFSA online at (fafsa.ed.gov) beginning
October 1st of their SENIOR year.

Learn more about financial aid from the Georgia Student Finance Commission:

Additional Scholarship search engines and websites:

www.GAfutures.org
http://nurse.org/healthcare-leaders/
http://themortgagereports.com/scholarship/
https://gucu.org/about-us/community-development/high-school-scholarships
www.google.com/students/generationgoogle
https://www.google.com/edu/resources/programs/computer-science-summer-institute/
www.fastweb.com
www.betaclub.org/scholarship
www.JFKLibrary.org/essaycontest
www.ronbrown.org
www.5strongscholars.org
www.gbaa.org
www.jkcf.org
www.fashion-schools.org/aspiring-fashion-professional-scholarship-program
www.ung.edu/military-college-admissions/costs-financial-aid/scholarships-and-grants/georgia-military-scholarship.php
www.animationcareerreview.com
http://engineering.mercer.edu/scholarship
www.onlinembareport.com
http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com
http://bigfuture.collegeboard.org
www.collegescholarships.com
http://hhfawards.hispanicheritage.org
http://www.aist.org/students-faculty/scholarships/steel-internships-and-scholarships
http://www.parentinn.com/scholarship
http://www.edsf.org/what_we_do/scholarships/apply.html
http://stuckatprom.com/
www.cappex.com

Click here for Hundreds of Scholarship Websites!

For important information on Georgia colleges visit this link:

Georgia Colleges 411

There are two diploma types all students. Students who complete all core requirements will receive a Georgia diploma; if a student is missing one or more core requirements at the time of graduation they will receive a General Ed diploma. Students in the state of Georgia must take the following courses to earn a diploma.

Academic Course Requirements:

• 4 years of English (9th Grade Literature & Composition and American Literature are specifically required)
• 4 years of Math (students in the Honors Program take an AP math course in 12th grade)
• 4 years of Science (Biology, Physical Science/Physics, and Chemistry/ Environmental are specifically required) *some CTAE courses can count as the 4th science credit – see a counselor for details
• 3 years of Social Studies (World Geography and AP Human Geography are electives when transferring from another school)

Elective Requirements:

• Bible: Bible must be taken each semester you are enrolled in Augusta Christian. – 4
• Health and Physical Education: credit per course, one semester each in length. Typically taken in 9th grade. – 1
• CTAE, Fine Arts, or Modern Language: Students must earn 3 credits, in any combination, from 1 of these 3 curriculum areas. Students planning to attend a 4 year college or university must earn a minimum of 2 credits in a modern language. Students planning to attend a technical college are encouraged to take at least 3 credits in a single CTAE career pathway. (See the advisement guide for CTAE programs at each high school.) – 3
• Electives: Electives can be taken in any curriculum area. Students planning to attend a 4 year college or university are encouraged to take at least 2 electives from academic curriculum areas. – 4
• Total – up to 28 credits are possible to earn in 4 years of high school with a 7 period day. – 25

For the classes of 2015 or after, in order to be eligible to receive a HOPE scholarship, a student must receive a required number of credits in courses from the state’s list of courses possessing academic rigor. Students in the class of 2015 must have 2 rigorous courses. Students in the class of 2016 must have 3 rigorous courses. Students in the class of 2017 or after must have 4 rigorous courses.

Courses offered (with enough course requests) at LGHS that possess academic rigor according to this requirement are:

• Dual Enrollment courses at a unit of the University System of Georgia in core subjects or foreign language
• AP Language (11th grade)
• AP Literature (12th grade)
• AP Biology
• Human Anatomy/Physiology
• Honors Chemistry
• Honors Physics
• AP Calculus
• AP Statistics
• Advanced Algebra
• Pre-Calculus
• AP Psychology
• AP Government
• AP US History
• French 2
• Spanish 2
• Spanish 3
• AP Spanish

HOPE Grant is awarded to high school/GED graduates to attend a technical school for a diploma or certificate, but NOT a degree program. HOPE grant is not based on a student’s GPA in high school. However, a technical school student using HOPE Grant must maintain a 3.0 while taking courses for their diploma or certificate in order to keep receiving HOPE Grant funds.

HOPE Scholarship is awarded to high school graduates who have an unweighted 3.0 cumulative GPA using only academic courses and academic electives. This GPA is calculated by the state department of education and is not printed on transcripts or available in Infinite Campus. This list is generated by the state after graduation. The HOPE scholarship does not cover all college costs.

The Zell Miller Scholarship is awarded to students with an unweighted 3.7 cumulative GPA using only academic courses and academic electives. Students must have a combined math and reading score of 1200 on the SAT or a composite score of 26 on the ACT. This GPA is calculated by the state department of education and is not printed on transcripts or available in Infinite Campus. This list is generated by the state after graduation. This scholarship does not pay for all college costs, but it does pay more than the HOPE scholarship.

For information about how HOPE/Zell Miller GPA or overall GPA is calculated, click on the GPA Calculation tab in the counseling section of the school website. Students can also enter their social security number on the GACollege411 website to determine their HOPE/Zell Miller GPA.

March2Success website: www.march2success.com

March2Success is a public service provided by the U.S. Army, available to anyone over the age of 13, at no cost and no obligation. Access the website above to enroll or view a demonstration. Individuals can select part or all sections of the course offered, which include:

• Comprehensive English
• Integrated Math
• Skills and Strategies
• SAT Program (prep, practice, and feedback)
• ACT Program (prep, practice, and feedback)

Military Links:

Air Force

Army

Coast Guard

Marines

Navy

National Guard

Military – General Information

US Air Force Academy

US Military Academy at West Point

NCAA INITIAL-ELIGIBILITY CLEARINGHOUSE
(NCAA ELIGIBILITY CENTER)
GENERAL INFORMATION AND Q & A
http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

NCAA Web Registration Procedure

On October 27th the NCAA Division I Board approved sweeping rule changes. Here are the highlights as they pertain to Division I. Division II, at this time, remains unchanged:

1. Minimum GPA Raised to 2.30: Beginning with the the high school graduating class of 2015, the minimum core GPA for incoming college freshmen has been raised from 2.00 to 2.30. Student-athletes who graduate with a core GPA between 2.00 and 2.29 can still receive an athletic scholarship and practice with their teams, but cannot participate in game action as freshmen. A higher SAT/ACT sliding scale is expected to be released soon.

2. 10 Core Courses by Junior Year: Beginning with the graduating class of 2015, student-athletes will need to complete at least 10 of the 16 core course requirements by the end of their junior year.

3. Multi-Year Scholarships: Division I schools now have the option to guarantee athletic scholarships for more than one year. The guarantee would protect student-athletes from the loss of a scholarship due to injury or performance. Colleges could still revoke guaranteed scholarships for poor academic performance or behavioral reasons.

What is the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse?

The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse (the clearinghouse) is an organization that works with the NCAA to determine a student?s eligibility for athletics participation in his or her first year of college enrollment. Students who want to participate in college sports during their first year of enrollment in college must register with the clearinghouse. The clearinghouse staff follows NCAA bylaws and regulations in analyzing and processing a student?s high school academic records, ACT or SAT scores, and key information about amateurism participation, to determine the student?s initial eligibility. Please note, the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse is not related to admission to NJIT. They are two separate entities and may both require original documentation. If you have sent transcripts and test scores in to NJIT, you will still be required to send the same documentation in to the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse as they do not share documents. The NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse will not accept documents that you have sent to NJIT admissions as a part of their process.

When to call the Clearinghouse:

Please contact the clearinghouse when you have questions like these:

• How do I register?
• I have forgotten my PIN. Can I get a new one?
• Some of my classes are not on my high school?s list. How can I get a class added?
• My clearinghouse report shows I am missing some material. What is missing?
• Where do I send my transcripts?
• What do the codes on my clearinghouse report mean?
• I have been home schooled. What do I have to do to register?

NCAA Eligibility Center

Starting November 1, 2007, the NCAA Eligibility Center will begin processing academic and amateurism certifications and taking over all operations previously handled by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Located in Indianapolis, Indiana, the eligibility center works closely with the NCAA national office, ensuring all academic and amateurism regulations are met.

You may continue to access your initial-eligibility file by visiting http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

Clearinghouse Contact Information

NCAA Eligibility Center
P.O. Box 7110
Indianapolis, Indiana 46206

www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

877-262-1492 (customer service Monday ? Friday, 8 a.m. ? 5 p.m. Eastern time)

317-223-0700 (international callers)

http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net

Certification:
If you intend to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman, you must register and be certified by the NCAA Initial-Eligibility Clearinghouse. Refer to the Academic Eligibility Standards section on the NJIT website or at the Clearinghouse website to determine the initial-eligibility standards that apply to you.

Registration Process:
To register with the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center), you must complete the Student Release Form (SRF), after your junior year, online, and send the clearinghouse the registration fee ($60 for domestic and $75 for international students). This SRF does two things:

• It authorizes each high school you have attended to send the clearinghouse your transcript, test scores, proof of graduation and other necessary academic information.
• It authorizes the clearinghouse to send your academic information to all colleges that request your eligibility status.

Online registration:
The only method is to register online. Go online to http://www.ncaaclearinghouse.net. Select Prospective Student-Athletes and click on Domestic Student Release Form or Foreign Student Release Form. Complete the SRF form online, and include your credit or debit card information to pay the fee. Then follow instructions to complete the transaction. Print a copy of your completed registration form and both Copy 1 and Copy 2 of the transcript release form. Sign the transcript release forms, and give both to your high school counselor.

Fee Waivers
High-school counselors may waive the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) fee if you have previously qualified for and received a waiver of the ACT or SAT fee. Fee-waiver information is specified on the student-release form. List of NCAA Approved Core Courses (Formerly Form 48-H) The list of NCAA approved core courses (formerly Form 48-H) identifies courses that may be used in meeting NCAA core-course requirements. Be sure that all courses you are taking for core-course purposes are listed on your high school’s confirmation list of NCAA approved core courses (formerly Form 48-H).

Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) Questions:

Here are some questions you may still have after reviewing the previous section.

Q: Do I have to register with the clearinghouse?
A: Yes. If you want to participate in Division I or II athletics as a freshman, you must register with the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center).

Q: Is Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) certification the same as college admission?
A: No. Initial-eligibility certification from the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) does not guarantee your admission to any Division I or II college. You must apply for college admission separately. The clearinghouse only determines whether you meet NCAA requirements as a freshman student-athlete in a Division I or II college to be able to compete, practice and receive an athletic scholarship.

Q: May I send my academic information directly to the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center)?
A: No. Transcripts must come to the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) by mail directly from the high school?not from you. Give Copies 1 and 2 of the transcript release form to the counselors at the high school you have attended. Note: The Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) will not accept faxed transcripts.

Q: Who may see my academic information?
A: The Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) will provide eligibility information only to colleges that request your academic information. If no NCAA college requests your eligibility status, the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) may not process an eligibility-status certification.

Q: When is the best time for me to register with the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center)?
A: Register after your junior year in high school. If you do not submit all required documents, your file will be incomplete and will be discarded after three years. After that time, you will need to re-register and pay your fee again.

Q: Is there a registration deadline?
A: No. However, you must be certified as a qualifier before you can receive an athletic scholarship or practice or compete at a Division I or II college during your first year of enrollment.

Q: What if I have attended more than one high school?
A: If you have attended multiple high schools since ninth grade, the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) must receive an official transcript for each school. Transcripts can come directly from each school or from the high school from which you are graduating. Check with your high school counseling secretary.

Q: How may I arrange for the testing agency to send my scores directly to the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center)?
A: When you register to take the ACT or the SAT, mark code ?9999? so that the testing agency will send your scores to the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center). Test scores must be reported to the Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) directly from SAT or ACT. The Clearinghouse (NCAA Eligibility Center) will not accept test scores reported on high school transcripts.

An appointment should be scheduled for new student registration/enrollment. Please call the school and ask for the counseling assistant to schedule an appointment. The items below must be presented at the time of your registration appointment:

High school transcript must be provided for rising 10th, 11th, or 12th grade students
Middle school records/final report card indicating promotion to 9th grade

Students should take the SAT and/or ACT at the end of their junior year if they want to apply for college/technical school year. For regular application deadlines, students should take one or both no later than Fall of their senior year. Most colleges will accept either the SAT or ACT for admission. Students may choose to try one test first and then the other to see which test they perform best on. Some colleges/technical schools do not require the SAT or ACT, instead offering a Compass or similar entrance exam. Each school has its own minimum score requirement for the SAT and ACT. Students must contact schools they are interested in to determine which test must be taken and what the minimum acceptable score is.

PSAT:

PSAT 8/9 will be given to 7th, 8th, and 9th graders. PSAT will be given to 10th and 11th graders.

SAT/PSAT Website: www.collegeboard.com

College Board
College Board Website: www.collegeboard.com (SAT/PSAT)
College Board offers:
SAT study plan
Online score report
College matches
Major and career matches
Projected SAT scores
State percentiles
Sort questions by difficulty level and question type
Free explanations for the answers to every test question
Additional practice for the SAT
Practice SAT questions
Practice SAT essay
Student-written sample SAT essays
Official SAT practice test
A list of colleges in state offering your major
Profiles of your major
Connect to my Road, a college and career planning website

ACT
ACT Website: www.actstudent.org
actstudent.org offers:
Reviews, tips, and preps
Skill and career interest information
Readiness for college
Score reports
Financial planning
World of Work map
College requirements
Career information

Each year students complete course requests in February for the following school term.

Schedules are release in late June; students will be able to view their schedule, period by period. Students have been evenly distributed across classes period by period, meeting class size restrictions and so forth.

If students are having difficulty with a course a parent teacher conference should be set up. Problems of this nature do not warrant a class/teacher change. Parents, teachers, and students can discuss strategies for the student to succeed in his/her classes.

For information about the process to drop Honors and AP classes at the beginning of the school year, please read the appeals procedure requirements located under the AP and Honors course tab on the left.

Schedule Change Request Form is located at the bottom of the page under Forms.

To schedule a parent-teacher conference, please phone the office secretaries as follows:, 706-863-2905 ext. 200 for elementary; 230 for middle school; and 213 for high school between the hours of 7:45 AM and 3:15 PM.

Parents and students may view grades through Renweb?s portal. If you have never logged onto Renweb or have forgotten your password, contact Mrs. Wilkerson for help in getting your login information.

For important information regarding South Carolina Commission on Higher Education and Scholarship Information, visit this link:

SC Commission on Higher Education

The counseling office will provide students/parents with hard-copy or electronic transcripts at no cost.

Hard copies of transcripts can be requested through the counseling office. Hard-copy transcripts will be officially stamped and sealed. Please allow 48 hours for transcript requests to be processed.

Students also have the option of requesting that transcripts be sent electronically. GAFutures offers electronic transfer of student transcripts to colleges and universities across the nation. This system will provide the ability to electronically track the transfer of transcripts and improve efficiency of this process. All students have active GAFutures accounts.

The ACS Transcript Request Form is located at the bottom of this page under Guidance Forms.

The Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board is a group of students who help to preserve the past in Georgia and South Carolina.

The mission of the Watson-Brown Foundation Junior Board is to seek out and fund historic preservation opportunities in the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA). These include historic preservation, conservation, and support for organizations that preserve the past for future generations.

See the form at the bottom of this page for more information.