WELCOME TO YOUR

SOPHOMORE YEAR!

COUNSELORSMrs. Nasser: A – Corr

Mr. Martinez: Cort – Hern

Mrs. Burton: Herr - Mel

Mrs. Weaver: Men – Sa

Ms. Hernandez: Sc – Z

Mrs. Garcia: Dual Credit/CTE

Mrs. Miller: College and Career Center Advisor

Mr. Herrera: College and Career Center Assistant

GRADUATION PLANS

• All students will be working towards an endorsement.

• Students may request to change an endorsement, but the change may not be possible due to credit requirements and time constraints.

• Changing an endorsement could jeopardize on-time graduation.

• Counselors will meet with each sophomore to review four year plans in Career Cruising and update course selections as needed. Students may access Career Cruising at any time. Usernames are NBR-followed by your student ID. Password is what you set. If you cannot remember, select the “forgot my password” option.

• Endorsement changes may be discussed during sophomore conferences.

• All students will receive course verification sheets in May, and this will be your final opportunity to request a change for the following year’s classes.

• STEM

Advanced Mathematics

Advanced Science

CTE STEM

•Multidisciplinary4 x 4

4 AP/Dual Credit

4 Advanced CTE

Graduation PlansFoundation with Endorsement

• Public Services

Education and Training

Health Science

Human Services

Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security

JROTC

•Art & HumanitiesFine Art

Social Studies

Languages Other Than English

Graduation PlansFoundation with Endorsement

• Business & Industry

Agriculture, Food, & Natural Resources

Arts, Audio/Video, Technology, & Communication

Business Management

Communications and English

Finance

Information Technology

Manufacturing

Marketing

Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics

Graduation PlansFoundation with Endorsement

Course requirements for each endorsement may be found on the

counselor’s website within the link titled Course Catalogs and Graduation Plans

Graduation PlansFoundation with Endorsement

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

RANK AND GPA?

Rank

• Rank is based on the four core areas, foreign language, AP, Dual Credit, and PreAP classes

•AP and Dual Credit courses receive a maximum of 8 rank points

• PreAP courses receive a maximum of 7 rank points

•Academic level courses receive a maximum of 6 rank points

• Rank at the end of the junior year is the one reported to colleges/universities

• Refer to p. 6 of the high school course guide to see the rank chart

Honor Graduates

•The #1 ranked student in the graduating class receives the honor of valedictorian

•The #2 ranked students in the graduating class receives the honor of salutatorian

•The top 1% receive the distinction of summa cum laude

•The top 5% receive the distinction of magna cum laude

•The top 10% receive the distinction of cum laude

GPA

•GPA includes all courses taken for high school credit ~ even those taken in middle school for high school credit.

•GPA is unweighted and based on a 4 point scale.

•RANK/GPA at the end of the JUNIOR year determines college acceptance!

DOES ONE GRADE REALLY MATTER?

Really Good Grades!

• Look at the following:

100

82

91

88

96

86

85

95

93

85

Average = 90

Oops! Don’t like that zero!

• Look at the following:100

82918896868595930

Average = 81

What if I am Struggling in Class?

• Talk to your teacher! They are here to help you and to explain what you do not understand.•Attend tutorials •Do you homework and turn in ALL assignments • Participate in classroom discussions•Ask questions if you do not understand something• Study for tests and retest if below a 70 is earned if

allowed•Access sites such as Khan Academy for additional

tutorial assistance•Use your iPad/electronics to set alerts for projects,

assignments, and tests

DUAL CREDIT

• Dual Credit courses give students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credit.

• Dual Credit is a serious decision. You are potentially earning college credit and will be working at a college level. These courses begin your college transcript.

• No retests or late work are allowed in Dual Credit.

• All deadlines for Dual Credit applications must be met.

• All instructions must be followed and testing requirements met to be enrolled in Dual Credit courses.

• Dual Credit information is located on the counselor’s website. Go to the high school website, click on counselors on the left, and then click on the Dual Credit tile.

Automatic Admission to Texas Public Colleges and

Universities• NBISD high school graduates who successfully

complete the Foundation graduation program, earn

one endorsement and have the distinguished

designation (four years of math including Algebra II,

four years of English and Science, and two years of

foreign language) will be automatically admitted into

Texas public Universities or Colleges IF one of the

following requirements is met:

• Applicant is in the top 10% of his/her class at the

end of the Junior year OR

• If applying to the University of Texas at Austin,

automatic admission percentage will be set

during the fall of your junior year.

NCAA Clearinghouse

All Student-Athletes

must register with the

NCAA Eligibility

Clearinghouse if you

plan to receive D - I or D

- II athletic scholarship

GREEN CORDS

• Current sophomores must accrue 150 or more volunteer hours to qualify for a green graduation cord

• Student will document hours through Career Cruising

• Hours must be entered into Career Cruising by May 1 of the senior year

• Instructions and forms for tracking volunteer hours are located in Career Cruising

A FEW REMINDERS

•You must attend class 90% or more to earn credit for a course.

•Many universities like to see four years of English, Math, Science, and Social Studies taken in high school even if not required for an endorsement.

•All students will receive course verification sheets in May, and this will be your final opportunity to request a change for the following year’s classes. Be sure to check course name and course level.

CONTACTSMrs. Nasser: fnasser@nbisd.org

Mr. Martinez: etmartinez@nbisd.orgMrs. Burton: aburton@nbisd.orgMrs. Weaver: mweaver@nbisd.org

Ms. Hernandez:bhernandez@nbisd.org

Mrs. Garcia: dixiegarcia@nbisd.org

Mrs. Miller: tmiller@nbisd.org

Mr. Herrera: eherrera@nbisd.org