VHS HONORS PROGRAM “Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.” ~Archimedes, 220 BC vistahonors.wordpress.com.

VHS HONORS PROGRAM“Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.”

~Archimedes, 220 BC

vistahonors.wordpress.com

The Purpose 1.Highlight the different aspects of the VHS Honors Program

2.Explain some of the things parents really want to know

3.Highlight some of our most often asked FAQ’s


Structure of the Honors Program

IB Classes &

Diploma Program

Advanced

Placement

Honors

Classes


• Classes are primarily taken in the 9th & 10th grades.

•VUSD offers a GPA bump for grades of “C” or better.

• Provides foundation of knowledge, skills and time management for college and for success in AP and IB classes.

Honors Classes


Advanced Placement

*The Advanced Placement Program (AP) is administered by the College Board.

*AP classes are college level courses taught primarily in the 11th and 12th grades.

*AP classes have an optional exam administered each May. Passing these exams may result in earning college credit while in high school.

*AP classes completed with a “C” or better earn a GPA bump (high school and college).


Advanced PlacementExamples of AP Courses:

*AP Human Geography (9th Grade primarily) *AP Visual Art classes (11th/12th)

*AP European History (10th Grade)

*AP US History (11th Grade)

*AP Economics {Micro/Macro} (12th Grade)

*AP Psychology (11th/12th Grades)

*AP English (11th Grade)

*AP Statistics (11th/12th Grades)

*AP Calculus (12th Grade)

*AP Chemistry (11th/12th Grades)

*AP Physics (11th/12th Grades)

*AP Biology (11th/12th Grades)

*AP World Language classes (11th/12th Grades)vistahonors.wordpress.com

International Baccalaureate

*The IB Program is an international program that exists to provide a well-rounded and academically challenging curriculum to students throughout the world.

*IB Examinations are based on international standards and evaluated by international educators.

* VHS was the first IB school to exist, west of the Mississippi River.

*IB courses completed with a “C” or better earn a GPA bump.

* Students can engage the IB Program in 2 ways:

Classes & Diploma Program


1. Students may pick and choose to take challenging IB courses in areas that they are interested (Math, Art, Science, Dance, History, Business, Literature, Language, Music, etc). – Students can take external exams at the

end of these courses that earn them an IB Certificate in that area. Students may earn university credit by passing IB HL exams while in high school.

International BaccalaureateCertificate Program


2. Students may choose to take a rigorous course of study in six different areas to earn an IB Diploma. These students receive an actual IB Diploma in addition to the VUSD diploma.

– On their VUSD diploma, students earn a special emblem recognizing their efforts and are rewarded by being able to wear a special cap and gown at graduation.

International BaccalaureateDiploma Program


The six different areas of study for the IB Diploma are:1. English Language

2. Language (second)

3. Individuals & Societies (social science/history)

4. Experimental Sciences

5. Math Science

6. The Arts / Elective



IB Courses*IB English Literature *IB French

*IB German *IB Spanish

*IB History of the Americas *IB Physics

*IB Business and *IB Environmental Systems

Management and Societies

*IB Biology *IB Theory of Knowledge

*IB Math Studies *IB Mathematics

*IB Visual Arts *IB Music

*IB Theatre Arts *IB Dance



To receive the IB Diploma, students test in the six areas explained previously and also complete:

1. TOK Class (Theory of Knowledge)

2. CAS (Creativity/Action/Service)

3. Extended Essay


CAS• CAS stands for “Creativity, Action,

Service”• CAS & Character Leaders joined forces!• CAS Integrates the six IB Groups into

real world service experiences• CAS is 150 Hours over two years• Local, domestic and international

service opportunities exist for students.


College Talk

• Don’t forget that college admissions are based on multiple factors. In addition to enrolling in the most challenging classes that a student can handle, community service and leadership experiences are also very important!


PARENTS REALLY WANT TO KNOW...


Top Four Reasons for Honors

VHS Students Said…• Want to be challenged by the rigor of

IB/AP courses, • Feel it is a matter of personal pride to

be enrolled in Honors classes,• Want a better life for themselves and

their families,• Want to be as competitive for college

admission as possible. vistahonors.wordpress.com

Some VHS Statistics

• 1,079 out of 2,577 students are taking at least one honors course.

IB• 2013- 71 students and 196 tests taken• 2014- 78 students and 206 tests taken

AP• 2013- 448 students and 708 tests taken• 2014- 517 students and 900 tests taken

• 31 AP Scholars last year• 27 IB Diploma Candidates 2013 & 14


Interesting AP Research• According to the largest-ever study of the effects of AP on

college success, University of Texas researchers found that students who take AP courses in high school are more likely to graduate from college within four years and have higher grade point averages in college than similar students who did not take AP courses.

• Hargrove and Dodd (2007) found that students who successfully participated in one or more AP exams and courses significantly out-performed their non-AP peers. These comparisons were made among peers with similar levels of academic ability and family economic status.

• http://collegeready.rice.edu/ap-and-college-readiness


Additional Benefits of IB

• The average acceptance rate of IB students into university/college is 22 percentage points higher than the average acceptance rate of the total population.

• The acceptance rate of IB students into Ivy League institutions (Princeton, Yale, Brown, Harvard, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, University of Pennsylvania) is between 3 and 13 percentage points higher compared to the total population acceptance rate.

• UC awards students who complete the IB diploma with a score of 30 or above with 30 quarter (20 semester) units toward their UC degree. Students who receive IB certificates with scores of 5, 6 or 7 on Higher Level exams will receive 8 quarter (5.3 semester) units.

• https://www.ibo.org/iba/commoncore/documents/GlobalDPDestinationSurveyUS.pdf• http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/exam-credit/ib-credits/index.html


How, What, When for Exams

• Registration for IB Exams begins October 1st, 2014.

• Registration for AP Exams will be in early 2015.

• Fees, Reduced Cost Eligibility and registration forms will be available soon.


What are Exams like?

• AP & IB Exams vary in length based on the level and course content.

• AP & IB dictate the exam time length, date and hour for administration.

• Students are legally excused from class during the sanctioned testing time window as dictated by AP & IB.

• IB Exams occur over several sittings, whereas AP exams are done at one time.


FAQ’Svistahonors.wordpress.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do I find out how my student is doing in an honors class?

• Sign up for Parent Portal to view your student’s progress.

• Contact your student’s teachers by email (check the VHS website!).



Q: How can my student participate in sports and/or performing arts and still be in honors?

•Organization skills•Study habits•Weekly Progress Reports



Q: If my student is struggling, how can they get additional help?

• Classes now have a 20-minute academic extension Tuesday through Friday.

• The library and the computer lab are open after school every day for student use.

• Panthers After Hours hosts many tutorials. Have your student check out the schedule and attend tutorials on a regular basis.



Q: Is it better for my student to be enrolled in College Prep classes and get an “A” or Honors classes and get a “B”?

• Colleges and Universities expect to see that all applicants take the most rigorous course offerings available at the student’s high school. Remember, their competition is taking the most difficult classes.

• UCLA had 86,521 applicants last year and accepted 15,760 of them (18.2%). Who’s getting in?

• Honors classes receive a GPA bump on their VHS transcript.



Q: This all sounds great, but when is it too late to start taking Honors courses?

• It is never “too late”

• No more “waiver” requirement-open access

• Do begin as early as possible because of the foundational skills and knowledge required to be successful in the most rigorous courses. vistahonors.wordpress.com

What Is New With VHS HONORS?


• AP Human Geography

• IB Business & IB Environmental S&S

• Recognition efforts: WAVE Scholar Wall, WAVE SCHOLAR celebration, Winter IB Diploma Release Celebration, & more!

• Memorandum of Understanding between VUSD and CSUSM

– promises that all graduating seniors, from the class of 2017 and beyond, will receive guaranteed admission to CSUSM if they meet California State University (CSU) eligibility requirements and a minimum GPA of 3.0.

This is what is new…


Program Coordinator: Michael Pink

Web-Site: www.vistahonors.wordpress.com

E-Mail: [email protected]

VHS HONORS PROGRAM“Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.”

~Archimedes, 220 BC

vistahonors.com

VHS HONORS PROGRAM “Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.” ~Archimedes, 220 BC vistahonors.wordpress.com.

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