C A R E E R
G U I D A N C E
W A S H I N G T O N
PREPARING FOR POSTSECONDARY
GR 8 ▲ POSTSECONDARY ADMISSIONS
LESSON GOALS
► Students will describe the College Admission Distribution Requirements for admission to a
Washington State four-year college or university.
► Students will identify a Washington State four-year college to research.
ALIGNMENT WITH STANDARDS
► Essential Academic Learning Requirements Grade 8 Grade Level Expectations: This lesson
is aligned with Writing 2.4.1 and Educational Technology 1.3.1 and 1.3.2. Students will complete
postsecondary research. They will plan strategies for using online data sources and will use those
sources to locate and organize information.
► Common Core State Standards Grade 8: This lesson is aligned with English Language Arts
Writing 6, 7, and 8. Students will conduct a short research project, gathering information from one
or more online information sources.
► American School Counselor Association National Standards: This lesson is aligned with
ASCA Academic C1.6 and Personal & Social A1.2 and B1.9. Students will learn about how school
success and academic achievement enhance future opportunities. They will identify values,
attitudes, and beliefs, and will identify short- and long-term goals.
MATERIALS NEEDED
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Computer, projector, screen for teacher to show Postsecondary Admissions Power Point.
Postsecondary Admissions Power Point file (script can be found in this document).
Internet access for your students (if doing Enrichment Activities).
Postsecondary Info Worksheet for students (if doing Enrichment Activities).
Postsecondary Admission Standards Family Handout to share with families.
CORE ACTIVITY
Introduce the concept of college admission requirements. Ask for a show of hands: How many
students want to go to the UW? What about WSU? What about Western, Eastern, Central, or Evergreen?
What about your local community college? Explain to students that Washington State has six public fouryear colleges and universities, as well as 34 community and technical colleges. If students want to attend
one of the four-year colleges, they will need to meet certain minimum admission standards. (2 minutes)
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GRADE 8 ▲ POSTSECONDARY ADMISSIONS
Show the Postsecondary Admissions presentation. Share the Postsecondary Admissions Power
Point with students, focusing on the work they need to do during high school (particularly in taking required
courses) so that they will be eligible to apply for admission to a public four-year college or university. Note
that although these standards are not required for community and technical colleges, they are
recommended, meaning that ALL students should try to meet these standards. Also remind students that
these are just the minimum requirements. Students will be more competitive for admission if they do more
than the minimum. (15 minutes)
ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES
Reflect on the presentation. Ask each student to pick one public college to research (you can let students
choose – which may mean you get a lot of UW and WSU students – or you can assign students randomly
to four-year colleges or community and technical colleges). Divide students into small groups by college.
Then give the small groups about five minutes to discuss what they would need to do during high school to
be admitted to that college.
Ask each group to share some of their ideas. Remind them of the minimum college admission requirements
that were covered in the presentation, and discuss why it is better for students to do more than the
minimum. (5-10 minutes)
Research colleges. Give each student or group a copy of the Postsecondary Info Worksheet and have
each group visit the web site for their assigned college and answer the questions on the worksheet. Help
students who are having trouble finding information. After about 15 minutes, call the whole group back
together and ask for volunteers to share what they learned.
Tell students that it is a good idea to start visiting colleges (either on the Internet or in person) before their
senior year of high school. If they would like to attend a two-year or a four-year college, they should start
preparing so that they can apply during the fall of senior year. (15-20 minutes)
EXPLORATION OPPORTUNITIES
Provide postsecondary course counseling. Students should understand by now that ALL the courses
they take during high school are important. If possible, have a high school counselor meet with your
students and help them set postsecondary goals and map out a four-year course plan based on those
goals.
Students should understand that they need to plan ahead to meet the College Academic Distribution
Requirements (required for admission to a public, four-year college and recommended for a community or
technical college) and that if they want to attend a more highly selective college they will need to do even
more.
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GRADE 8 ▲ POSTSECONDARY ADMISSIONS
Organize a Pathways to Postsecondary Night for families. If you wish, you might want to welcome
families to your school or to the high school for an evening to discuss how to start thinking about the
pathway to postsecondary education.
You can introduce the minimum College Admission Distribution Requirements for Washington’s four-year
public colleges, share information about Washington State’s two-year and four-year colleges, and give
parents tips on helping their students prepare to apply to and succeed in a postsecondary program.
WASHINGTON STATE RESOURCES
► Check out a College: www.CheckOutaCollege.com
Career and college information from Washington’s community and technical colleges
► University of Washington: www.washington.edu
► Washington State University: www.wsu.edu
► Western Washington University: www.wwu.edu
► The Evergreen State College: www.evergreen.edu
► Eastern Washington University: www.ewu.edu
► Central Washington University: www.cwu.edu
► Higher Education Coordinating Board: www.hecb.wa.gov
Information about colleges, admission requirements, financial aid
► The WashBoard.org: www.thewashboard.org
Scholarship match
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C A R E E R
G U I D A N C E
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POSTSECONDARY ADMISSIONS
POWER POINT SCRIPT
This presentation can be used by a school counselor or teacher to help students in 8th
grade start thinking about college.
It is crucial that students understand that the Minimum College Admission Standards for
Washington State’s four-year public colleges and universities require students to take
specific courses beginning freshman year in high school. These standards are
recommended for students enrolling in community and technical colleges as well,
meaning that ALL students should plan to meet these standards, no matter what they
plan to do after high school.
Ask your students if they can name Washington State’s six public four-year colleges and
universities. They are: University of Washington, Washington State University, Western
Washington University, The Evergreen State College, Eastern Washington University,
and Central Washington University.
Tell students that there are also 34 community and technical (two-year) colleges in
Washington State. Ask them if any of them have an idea of where they might like to go.
Tell students that if they want to attend a four-year or two-year college, they need to start
preparing during high school. Their four years of high school will be very important, and
they will need to work hard during high school, taking rigorous courses and getting good
grades.
Students who want to attend a four-year or two-year college will apply during the Fall of
their senior year. Then, they must graduate from high school in good standing. They must
meet all the college admission requirements (these are required for a public four-year
college and recommended for a two-year college).
Tell students that Washington State’s four-year public colleges and universities have set
Minimum College Admission Standards that all students must meet. These are
REQUIRED for four-year public colleges and RECOMMENDED for two-year community
and technical colleges.
To meet the admission requirements: Students must meet the College Academic
Distribution Requirements, a series of courses that are more than required simply to
graduate from high school. They must also maintain a 2.0 minimum grade point average
(GPA) out of a 4.0 scale. And when they are a high school junior or senior they must take
a college entrance exam – either the SAT or ACT – and have their scores sent directly to
the college.
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POSTSECONDARY ADMISSIONS POWER POINT SCRIPT, Continued
Review this list of College Academic Distribution Requirements with students. Remind
them that ALL of Washington State’s public four-year colleges and universities require
these minimum course requirements, and that our state’s community and technical
colleges recommend them to ensure that students are well prepared.
To meet these requirements, students need to start working freshman year in high
school. Remind students also that these requirements are HIGHER than the minimum
high school graduation requirements
Tell students that in addition to working hard in their classes, they should also get
involved in extracurricular activities. Colleges want to know about their interests and
skills. So, students should join clubs, participate in activities, play a sport, or volunteer at
school or in the community.
Students might want to know how they can learn more about college. There are many
ways to learn more, including researching on the internet. If they want to spend time on a
college campus, many colleges in our state offer summer classes or camp programs.
These programs give high school students the chance to take classes on a college
campus. Some of the programs even give students the chance to live in a college dorm
for a week while they are taking classes. Your high school guidance counselor can
provide more information. Many of these programs offer scholarships for students who
qualify.
Students probably think that high school graduation is a long way away. But, it is
important that they use all four years of high school to prepare. They should take rigorous
classes and work hard. They should join activities, clubs, and sports teams. They should
research career interests and postsecondary programs. They should visit different
colleges, either in person or through the internet. And then they will be able to decide
where to apply!
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C A R E E R
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PREPARING FOR POSTSECONDARY
POSTSECONDARY INFO WORKSHEET (GR 8)
Name: _________________________________
What do you want to do after high school graduation? You might want to attend one of Washington State’s
public four-year colleges and universities or your local community or technical college. Choose one of the
colleges below. Visit that college’s web site and find the answers to the questions below.
Choose a college to research:
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University of Washington
Washington State University
Western Washington University
The Evergreen State College
Eastern Washington University
Central Washington University
_________________________
www.washington.edu
www.wsu.edu
www.wwu.edu
www.evergreen.edu
www.ewu.edu
www.cwu.edu
www.CheckOutaCollege.com (local community/technical college)
Where is the college located?
Note: Some of these colleges have more than one campus. Write down the location of at least one campus:
What can you study at this college?
Find one academic department or major that sounds interesting to you and write it down.
Click on the links to apply to this college as an incoming freshman, as if you are a senior in high school and
would like to attend this college. Does this college have a paper application, an online application, or both?
 Paper application
 Online application
 Both
What can you learn about this college? List at least three things you learned about this college by visiting
the web site (sports teams, mascot, types of classes, special projects, college trivia, etc.):
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C A R E E R
G U I D A N C E
W A S H I N G T O N
PREPARING FOR POSTSECONDARY
POSTSECONDARY ADMISSION STANDARDS
FAMILY HANDOUT
IT’S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT LIFE AFTER HIGH SCHOOL!
High school is an important time: your student has four years to prepare for postsecondary education! Washington
State has 34 community and technical (two-year) colleges. In addition, we have six public four-year colleges and
universities: University of Washington, Washington State University, Western Washington University, The Evergreen
State College, Eastern Washington University, and Central Washington University.
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Students who would like to attend a public college must meet certain minimum standards. These are required for
four-year college and recommended for two-year community or technical college:
► College Academic Distribution Requirements, which include specific courses students must take during
high school (see below). Year-long courses in high school results in one annualized credit. To graduate from
high school, students must earn a certain number of credits by taking approximately six courses per year.
► 2.0 Minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) during high school, out of a 4.0 scale.
► Official SAT/ACT scores. Students must take an official college entrance exam, such as the SAT or ACT,
and have their scores sent directly to the college.
COLLEGE ACADEMIC DISTRIBUTION REQUIREMENTS
SUBJECT
REQUIREMENTS (Note that requirements may change)
ENGLISH
4 credits
Including 3 credits of college prep composition or literature
MATH
3 credits
Algebra I & II + Geometry or Integrated Math I, II, III
Must take a math-based quantitative course during senior year
SCIENCE
2 credits
One credit must be in an algebra-based science course
One credit must be in biology, chemistry, or physics
SOCIAL STUDIES
3 credits
WORLD LANGUAGE
2 credits
ARTS
1 credit
History or other social science
Two credits must be earned in the same language
One credit may be earned during middle school
Fine, visual, or performing arts
Learn more about Minimum College Admission Requirements at
www.hecb.wa.gov/research/issues/documents/RevisedMCASOverviewParents-April2011.pdf.
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