Catalyst
1. You have a broken piece of glass, what do you
do with it?
2. Before you begin any lab, what do you need
to put on?
3. What college do you want to go to?
Density Lab
Classroom Ambassadors
Simontech Chemistry
Student Ambassadors
College!
THINK-WRITE-PAIR-SHARE
• How did this activity make you feel?
Describe some of the thoughts that
were going through your head during
this activity.
A 35 Minute Drive Makes All the
Difference…
• In 2007, 27% of 11th graders at Roosevelt in East L.A.
scored proficient on the English CST. In the same year,
84% of 11th graders at Mira Costa High in Manhattan
Beach scored proficient or higher on the English CST.
A 57% Difference
90%
80%
Percent Proficent or Higher
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Mira Costa
Roosevelt
Manhattan Beach vs. East LA
Manhattan Beach
• Average SAT – 1732
• Average ACT – 25
• 67.6% of residents 25
and older have a four
year degree
• 3.1% have less than a
high school diploma
East Los Angeles
• Average SAT – 1235
• Average ACT – 19
• 3.7% of residents 25 and
older have a four-year
degree
• 66.1% have less than a
high school diploma
Mira Costa High School
• 2,300 students
• 67 % Caucasian (White)
• 77 students (total) qualify for free
lunch
• 6.6% Latino/Hispanic
Roosevelt High School
•
•
•
•
4,519 students
98 % Latino/Hispanic
35 % English Learners
90% or 4,067 Free or
reduced lunch
Partner Talk
Why the
difference?
Change Begins With You
Be the Change
You Want to See
in the World.
Studio City vs. East LA
Studio City
• Average SAT – 2012
• Average ACT – 30
• 49.4% of residents 25
and older have a four
year degree
• Less than 3% have less
than a high school
diploma
East Los Angeles
• Average SAT – 1235
• Average ACT – 19
• 3.7% of residents 25 and
older have a four-year
degree
• 66.1% have less than a
high school diploma
Harvard-Westlake
• Studio City, CA
• Private School
• Tuition = $29,000 a year
Facts About Harvard – Westlake
• Ranked 35th in the rankings of best high schools in the
country.
• Los Angeles Magazine named it the most elite prep
school in all of LA.
• 90% of students that took an AP class got a 3 or higher
(i.e. they passed).
• Average Class Size = 13 students
• Average SAT Scores of 650 in verbal, 677 in math, and
685 in writing.
Change Begins With You
Be the Change
You Want to See
in the World.
Big Goal #1
100% of students will pass the
Harvard Westlake final.
5 Minute Break
The ACT: Test Basics
• Standardized test designed to test for “collegereadiness”
• 4 Multiple Choice Sections:
– Reading, English, Math, and Science
• Essay section
• Each section scored out of 36
8
College Ready =
24 composite
score
7
Percent of Test Takers (%)
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
ACT Composite Score
Middle 50% ACT Score
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Graph Analysis
• With your table look at the graphs and answer
the following questions:
– What are the trends that you notice on the
graphs?
– Are there differences between different races and
ACT scores? Why?
– What do you notice about API and SAT scores?
– How do we reverse the trends?
Wait I Thought Schools Were
Getting Better?
API Graph (Including State, County,
and Simon Tech Scores)
SAT Scores Graph
Overlay of API and College Tests
SCIENCE SECTION
35 Minutes—40 Questions
35 minutes (40 questions; 7 sections)
~40% charts & graphs (3 passages; 5 questions per
passage)
~40% experiments (3 passages; 6 questions per
passage)
~20% fighting scientists (1 passage; 7 questions per
passage)
Scaled ACT
Score
Raw ACT
Score
Scaled ACT
Score
Raw ACT
Score
Scaled ACT
Score
36
40
21
24
6
35
39
20
23
5
4
34
38
19
22
4
3
18
20-21
3
2
1
33
32
37
17
18-19
2
31
36
16
16-17
1
15
15
30
29
35
14
13-14
28
33-34
13
12
27
31-32
12
11
26
30
11
10
25
29
10
9
24
28
9
7-8
23
27-26
8
6
22
25
7
5
Raw ACT
Score
Middle 50% ACT Score
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
If you are going to go to college, it
takes much more than a good GPA
Big Goal #2
100% of students will get a 24 or
higher on the ACT Science section
Big Goal #2
• Students will compete in the ACS Chemistry
Olympiad to prove that we’re just as strong as
everyone else in Southern California
Wikispaces Art Activity
• With your groups create a poster of what your
futures will look like when these three big goals are
accomplished. These will be showcased on your own
personal wikispaces to give it a little personality.
Closing Time
• ACT Science section diagnostic Wednesday!
• AP Chemistry Reading and Problems – If you
dare!