VHS HONORS PROGRAM
“Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.”
~Archimedes, 220 BC
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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
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Structure of the Honors Program
Honors
Classes
IB Classes &
Advanced
Diploma Program
Placement
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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.
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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).
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Advanced Placement
Examples 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)
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International Baccalaureate
Classes & Diploma Program
*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:
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International Baccalaureate
Certificate 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.
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International Baccalaureate
Diploma 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.
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International Baccalaureate
Diploma 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
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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
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International Baccalaureate
Diploma Program
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
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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.
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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!
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PARENTS REALLY
WANT TO KNOW...
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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FAQ’S
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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!).
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Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How can my student participate in
sports and/or performing arts and still
be in honors?
•Organization skills
•Study habits
•Weekly Progress Reports
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Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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?
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This is what is new…
• 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.
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VHS HONORS PROGRAM
“Give me a place to stand, and I will change the world.”
~Archimedes, 220 BC
Program Coordinator: Michael Pink
Web-Site:
E-Mail:
www.vistahonors.wordpress.com
michaelpink@vistausd.org
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