9th/10th Grade Night

Your Counselors

Mrs. BredenbergLast names A-F

Mrs. SubudhiLast names G-L

Mrs. JaramilloLast names M-Z

Your Counselor

Can Help you With:

Personal/Social counseling

Academic Counseling

College Planning and the

College Search

AgendaAcademic Overview

Naviance Overview

Financial Aid and Scholarship Overview

Time for questions!

Academic Overview

Graduation Requirements- 9th and 10th Grade

The following criteria must be met in order to

earn a high school diploma from DPS:

1. Successful completion of 24 units in required

subject areas

2. Completion of ICAP requirements – this is like a

roadmap to help plan for your future. It will also

help to understand courses to prepare for and

specific careers and colleges that you will be

applying for.

Graduation Requirements- 9th and 10th Grade

The following criteria must be met in order to earn a high school diploma from DPS:

3. Mastery in English and Math through one of the following:

A. College and Career Assessments (SAT, Accuplacer or AP Exam)

B. Completion of a Capstone or Portfolio – evidence of a students’ readiness through projects or writing samples.

C. Approved Career and Technical Education Certificate or Degree

D. Completion of a college level class (must be 100 level or higher, remedial classes will not count).

Overview of Academic Requirements Need 24 units to graduate Most classes are .5 units

Understanding Your GPA

• Un-weighted vs. Weighted

• Accumulates throughout high school

Sample TranscriptThis is what is sent to every college or

program you apply to…

Your transcript includes:

Your personal information (name,

student ID #, etc.)

Cumulative GPA: weighted and un-

weighted

School enrollment history

All your classes and grades from each

semester of high school

Your test scores including the TCAPs

and the SAT you take your Junior

Year

A credit summary of the classes you

have taken

A key for colleges to understand our

GPA system

If you fail a class you may have to repeat the class

if it is a required class for graduation.

DSA does not offer students the chance to take a

class here again since we have limited spots in

classes.

You must take the class online or over the

summer.

The “F” will appear on your transcript permanently.

Even if you make up the class the original grade

of “F” will never come off your transcript.

Failing a class…

Academic and Arts

Probation Arts Contract

Students must maintain a 3.0 (B) average in their arts major.

Academic Contract

Students must maintain a 2.25 GPA while enrolled at DSA. At

the end of first semester, all students’ grades are evaluated.

What Happens:

Those students who do not meet the academic standard of 2.25 or

the arts standard of a B in their major will be placed on “watch”.

A meeting with teachers, student and parents will take place in

January to discuss steps to be taken in order to be successful.

Staying on Track to Graduate

Graduate-9th Grade

With a full schedule and passing every class you can

earn 4 units a semester.

Most of our kids have a lot more than 24 units when

they graduate!

College and Counselor Recommendations

Take a challenging course load for you. This will look different

for each of you:

For some, this is a regular course load, with perhaps some

honors classes.

For others, it is a mixture of regular, honors, and AP courses.

For a few, this is honors and AP Courses in all subject areas.

Course Selection

AP: Advanced Placement

Course taken throughout the entire year with an exam in

May. Depending on the score and your college, you may

receive credit for a 3, 4 or 5. (Scores range from 1-5.)

AP Human Geography offered in 9th grade, AP United

States History in 10th grade.

Options in English, science, social studies, languages, and

math to juniors and seniors.

SAT Subject Tests

If you are enrolled in a course that aligns with a SAT subject

test, it may be beneficial to take the subject test in May or

June (when you have the material fresh in your mind)

Sample subject tests that align:

Math Level 1 (Math 1-3 at DSA)

US History

World History

Foreign Languages

Not all colleges require subject tests, typically this is for

selective schools

Concurrent Enrollment

Courses taken at the high school level that earn high school and college

credit. You receive credit on both your high school transcript and a

college transcript for the college granting credit.

Currently DSA offers CU Succeeds courses in English and Social Studies

through CU Denver.

Psychology and Audio Production through Community College of Denver on

the DSA Campus.

Students also have the option of going off campus to take college course.

Credit for high school given at a D or above; for college a C is required to

earn credit.

Guaranteed to transfer to all Colorado public schools, and reviewed by a

case by case basis at other colleges.

ASCENT

ASCENT stands for Accelerating Students through Concurrent Enrollment. It is a “5th Year Program” that allows seniors to remain enrolled at the high school and take a fifth year consisting entirely of college classes a at any two-year community college or technical college, or Metro State that has an ASCENT agreement with Denver Public Schools.

DPS has agreements with:

Arapahoe Community College Community College of Aurora

Community College of Denver Emily Griffith Technical College

Pickens Technical College Red Rocks Community College Metro State College of Denver

ASCENT Requirements

Have met all of their high school graduation requirements

Have taken 12 credit hours of college classes prior to the end of their

senior year.

AP classes do not count. (CU Succeed, CLEP, and Concurrent

Enrollment TRANSCRIPTED CREDITS count)

Be considered college/career ready. ACT: 19 Math, 18 Writing, 17 Reading

SAT: 470 English, 500 Math

Talk to your counselor if you are interested in learning

more and additional requirements.

CLEP

The College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) helps you

receive college credit for what you already know, for a

fraction of the cost of a college course. Developed by the

College Board, CLEP is the most widely accepted credit-by-

examination program, available at more than 2,900

colleges and universities.

More information: https://clep.collegeboard.org/

Naviance Overview

Naviance Overview

Naviance is a district wide program used for high school and

middle school students for career and post-secondary planning.

We send out a lot of counseling information through Naviance.

Parents, if you are not getting the information from the

counseling department directly through Naviance, please let

your child’s counselor know and we will make sure your e-mail is

in there.

Accessing Naviance

From the DSA Website

Go to the Counseling Department Website

Click on the Naviance Tab

Click on the first blue link

Logging into Naviance

Username:

Student ID #

Password:

Six digit DOB

(ex:061301)

Naviance Homepage

“Colleges” Tab

So Many Resources!

Acceptance History

Scholarship Lists

College Lookups

SuperMatch college search tool

College Applications

Requesting transcripts

Requesting letters of recommendation

Tracking application progress

Acceptance History

Scholarship Lists!

College Lookups

SuperMatch college search

College Applications

“Careers” Tab

Career Interest Profiler – 9th Grade

Career Cluster Finder – 10th Grade

“About Me” Tab

The About Me tab acts as a summary page as well as shows the list of

the district activities/surveys to complete for the year.

Financial Aid and

Scholarship Overview

Financial Aid Overview

Financial aid and scholarships are a big factor in

determining where our students attend college.

We want to start working with 9th and 10th grade

students in what they can be doing now to

eliminate some of the stress felt in senior year.

The College Decision Process

Role of the College Financial Aid Office

Establishes the cost of attendance (Sticker Price)

Evaluates family’s ability to pay by determining an expected family

contribution (EFC)

Offers need-based scholarships, grants, loan, and work-study

based on the cost of attendance and the expected family

contribution

Counsels families on financial issues

Determining Costs and Aid

Cost of Attendance

Direct Costs

Tuition and Fees

Room & Board

Indirect Costs

Books & Supplies

Transportation

Personal Expenses

Estimate Your Aid Award Now

Use the Net Price Calculator available at every school’s website.

Know What to Expect. It’s not about Cost. It’s about Net Price. Understand some parts of the financial aid calculation now.

Colleges will provide different financial aid awards. Use the Net Price Calculators now at several schools to get estimates of how affordable college can be.

Determining Estimated Family Contribution:

FAFSA – Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Required to determine eligibility for many federal,

state and institutional aid programs which can include

scholarships, grants, work study and student loans.

www.fafsa.ed.gov

FAFSA Dates to know

FAFSA will be available starting October 1st

Families will use previous year’s taxes

Benefits:

IRS Data Retrieval tool available immediately

No need to estimate/update FAFSA later

Special Consideration:

If income is significantly different - please contact the

financial aid office to work through an appeal or professional

judgment process.

Need Varies Based on Cost(If everybody used the same formula to determine need)

X

Y

Z

Cost of Expected Family NeedAttendance Contribution (Variable)

(Variable) (Constant)

1

2

3

EFC EFC

Types of Aid

Scholarships & Grants

Need-based, merit-based, or a combination

Federal & State Grants

For lower income students & families

Student Employment

Students work on campus 10-20 hours a week

Paid hourly wages

Great way to gain valuable work experience

Loans

Direct Stafford, Parent PLUS, and private

Loans

How much will your payment be?

Loan Balance of $10,000

4.29% interest rate

Standard 10 year Repayment Plan

For every $10,000 in loan balance, you will pay $105 per

month for 10 years. $2,312 in interest

Smart Borrowing - Don’t borrow more than your first year salary

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to apply for now!

https://denverscholarship.org/students/scholarships/high-school-

scholarships/

https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/scholarship-search

https://www.unigo.com/scholarships/high-school-

students/scholarships-for-high-school-freshman

What students can be doing now for

scholarship success

Extracurricular Involvement

Clubs

Sports

Girl Scouts

Youth Group

Volunteerism/Community Service

Depth over Breadth

Get to know counselor early!

Raise Me

You can earn money (scholarships) to pay for college by doing

things that will improve your chances of getting into many

colleges and universities. Every time you achieve a goal like

getting good grades or doing extracurricular activities, you can

earn micro-scholarships that begin adding up as early as 9th

grade.

Raise.me lets you keep track of your achievements and the

money you earn in the form of micro-scholarships — and helps

you learn what you can do to earn even more at many colleges

and universities.

If you have a personal

question feel free to

reach out by email!

Time for Questions!