How to read your transcript 2012 2013
- 1. Transcript Toss Up 1. Get into teams of 4-5 2. As a team, look at the 5 different Valley Transcripts 3. Pretend that you are a College Admissions Board. As a team, put them in order of Most Likely to Least Likely to get accepted! 4. Be prepared to share your reasons!
- 2. Transcript Toss Up • Things to think about when deciding: – What did the candidates get on their ACT? – What are the candidates GPA? – What kinds of grades did the candidates get? – Did the candidates show improvement from 9th to 12th grade?
- 3. Can you guess who? • One of the Transcripts belongs to a High School Drop-out • One of the Transcripts belongs to a Teen Mom Your Transcript isn’t a true reflection of who you are as a person, but it does give an impression of who you are as a student! What can you do to make a good First Impression?
- 4. How to read my transcript
- 5. What does my transcript tell me? • What courses you’ve taken • What courses you’ve passed and failed • How many credits you have earned • Your GPA for each Term • Your Cumulative GPA • Your Credit Summary
- 6. What can my transcript help me figure out? • What courses you still need to take (or retake) • If you are on track to advance to the next grade level • How close you are to meeting graduation requirements
- 7. Who gets to see my transcript? • Colleges and Universities! – When you apply to college, you have to send them an official transcript • Scholarship Programs – If you apply for scholarships, you might need to send them an official transcript if the scholarship is grade or GPA based • Counselors and Teachers – To help you stay on track to graduation! – To help you determine the best college or post-high school plan for you! • You and your parents/guardians – Your transcript is a record of your successes! Make sure you know what it says!
- 8. So, what am I looking at? You are looking at a version of your UNOFFICIAL Transcript!
- 9. • The Course tells you the Course Number and the Course Name • These are the classes you have taken and received a grade for.
- 10. • The Course numbers tell you if it is Part A or Part B of a class • Numbers ending in 4 = Part A • Numbers ending in 5 = Part B • Numbers ending in 6 = Part C (for Year Long Courses)
- 11. • The Mark is the letter grade you received for each class.
- 12. • The Weight is how many credits each course is worth. • At Valley, each trimester class is worth ½ credit.
- 13. • Credit is how many credits you earned for each class you took. • So if you passed, you get 0.5 credits. • If you failed you get 0.0 credits.
- 14. • Term tells you during what grading period you took those classes and earned those marks. Term 2 = 1st Tri Term 4 = 2nd Tri Term 6 = 3rd Tri Term 7 = Summer School and/or ESS
- 15. • Credit (at the bottom) tells you how many credits you earned for just that Term.
- 16. • GPA tells you your Grade Point Average for just that Term • Your GPA is an average of your Marks: A=4 B=3 C=2 D=1 U=0
- 17. • The section called GPA Summary shows your Cumulative GPA – which is your total GPA for all of your classes during high school • Weighted just means that if you are in AP, Advanced, or Honors classes, you have been given GPA “Bonus Points”
- 18. • The section called Credit Summary tells you how many Credits you have earned in the different category of classes towards Graduation Requirements • It is a general guide, not an official count!
- 19. Graduation Requirement = 22 credits • English = 4 credits • Math = 3 credits (but you have to pass a Senior Math class) • Science = 3 credits • Social Studies = 3 credits • Health = ½ credit • PE = ½ credit • Computer Apps. = 1 credit • Humanities (HAVPA) = 1 credit • Electives = 6 credits – Honors students must have 2 credits of the same World Language Remember – each “part” of a class = ½ credit! You have to pass both parts A and B to get 1 credit!
- 20. What grade am I in? • Your grade level is based on how many credits you have earned: 10th = 5 credits 11th = 11 credits 12th = 16 credits Graduate = 22 It is possible to get more than 22 credits. It is possible to change grade levels mid-year – although it will only be done at the 1st Trimester Report Card!
- 21. Filling out your Lack Card
- 22. What is a Working Lack Card • A Lack Card is something the counselors use to keep track of what classes you have already passed, and which ones you need to take. • It’s like a Graduation Requirement Check List • We call it “Working” because you add on to it all year long
- 23. A Note on Class Names: • As long as the name of the course has the Required Course name in it, it counts! • Ex) – AP U.S. History COUNTS as US History • Ex) – AP English Language and Composition COUNTS as English 3
- 24. Abbreviation Key • SS/Ex Civ = Survey of Social Studies OR Exploring Civics • WC = World Civilization • Gov = Government • Literacy Lab = Eng Lab / Reading • Eng Sp. Topics = ACT Prep OR Eng Intern Sr Sem • US = U.S. History • Bio-INT = Biology Intervention • Humanities = History Arts HAVPA • HNR = Honors • AP = Advanced Placement • ADV = Advanced Program
- 25. How do I fill it out? • Looking at your Unofficial Transcript: – Shade in the box for the Core Curriculum Classes you have earned credit for (no U’s) This box is NOT filled in because the student earned a U!
- 26. How do I fill it out? • Looking at your Unofficial Transcript: – Shade in the box for the Required Elective Classes you have earned credit for (no U’s)
- 27. How do I fill it out? • Looking at your Unofficial Transcript: – Write in any other Elective classes on the lines provided – If it doesn’t have its own box, it’s an Elective!
- 28. How do I fill it out? • Thinking about your schedule for this trimester: – Mark boxes with an X for courses you are currently taking (Core Curriculum AND Elective)
- 29. How do I fill it out? • Thinking about your schedule for this trimester: – Write in any Elective classes you are currently taking – Circle its number.
- 30. What’s the point of this, again? • The point is to give you a visual representation of what classes you need to take and pass in order to graduate – especially if you are a Senior! • Unless you are a Senior, you will use this Lack Card when you do Schedule Requests for next year! • Take responsibility for your own education! Know what you need to do and do it!
- 31. You only get one chance to make a good first impression!
- 32. The BIG Questions • What does your transcript say about you? • Is it an accurate reflection of how you are as a student? As a person? • What does it NOT say about who you are? • What accomplishments does it NOT reflect? • What can you do to create a better picture of who you really are?
- 33. Set a SMART Goal! • S= Specific: focused, not vague or general • M= Measurable: you will know for sure when you have reached your goal • A= Appropriate: related to your grades or academic achievement • R= Realistic: the goal is doable, but still ambitious • T= Timebound: you have a date picked out for when you want to have achieved your goal