24-25 College and Career Readiness Guide 
for Rising 10th-12th Grade
 

Because of the importance of decisions made very early in the student’s course of study to complete requirements for a high school diploma, students need to become familiar with the high school curriculum and graduation requirements in order to choose appropriate  courses. The High School Advisement Guide outlines graduation requirements specified by the Georgia Department of Education and Henry County Public Schools, providing comprehensive information for student planning. This guide should be used by students, counselors, administrators, teachers, and parents/guardians to help prepare students plan a four-year program and identify post-secondary goals. Long-range planning does not mean that choices are permanent. As future goals change and are refined, the high school program may be adjusted. It is important that students plan courses of study to leave open as many options as possible and allow the flexibility for change.

DEVELOPING YOUR EDUCATIONAL PLAN

Students should develop a personal education plan to identify the required and elective courses that will be taken while in high school. Having a planned program of study and reviewing the plan on an annual basis will help students be certain that all graduation requirements are met and that their high school program of study supports their post-high school education and career goals.

Students and parents/guardians are encouraged to schedule an appointment with the student’s school counselor to develop or review the personal education plan each year. As students’ interests and plans change during the high school years, the educational plan may require some adjustment.   A wide variety of materials are available to assist students in the career decision-making process. Career interest inventories such as the ASVAB are administered to assist students in examining the entire range of occupational possibilities. In addition, each middle school and high school provides career information planning software for student and parent/guardian use. Before developing the educational plan, there are some important points students must consider:

§ What careers are related to your interests and abilities? What are your personal and intellectual strengths and your weaknesses?

§ What things do you value most in life? Challenge? Creativity? Helping others? Income? Independence? Outdoor work? Prestige? Public contact? Security? Variety? Working in a group? Physical activity?

§ What kind of life do you want to live? How do you plan to support yourself? What is your job or career goal for the next five to ten years? What are your life-long goals?

§ What kind of career training are you planning for after high school; college, technical school, specialty school, or on- the-job training?

For students planning to attend colleges or universities, certain courses are specified and a world language is often required. Many colleges require certain academic credits, including two years of the same world language. Students have several units from which to choose electives in their areas of interest. Students should discuss ideas and concerns with parents/guardians, teachers, friends, counselors, and anyone else who is involved in supporting the student’s success. Although it is primarily the student’s responsibility, the development of the educational plan cannot be accomplished effectively without the assistance of these people.

ADVISEMENT PROGRAM

One of the primary goals of Henry County Schools is to prepare students for successful entry into the job market, the armed services, or post-secondary schools. The Henry County Student Advisement Program is designed to assist students in developing the skills needed to make decisions that enable them to take full advantage of the well-balanced curriculum offered in our secondary schools. Through the presentation of current information concerning career selection, graduation requirements, and course offerings during individual and group advisement sessions, the professional educator becomes the mentor to the student. The following procedures are utilized in Henry County Schools to facilitate this process:

§ During the 8th grade year, students and their parents/guardians and adviser/counselor will develop an individual graduation plan to be revised annually as prescribed by HB 186.

§ Annual advisement sessions are conducted with students and parent(s)/guardian(s) to provide academic, career, personal/social guidance, review progress in meeting graduation requirements and to assist in selecting high school courses for the following year. Sessions may be conducted individually or in groups as deemed appropriate by local school personnel.

What is required for graduation?

All students are expected to complete a common set of requirements to earn a regular diploma. The following units are required under the current graduation rule. Students who enroll from another state must meet Georgia graduation requirements and the Georgia assessment requirements for the graduation class they enter.