St. Francis High School | College Preparatory

On Wednesday, October 12, sophomore students will be taking the PLAN ( practice ACT) test and juniors will take the PSAT (practice SAT) test. Testing will take place from 7:40 AM until 11:10. Seniors will have a free day or college visit day on October 12 and the freshmen will be having their retreat.

Wednesday, October 12 is one of only two national test dates for the PSAT/NMSQT. St. Francis tests on the Wednesday rather than the Saturday test date so students do not have to worry about conflicts with athletic and work commitments. The PLAN test has been scheduled for the same date for convenience in test administration.

What are these tests and why do all of our students take them? The PSAT is the practice exam for the SAT college entrance exam which college bound juniors will take later in the spring. The PSAT is also the qualifying test for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Students who score very well on this test may qualify for valuable college scholarship programs. Juniors who want to prepare for this test should consult the tips on the PSAT flyer distributed by Mrs. Rigney in junior English classes. Additional information is available on the College Board’s website, www.collegeboard.com.

Students who take the PSAT will not be required to complete the writing sample, which is a required part of the SAT exam.

The PLAN test is a practice test for the ACT college entrance exam. The PLAN, which is specifically designed for sophomore students, is slightly shorter and easier than the real ACT. The PLAN also includes a career interest inventory, study skills assessment, and student needs assessment. The PLAN does not include the optional Writing Assessment that is now included with the ACT. Sophomore students have received flyers regarding PLAN testing in their sophomore English classes along with an ACT Practice test booklet. Students who wish to access practice questions may do so at www.act.org/plan. The results of the PLAN will be mailed to parents in November or December.

Sophomore students who normally score very high on standardized tests may opt to take the PSAT in lieu of the PLAN test on October 12. Students may choose this option in order to be better prepared for the junior year PSAT which can qualify the student for the National Merit Scholarship Program. (Only the junior year score qualifies for the scholarship program). Students who qualify for the National Merit Scholarship program typically score in the top 2% of the nation on the test. The PSAT will be more difficult than the PLAN since the PSAT is a junior level exam. Sophomore students who wanted to take the PSAT had to sign up in their English classes no later than Friday, September 16. (No sign ups are accepted after that date). Sophomores who take the PSAT will not be able to take the PLAN. They must choose one or the other. If a sophomore takes the PSAT this year and scores extremely well, he or she will still have to take the test again next year.

No pre-registration is required by sophomores or juniors for these tests, except for sophomores who want to take the PSAT. All students are expected to take the tests and testing fees are covered by school tuition. Testing will begin promptly at 7:40 so students need to report to school no later than 7:30 AM. Since students will be dismissed at approximately 11:00 AM, they need to make alternate arrangements for transportation. No parking permits are required to park on campus on October 12 but students must be careful not to park in the numbered, reserved faculty and staff parking places.

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Several Parent Information Programs Scheduled for 2011-2012

On Tuesday, October 4, Susan Daly and Kevin Berce of the College Planners will present a program on college financial aid and how families can obtain the maximum amount of financial aid for which they qualify. This program is appropriate for parents of students of all age levels. Don't wait until your child's senior year to learn the ins and outs of college financial aid. By understanding the process now, it is much easier to plan for future expenses.

On Tuesday, December 13, parents of sophomores and juniors who took the PSAT may obtain the results of their sons' and daughters' tests by attending the parent information program at 6:30 PM in the Kuhn Center. The program will interpret PSAT test scores and will also include information on the ACT/ SAT tests and on the benefits of test prep programs. The program will also include some brief reminders about college planing and the Naviance College Planning softwarre program. Mrs. Rigney will also meet with students in their English classes to provide test score information and interpretation directly to students.

During January and February we will begin the process of registering students for courses for the 2012--2013 school year. As colleges continue to step up their course requirements, it is important that students carefully plan their high school program of studies. Parents who wish to help their children in course selection should attend the program scheduled for Tuesday, January 31, at 6:30 PM, in the Kuhn Cultural Arts Center. Parents of current students, freshmen through juniors, are encouraged to attend this program. This program is not for incoming freshmen. Topics will include: typical high school courses required for admission by regional state universities, how to make a four year plan, and understanding course prerequisites .

Please note that all of the above programs are for parents only—students will receive the information during classroom presentations.

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Free Practice ACT Test will be offered on October 8

On Saturday, October 8, Revolution Prep will provide a free practice ACT test to any sophomore or junior who wishes to take it. This exam is strictly for practice and cannot be used for college admission. The mock exam will take place from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM in the north wing. Any student who wishes to sign up for the free practice test should do so by contacting Revolution Prep at 1-877-REV-PREP or www.revolutionprep.com. When you get to the website, click on “Find a course” and enter your zip code. When you get to the next page, click on the tab for Free Events. When prompted to search for our high school use Francis as the keyword. Revolution Prep will also provide an interpretation session for students and parents on Tuesday, October 25, from 7 PM to 8 PM in the Spartan Theater. Students will also be able to view their scores through their password protected account at www.revolutionprep.com.

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Revolution Prep offers on site ACT preparation course

During this school year St. Francis will host an on-campus ACT preparation course that is offered by Revolution Prep. Revolution Prep is the leading test prep company in the state of California, surpassing Princeton Review and Kaplan in total enrollment. Revolution Prep has now expanded to other metropolitan areas, such as Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Chicago. The rising success of Revolution Prep is attributed to their personal attention, strong instruction, attention to critical reading and problem solving, excellent web resources, and affordability. The course includes five full length practice tests. Because Revolution Prep believes that test preparation should be available to all students, they offer generous discounts to students who need scholarship assistance in order to take the course. Students who need financial assistance for a course should call Revolution Prep for details on how to apply.

To make test preparation more convenient for our students, courses will be offered at St. Francis on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3 PM to 6 PM in room 1115. On days when students take practice tests the course runs until 7 PM. The winter course will start on December 13 and lead up to the February 11 exam. Classes will not meet during the week of final exams or Christmas vacation. There will also be a spring course to prepare students for the April test. A direct mailing from Revolution Prep will also be sent to current juniors regarding these courses.

To register for the course or inquire about course scholarships, students should call (877) 738-7737 or go to www.revolutionprep.com.

St. Francis does not specifically endorse any particular test preparation program. There are many good options available to students, a number of which are listed on our Guidance webpage. St. Francis encourages students and parents to research several different programs and compare their philosophies, costs, and scheduling. Then select the one that is the best fit for the student.

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Update on ACT and SAT testing

Deadlines are approaching for seniors who need to take or retake their ACT and SAT tests. Parents who wish to stay on top of ACT and SAT deadlines should check the last page of the St. Francis school calendar which was sent to all families in the summer mailing. All ACT and SAT test dates and registration deadlines are listed there. These dates are also listed on the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website. The next ACT this year will take place on October 22 with a late fee registration deadline of September 20. Tests are also offered on December 10, February 11, April 14, and June 9.

The first SAT offered this fall will be held on October 1 with a registration deadline of September 21. If a student missed this deadline, he or she must attend the test using the standby procedure. The next SAT is November 5, follewed by tests on December 3, January 28, March 10, May 5, and June 2. Registration packets for all of these tests are available in the Guidance and Counseling Office or students may register online.

When registering for these tests, make sure you use our six digit high school code, 144-383. If the student does not include this code when registering, St. Francis will receive no record of the test results and students might not be considered for the Illinois State Scholar Program.

Junior students usually begin testing with the January or February test dates. Some juniors test as early as the December ACT date. All juniors should plan on taking the ACT or SAT at least two times before the end of junior year. It also is important that juniors plan ahead to avoid conflicts with spring sports and activities. Juniors should also always take the ACT with Writing since many schools require the writing portion of ACT for admission. For details on new ACT test content and requirements, students should pick up the booklet, Preparing for the ACT, which is available in the Student Services area. Students may also visit the testing company websites for more information.

ACT: www.act.org

SAT: www.collegeboard.com

The St. Francis High School Code is 144-383.

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Several college fairs will be held in the area this fall

The NACAC College Fair will be held at Navy Pier in Chicago on Monday, October 10 from 11:00 to 3:00 PM.
The College of DuPage will host its annual College Fair on Tuesday, October 18, from 6:30—9:00 PM
The NACAC Performing Arts College Fair will be held at Roosevelt University in Chicago on Wednesday, October 12, from 6:30 PM to 9 PM.
The dates for these college fairs and the spring college fairs are on the Guidace webpage under Guidance Dates and Deadlines.

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Special Accommodations for the ACT/ SAT

Parents of sophomore and junior level students are reminded to contact Ms. Sullivan ASAP at ext. 1108 if you have a child who might qualify for extended time or other accommodations on ACT and SAT testing. Guidelines for such requests are given below.

ACT: Complete documentation needs to be ready and in our files in order to be sent into ACT early junior year. As the request for eligibility is sent to ACT, the student is required to register for the test (usually) in April.
SAT: Complete documentation may be sent in to SAT as early as late freshman year or early sophomore year. The student is only requesting eligibility at this time and does not register for a specific test until junior year which is a different policy from ACT.
DOCUMENTATION described below needs to be ON FILE AT ST. FRANCIS AS EARLY AS FRESHMAN YEAR.
Mary Kay Sullivan will pull the information from this documentation in order to write and to send a parent approved Service Plan (accommodation plan) to the individual’s teachers.
Students should be looking ahead to have an appropriate written Service Plan for college as well.
For either ACT or SAT to consider students for accommodations, they must have DOCUMENTATION THAT MEETS ALL OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

States the specific disability as diagnosed.
Testing is current. (testing/re-evaluation in 8 th grade or freshman year is acceptable)
Describes presenting problem and developmental history including current treatment.
Describes the comprehensive assessments used to arrive at the diagnosis, such as psychoeducational testing, neuropsychological information, medical diagnoses, etc.
Describes the adverse effect on learning and academic achievement as supported by the test results.
Describes specific recommended accommodations for the classroom and provides a rationale explaining how these will address the functional limitations.
Establishes the professional credentials of the evaluator.
Students must also USE these accommodations throughout their four years in high school.

For complete protocol for documenting or for any other clarification, log on to www.act.org/aap/disab/policy.html and also www.collegeboard.com/disable/students.com or contact Mary Kay Sullivan x 1108.

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Seniors need to start the college application process

Senior students should be in the process of completing their college searches and narrowing their lists of potential colleges to 5 or 6 schools. At least two of these schools can be "reach" schools (i.e. schools to which the student may not be admitted but which are "worth a try"). Two should be fairly good options even if they d o not guarantee admission for the student. Finally, at least two of the 6 schools should be "sure bets" (that is, affordable schools for which the student unquestionably meets admission criteria).

In late August, Mrs. Rigney met with seniors in their English classes to explain college application procedures and give them a copy of the St. Francis College Planning Guide. In September Mrs. Rigney worked with seniors in the computer lab to review the Naviance college software program. Once seniors have defined their lists of colleges, they should access the application through the college’s website. When completing applications, students should follow the directions contained in their hard copy of the College Planning Guide or on the College Planning Guide posted on the Guidance page of the St. Francis website. The next article lists additional tasks that students must complete before St. Francis can submit documents to colleges.

Seniors need to be aware of admission deadlines for certain schools. For example, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Indiana, and Wisconsin have priority deadlines of November 1. Illinois State University, Northern Illinois University, Purdue, and DePaul University have a priority consideration deadline of November 15. These schools will still accept applications after that date, but students who meet that priority deadline have the best chances for admission, scholarship, and housing.

Students should submit their applications in advance of this deadline. Transcript requests but be given to Mrs. Rigney at least two weeks prior to the deadline to make sure that all materials are transmitted on time. Marquette, St. Louis University, and many other private colleges have a priority deadline of December 1. Schools which offer an early notification or early decision option usually have deadlines of November 1 or November 15. Always check the college’s application information to determine the deadlines for posting or receiving application materials. Students planning to apply to large in-state or out-of-state universities should also complete applications by Thanksgiving at the latest to insure priority consideration for admission and housing availability. Furthermore, since colleges cannot make financial aid offers until the student is admitted, timely admission means better consideration for available financial aid from the college.

For more information on college planning, go to the Guidance and Counseling page of the St. Francis website.

Steps a senior student must complete before faculty can send documents to colleges

Because St. Francis is now using the Naviance electronic documents to transmit letters, forms and transcripts to colleges, the students must first complete certain tasks or the faculty cannot complete the student request. (Note: the student must complete these steps. Parents logged into Naviance cannot complete these specific tasks).

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STUDENTS: DO NOT REQUEST ANY LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION OR TRANSCRIPT REQUEST FORMS UNTIL YOU DO THE FOLLOWING

You must go into your account in Naviance and go to Colleges I am applying to.

Make sure your application list is complete and accurate.
You may need to move colleges from your “thinking about” list to your application list.

If you have any colleges that accept the Common Application , go to the column titled, “Applying Via Common Application?” and if it says “Unknown” that means the college takes either the Common App or their own application.

It is essential that the Naviance system knows which one you used.
Click on “Unknown” and update to Yes or No.
Make sure you click save/update at the bottom of the page.

If you applying to any colleges via the Common Application , you must go into Naviance/Colleges I am applying to and complete the Common Application FERPA waiver.

Complete the waiver
Enter your Common Application user name and password. Make sure this is correct!! DO NOT GUESS on this.

If you are applying to any college using the Common Application , you must put the colleges on your destination list in the Common Application
AFTER YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE ABOVE STEPS, You must complete the REQUEST FOR TEACHER RECOMMENDATION FORM that you print from the Student Services website.

See the teacher in person and give him/her the form.
Submit your request at least three weeks prior to your deadline
Make sure it includes a complete list of college destinations.
If, at a later point, you add more colleges to your list, you need to give the teacher a new form listing the additional colleges.

You must go into your account in Naviance and go to Colleges I am applying to.

At the bottom of the page is the online Teacher Recommendation request. Do this as well. You can include a note with special instructions or a simple thank you.
Note that you must do both the online and the paper request.

Give Mrs. Rigney a transcript release form for each and every school to which you apply (exception is U of I which will require you to complete the Self Reported Academic Record). You do not need to complete all transcript requests at the same time. Transcript release forms must be submitted at least two weeks prior to any deadlines.
If you are using the Common Application, see Mrs. Rigney regarding her recommendation for your School Report form. Do so at least three weeks prior to any deadline.
Don’t’ forget: Also go to www.act.org or www.collegboard.com and go to Send Scores and have your scores sent to your colleges. Mrs. Rigney/St. Francis cannot do this for you.

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What you need to know about applying to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—important changes for this year’s application

If a student is planning to apply to the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, there is an important change in the U of I application process that the student must complete. The following message tells students what they must do.

U of I does not require that St. Francis send an official transcript at the time of your application. So, unlike other colleges, you don't need to give Mrs. Rigney a transcript release form for U of I when you first apply. HOWEVER, U of I will ask you to complete the SELF-REPORTED ACADEMIC RECORD (SRAR) as an addition to your student application. To do this, you must print out a copy of your transcript from your STI student portal and look at that as you input and recreate your transcript in the SRAR. Make sure that the information that you are entering for the SRAR is accurate. You should allow around 30 minutes for the completion of the SRAR. You cannot begin the SRAR until you have also started the U of I application and the university recommends that you complete the SRAR after you have completed and submitted your application. Then if you are accepted to U of I and decide to go there, you will need to ask St. Francis to send an official transcript in the spring to verify that what is on your SRAR is correct.

For further directions on the SRAR go to the U of I admissions site/Freshman Application Procedures/Necessary Items to Complete Your Application.

When you have applied to U of I, mark in your Naviance application list that you have completed the application.

Also note that U of I will NOT read letters of recommendation so do not request them for U of I.

U of I has a November 1 priority deadline which means that your application and ACT/SAT scores must be received and on file by that date to have the best chance for admission. Remember, YOU must have ACT/SAT send your official test scores to your colleges. Neither Mrs. Rigney nor St. Francis can do that for you. Go to your account with ACT or College Board and go to Send Scores. Also, we no longer put any ACT or SAT scores on your transcript.

If you apply to a more competitive college or program within the university and do not qualify for that program but are considered admissible to the university, you will be given an alternate offer, usually to the Division of General Studies.

You may appeal an admission decision but must do so in writing using the document found at www.admissions.illinois.edu/pdf/appeal.pdf. Only one appeal will be accepted and the decision is final. Denial decisions are very rarely reversed and require new and compelling information not already included in the application in order to be successful.

U of I includes a question on the application in regards to whether either of the student’s parents attended the U of I. Legacy will be considered in the process but it will not make up for significant academic criteria.

Ethnicity will be a factor if the student is from an underrepresented minority group such African-American, Hispanic/Latino, or American Indian.

Also, the U of I does not allow students to drop core courses at the semester from the senior schedule without approval from the university. Students who drop courses or move from honors courses to regular level courses at the mid-year point can risk having their acceptances retracted by U of I when the university receives the student’s final transcript in June. Because academic rigor of your senior schedule is a factor in the admissions decision, the U of I expects students to maintain enrollment in those courses and maintain solid academic performance in those courses throughout second semester of the senior year.

Students or parents who have additional questions about the U of I admission process should contact Mrs. Rigney or contact the U of I admissions office.

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Naviance Family Connection provides excellent support for College Planning at

http://connection.naviance.com/sfhs-wheaton

Students and parents are strongly encouraged to use the Naviance Family Connection college planning tool. St. Francis has licensing to use this web based program which provides assistance in all areas of the college search and application process.

Current seniors were all shown how to use the program last October and were retrained again in September. Seniors should use the user names and passwords they created last year to log on.

Current juniors were trained on Career Planner part of the program last March. Parents of current juniors and seniors were emailed access codes last year and this August, but if they have not yet created a user name and password and have lost the access code, they may contact Mrs. Ellis at ext. 1142 to obtain the access code again. Mrs. Rigney will review the College Planning part of the program for current juniors in mid November.

Freshmen will use the Learning Styles Inventory later this year and sophomores will use the Career Planner in March. Underclassmen or their parents wish to use the program but do not yet have log on information, may obtain the access code by contacting Mrs. Ellis.

The Naviance program already has password protected student information loaded into the system. When a student or parent logs onto the student account, he or she can complete a college search, create a resume, formulate a list of potential colleges, and check the college visit calendar. By clicking on acceptance history, scatter grams (analysis/graphs), college match, and college compare, the student can compare his or her academic credentials to the college’s acceptance history for St. Francis students from the class of 2006 through 2010. Once the student has applied to a college, the student can use Family Connection to track if his or her transcript and recommendations were sent by St. Francis. The student can also update the program to show which colleges he or she has been accepted to.

The Naviance program has many other great features and is an indispensable tool in the college search and application process. If students or parents have questions or problems in using the program, contact Mrs. Rigney, College Counselor, at ext. 1105.

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Use the SFHS Website for College Planning

Students and parents who are seeking information for college planning should go to the St. Francis High School website and click on the Guidance tab. From this site, you can access information that is helpful in the college planning and financial aid process. By clicking on websites for college information you can access a list which includes sites for completing a college search, registering for the ACT and SAT, investigating careers, and obtaining financial aid and scholarships. By clicking on dates and deadlines, you can check upcoming dates for ACT and SAT testing, college fairs, AP tests, and other important events. Check out the college planning guide for a step by step process to researching and applying to colleges. Click on the weekly college bulletin to find out about upcoming college information programs and recent scholarship offerings. From this site you can also access the weekly scholarship bulletin which provides a list of corporate and community scholarships that are currently accepting applications. Make the Guidance webpage your first stop for college planning, testing, and scholarship information.

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Reinforcing Learning: Suggest your teen use the best learning style when studying

You may know that researchers have identified at least seven different kinds of intelligence, or ways a person learns best. Homework will go better for your teen if she uses her strengths.

Take a look at the strengths below and help your child determine the best way to study. If you’re teen has:

Strong language skills, suggest she read her work aloud to herself.
Strong math and logic skills, suggest she look for the “why?” in every assignment. Why did a character from history acts as he did? Was his reasoning sound?
Strong musical skills, suggest she study to music. She could even sing her work to herself.
Strong spatial skills, suggest she draw pictures and diagrams whenever possible. People with strong spatial skills are good at picturing things in their heads. They understand things by seeing them, either in real life or in their minds.
Strong movement skills, suggest she study while moving about the room, or change study spots often.
Strong people skills, suggest she get together with a group to study.
A desire to work independently, encourage her to think of extra-credit projects and suggest them to her teachers.

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Notify Counselors of Your Child’s Special Needs

If you are a parent of an incoming freshman or transfer student who has special needs, learning problems or emotional issues, we encourage you to contact your child’s counselor to discuss your child’s individual needs and determine what specific information you would like to have communicated to teachers.

If information on your child’s learning needs should have been forwarded from the child’s elementary school or junior high school, you may want to check with your child’s counselor to make sure this information was, in fact, sent to St. Francis. To explore this further, please contact Ms. Mary Kay Sullivan at ext. 1108.