Your Counselor AssignmentIndividual appointments can be scheduled with your school counselor

by reporting to the school counseling office and requesting an appointment. Also, you can email your school counselor at any time for any reason.

• Mrs. Caitlin Hawkins (chawkins@boyertownasd.org) A-Crou

• Mrs. Beth Shive (bshive@boyertownasd.org) Crow-Go

• Ms. Karen Virtue (kvirtue@boyertownasd.org) Gp-Lat

• Ms. Sandra Gallagher (sgallagher@boyertownasd.org) Lau-Oc

• Ms. Christen Stricker (cstricker@boyertownasd.org) Od-Sh

• Mrs. Christy Greener (cgreener@boyertownasd.org) Si-Z

Clerical Staff

• Mrs. Tracy Ali (tali@boyertownasd.org) Counseling Office Administrative Assistant

• Mrs. Michelle Bright (mbright@boyertownasd.org) Career Assistant-Portfolio Assistance

Graduation Requirement Reminders

• 24 total credits earned during grades 9-12 in the following areas:

• 3 science classes

• 4 social studies, English, and math classes

• 2 health/wellness classes (grades 10 and 11)

• 4 physical education classes (NJROTC exempt in grades 9 & 12)

• 1 world language course

• Electives highlighting your areas of interest

• Satisfactory completion of EOCAs

• Successful completion of the career portfolio or BCTC project (CEW standards)

Career Portfolio as a Graduation Requirementand a State Requirement

Background

To help ensure that all students in Pennsylvania are on track for meaningful postsecondary engagement and

success, the Department of Education has included a measure of students’ career exploration, preparation,

and readiness as part of Pennsylvania’s state and federal accountability system through the Future Ready PA

Index and under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

Translated for you:

All students in grades K-12 are required to proficiently satisfy career activities and assignments yearly. You

must complete your portfolio activities in order to graduate.

Standards for Career Education and Work (CEW Standards)

Career portfolio activities (K-12) must address standards in the following areas:

• Career Awareness and Preparation

• Career Acquisition (Getting a Job)

• Career Retention and Advancement (How to Keep a Job and Get Ahead)

• Entrepreneurship

The CEW standards complement all subjects/disciplines and other academic standards by

identifying skills and competencies needed to become “career ready”.

Career Cruising

• We will no longer utilize Career Cruising

• All files from your Career Cruising portfolio should have been saved to your

Google account in May/June of the previous school year.

Going forward, all career activities will be stored in……….

SMART FUTURES

Smart Futures will be utilized to save portfolio information

You will be trained on Smart Futures through your homeroom advisor

Career activities must be completed through Smart Futures

All information on the portfolio and Smart Futures can be found on the high school website

You can see Mrs. Bright in the School Counseling Office for assistance or email her at

mbright@boyertownasd.org

Job ShadowJunior year career portfolio component.

• Arrange and secure an experience-you may not job shadow a parent/guardian or BASH

employee.

• You may be excused from school with an educational trip form or job shadow during

scheduled holiday breaks.

• Complete all job shadow forms necessary (found on our website). Should you not meet the

deadline , you will receive an “F” on your report card and you will not receive your senior

privileges.

Post-Secondary ResourcesYou must do the research. Utilize the resources available to you in order to gain

information regarding post-secondary education.

• Internet tools-research colleges, financial aid, and scholarships

• College representative visits-calendar is posted on our website under “resources”…”school

counseling”

• College campus open houses and visits-check college websites

• School counseling website-USE THIS AND USE IT OFTEN

• Flex sessions with the school counselors

Informational Flex Sessions

• School counselors offer sessions during flex to assist you in the post-secondary planning

process.

• Please pay close attention to school email for session sign ups.

• Flex topics can include: paying for college/financial aid, application process, job

shadowing/career portfolio, college search sessions utilizing your computer, college

assessments (SAT/ACT), stress management, tips for college/career success, Q&A

Testing Learn the requirements of each post-secondary school you are considering.

Both entrance exams are accepted by all post-secondary schools nationally.

• PreACT-Practice ACT taken by all sophomores

• PSAT-Practice SAT. All juniors will take this test on October 16.

• ACT-Sign up for this assessment at actstudent.org at any point during your junior or senior year. You must do

this on your own time.

• SAT-Sign up for this assessment at collegeboard.org after you have received your detailed PSAT score report

(in Dec/Jan). You must do this on your own time. We will be a test center in March for this assessment.

• NOCTI-exams given to our CTC students at BCTC.

PSAT/NMSQT-Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test

• Test will be given the morning of October 16 to all juniors including BCTC.

• This is a national test day so there will not be make-ups if you are not present

that day.

• The district is paying for this test.

• You will receive a detailed score report and access to Khan academy in

December/January.

PSAT/NMSQTWhy take this assessment?

• Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for post-secondary study.

• Evaluate how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of other test takers.

• Help prepare for the SAT. You will become familiar with types of questions, directions, and the format of

the SAT as well as receive free ongoing practice materials through the Khan academy.

• It enters you into the competition for scholarships from National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

• These scores might be used in placement of courses or scholarship opportunities at post-secondary

schools.

PSAT/NMSQTTest Format

• Reading Test

• Writing and Language Test

• Math Test

• Testing will take approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes

• There is no penalty for guessing

Communication

• Website

• Student email-check this OFTEN. This is our main way of communicating directly with you.

• Personal appointments