Preparation by Eighth Grade Critical to College and Career Readiness
Students who aren't on track for college and career readiness by eighth grade are unlikely to attain that level of readiness by high school graduation, according to The Forgotten Middle, a new ACT research paper.
The findings suggest the level of academic achievement that students attain by eighth grade has a bigger impact on whether they are ready for college and career by the time they graduate than any single factor examined, including courses taken, grades earned in high school, and demographic characteristics such as gender, race, and household income.
The study also found that improving certain behaviors of middle school students can help increase their readiness for college and career by the time they graduate. Two academic behaviors were found to have the greatest impact on both eighth-grade course failure and ninth-grade GPA: academic discipline (e.g. good work and study habits) and orderly conduct (behaving appropriately in class).
from ACTIVITY, spring 2009 (ACTIVITY is published 3 times a year by ACT, Inc.)
Pre College Programs is a non-profit site built to help you find pre-college programs; Pre-college summer programs are a great way for high school students to test drive college life. There are hundreds of pre-college programs to choose from, each with its own history, culture and costs. Deciding what pre-college program is best for you is often the hardest part.
GAcollege411 Includes sections on career information, student planner for high school, Georgia college information (as well as schools around the nation), tips on paying for college, a section for parents and general "prepare yourself for college" information
Georgia Career Information System (GCIS) The Georgia Career Information Center, through it's Georgia Career Information System (GCIS), provides current and accurate occupational and educational information to schools and agencies throughout Georgia in order to help young people and adults make informed decisions. See your counselor for the username and password necessary in order for you to access the site. A short description of the 12 assessment tools may be found at http://www.gcic.peachnet.edu/GCISWeb/GCIS_Tools/Assessment_Handout.pdf
Plan for College Beginning in Eighth Grade--ACT guide
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Career Explorer The Career Guide helps you navigate through a wealth of information about career training. It includes a wide range of career descriptions. Several of those are within the business and medical professions. Salary information and school search is also available
My Future This service is presented by the United States Department of Defense. The goal of this site is to help students understand the opportunities available to them after graduation.
Board or Regents of the University System of Georgia The Board of Regents oversees the 35 public colleges and universities of the University System of Georgia.
The Princeton Review Explore schools and careers, prepare for standardized tests and entrance exams, research scholarships and financial aid options. Take a free practice SAT
The College Board--publisher of SAT and Advanced Placement Exams
Peterson's College Planner: Student Edition Getting started in the college search; Finding the right school and program for you; test prep paying for college; Information on these topics as well as a career search tool
The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has a section for specifically for students, along with a great deal of information on career trends, wages and salaries.
At Career One Stop you can explore careers…self-assessments…Browse occupations and industries…Employment trends…and more. There is a special section for students where you can find information on careers and industries, education options, guides to colleges and universities and financing your education.
The Vocational Information Center website is an education directory that provides links to online resources for career exploration, technical education, workforce development, technical schools and related vocational learning resources.
http://www.careervoyages.gov/ the ultimate road trip to career success; has sections for students, parents, career changers and career advisors; included information about careers, colleges, interests, etc.
Learn More Indiana college and career information (including interest inventories); although some of the information is specific to Indiana and students in Indiana, much of the information is very useful to anyone
The O*NET program is the nation's primary source of occupational information. Central to the project is the O*NET database, containing information on hundreds of standardized and occupation-specific descriptors. The database is continually updated by surveying a broad range of workers from each occupation. Information from this freely available database forms the heart of O*NET OnLine, the interactive application for exploring and searching occupations. The database also provides the basis for our Career Exploration Tools, a set of valuable assessment instruments for workers and students looking to find or change careers.
Education Portal: Your guide to undergraduate degrees, graduate degrees, career education and online degree programs
Most Lucrative College Majors from Forbes.com; June 18, 2008
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