When it comes to preparing for college, it’s never too early to start, but it’s important to keep in mind of the details, no matter how big or small. Today’s article is going to be quite the handful since we’ll be touching on three important commodities for college.

First, Dual Enrollment! Dual Enrollment is an opportunity in the U.S. where students can take a college or university course in high school and get credit for it by signing up for dual enrollment; it’s basically like killing two birds with one stone. Reminder that all of this information can be found on ACP High School’s counseling website here The Dual Enrollment registration deadline is September 12th, 2021, which is this Sunday. To check if a class at ACP is offered for Dual Enrollment credit, there is a spreadsheet that will be linked here or you can find it on this week’s Knightly Update (Knightly Update of September 5, 2021). The enrollment process can take up two weeks, so it is important that you start the registration process as soon as possible. There is also a PowerPoint to guide you through the registration process, which will also be linked here. It is best to review the PowerPoint before starting so you know what you’re doing. There are lots of new students, and students who haven’t taken a dual enrollment class before, or they haven’t registered for dual enrollment so click here for more information. Information for returning dual enrollment students can be found here. Students must meet the prerequired criteria for the Dual Enrollment course or have a qualifying placement score by taking an appropriate placement test. To review the prerequisite criteria, begin by by visiting CGCC’s dual enrollment website here. Once on the webpage, click on “Arizona College Prep” to open the course offering spreadsheet. On the spreadsheet, hover over the prerequisites cell to review what your child needs to have (i.e. test score, GPA) or must complete in order to enroll. All CGCC courses require some form of placement testing or prerequisite. In most cases, juniors and seniors may use their unweighted GPA, or passing ACT/SAT scores to meet the pre-requisite for dual enrollment classes. Freshmen and sophomores can meet the pre-requisite needed for dual enrollment by testing with EdReady. EdReady is a placement test that can be taken online in the student’s home. In order to take the placement tests, you will need your MEID number. The EdReady tests are available here. Be sure to review the Prerequisite Placement Chart here, which includes the EdReady and Accuplacer placement scores students must obtain in order to enroll in specific courses.

According to CollegeBoard, “Advanced Placement is a program in the United States created by the College Board which offers college-level curricula and examinations to high school students.” High scores on the AP Exams allow for more college and university opportunities in America as well as granting placement and course credit. For students who are interested in taking an AP exam(s) in May, the deadline to sign up and order exams is October 25th. Every student must create a College Board account to have access to AP Classroom and Order an exam. Cost for an AP exam is $96. Payments can be done through your Infinite Campus Account or students can pay for the exam(s) at the ACP Bookstore. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Uyeshiro.

The PSAT/NMSQT will be Tuesday, October 26th, 2021 from 7:30-11:30 at ACP High School. All ACP freshmen, sophomores, and juniors should sign up for the PSAT/NMSQT by paying $20 through Infinite Campus in order to get their scores and be shown to colleges. Your payment reserves you a spot for the test. If you did not pay at the Virtual Day of the Knights, please log in to your Infinite Campus account to pay- instructions below. Payments need to be made no later than September 10th. If you are unsure if you have paid, please go to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account and check your payment history. The Knightly Update of September 5, 2021 shows you how to pay on Infinite Campus here under “IMPORTANT PSAT INFORMATION”. Only juniors-11th graders-can get qualified to enter the competitions for prestigious scholarships and participate in recognition programs such as the National Merit Scholarship Program and National Hispanic Recognition Program. But for the lower classmen, the PSAT allows for more exposure to the SAT and the more exposure, the more practice, which means better preparation for the SAT.

As you can see, there’s a ton of information, so if any of this applies to you, please contact any of the counselors that can be found on the school’s website under “Our Staff”. As always, remember to strive for the impossible and be extraordinary! Have a wonderful day, Knights!