11th Grade
At the beginning of the school year, juniors continue their path toward college with competitive students taking a majority of AP courses to help strengthen his/her college resume & application.
During the Fall semester, all juniors participate in taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October. Primarily designed for juniors, the PSAT/NMSQT can help students get a preliminary look into a possible SAT score. Given that a student’s score on a standardized test (e.g. SAT or ACT) is one of the main pillars of college admissions decisions, sophomores get a snapshot of where they are on that journey. Junior year PSAT scores could qualify a student for the National Merit Scholarship Program, the National Achievement Scholars Program or the National Hispanic/African-American/Indigenous/Rural and Small Town Recognition Program.
Throughout the Fall & Spring semester, students take rigorous courses with challenging curriculum that contains a thread of SAT/ACT/PSAT/TSIA preparation.
During the Fall semester, CSA hosts a annual Financial Aid Planning night for parents, as presented by College Funding Specialists. This helps families get a head start on understanding college financial aid and planning for the future.
Also, during the Fall semester, Juniors are also reminded of the CSA College Preparatory Video Series. Juniors are encouraged to watch the 1st video - “How to Start Thinking About Choosing a College” as well as the 2nd video – “How to Research Colleges & Make a Choice” on the College Choice section of the school’s website.
As the end of the Fall semester approaches and midterms loom over juniors, students are reminded of prerequisites needed to take Pre-AP and AP courses during his/her senior year. Students are encouraged to study hard for midterm exams as it will directly affect his/her GPA & Class rank. This is especially true for juniors as initial college admissions decisions are typically based on 6 semesters (the first three years of a student’s high school career).
At the beginning of the Spring semester, juniors are encouraged to register & take the SAT. The SAT, a major pillar of college admissions decisions, is designed to be taken during the spring of a student’s junior year in high school. A declaration form (stating which test date a student will attend) is required to be completed and submitted for all CSA juniors.
During the Spring semester, Chaparral Star Academy provides instruction in preparing juniors for the college application process. The Dean of Students goes into the classrooms and works with the students throughout the semester, providing four different modules to help them start their journey.
Topics include information about how to think about choosing a college, how to research colleges & make a choice and how to apply to college. The CSA College Preparatory Video Series is used as the primary curriculum. Presentations are recorded and uploaded to the Junior College Preparation section of the website.
Juniors utilize Naviance to research colleges to finalize a list of matches. Juniors are encouraged to schedule campus visits during the subsequent summer.
Toward the end of the Spring semester, applicable juniors are administered the Texas Success Initiative Assessment (TSIA) to determine college readiness levels.