Address: Jenkintown High School, 250 West Ave., Jenkintown, PA 19046

Telephone: (215) 884-1801

College Board School Code/CEEB Code: 391920

High School Counselor Grades 9-12: Chrissy Kafkalas   |   kafkalac@jtowndrakes.org    |  (215) 884-1801 x214

Middle/High School Student Assistance Counselor Grades 7-12: Ashley Geary   |   gearya@jtowndrakes.org   |   (215) 884-1801 x122

Middle School Counselor Grades 7-8: Becky McLoughlin  |  mcloughlinr@jtowndrakes.org  |  (215) 884-1801 x233

GRADE 7

-7th Grade Guidance Survey

-7th Grade Individual Growth Plan Meetings 

- Eastern Presentation in Advisory

- 7th Grade Workshop: Career Assessment 

- Career Awareness Activities in Advisory (Goal setting, Budgeting Activity, Research, and present a Career of choice)

- Middle School Academic Planning - Grade Level Course Selection Meeting

GRADE 8

-8th Grade Guidance Survey

-8th Grade Individual Growth Plan Meetings

-Career Expo at Eastern Center for Arts & Technology 

-8th Grade Workshop Career Assessment

-High School Academic Planning - Grade Level Course Selection Meeting

-Individualized Career Plan

GRADE 9 

-Take the Career Scope - Career Assessment provided by Eastern Center (Fall/October) 

-High School Academic Planning - Grade Level Course Selection Meeting (February)

-Freshmen IGP Meetings (Spring)

-Freshman Guidance Workshops: 

• 1st Workshop (Fall): High School 101/Resume/School Activities

• 2nd Workshop (Fall/Winter): Learning Style Quiz

• 3rd Workshop (Spring): Review Career Scope Results - students will get a copy of the results

GRADE 10

-PSAT - given to students when applicable

-Eastern Presentation and Field Trip

-High School Academic Planning - Grade Level Course Selection Meeting 

-Sophomore IGP Meetings 

-Sophomore Guidance Workshops:

• 1st Workshop:  Review PSAT Results, Intro to College Board, College Admissions, and College Admissions Testing

• 2nd Workshop: Career Assessment 

• 3rd Workshop:: Strengths Explorer

GRADE 11

-PSAT (Fall/October) - given to students when applicable

-Financial Aid Night for Parents (Fall)

-Junior IGP Meetings (Winter - they generally start mid-December)

-Eastern Presentation and Field Trip (Winter)

-High School Academic Planning - Grade Level Course Selection Meeting (February)

-Junior Guidance Workshops: 

• 1st Workshop (Fall): Intro to Junior Guidance Workshop Series and Intro to College Admissions  and Post-high school options, Intro to College Testing - SAT/ACT, PSAT Overview, Test-Optional

• 2nd Workshop (Fall): Career Interest Inventory, Exploring Careers and College Majors

• 3rd Workshop (Winter): Post-High School Planning, Introduction to SCOIR , College/Career Searches

• 4th Workshop (Spring): Resume in SCOIR/Common Application Activities Worksheet

• 5th Workshop (Spring): The College Essay (Prompts and Brainstorming)

• 6th Workshop (Spring): Review the Junior/Senior Checklist/Paperwork, NCAA, and the Common Application, Social Media, Guidance Memo
  
  

GRADE 12

-College Boot Camp (August)

-Senior IGP Meetings (Fall)

-Financial Aid Night for Parents (Fall: October/November)

Act 158 for Jenkintown High School

(Begins for the Class of 2023 and Beyond)

Summary: 

Act 158 outlines five pathways that students can take to meet Keystone Testing Proficiency. Students must complete one of the five pathways in order to earn a Jenkintown High School Diploma.

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Pathway 1: Keystone Proficiency. 

Students score Proficient or Advanced (minimum score of 1500 or better) on all three Keystone Exams (Algebra I, Biology, Literature).

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Pathway 2: Keystone Composite Score. 

Students must score Proficient or Advanced (minimum score of 1500 or better) on at least one Keystone Exam, no Keystone Exam score of Below Basic, and the composite of the three scores must be 4452 or greater.

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Pathway 3: Career and Technical Education Concentrator.  

Students must earn a passing grade on each of the three Keystone-aligned courses (Algebra I, Biology I, and English I) and successfully complete a Career and Technical Education Program at Eastern Center for Arts and Technology (EASTERN).  

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Pathway 4: Alternative Assessment Pathway.  

Students must earn a passing grade on the Keystone-aligned courses (Algebra I, Biology I, and English I) and one of the following:

Get a minimum score on any one of the following assessments*: ACT (>21), ASVAB [Armed Forces Qualifying] (>31**), PSAT (>970), SAT (>1010), AP Subject Test that is aligned to a Keystone Subject area (>3***)

OR

The student must earn a passing grade on an LEA-approved concurrent enrollment course**** (as evidenced by a high school transcript or college transcript) for each Keystone Exam content area in which the student does not have a score of Proficient or Advanced

OR

Be accepted into a four-year non-profit institute of higher education (documented with a letter letter of admittance confirming non-conditional acceptance into an explicit degree program or major)

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Pathway 5: Evidence-Based Pathway.  

Students must earn a passing grade on the Keystone- aligned courses  (Algebra I, Biology I, and English I) and complete a total of three requirements from Lists A & B below with at least one requirement coming from List A and no more than 2 coming from List B (all requirements can be met with List A)

List A (students must meet at least one requirement in List A)

1. SAT Subject test (any subject) - score of 630 or higher

2. AP exam (any subject) - score of 3 or higher consistent with the student’s goals and career plans.

3. Passing score on any dual enrollment course (a college class that also grants high school credit)

4. Successful completion of a postsecondary college course

5. Acceptance to an accredited other than four year nonprofit institution of higher education (ie. Montgomery County Community College) (documented with a letter letter of admittance confirming non-conditional acceptance into an explicit degree program or major)
   
   

List B (no more than two requirements can come from List B for Pathway 5). 

1. Satisfactory completion of a service learning project (ie. Culminating project). This may be completed more than once

2. Advanced or Proficient Score on one or more Keystone Exams

3. Successful completion of an Internship or Externship or Cooperative Education Program (i.e. Community Study).

4. Satisfactory compliance with NCAA’s Div II core courses with a min. GPA of 2.0

5. Guarantee of full-time employment (documentation of job offer of 30+hrs a week)

6. 
   

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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES.  Any student with a disability who satisfactorily completes a special education program developed by an individualized education program team under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and 22 Pa. Code Ch. 14 (relating to special education services and programs) that does not otherwise meet the requirements of Act 158 or Act 6 shall be granted and issued a regular high school diploma by the student’s LEA. Note: Students who graduate in this manner are not considered to have been granted waivers under Act 158. 

The superintendent has the ability to offer an Act 158 waiver for up to 5% of the graduating class for extenuating circumstances. 

For the complete Act 158 Toolkit from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, please click here.

Pathway 4: Alternative Assessment Pathway— Explanations

*For example, a student who only demonstrated Proficiency or better in the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Achieve local grade-based requirements in both the Algebra I and the Biology courses), and

2. Achieve the established score or higher on one of the approved alternative assessments.

** A subset of the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB), the AFQT score determines basic qualification for enlistment and is comprised of Paragraph Comprehension, Word Knowledge, Mathematics Knowledge, and Arithmetic Reasoning. A student may participate in the ASVAB prior to senior year; however, the student’s AFQT score must meet or exceed the minimum score for admittance to a branch of the armed services during the year in which the student graduates.

*** The student must score a 3 or higher on an approved Advanced Placement (AP) Exam for each Keystone Exam content area in which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced.

For example, a student who scored Proficient in only the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Meet local grade-based requirements for both Algebra I and Biology, and

2. Score a 3 or better on approved AP Exams for Algebra I and Biology aligned courses (see chart below).

NOTE: AP Exams aligned to more than one content area may be attributed to only one Keystone Exam (e.g., a score of 3 or better on AP Chemistry may be attributed only to Algebra I or to Biology, not both).

****The student must earn a passing grade on an LEA-approved concurrent enrollment course (as evidenced by a high school transcript or college transcript) for each Keystone Exam content area in which the student does not have a numeric or non-numeric score of Proficient or Advanced

For example, a student who scored Proficient in only the Keystone Literature Exam would need to satisfy the following under this criterion:

1. Meet local grade-based requirements for both Algebra 1 and Biology, and

2. Pass two LEA-approved concurrent enrollment courses, one aligned to Algebra I and one aligned to Biology.

For an LEA to approve a concurrent enrollment course for the purpose of meeting this criterion, the credit-bearing, non-remedial college-level course must be aligned to the respective Keystone Exam (i.e., includes the majority of the Eligible Content for the respective Keystone Exam). Concurrent enrollment courses aligned to more than one content area may only be attributed to one Keystone Exam (e.g., a passing grade in a concurrent enrollment Chemistry course may be attributed only to Algebra I or Biology, not both).

Pathway 5: Evidence-Based Pathway — Explanations

Dual Enrollment Course: The student must earn a passing grade, as evidenced by a high school transcript or college transcript, on any LEA-approved concurrent enrollment course consistent with the student’s goals and career plans.

A concurrent enrollment is a course in which a secondary student is enrolled and, upon successful completion of which, both high school and postsecondary college credit are earned. The course must be a credit-bearing, non-remedial college-level course.

Post Secondary College Course: The student must earn a passing grade, as evidenced by a high school transcript or college transcript, on any college-level course consistent with the student’s goals and career plans. The course must be an LEA-approved, credit-bearing, non-remedial college-level course.

Other than Four-Year Non-Profit Institution of High Education: The student must demonstrate acceptance into an other-than-4-year program in an accredited non-profit institution of higher education by providing: A letter of admittance confirming non-conditional acceptance into an explicit degree program or major

Service Learning Project: The student must successfully complete a service-learning project of sufficient duration and intensity to address identified community needs and meet a specified project learning goal(s). While LEAs may use discretion, a minimum of 10 hours is recommended.

A project proposal must be submitted to the school official for pre-approval and must include a project description, learning goal(s), timeline, number of service hours, the project’s contribution to the community, and the sponsoring organization. The project must be supervised and assessed by an adult with successful completion verified in writing by the adult supervisor.

Internship or Externship or Cooperative Education Program: The student must successfully complete an internship, externship, or cooperative education program, as evidenced by locally established documentation.

Internships place students at a workplace for a defined period to participate in and observe work within a given industry, with specified learning objectives and assessment of student performance

Externships often occur during non-school hours and mainly explore interests as opposed to internships, which act as the bridge from student life to professional life

Cooperative Education Programs alternate or coordinate high school studies with a job in a field related to the student’s academic or career objectives

NCAA Division II: Regardless of postsecondary intent and for the purpose of meeting this criterion only, the student must comply with NCAA’s Division II core courses for college-bound student athletes, with a minimum GPA of 2.0 or the equivalent on an alternate grading scale.

Guarantee of Full Time Employment: The student must provide documentation guaranteeing sustained full-time employment: (1) averaging at least 30 hours per week, or (2) 130 hours per month, or (3) multiple jobs that, in aggregate, are reasonably commensurate with full-time work.

Work that is timebound or terminates with project completion (such as freelance work) may be considered sustained, providing the LEA deems likely a continuation or recurrence of work in a manner consistent with ongoing employment.

Full-time employment should be scheduled to commence no later than 30 calendar days after the date of high school graduation (i.e., date of receipt of diploma or 30 calendar days after student has fulfilled academic requirements for graduation). If cause for a delay in employment is determined to be reasonable by the LEA, full- time employment may commence up to 90 calendar days after graduation.

In lieu of full-time employment, the student may provide verification of military enlistment (to include enrollment in a Delayed Enlistment Program which permits a delay of up to 365 days).