10th Grade

The Path to High School Graduation and Beyond

We want to make sure you know what you should be thinking about as you prepare for high school. The following is an action plan for you to follow. We will revisit this plan each year, but we want to give you a game plan so you can start your sophmore year feeling informed and ready to start making the correct choices now!

Fall & Spring Semester

TAKE THE PSAT:
Register to take the PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test). The PSAT is a practice exam for the SAT Reasoning test.
Take the PSAT test, given in October, at Santana High School. The PSAT test results will give you an idea of your academic strengths and the areas you need to improve in as you prepare for college admission.
Continue with the activities accomplished from your freshman year. Start thinking about qualities which would make a college right for you. What size is best? Do you have a location preference? Does the college offer the major you’re interested in?
Work hard to get A’s and B’s in your classes and do at least 1 - 2 hours of homework each night.
Plan your junior year carefully. A strong college preparatory program balanced with courses in English, mathematics, science, social science and foreign language is important. Make sure you take classes that are meeting the “A-G” requirements.
Pay attention to what friends are saying about their college experiences.
Sit in on presentations with college representatives who visit your school. Representatives often visit the AVID classroom. Watch the bulletin for info.
Students should strongly consider taking the Preliminary SAT exam (PSAT) this year to prepare for the SAT. The PSAT is usually given in October. Talk to your counselor.