PHS Juniors
2023 Junior-Senior Parent Meeting
The 202e Junior-Senior Parent Meeting will be held August 21st at 6pm in Room 404. Mrs. Goetsch, PHS School Counselor, will present beneficial information for juniors, seniors, and parents. Topics discussed will include filling out the FAFSA, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Early College classes, and more. Please contact the Counseling Office with any questions.
Dual Credit Classes*
Dual Credit classes allow you to earn both high school and college credits at the same time during the school day. In order to offer a Dual Credit class, a school must follow guidelines that are set by the Nebraska Department of Education and the Higher Learning Commission. These rules cover teacher credentials, amount of time spent in class, and coursework rigor.
PHS hosts a meeting prior to the start of the school year to discuss our dual credit opportunities, to help students enroll and to answer any questions. Sign up for classes is in August for First Semester Classes and November/December for Second Semester Classes.
Information on these classes is in the Junior and Senior's Google Classroom.
Online College Credit Classes*
Online College Credit Classes give students an opportunity to take classes not offered at PHS and to work independently. Students will have a scheduled, class period to work on their online class(es). Students will be responsible for the purchase of any books or materials required during online classes. Online classes do not count toward PHS graduation requirements, however, they will be part of the student's respective college and earn college credits.
Online classes are in high demand and immediate registration ensures a student's enrollment. Fall online class registration is held in the spring of the academic year prior, while spring online class registration is held in November.
Information on these classes is in the Junior and Senior's Google Classroom.
*Classes that earn college credits, may or may not be transferable to another college or be a required course for a course of study. Please plan ahead and visit with Mrs. Goetsch and the college(s) interested in attending before signing up for a dual credit or online college credit class. The upside to these classes regardless if they will transfer or are required, is the price is a fraction of the normal cost of the class while enrolled in college.
Ready, Set, Go!
Juniors, don't wait to start on your college or career planning! Here's a few of the options you have as a Junior!
College Visits, some colleges offering days exclusively for Juniors
EPP College Planning Day/College Fair at Northeast Community College
Job Shadow Opportunities
John Baylor "OnToCollege" ACT Prep Courses
Dual credit classes, online classes and our Virtual Scholar classes to extend your schedule choices here at PHS
Career and College Exploration sessions during school hours
Individual visits with Mrs. Goetsch to kick start your essay writing for scholarships-upon request
Stop by the School Counseling Office to visit with Mrs Goetsch on how you can prepare for your future today!
John Baylor "OnToCollege" ACT Prep
Pierce High School offers Juniors the ACT College Prep or Fundamentals beginning in January to prepare for the April State ACT. This course is provided at no cost to PHS students. After completion of the ACT College Prep or Fundamentals, students will continue to have online access to those courses, as well as others designed to be refresher courses to prepare for additional ACT National Testing Dates. Please contact the Counseling Office with any questions.
Why OnToCollege?
Because OTC is:
Motivational: We provide students with a “Why to Try.”
Engaging: Our courses are entertaining, encouraging, and captivating.
Concise and Easy-To-Use: Teachers are facilitators — they don’t have to create and teach the course. And students aren’t overwhelmed by our 8-page curriculum and 5-8 hours of instructional time per course.
Effective: Our 400+ school partners routinely see increases of 1-3 points on the ACT or 50-150 points on the SAT.
School-wide: ALL of your students – not just the highly-motivated or affluent – deserve the best test prep. We have courses for grades 9-12 and for all ability levels.
Live! Online Help Sessions | NEW TIME 7:30-8:30 PM CT
ACT (two nights before test dates), SAT (night before test dates)
John Baylor also offers free webinars, reviews and more. Visit the OnToCollege website at https://www.ontocollege.com/ for more information.
The Ultimate Guide to ACT Prep in 2023
Click below to view.
NSCAS ACT: Why are Juniors required to take the ACT in the spring of their Junior year?
The Nebraska State Statute 79-760 was updated by passage of LB 930 in spring 2016 to require that state accountability testing at the high school level be completed through the administration of a college entrance exam. ACT was selected as the exam to be administered beginning spring 2017 to all public school third-year cohort students, except those identified as needing alternate assessment.
Students will participate in ACT Reading, English, Math, Science and Writing each spring. Although ACT writing is optional for Saturday administrations, the ACT writing test is required for state testing for all students.
All students, including special education students and English Learners who are in their third-year cohort of high school must participate in the ACT. An alternate exam is available for students who qualify as having significant cognitive disabilities. Please click on the link for the alternate assessment page. https://www.education.ne.gov/assessment/act/