Canyon ISD is committed to ensuring that our students are prepared to pursue a fulfilling career aligned with their interests. We believe that no matter what our students are planning to do after high school, they should be in a position to choose the college and career pathway that will lead to a successful life.
When we are talking about being college and career ready, what do we mean? College and career readiness is being equipped with the knowledge and skills, habits of thinking, and preparation necessary to successfully complete the first year of college without the need for remediation or to be able to enter the workforce ready to handle the demands of the job successfully.
We know that we must be intentional when it comes to preparing and growing our students to succeed in college and career readiness through instilling the ideals of professionalism, leadership, and service.
Our mission is to actively engage and fully equip each student to graduate prepared and confident for post-secondary endeavors
College and Career Readiness Video
Graduation Requirements At-A-Glance
Foundation High School Program
The Foundation High School Program with endorsements is a flexible program that allows students to pursue their interests. It is the graduation program for students who entered high school in the 2014-15 school year or later.
The Program Contains Up to Four Parts
- A 22-credit foundation plan which is the core of the Texas high school diploma program
- Five endorsement options that allow students to focus on a related series of courses
- A higher performance category called Distinguished Level of Achievement
- Performance Acknowledgments that note outstanding achievement in specific areas
The Foundation Requirements (22 Credits)
- English (4 Credits)
- Mathematics (3 Credits)
- Science (3 Credits)
- Social Studies (3 Credits)
- Language Other Than English (2 Credits)
- Physical Education (1 Credit)
- Fine Arts (1 Credit)
- Business Information Management (1 Local Credit) *Beginning with 2017-2018 Freshmen Class
- Health (.5 Local Credit)
- 3.5 Elective Credits
Endorsements
- STEM
- Business and Industry
- Public Service
- Arts and Humanities
- Multidisciplinary
Enhancements to the Foundation Program
A student may earn the Distinguished Level of Achievement and/or a Performance Acknowledgment for outstanding performance. The Distinguished Level of Achievement must be earned to be admitted to a Texas public university under the Top 10 percent automatic admission law.
Distinguished Level of Achievement
- Foundation Program requirements
- 4 Credits in Math including Algebra II
- 4 credits in Science
- At least one endorsement
Performance Acknowledgement Areas
- Dual Credit Courses
- Bilingualism and Biliteracy
- PSAT, ASPIRE, SAT or ACT
- Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
- Earning a state-, nationally-, or internationally-recognized business or industry certification or license
Why it Matters? Benefits
The Distinguished Level of Achievement opens a world of educational and employment opportunities for you beyond high school. The Distinguished Level of Achievement will:
- Allow you to compete for Top 10% automatic admissions eligibility at any Texas public university;
- Position you among those first in line for a TEXAS Grant to help pay for university tuition and fees; (Must be financially qualified)
- Ensure you are a more competitive applicant at the most selective colleges and universities
- Taking Algebra II and Physics will improve your ACT/SAT Score
Performance Acknowledgements
- Dual Credit Courses
- Bilingualism and Biliteracy
- PSAT, ASPIRE, SAT or ACT
- Advanced Placement (AP) Exams
- Earning a state-, nationally-, or internationally-recognized business or industry certification or license
Canyon ISD College Roadmap
8th Grade Roadmap
Counselors will work with Exploring Careers teachers to help students work through the following items in Naviance, our online program used for post-secondary readiness and developing 4-year plans:
- Introduction Survey
- Career Cluster Assessment
- Browse Careers
- Add Career Clusters to list
- Complete the Strengths Explorer
- Student Explore Road Trip Nation
- Build 4-year Plans
- Complete endorsement form
- Completion Survey
9th Grade Roadmap
Fall Semester
- Student and Parents will be invited to attend a meeting to discuss their student’s 4 Year Plan, endorsement options, courses and post-secondary goals
- Revisit 4-year plan during pre-registration
- Complete Career Cluster Finder
10th Grade Roadmap
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
- Revisit 4-year plan during pre-registration
- Complete Career Interest Profiler through Naviance
- TSI Test for students enrolling in Dual-Credit courses
11th Grade Roadmap
The goals for the 11th grade year are to make sure the students will be on track to graduate. Majority of students will have already selected their endorsement(s) with the correct courses, and they need to begin narrowing the list of colleges that they will be applying for.
September:
- Graduation/Transcript Checklist
- Register for the PSAT
- Plan Community Service and Leadership Opportunities
October:
- Take PSAT
- Begin College Visits
November:
- ASVAB – Early November
- Research post-secondary options by completing SuperMatch on Naviance
- FAFSA4Caster to help in planning potential financial aid
December:
- Continue post-secondary options
January:
- Register for 12th Grade classes, making sure they align with 4-year Plan
- Complete the Strength Explorer
- Register for the ACT
February:
- Continue to research post-secondary options
- ACT for all Juniors provided by CISD
March:
- Discuss options with College and Career Counselor
April:
- TSI Test for Dual-Credit and CCR
May:
- Possible AP Exams
- Register to take ACT
- Work on Resume’
- Practice college essays in English class
June/July:
- Begin applying to colleges and universities (Apply Texas Application)
12th Grade Roadmap
August:
- Sign up for ACT or SAT re-test
- SuperMatch College Search – Naviance
- Begin admissions essays
- Know application requirements and deadlines
September:
- Apply for admission (Apply Texas Application)
- Meet with College and Career Counselor
- Attend Parent Night for FAFSA completion
October:
- FAFSA opens October 1st
- Attend college fair during the school day
- Begin gathering information for applying for scholarships
- Counselor Page – Scholarship Listings
- Apply for housing
November:
- ASVAB
- Apply for scholarships
December:
- Continue to apply for scholarships
- Re-Take ACT or SAT for higher score, if needed
January:
- Look for checklist of tasks from your chosen college/university
- Set login (username and password) for the system to obtain a college email account
February:
- Continue to apply for scholarships
- Visit military recruiters
March:
- Continue to apply for scholarships
April:
- Get meningitis vaccination
- Interview Week for all Seniors
May:
- May 1st – Deadline to notify college/university of choice of attendance decision
- Review financial aid awards
- Request dual-credit transcripts be sent
- Complete housing
- Sign-up for New Student Orientation
GRADUATE!!!!
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