Develop good reading habits. Read for school or pleasure daily. Take advantage of learning opportunities such as travel, visiting local museums, and school or family field trips. Discuss “issues of the day” over mealtime. As parents, ask questions that require students to think through a situation.

Insure that your home is an educational environment. Have an area set aside for homework, an expectation of when homework will be completed each day, and work with your student to help check work. Learning should continue when a child is at home.

Begin talking with the school counselor about colleges and careers.

Work on those grades. Grades you earn in ninth grade will be included in your final high school GPA. Grades, along with ACT/SAT scores, really do count toward college admission and scholarships.

Explore your interests and possible careers. It is not important to decide on an exact college major until you are in college, but you can start looking for things that sound interesting to you or rule out careers that might not be for you.

Get involved in extracurricular activities (both school and non-school sponsored).

Parents should begin planning for college expenses if they haven't done so already. State college savings plans should be investigated. Oklahoma Promise is a generous program for families that meet income qualifications. Parents must register their student during 9th or 10th grade to qualify for this program which helps to pay for tuition at Oklahoma universities after graduation.

Tour a nearby college.

Investigate summer enrichment programs.

Get involved in community service both school and outside of school. Summer break can be a good time to build up your service hours.

Start a personal resume that documents extracurricular activities, community service, awards, and achievements that have been received beginning the summer before 9th grade. Continue to add to this resume each year to be used for scholarship and college applications.

Fall Semester

Students should enroll in college preparatory courses and, if qualified, see if AP courses are available for the tenth grade year.

In October, take the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship qualifying test for practice. When you fill out your test sheet, check the box that releases your name to colleges so you can start receiving brochures from them. Take the PLAN assessment to help determine your study habits, academic progress, and interests.

Become familiar with general college entrance requirements both in state and out of state. Some universities are raising entrance requirements.

Attend college fairs in the Oklahoma City area. Many colleges both in state and out of state will have booths at the fall fairs. Watch newspaper listings for upcoming fairs.

Spring Semester

Discuss your student's PSAT and PLAN score with your counselor. Be open to taking the steps necessary, if needed, to get your student on track.

Read, read, read as many books as possible. Work on writing skills. No matter what the career, good writing skills are a necessity. Almost all jobs will require a person to have excellent oral and written communication skills.

Make sure your students keep their grades up. It is important to have the highest grade point average possible.

Start visiting colleges (public and private, small or large, rural or urban). When you make family trips, try to visit a college even if you aren't interested in a college in that area or state. You will learn a lot about what to look for in a college that you might want to attend. College tours can be scheduled online or by calling a college admission office. You should schedule a tour at least 3-4 days in advance, if possible.

Write to colleges and ask for their academic requirements for admission.

Encourage your student to get a summer job to put money away for college and to augment their personal resume.

Schedule an SAT or ACT for April or June.

Consider taking SAT II Subject Tests in the courses you took this year while the material is still fresh in your mind. These tests are offered in May or June. For more information, go to www.collegeboard.com.

Fall Semester

Parents and students need to be aware of the student's GPA and make sure that they are on track to meet or exceed OCA's graduation requirements.

Go over your family calendar and the school's calendar and plan to find at least two convenient times to take the SAT or ACT. Investigate test preparatory courses to help raise test scores. If a student is diligent and develops good test taking skills, any money invested in test prep courses is returned by qualifying for scholarships.

Help your child make a list of colleges that meet their most important criteria. Encourage them to think big. During the eleventh grade, students can take two college days prior to April 15th.

If your student wants to participate in Division I or Division II sports in college, start the certification process. Athletes need to make sure they have good ACT/SAT test scores or they may be very limited in the schools they have the opportunity to attend.

Sign up for scholarship opportunities at www.scholarship.com and www.fastweb.com .

Spring Semester

Collect information about college application procedures, entrance requirements, tuition and fees, room and board costs, student activities, course offerings, faculty composition, accreditation, and financial aid.

Meet with the counselor to review senior-year course selection and graduation requirements.

Inquire about personal interviews at your favorite colleges.

See the counselor to apply for on-campus summer programs for high school students. Leaving town for 2 weeks and staying on your own in a dorm can help develop independence and give you a perspective on what going away to college will be like.

Apply for a summer job or internship.

Update your personal resume.

Summer

Help your student start filling out college applications. By applying in the summer, it will help reduce stress during the senior year. Have your student complete a Transcript Request form listing which colleges need to receive an official transcript. Allow 1-2 weeks for OCA to complete transcript requests.

Visit the campuses of your top five college choices. Ask colleges about scholarships for which you may qualify.

After each college interview, send a thank-you letter to the interviewer.

Have your student complete rough drafts of college essays. Have a teacher read and discuss them with you. Always have someone other than your student proofread all essays prior to submission.

Fall Semester

Make sure your student has taken the courses necessary to graduate.

Male students must register for Selective Service on their 18th birthday to be eligible for federal and state financial aid.

Help your student make a calendar showing application deadlines for admissions, financial aid, and scholarships.

Students need to give recommendation forms to teachers and the counselor along with stamped, self-addressed envelopes so they can send them directly to the colleges. Encourage your student to share their goals and ambitions with those who write their recommendation letters. Make sure you give reference forms to teachers and counselors in a timely manner (several weeks before due date).

Be sure your student has requested test scores be sent to their colleges of choice.

Mail or send electronically any college applications for early-decision admission by Nov. 1.

If possible, have students visit colleges while classes are in session. All seniors can take 2 college days prior to April 15.

Winter

Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and if necessary, the Financial Aid PROFILE. There is a portion for parents and students. Access to these forms are available after January 1st.

Encourage students to follow up if they do not hear from colleges to which they have applied, to make sure all application information was received.

Spring Semester

Watch your mail for notification of financial aid awards between April 1 and May 1.

When the final college choice has been made, notify the school and accept the scholarship by May 1.

Be sure that you have received a FAFSA acknowledgment.

You will receive the Student Aid Report statement if you applied for a PELL grant (on FASFA). Review this Pell notice and forward it to the college you plan to attend.

Students need to schedule an orientation session, make housing arrangements, and send in all necessary forms to the college of choice.

Approximately 2 weeks after graduation, final transcripts will be available. Two transcripts will be provided with each diploma. Send one of them to the college of your choice and keep the other in a safe place in the event your student transfers to another college or wants to take summer courses at the local junior college. If you require another copy, contact OCA and one will be prepared within 1-2 weeks.

Nationally standardized tests are important in helping to guide schools and parents toward high academic standards. Our annual schedule of assessments are designed to help educators find out what students know and are able to do. By using technically excellent test instruments, we are able to provide valid and reliable measurements of achievement to pass on to parents. These assessments are also helpful in identifying students who are at risk of being left behind. Parents will understand what their students know and how they can help.

1st - 9th Grade -- Participate each spring in National Standardized Achievement Tests. In addition, all students in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th grade take a assessment that measures cognitive ability such as the COGAT or Otis Lennon Test.

8th Grade -- Students take the EXPLORE test in October. The EXPLORE helps measure a student's readiness for High School.

10th Grade -- Students take the PLAN and PSAT in October. The PLAN is a precursor to the ACT and helps measure a student's track for readiness to attend and be successful in college. As is standard with college preparatory private schools, the PSAT is taken to help students gain confidence in test taking and give them exposure to the PSAT prior to the 11th grade competition test date.

11th Grade -- Students take the PSAT in October. The PSAT is a precursor to the SAT. It measures not only what a student has learned, but gives insight into their ability to learn. This test is also the qualifying tests for 11th grade to compete in the National Merit Scholarship Program.

ACT and SAT Tests are scheduled by parents or students. Students need to plan on taking the test at least 3 times before the beginning of the senior year. Most students start taking the test for practice the end of 9th grade or during 10th grade. Prep courses outside of school are strongly recommended to help students raise their score and have shown to be very successful.

Abilene Christian University
Arizona School of Design
Austin College
Carnegie Melon University
Carson Newman
Clarendon College
East Central University
Eastern New Mexico State University
Evangel University
Florida Institute of Technology
Freed Hardeman University
Georgetown Christian College
Harding University
Lipscomp University
Lubbock Christian University
Mid-American Christian University
Missouri State University
Northeastern State University
Northern Oklahoma College
Oklahoma Baptist University
Oklahoma City Community College
Oklahoma City University
Oklahoma Christian University
Oklahoma State University
Oral Roberts University
OSU-OKC
Oklahoma Wesleyan University
Purdue University at Indianapolis
Rose-Hullman
Rose State College
Southern Nazarene University
Southwestern Christian University
Texas A&M
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Michigan
University of Missouri
University of Oklahoma
University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma
University of Tennessee
University of Tulsa
William Jewell College
York College
Tabor College

Class of 2008    -    $ 411,200.00
Class of 2009    -    $ 871,028.00
Class of 2010    -    $ 451,450.00