Once again we are reminded of the need to remainvigilant of the dangers of social media and ourresponsibilities as parents to monitor our children’s useof these powerful technologies. A couple of years agoI wrote about the dangers of MySpace, Facebook, andFormSpring and how social media had changed theface of teen interaction. It seems like things have takenon a much more mobile aspect and now Instagram,Twitter, and SnapChat are the names of the toolsstudents are using to post, pic, chat, and cheat. Thenature of teens’ internet use has transformeddramatically — from stationary connections tied toshared desktops in the home to always-on connectionsthat move with them throughout the day. MaryMadden, Senior Researcher for the Pew ResearchCenter’s Internet Project describes “In many ways, teensrepresent the leading edge of mobile connectivity, andthe patterns of their technology use often signal futurechanges in the adult population.” It’s important to remember that the creators of

these sites are some of the world’s youngest billionaires.Evan Spiegel, the 23 year –old SnapChat inventor, justturned down $4 billion from Google. Twenty-something co-creators Kevin Systrom and MikeKrieger sold Instagram to Facebook in just less thantwo years for $1 billion. Mark Zuckerberg became abillionaire at 23 with Facebook, and Twitter also madeits inventors billionaires and helped topple a 30-yearEgyptian regime. Why do we care that these brilliantyoung entrepreneurs made it so big so fast? Because ithighlights just how powerfully seductive and popularthese technologies are among young people. It alsoserves to remind us that these are businesses and aredependent on youth for their success. The sophisticatedadvertisers that populate and traffic their wares on thesesites are not much different than the toy and cerealmanufacturers that fill the spaces between the Saturdaymorning cartoons, and parents face significantchallenges monitoring the appropriateness of how their

The Principal’s Message

pfc newsletterO A K P A R K H I G H S C H O O LDecember 2013 www.oakparkusd.org/ophs

teenagers use technology to communicate with eachother. While these social media sites can be powerfuland positive communication tools, we must takeprecautions to protect youth from the harm posed bythe improper use of these incredible but potentiallydangerous applications. Bullying in schools has existed since schools began,

but today’s technology allows bullying to extend itsreach not only into teenagers’ homes and bedrooms, butwherever they carry their phone. Kids are using phones,tablets, and computers, often anonymously, to threaten,intimidate, and otherwise hassle their peers. Spreadingmean and embarrassing comments, pictures, andrumors online is by far the most common tactic teensuse to hurt others. But the word “bullying” has lostsome of its power as schools have devoted so muchattention to the issue in recent years. If we were to aska class of students, “How many of you have beenbullied?” few will raise their hand," but when we breakit down by behaviors: “Raise your hand if someone hasspread rumors about you, Raise your hand if you'vewatched someone being ostracized in the last week.Raise your hand if someone has called you a derogatoryname this week.” Many hands will shoot up. When weask whether this has happened online, even more handsare raised. Kids today often vent electronically when they’re

hurt, upset or angry. Faced with trying to resolve theproblem in an uncomfortable and difficult face-to-faceconversation, versus the ease of venting online, theyoften feel that it makes more sense to go online.However, this choice usually escalates the conflictinstead of resolving it. Too many tragic teen suicideshave been linked to hateful comments, pictures, orvideos posted on social networking sites by the students’peers. In our discipline and counseling offices weinvariably find that whatever the incident is, it eitherstarted online, or was escalated by comments made onInstagram, Twitter or by text messages. SnapChat isparticularly dangerous because the appeal of the app isthat it promises users that the image disappears after

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Dec. 4 Naviance Parent Workshop, 10:30 am, C&CCDec. 4 Girls’ Volleyball Awards Banquet, 6 pm, Pav.Dec. 6 PFC Meeting, 8:30 am, Lib.Dec. 8 ASL Carwash Fundraiser, 10 amDec. 8 Choir Performance, 8 pm, Reagan LibraryDec. 9 Cross Cntry Awards Banquet, 5:30 pm, Pav.Dec. 11 Choir & Band Holiday Concert, 7 pm, Pav.Dec. 12 Senior Parent Night, 5:30 pm, G-9Dec. 13 Freshman Ice Skateing Night, 7:30 pmDec. 19 PSAT Scores, 2:30 pm, Pav.Dec. 23-Jan 3 Winter Break

Nutr. = Nutrition, Pav. = Pavilion

Lib. CR = Library Conference Room

C&CC = College & Career Center

See complete listings for eventsand more on the

OPHS Master Calendar!

It’s easy as 1-2-3!1. Click here or go to…www.oakparkusd.org/ophs.2. Hover your mouse on “Calendars” in the yellowmenu bar and select Master Calendar from thedrop down menu or select the athletic team schedule you wish to view.3. If you selected Master Calendar, click on any event listed for more information!

Campus Calendar, News & Notes

Oak Park High School PFC Newsletter published monthly September - June

by the OPHS Parent Faculty Club (PFC)for families of Oak Park High School

students.

Oak Park High School • Oak Park Unified School District

Principal: Kevin Buchanan899 N. Kanan Road, Oak Park, CA 91377

OPHS Main Line: 735-3300 Attendance/Temp. Off Campus Pass Line: 735-3311

(please call before 9 a.m.)

PFC President: Gillian Miller ophspfc@gmail.com

Newsletter Editor: Suzie Bock bockgraphx@sbcglobal.net 818-970-5251

eNews Editor: Uma Narayanan umasaa@yahoo.com 818-707-3124

www.oakparkusd.org/ophs • www.oakparkusd.org

Wishing you and yours

a HAPPY HOLIDAY

and a Wonderful

New Year!!

School PicturesSchool Pictures

Still Not ClaimedStill Not Claimed

If you have not picked up

your school pictures, please

retrieve them from the

Student Store.

Click Here to use PayPal to make your No Frills Donation!

OPHS PFC Thanks All of Our

No Frills Donors

Want to see your

name in print?

3

No Frills Donations AppreciatedThank you to the following families for their generous donations to our 2013 No Frills Campaign. Without theircontributions, the PFC could not continue to support Oak Park High School teachers and students.

AggarwalAhdootAlchanatiAldrich**AlicerAlkoby**Alwash**AndersenAnderson, P&D.**Annino**AokiAppelrouthArdiAsulinAviram**Bagamian**Baker, E&J.BalintBarrettBartolomea**BatraBaumann**BautistaBearBecerraBeemanBender**BeneduceBensonBernerBoganimBongiovi**BorreroBradburyBraniganBrowneBuckleyBuiBulkoBurger**Burnison**Byrne**CarrilloCastillo**ChandramohanChang, S&K.Chasin**

CheneyChittickChiuClarkeClearyCleveland**Cohen, B&J.**Cohen, I&D.**Cohen, J&S.**Cohen, S&V.ColaoCombsCook**CorbittCounsilCruzDauchyDaveDavis, H&K.deCaussin**Dem**DeveauDiPaolo**Dolabson**DollisonDorian**Dubey**Duerfeldt**Eghbali**ElayneEllis**FaxasFeemsterFelder**FestaFields**Fiouzi**FlaschnerFollett**Ford**FreyFriedman, A&A.Friedman, N&D.FritzFuttermanGabrielGarfinkel, S&M.**

Garvin**Gebhard**GeldinGerwe WijesekeraGhaffariGilbertGilliamGlassman, R&A**Glickstein**GlucroftGodsick**GoldesGoldsteinGoodwell**GorelikGortner**GowderGravesGreen, K&S.Green, U&A.GreenbaumGreenwaldGrimmHaberHadariHaddoxHaikinHaines**Harris, L&G.Harris, S&O.HartHeatleyHedlund Helfand**HennessyHenteleffHerbert, D&S.HerscuHile**HillHillman**HindsHiscocksHoffman, L&S.Holmes**Horwitz**Hsiong**

HsuHughes, A&D.**ImmkeJamison**Jasso**JenningsJhaJimenezJohn**Johnson, A&S.Julius**KalinkeKalmanovichKaminskyKatz, B&J.Katz, L&G.Katz, S&M.KealerKellyKeynejadKhawKiernanKoe**KoffiKramer**Kristensen**Krys**KubikKulkarniLabrecqueLaifman**Lam**LambLee, M.Lee, S&P.LehrerLenkoLevanonLevinLezakLinLiu, H&D.Liu, M&D.Lovett-LoveLozito

Continued on page 5

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30 seconds. However, this month Montreal policearrested 10 teenage boys Thursday on child-porncharges for passing around pictures of girls ages 13 to 15in sexual poses or performing sexual acts. The boysallegedly coaxed their female friends into posing for thepictures and sending them using SnapChat. The girlsthought the pictures would vanish within seconds.Instead, the boys found ways to get around the timelimit. Those can include taking screen shots of thephone, finding hidden files on the device or taking apicture of the phone with another phone.Some students are more likely than others to be

cyber-bullied and these students need our help. Theyinclude students who may already struggle with socialinteraction and will be pushed further into isolation bythe harassment. Students of groups that aretraditionally marginalized because of their sexualorientation, their appearance, their race or religion, theiraffiliation with certain groups or clubs are often thetargets of comments made to humiliate or degrade.Girls can be particularly mean and technology hasadded another dimension to the issues surrounding“mean girls”.So what can parents do? Schools and school

districts have adopted policies and practices thatprohibit such behavior and formalize the disciplinaryresponses to cases of online harassment. California hasadopted Cyber-bullying laws and several high profilecivil cases have been settled in favor of victims. SupremeCourt decisions have held that Free Speech rights donot protect cyber-bullies. OPUSD has also adoptedcyber-bullying policies and the OPHS code of conductspells out the rules regarding the use of digitaltechnology to threaten, harass, or otherwise intimidatestudents. OPHS has peer counselors and Safe SchoolAmbassadors who work with administrators and staffto spot and prevent bullying.What can Parents do? Go online and become

familiar with SnapChat, Twitter, Instagram andFacebook and make sure that you and your child knowhow to use the reporting tools and blockingmechanisms that come with them. SnapChat,Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have tips for parentsand offer ways to report and remove inappropriate use

and images. Make sure that you are the Administratoron all the computers in your home, and that you createthe settings that allow you to block or allow certain sitesand content, and view browser history. Talk with yourchild about the risks posed by social media and whatyou expect from them. Check out Free Apps likeMamabear.com that allow you to monitor their activityon Instagram as well as their location and drivingbehavior. Set online rules and responsibilities andenforce rules with tangible consequences. Speak to yourchild about how to react if he or she is targetedInstagram uses these community guidelines and

warns that overstepping the boundaries outlined belowmay result in a disabled account.1. Don’t share photos or videos that aren’t yours.2. Don’t share photos or videos that show nudity or mature content.

3. Don’t share photos or videos of illegal content.4. Don’t spam.5. Don’t be rude.6. Don't promote or glorify self-harm.

This is truly a collaborative effort between home andschool to keep our young people informed of thedangers and consequences of digital intimidation. Withdiligence and a proactive stance we can provide anenvironment where our children can safely andsuccessfully go about the business of school and growingup.Below are links to sites that offer more information

and articles on this issue:

http://www.cyberbullying.us/http://www.mamabear.comhttp://www.cyberbullying.us/cyberbullying_cell_phone_contract.pdf

Bullied to tears, bored to deathhttp://www.chicagotribune.com/features/life/sc-fam-1127-teen-bully-20121127,0,487384.storyhttp://pewinternet.org/Presentations/2013/Nov/9-Things-About-Teens-Technology-Online-Privacy.aspx

— Sincerely,Kevin Buchanan

Principal

Principal’s Message (continued)

5

President’s LetterDear OPHS Families,Thanksgiving has come and gone, I hope you all had

a wonderful time, and surrounded yourselves withfamily and friends. Now we move on to the nextfestivities…Another opportunity to get together withfamily and friends to create new memories.As I was reflecting during Thanksgiving I

remembered how lucky I am to be surrounded by a greatfamily, great friends a fabulous PFC board, and awonderful caring community.

This is the time of year when we all rush around toget gifts for our loved ones, I too am part of that rat race.This year I decided to do something different for me, Iwill slow down and “smell the roses.” As you all knowthe older we get the faster time flies by, before you get achance to blink our kids will be graduating college. If atall possible, step back and recognize all the good thatyou are surrounded by. Your PFC wishes everyone a happy, healthy, and

safe holiday season. — All the best,

Shelly Resnick, PFC President

The Friends of Oak Park Schools annual appealdrive provides you with a chance to make a taxdeductible donation for this year while assisting thestudents of Oak Park High School throughout theyears.

Our funded high school programs include the JazzBand, Choral, Rocketry, Idea to Impact Program andSTEAM programs (Science, Technology, Engineering,Arts and Mathematics).

In addition to the Friends-sponsored programsabove, we are also the administrators of Summer Schoolat the high school and Medea Creek. Summer Schoolallows our students to remediate or accelerate classesthat will be posted on Q and each student's transcript.

This program allows our students to take these classesin Oak Park and taught by our own Oak Park staff.

All of the above is available because of your financialsupport. This is Friends of Oak Park Schools' onlyfinancial appeal during the year and our hope is thatyou will fill out the donation form received in the lastcouple of weeks via mail and send it back in with agenerous donation.

You can also contribute or find more informationonline at www.friendsofoakparkschools.org.

The goal of Friends of Oak Park Schools is toprovide the funding support for programs that wouldotherwise not be offered in our district.

Friends of Oak Park Schools Update

No Frills Donations (continued)

Macofsky**MaioMajamMandellManyakMarkarian**MarshallMartinelli**MasudaMatticoliMayemuraMcAuleyMcCarthy**McCleery**McGuire, A&R.McGuire, V&M.

McLoudMedinaMelnik**Melzer Bronstein**Meyer, B&S.Meyer, L&R.Miremadi**MitchellMoghimi**MohabeerMorner**MorrisseyMouzaya**Movich**NiemerowNieto

Nikolajevic**O'BrienO'Connor**OngOrnsteinOrtizPark**Parry**PerlmutterPerry, P&R.Peters, J&M.PetersenPfeiffer**Phillips, L&R.**Phillips, S&M.**Pittler**

PiurkowskyPokrasPowers, K&T.Ramirez, L&D.Ramirez, M&P.RandazzoRanieriRaslan**Ravetch**Reda**Resnick**Richard**Rifkind**RobertsonRodin

Continued on page 8

Eagle s

Eagle s

6

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Eagle’s Athletic UpdateCongratulations to all our fall teams for successful seasons. All four of our programs qualified for CIF playoffcompetition. At this time:

The football team is TVL champions and is playing in the CIF semi-finals.Cross Country boys and girls are TVL champions. The girls qualified for state finals and Sahm Bazarganqualified as an individual from the boys team.Girls Volleyball – finished fourth and lost in a tough 2nd round match Girls Tennis finished third and lost 12-6 to the number one seed in the 2nd round. Annette Goulak qualifiedfor the CIF individual competition.

Good luck to all still competing!!WINTER SPORTSBoys and girls basketball and soccer seasons will be starting soon. Head coaches for these programs are:

Boys Basketball Aaron ShawGirls Basketball Kenny Golub and Jen StevensBoys Soccer Brian CollinsGirls Soccer Mark Zeolla

Information regarding game times and schedules is located on theOPHS website under Athletics. If you have any questions, please con-tact us at apettit@oakpakrusd.org or by phone at 818-735-3303.

No Frills Donations (continued)

Romanova**Rosen, F&P.Rosen, L&M.Rosen, M&J.**Rosenberg**RosenkrantzRubinsteinSalingerSalzmanSantaCruzSchaffner**Schapiro**Schneider**Schnurr**Schwartz, L&M.**Sharpstone**Shemtov**SherinShevittShields

ShiloniShiresShneyderSimonSimons**Sklar**Smith, K&K.**Smith, L&S.Smith, S.SnaderSpooner, C&W.StilloStone, A&M.StoopsStrauchStutzSullivan, J&T.Sunguroglu**TagawaTakeda

TangTaylor, M&M.Tesoro**Tobias**TooTorigianTownsend**TrnavskyTsai, Y&T.TsoUngarVelasquezVermaVolchokVolkVosbergWada**WalikeWallWang, W

Wang, Y&B.WayneWdowiakWeeks**Welin**WhealenWheatleyWhiteleyWigulWilliams, M&M.**Williams, S&S.WingWise**WulfWynerYardenyYerichZafarZaitlenZiegler

** denotes Gold Level donors;families who donated $250 ormore per student!

8

Yearbook News & NotesYearbook News & Notes

Senior Personal Ads - from family to studentBe a part of the OPHS Yearbook Tradition

Your opportunity to purchase a Senior Personal Ad with a special, personalized message from you to your

graduating senior is NOW!Personal Ad PricingPersonal Ad Form

NextNext Senior Personal Ad deadline is Tuesday, December 10th

LastLast Senior Personal Ad deadline is Friday, January 10th

We have a new program for collecting and recycling allclothing, shoes, and accessories at all of the schools.You can drop off all textiles, including clothing, shoes,belts, purses, towels, sheets, anything textile. TheOPUSD Environmental Education andAwareness Committee will be paid for allof the items collected and the money willbe returned to the schools to support recy-cling, gardens, and other eco-projects.USAgain will sort the items, sell some tothrift shops in the U.S. and in third worldnations, where they will be sold very inex-pensively to benefit people in need. What

is not salable will be recycled into new products atfacilities located in California. The program is a win-win for everyone. Most importantly it prevents theitems from being thrown away and ending up in land-

fills (currently 86% of clothing and shoesend up in landfills in the U.S.), it sup-ports jobs, it allows items to be reused toextend their life, and it raises funds forimportant environmental projects thatbenefit your children right here in OakPark! You may drop off items any time.Thank you for your support.

CLOTHING AND SHOE RECYCLING

9

OPHS THANKSTom Bregman – Realtor

Broker / Owner Bregman Properties

Tom Bregman -Broker/Owner

Direct: 818.915.3360www.BregmanProperties.com

®

Bregman Properties is pleased to sponsorOak Park High School’s “All Call” system.

The computerized phone system is avital link to our OPHS families!

Serving Oak Park and the Surrounding Communities

www.MoveToOakPark.com

www.ConejoValleyHouseValue.com

DRE#01852520

College & Career Center News

Dec. 1 DEADLINE-- USC applications (for seniors applying for financial aid to USC; submit CSS Profile fromwww.collegeboard.org<http://www.collegeboard.org> )

Tuesday, Dec. 3 at lunch-- scholarship workshops for SENIORS …AND/OR….

Tuesday, Dec. 3, 7th period—scholarship workshops for SENIORS

Wednesday, Dec. 4, 10:30 a.m. – noon -- NAVIANCE WORKSHOP (for family members only, no students)

Wednesday, Dec. 4 at lunch—FOR ALL GRADES, including seniors: U.S. Navy scholarship (“NROTC”)

Thursday, Dec. 19, 7th period: PSAT Scores distributed in the Pavilion with Principal Mr. Buchanan andMs. Hawkins (All interested parent volunteers needed to help!)

Friday, Dec. 27--deadline to register for the Jan. 25 SATs online at www.collegeboard.org<http://www.college-board.org>

Tuesday, Jan. 7 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in G-9: Financial Aid Workshop for senior parents.

10

OPUSD School Board NotesAt the regular meeting of the Oak Park USD Board ofEducation on November 19, 2013, the Board heardreports and discussed the following:• Recognized Laura Kunesh, a parent volunteerat Red Oak Elementary School for the District Partnerin Education Award. • School safety update by Dr. Knight thatincluded information about a pilot program of highresolution video surveillance cameras that will bedeployed at all of the schools after the conclusion ofthe testing. Also, ID badge kiosks for visitors are beingpiloted. Additional campus supervisors are in place atall of the schools.• School site capacities and enrollment projec-tions for the 2014/15 school year were presented anddiscussed. Final capacities are expected to be approvedby the Board at the December meeting. The proposalat this point is to keep enrollment numbers steady at allof the schools. • Goals for the Board that will be finalized at thenext meeting.

The Board took action and approved the following:• In accordance with the District TechnologyRoadmap and Technology Master Plan, the purchaseof 400 iPads for staff and for mobile carts at all of theschools. Components related to this purchase include

extensive teacher training, security, and plans related tothe use of these devices for new state testing. MeasureC6 bond funds will be used for this purchase. • The purchase of new copiers for the schools toreplace units purchased in 2007 to be funded fromMeasure C6 bond funds.• Field improvements for Oak Park High Schoolrequired by the Americans with Disabilities Act andfunded by Measure R bond funds. • A change order to the Building C moderniza-tion at OPHS and a report that the project cost$449,000 less than anticipated. • Participation in the Bright Schools program,which will provide a state grant up to $25,000 forenergy auditing that will assist in developing theDistrict’s application for Proposition 39 energy con-servation funds. • Agreements with the Oak Park TeachersAssociation and the Oak Park Classified Associationthat will provide a 3% increase to both salary schedulesretroactive to July 1. It was noted that employee salaryschedules have not been increased since the 2007/08school year. • A 3% salary increase for all other employeesnot part of the two associations, including unrepre-sented employees, administrators and managementemployees, and the superintendent.

The Board also revised policies related to: Harassment, Section 504 Identification, Tobacco-Free Schools, Bids,Travel Expenses, Waivers, School Plans, and Food Allergies and Special Dietary Needs.

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SAT, ACT & AP Score Reporting

How are students supposed to report their test scores? 1. Students are responsible for self-reporting their scores in each of their college applications. This alsoincludes the NCAA Clearinghouse as well. 2. Students are responsible for sending official score reports (from either the College Board or the ACT)to all the schools they're applying to.FYI - these scores are not posted on the OPHS transcript! What is "Score Choice?"The ACT has always provided Score Choice as a score reporting option. The College Board has also insti-tuted Score Choice, whereby students can choose which scores to send, either by test date for the SATReasoning Test or by individual test for the SAT Subject Tests. It's important to note that each time yousign up for a standardized test (ACT or SAT); you have the option of releasing the scores to 4 schools. Intruth, most colleges only use a student’s highest test scores to make their final admission decision.Therefore, sending all your scores will rarely have a negative impact on your application for admission.However, if you choose to send only the scores from your highest test sittings, Score Choice allows you todo so. In summary, if you decide not to use the ACT or College Board's Score Choice options, all of yourscores will be sent to your recipients, but students should still feel comfortable sending all scores, sincemost colleges consider a student’s best score.

College News

The Senior Year College Application Process

v January 1, 2014: Federal Financial Aid applications (FAFSA’s) may only be submitted after this date.Paper forms are available in the Counseling Office now. However, the preferred method forsubmission is via internet through their website at: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

v January 7th: 6:30-8:30pm (G9): Financial Aid Workshop for Parents & Students.v Feb. 15, 2014: : Many colleges also require the CSS Profile, found online at

https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/prf/index.jsp You must complete the CSS PROFILE beforeyour earliest college or program priority filing date. At the very latest, you must submit yourPROFILE Application by February 15.

v March 2, 2014: Deadline to submit the Cal Grant GPA verification form to apply. Go to thefollowing link for more information: http://www.oakparkusd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=1080

v Mid-March, 2014: is when most UC and CSU schools begin notifying applicants of admission ordenial. Berkeley and UCLA are the last to send notices (surprise, surprise)!

v Spring Break, 2014: Spring Break is the time to make final visits to schools that have made themoffers of admission. This is also the month students will begin notifying schools of their decisions.Information about scheduling trips to UC & CSU campuses can be found at the following link onour website: http://www.oakparkusd.org//site/Default.aspx?PageID=1155

v May 1, 2014: Commitment Deadline! Students must formally confirm acceptance or declination of anoffer of admission by this date.

v May & June: are critical months for seniors because last semester grades do count! Spring semesterclasses (that were listed on the student’s admission application) that are dropped or not passed with atleast a "C" may result in a college rescinding its offer. Most competitive universities expect seniors tomaintain at least a 3.0 GPA in the senior year.

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CSU & UC Score Reporting Procedures:

Scores can be transmitted electronically from the ACT website:www.actstudent.org/scores/send/index.html

• For the CSU system, students can save money by using the ACT Manager score reporting feature inCSU Mentor. This feature allows students to pay for one score to one CSU campus, and then use ACTManager to forward the score to the other CSU campuses they're applying to. • For the UC system, students simply need to send one official score report from the ACT to one UCschool and then all 9 campuses will be able to access their scores.

Scores can be sent electronically from the College Board website:www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/scores/sending.html

• For the the CSU system, when releasing SAT scores you can save money by paying for just one scorereport and using the CSU Mentor school code 3594. This code will send score reports to all 23 CSU campusesfor the price of one score report. • For the UC system, students simply need to send one official score report from the College Board toone UC school and then all 9 campuses will be able to access the scores.

What is Super Scoring on the SAT Test? Can it help me?Over time, the College Board and the college admissions officers have made their approach to the SAT Testmore flexible. In an effort to allow students to show themselves off at their best, the College Board and collegeadmissions officers have allowed them to highlight their best efforts on the SAT Test. This began with theCollege Board’s re-introduction of score choice in 2008, whereby students could elect to send or withhold theirSAT Test score after seeing the results. This eliminated the stressful gamble of trying to guess how you did onthe SAT Test and if you wanted the world to see that score before you knew the results.Furthermore, taking after a practice that college admissions officers employ themselves, you now have theinformal flexibility to consider your SAT Test results through the awesome lens of Super Scoring. SuperScoring involves taking the highest section scores from multiple SAT Test sittings and creating a composite.Although the College Board itself does not take on this practice, unlike score choice, it has becomecommonplace in the college admissions process. The common application even has a section now where you cansuper score your tests.Super Scoring works as follows: Let us say you took the SAT Test in March and scored 600 on CriticalReading, 650 on Math, and 550 on Writing, for a composite SAT Test score of 1800. Then, let’s say you tookthe SAT Test again in October and scored 650 on Critical Reading, 600 Math, and 600 on Writing, for acomposite SAT test score of 1850. Now with super scoring you can poach your best section scores from eachSAT Test date to create a beautiful Frankenstein test. In this case your Super Score composite would be 650 onCritical Reading (from the October SAT Test), 650 on Math (from the March SAT Test), and 600 on Writing(from the October SAT Test) for a composite Super Score of 1900. Most schools’ college admissions officerssuper score your SAT Test results when evaluating your application, a wonderful fact that lets yourachievements shine as brightly as possible.Do any colleges use Super Scores on the ACT?Until recently, most schools only practiced superscoring for the SAT. However, in recent years the ACT hascaught up to the SAT in terms of the number of students taking the test, and last year the number of ACT test-takers surpassed the number of SAT test-takers for the first time ever. Superscoring the ACT is when you takethe best subscores from multiple test dates (i.e the best English, best Math, best Reading and best Science) andtake a NEW average for the composite score. Click on the following link for a list of colleges that superscorethe ACT: http://www.oakparkusd.org/cms/lib5/CA01000794/Centricity/Domain/230/CollegesThatSuperscoreACT.pdf

13

AP ® Advanced Placement Score Reporting

Colleges do not require official AP score reports as part of the initial college application process. They onlyneed to self-report them as part of the college application. However, once a student has committed to a col-lege/university and they now want to claim the AP credit, they must request an official score report sent totheir school.

Viewing and Sending AP Scores OnlineBy July you will be able to view your AP scores online and submit an online request for additional score reportsfor colleges, universities, and scholarship programs. You will not receive scores in the mail. Visit apscore.org tolearn what you need to do to be ready to get your scores in July.

Your online score report will include all of your AP scores, if you’ve tested in the last four years. The fee foradditional score reports ordered online is $15 per report. The fee for rush processing for additional scorereports ordered online is $25 per report. If you need to send your scores (2012 and earlier) to colleges beforethe online service is available in July, you can make your request by mail or fax: see Additional Score Reportsbelow for details. If you have not taken an exam in the past four years, you must use the archive score reportingservice (see below for more information).

Other AP Score Reporting Options:AP scores can also be ordered by mailing or faxing a signed, written request to AP Services at: AP ServicesP.O. Box 6671Princeton, NJ 08541-6671Fax: 610-290-8979

When requesting these score reporting services from AP Services, you must include the following informa-tion in your request:• The score reporting service(s) you are requesting • Your full name, home address, phone number, gender, date of birth, AP number(s) and Social Securitynumber (if you provided it on your answer sheet) • The name and address of your school • The full name of the exam(s) for which you are requesting the service (e.g., “English Literature andComposition,” not “English”) and the year(s) you took the exam(s) • A credit card number and expiration date, or a check or money order for the exact amount due (makechecks and money orders payable t AP Exams) • When requesting additional score reports: the name, city and state, and four-digit college code(s) of thecollege(s) you would like to receive the report

For more information about AP Score Reporting go to the following link: https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/takingtheexam/score-reporting-services