Dual Enrollment at BHS

BHS is in its 3^rd year of offering Dual Enrollment courses with Middlesex Community College. These courses are offered during the school day. Many students and parents have questions about the process and program. Below are some common questions:

1. What is Dual Enrollment?  Dual enrollment is when a high school student not only receives high school credit, but college credit as well.

2. What Dual Enrollment courses does BHS currently offer? BHS offers Honors Calculus and Honors Portfolio Advanced Art as dual enrollment courses. These courses are listed as MAT 270Calculus I and ART 191 Independent Study: Portfolio on the Middlesex Community College transcript.

3. Who teaches these courses? The teachers teaching these courses are not only considered BHS teachers, but adjunct professors at Middlesex Community College.

4. How do students qualify for dual enrollment? For the calculus course, students are required to take the math ACCUPLACER placement exam and a precalculus challenge exam. If students meet qualifying scores they have the option to earn dual enrollment credit. For the art portfolio course, students are required to take the ACCUPLACER ELA exam

5. What is the ACCUPLACER test? ACCUPLACER is a suite of tests that determines your knowledge in math, reading or writing as you prepare to enroll in college-level courses. ACCUPLACER is used to identify your strengths and weaknesses in each subject area. The results of the assessment, in conjunction with your academic background, goals and interests, are used by academic advisors and counselors to place you in the appropriate college courses that meet your skill level.

6. Why are all students taking ACCUPLACER if they are not required to take the course? All dual enrollment students must take the ACCUPLACER placement test. By requiring students to take the test now makes things much easier next year in the event they would like to receive the credit next spring. Secondly, taking the ACCUPLACER provides the teacher with some very good curricular information before the start of the course and even allows the teacher to adjust the curriculum and/or have a better understanding about where to focus.

7. Are test scores released to any 3^rd party? Test scores are not released to any 3^rd party and are only used for placement purposes.

8. Are students required to take either course as dual enrollment? No, since students are required to pay a reduced fee for college credit, they do NOT have to participate in dual enrollment.

9. Are students guaranteed to be part of the Dual Enrollment Program once they register for the class with BHS? No, students must meet qualifying scores first in order to be considered for dual enrollment. After meeting the qualifying scores students are then required to complete an application.

10. What colleges or Universities accept Middlesex Community College credit? Both dual enrollment courses meet the requirements of the MassTransfer Block, which is a portable block of general education courses. While it is up to the receiving institution to determine if the course qualifies for course credit, we are focused on offering dual enrollment courses that are commonly transferable. For more information on the MassTransfer Block visit http://www.mass.edu/masstransfer/students/TransferBlock.asp.

11. How will my Dual Enrollement course be reported to any colleges that I apply to? This course will read (on the BHS transcript, reports card, etc.) that the student is enrolled in an Honors Calculus or Honors Portfolio Art course. In order for your dual enrollment course to be transferred to a college or university, you must request to have official Middlesex transcripts mailed to each of your respective colleges that you’ve applied to. This request is made through the Middlesex Community College website or Student Information Center.

College Topics For The Summer

The Guidance Department will host a breakfast called “College Topics For The Summer”. The purpose of this breakfast is so the counseling staff can give a very brief overview of important tasks associated with the college selection and application process. Although this event is geared for parents of juniors, ALL parents are welcome to attend. Please join us for this informative event. We look forward to seeing you on June 12th at 8:30 AM in the Guidance College and Career Center. We ask that parents RSVP at 781-270-1780. 

KAPLAN Test Prep

Once again KAPLAN will be offering SAT test prep courses this summer and fall to BHS students. Information will be mailed out next week, but we wanted to post the schedule for students/parents that wanted to get an early jump on test prep. registration. Registration must be completed as soon as possible. Burlington students only pay $249, which is a reduced price. To register please call 1-800-KAP-TEST.

In addition, Kaplan offers Free on-line PSAT, SAT and ACT test prep using the access codes. You can find the access codes by clicking here. 

Go to kaplanatschool.com/burlington and enter:

Code KAS2013SAT for SAT Prep
Code KAS2013 ACT for ACT Prep
Code  KAS2013 PSAT for PSAT Prep

The above codes should be entered on the Payment & Confirmation page when you check out online.

Financial Aid Seminar to be held next Thursday May 16th

Freshman, Sophomore and Junior parents are encouraged to attend a financial aid seminar that will be held on Thursday May 16, 2013. The night will commence at 7:00 in the BHS auditorium. The organization sponsoring the workshop is the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority . The presenter will be Carla Berg, Senior Associate Director at Bentley University. The BHS Guidance department highly recommends parents attend this session. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact the Guidance Office. Although the presentation is designed for Junior parents, all BHS parents are welcome to attend.

College Fair to be held at Arlington High School

MONDAY, APRIL 29, 2013 -AHS SPRING COLLEGE FAIR - This event will be held in the TOZ (Red) Gym from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.  Each year, approximately 120 colleges from across the country take part in the AHS College Fair.  Many of the college representatives who attend the fair are the same as those who make the admissions decisions for our geographic area.  This is a great opportunity to meet the representatives face-to-face, to ask questions about a particular college major, and to inquire about general admissions requirements. While the College Fair is open to all high school students and their parents, junior year students are strongly encouraged to attend. Please click below for directions and a list of colleges attending the fair. 

Direction to Arlington High School

Colleges Attending the College Fair

Guidance Breakfast on April 10th

The BHS Guidance Department cordially invites parents of underclassmen ( grades 9, 10 and 11) to join us for the next Guidance Breakfast. The topic will be about "Standardized Testing".  Our hope to provide parents with a better understanding of standardized tests such as the SAT, ACT and PSAT.  The breakfast will be held in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center at 8:30am on Wednesday April 10^th, 2013. Please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you!

Burlington Scholarship Breakfast

The BHS Guidance Department cordially invites parents to join us for the next Guidance Breakfast called the"Burlington Scholarship Program Breakfast". The breakfast will be held in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center at 8:30AM on Wednesday March 13, 2013.   This breakfast is designed for the parents of seniors and will briefly cover the scholarship application process, but will serve as more of a question and answer session. Please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you

PLAN Test at BHS is still on for Saturday March 9th

This is a reminder for freshman and sophomore that registered to take the PLAN test on Saturday, March 9^th. They should plan to arrive at the high school no later than 7:45 that morning and their room location will be posted in the main entrance of the school (near the statue). Testing is expected to finish between 11:30 and 12:00. Students should bring with them a #2 pencil, a calculator, and a student ID. We are glad you chose to take advantage of this opportunity for practice on the ACT. 

Course Selection Process Breakfast

The BHS Guidance Department cordially invites parents to join us for the next  Guidance Breakfast.  The topic will be about the "Course Selection Process". The breakfast will be held in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center at 8:30AM on Wednesday February 13, 2013. Please RSVP by calling 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you!

College and Academic Planning Night

College and Academic Planning Night was well attended with roughly 100 parents. Many aspects of academic planning, college planning and the college application process were covered. For parents that missed the event, BCAT will be streaming the event within the next few weeks. Below you will find the power point presentation that was given last night. College informational packets were distributed as well. If you would like to pick up a packet please feel free to stop by the Guidance Office.