PLAN Test at BHS

The PLAN, a practice test for the ACTs, will be offered to any interested freshmen or sophomores on Saturday March 15, 2014 at Burlington High School. This test is recommended for anyone who is interested in taking the ACTs as a junior or senior or who is interested in figuring out whether they prefer the ACTs or the SATs. However, since the test includes Geometry, it is recommended that freshmen who are currently taking Algebra I wait until sophomore year to take the PLAN test. The ACT is a college entrance examination that is an alternative to the SAT and is growing in popularity among Burlington High School students. Please visit www.actstudent.org for more detailed PLAN information.

All parents of freshmen or sophomores should have received a registration form in the mail, but you can also find it here. In order to register for the PLAN your son/daughter must complete the registration form and submit it with a $30.00 fee to the Guidance Secretary.  Each student will receive a packet on test content and sample questions when they register.  The regular registration period ends Friday, February 7^th at the close of school. We hope you will consider taking advantage of this opportunity.

Understanding PSAT Results Breakfast

The Guidance Department at Burlington High School and KAPLAN test Prep will host an “Understanding PSAT Results Breakfast” on Wednesday January 29th, beginning at 8:30 A.M. The event will be held in the Guidance College and Career Center (room 106). The purpose of this breakfast is to give parents of students who took the PSAT on October 16^th the opportunity to ask questions and get clarification on how to interpret, understand and use the PSAT results.   Attending this breakfast is also open to any other interested parent. Please join us for this informative event on January 29^th. All parents are required to RSVP at 781-270-1780. We look forward to seeing you there.

Register for Free SAT and/or ACT

This is just a reminder that BHS students have the opportunity to take a Free Kaplan SAT test this Saturday January 25th. You can register by calling 1-800-KAP-TEST.

On Saturday February 8th students have the chance for another free test opportunity.  Kaplan will offer a Free ACT test. Registration for this exam can also be completed by calling 1-800-KAP-TEST.

The Guidance Department recommends that Juniors ( Class of 2015) strongly consider one of these free test options. As always if you have any questions about either of these exams please call your son or daughters respective Guidance Counselor.

Financial Aid Night

The Financial Aid Night for Junior and Senior parents was well attended with roughly 110 parents. Many aspects of the financial aid process were covered. For parents that missed the event all the information can be found in MEFA's Guide to College Financing.  We also want to encourage parents to get familiar with the MEFA web-site. MEFA provides a wealth of free, accurate and up to date information.

Two very important forms were mentioned last night. The FAFSA and the CSS profile. We encourage parents to investigate both applications ASAP. Please remember that the BHS will be a host site for FAFSA Day on Sunday January 26th beginning at 1PM. Parents MUST register for this event in advance. FAFSA Day is a volunteer driven effort which allows parents to get free assistance on how to complete the FAFSA form.

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FAFSA DAY 2014

Seniors in high school attending college in the fall 2014, and their parents, are invited to a very informative and useful financial aid event being held at Burlington High School. The Burlington High School Guidance Department highly recommends attending this event. The specific details for listed below:

Event: FAFSA DAY 2014- http://www.fafsaday.org/

Date: Sunday January 26, 2014 1 :00 P.M.
Location: Burlington High School
Description: This is a non-profit volunteer driven effort across the state. Parents and students will receive:

• Free assistance completing the FASA

• Access to experienced financial aid administrators, and FAFSA experts, available to answer FAFSA questions.

• Guidance on the financial aid process and next steps after filing the FASA.

Parents MUST register at http://www.fafsaday.org/. Although computer labs are available, it is highly recommend that parents bring a laptop that day. Also if any parents are interested in volunteering as a Support Volunteer (registration tables, setup, cleanup, etc)  please feel free to register at http://www.fafsaday.org/volunteer.php

Financial Aid Events at Burlington High School

Burlington High School will be hosting two upcoming financial aid events. We highly recommend Burlington High School senior parents attend. Since both events are in January we felt it was important to remind parents before the December vacation. Please be sure to check out the side bar on the Guidance Blog for links to more specific information in regard to financial aid and scholarship information. Below are descriptions of each event:

Event: M.E.F.A. (Massachusetts Educational Financial Authority) Financial Aid Seminar
Date: Thursday January 9, 2014
Location: Burlington High School
Description: This seminar covers the financial aid process in detail. A Financial Aid Advisor will be the presenter beginning at 7:00 P.M. in the BHS auditorium.
We recommend Senior AND Junior parents attend this event. 

Event: FAFSA DAY 2014- http://www.fafsaday.org/
Date: Sunday January 26, 2014 1 :00 P.M.
Location: Burlington High School
Description: This is a non-profit volunteer driven effort across the state. Parents and students will receive:

• Free assistance completing the FASA

• Access to experienced financial aid administrators, and FAFSA experts, available to answer FAFSA questions.

• Guidance on the financial aid process and next steps after filing the FASA.

Parents MUST register at http://www.fafsaday.org/. Although computer labs are available, it is highly recommend that parents bring a laptop that day. Also if any parents are interested in volunteering as a Support Volunteer (registration tables, setup, cleanup, etc)  please feel free to register at http://www.fafsaday.org/volunteer.php

College Snapshots

In an effort to provide the Burlington High School students and their families with relevant and up-to-date college information, the Guidance Staff will be visiting various colleges and universities and providing you with information. We plan to post numerous colleges or universities throughout the school year.The colleges visited do not represent a preference on the part of the BHS Guidance Department towards any particular school.

In the college search process many things are taken into consideration. Things that are considered, but not limited to are: Campus size, location, student population, majors, tuition prices, distance from home, athletic programs, clubs and activities. When considering a college students must also make realistic decisions based on personal interest, grades, test scores, etc.

The department feels that the college visit is an integral part of the process. The information we provide is only a small snapshot into each respective college. We hope to add information about other schools in the future and as always we appreciate any feedback that you have that would help us provide our students and their family’s useful information in the sometimes overwhelming college search process.

Furthermore, we ask that you also research colleges by using your Naviance account and scheduling to meet with your counselor on a consistent basis. Please feel free to contact your son or daughters respective counselor if you have any further questions.

Please click here for the Blog called " College Snapshots"

PSAT Results to be mailed home

PSAT score reports will be mailed home to parents on Monday December 9, 2013 to Sophomores and Juniors that participated in the exam on October 16, 2013. The PSAT/NMSQT exam is a measure of three key areas: critical reading, mathematics problem solving and writing skills. The exam prepares students for the same types of questions on the SAT exam. In addition, juniors who achieve high PSAT/NMSQT scores may qualify for National Merit competition and corporate scholarships.

The PSAT score report is very parent/student friendly. Parents/students should take notice of the section at the bottom of the score report called "Improve your skills”. This section gives specific data based on the student’s individual PSAT exam. All Sophomores and Juniors will have an assembly on January 13^th in which the BHS Guidance Department will give an overview on interpreting and using these results. Also the BHS Guidance Department will host a "PSAT Results" breakfast on January 29th at 8:30AM

For the past ten years roughly 90 % of BHS seniors take the SAT exam. The Guidance Department strongly recommends that juniors take the exam in either March, May or June. SAT registration information can be accessed through collegeboard.org

The KAPLAN program offers SAT/ACT test prep courses at Burlington High School. Burlington juniors receive a subsidized rate of $249.00. Please click here to see the KAPLAN schedule and enrollment instructions. We recommend that BHS Juniors take advantage of either the free SAT practice teston Saturday January 25, 2014 at 9 AM or the free ACT Practice Test on SaturdayFebruary 8, 2014, both practice tests are offered at BHS. Please register by calling 1-800-KAP-TEST.

* In addition, Kaplan offers Free on-line PSAT, SAT and ACT test prep using the below access codes effective January 1. Go to http://www.kaptest.com/College/SAT/sat-prep-courses.html and select On Demand (regularly $699). The codes beginning January 1, 2014 will be:

KAS2014SAT (This is for practice SAT)

KAS2014ACT (This is for practice ACT)

Sophomore Parent Breakfast

The Guidance Department at Burlington High School will be hosting a Sophomore Parent Breakfast on Wednesday November 13, 2013, from 8:30-9:30 AM in the BHS Guidance College and Career Center. The purpose of this breakfast is to give parents of sophomore students the opportunity to have an open dialogue with all members of the guidance staff. The BHS Guidance Department has a variety of resources available for parents and students, and many topics will be covered that are relevant to sophomores, such as the MCAS, PSATs, career and college exploration, utilizing the Naviance program, and academic planning. Please join us for this informative event. We look forward to seeing you! Please RSVP at by calling 781-270-1780.

Day 8 for Class of 2016

Members of Class of 2016:

The Guidance Department would like to make sure your Naviance account is activated and you are able to access it. You can access your Naviance account by clicking here. 

Guidance will stop by your homeroom for any assistance you may need during period 8.