GUIDELINES FOR PAGE TWO
DIRECTIONS GIVEN TO STUDENTS
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: ACTIVITIES, RESEARCH AND HONORS In the three sections that follow, list accomplishments that highlight your positions of leadership or intellectual activities. Higher scores will be awarded to activities/programs in which you hold a position of leadership, and to research, study, presentations, and competitions associated with extracurricular clubs, community groups, national organizations, etc. Activities/Programs List the three most significant activities/programs in which you have participated during the past three years that relate to your area of interest. Include the name of the organization, sponsoring agency, or group. Also, describe the time involved and any leadership position you have held. Under “Year” indicate the calendar year of the training or activity. If you need more space, attach a second sheet. Please explain any acronyms that you use. Research/Study Experiences List the three most significant research/study experiences you have had in the past three years that relate to your area of interest. Make sure you include the name of any group, organization, or individual with whom you studied. If you need more space, attach a second sheet. Honors/Recognitions In this section, please list the three most significant honors/recognitions you have received during the last three years in your area of interest.
FROM ADMINISTRATOR’S GUIDE, ATTACHEMENT H GUIDELINES FOR RATING STUDENTS' ACTIVITIES, RESEARCH AND HONORS Students have been instructed to be very specific with regard to the explanation of their activities, honors, recognitions and organization names in this section.
A student should be given 1 or 2 points for each activity sponsored by regional, state, or national organizations that support his/her field of interest. One point should be awarded for membership in these activities with a second point awarded for leadership and/or elected office in the activities or organizations. Only three activities within the past three years may be counted.
A student should be awarded 1 or 2 points for each research/study experience related to his/her field of interest. One point may be awarded for topics and studies that are limited to assignments that are regular parts of the student's curriculum. A second point may be awarded for outstanding accomplishment within the study, completion or pursuit beyond the course requirements, or submission/presentation of the study to a competition, or other activities as deemed appropriate by a majority of the committee. Only three research/study experiences may be counted.
Virginia Junior Academy of Science (VJAS) or International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) experience should be documented for NASA/NIA and VIMS applicants.
A student may receive 1 or 2 points for up to three honors or recognitions they have received based on the criteria established by the local committee. PAGE TWO SCORING CRITERIA Past 3 years: Spring 2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017, 2017-2018 (present) Activities (must include explanation/elaboration to establish relevance) 0 points Sports SCA for MST
1 point Non-curricular arts (Humanities only—1 point) Specialty program participation (if connected to application area) Scouting with relevant explanation Tutoring SCA (for Humanities; rep. not officer/leadership) Church if connected (generally for Humanities) Work experience clearly connected to area of interest
2 points One point items (qualifying for one point) that include an explained leadership role may be a formal or informal leadership
Research (must include explanation/elaboration to establish relevance) 0 points Not connected to area of interest Hosting exchange students
1 point In-class research required project CPR (LSM only) Independent study with mental or physical product description
2 points Science Fair Scouting research Model UN research Debate research Co-curricular research (i.e. for series/articles in school newspaper) AP/IB/Cambridge program research projects Specialty program research Travel research with product (i.e. presentation or paper) EMS/EMT training (LSM only) Industry Certifications An 8th Class
Honors (explanation is helpful, especially for non-standard items; describe criteria to establish selection process leading to honor) 0 points "Saluting Our Stars" awards Who’s Who Test scores/grades Classroom/specific teacher awards Athletic scholar awards
1 point Nominations (i.e. Youth Salute) Honor Roll (1 instance/year) Prior year Governor’s School county nomination to state
2 points Acceptances (i.e. Youth Salute) Scout awards with clearly established relevance to area of interest NHS/BETA Academic letter (1 honor/year) School-level awards—beyond classroom (i.e. BioTech Student of the Year) Department awards (i.e. Top Math Student for MST) GUIDELINES FOR RATING TEACHERS'/ADULTS’ NARRATIVES From Administrator’s Guide, Attachment H
1. The division coordinator may appoint a reading committee to score the teachers'/adults’ narratives. This committee can be the same one used to score the applicants' essays. 2. Reader(s) should assess each teacher's/adult’s impression of the applicant and assign a score for each narrative between 1 (low) and 6 (high) based on the following scale: • 6 pts. This student demonstrates superior skills and understandingof all of the following behaviors:
ability to work cooperatively and meaningfully in groups openness to diverse and new experiences goals for academic growth creativity intellectual and social maturity
• 4 - 5 pts. This student demonstrates excellent skills and understanding in most of the following behaviors: ability to work cooperatively and meaningfully in groups; openness to diverse and new experiences; goals for academic growth; creativity; and intellectual and social maturity. • 3 pts. This student demonstrates adequate skills in most of the following behaviors: ability to work cooperatively and meaningfully in groups; openness to diverse and new experiences; goals for academic growth; creativity; and intellectual and social maturity. • 2 pts. This student demonstrates moderate skills in the following behaviors: ability to work cooperatively and meaningfully in groups; openness to diverse and new experiences; goals for academic growth; creativity; and intellectual and social maturity. • 1 pt. This student demonstrates few skills in any of the following behaviors: ability to work cooperatively and meaningfully in groups; openness to diverse and new experiences; goals for academic growth; creativity; and intellectual and social maturity.
3. Record the scores in Part III of the Academic Scores form. GUIDELINES FOR RATING APPLICANT SPEECHES/ESSAYS From Administrator’s Guide, Attachment H
The rubric is provided as guidance for the scoring of student essays. Students have a choice of three essay prompts and all essay prompts are equally valued. The rubric provided is based on the end-of-course persuasive writing checklist. The maximum score for each essay is 6 points per reader. The score is composed of Composition (4 points) and Mechanics (2 points). Scores must be recorded as whole numbers, with the lowest of 0-1 and the highest of 6.
ACADEMIC ESSAY Students must respond to one of the essay topics indicated below. The essay should be 300-500 words (approximately two pages of double-spaced 12-point type, with a 1” margin on each side). Include your name in the upper right-hand corner of each page of the essay. Students are asked to number the pages 3a and 3b and place them in the final academic application after this page. Students should review the rubric at the bottom of this page and consider each of the areas carefully as they proofread and edit their essays. Students may seek advice from appropriate teachers as they draft and revise their essays. Your essay will be reviewed for its central idea, logic, elaboration, organization, unity, and voice; similarly the essay will be reviewed for its adherence to grammatical conventions in sentence structure, usage, and mechanics.
ESSAY TOPICS Students must respond to one of these prompts:
COMPOSITION 0 – 1 2 3 4 Central Idea/Position Missing Unclear Weak Strong Evidence/Details Unclear Minimal Adequate Precise/Relevant Lacking Random/Many Lapses/ Some Organization/Unity Logical/Unified digressions digressions Counter Claims Absent Weak Attempted Effective Word Choice Lacking Limited Some Specificity Highly Specific MECHANICS 0 1 2 Sentence Structure Weak Some variety Varied Usage Incorrect Some incorrect Consistently correct Mechanics Incorrect Some incorrect Consistently correct