Governor's Honors Program : coordinator's handbook

Governor's Honors Program
Coordinator's Handbook 2014
Governor's Office of Student Achievement August 29, 2013

THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE OF STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT 2014 GOVERNOR'S HONORS PROGRAM (GHP) COORDINATOR'S HANDBOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Basics........................................................................................................................................ 1 Getting Started ................................................................................................................................. 2 What's New ..................................................................................................................................... 3 GHP Nominations Checklist............................................................................................................ 4 2014 GHP Organizational Timeline ................................................................................................ 6 Requirements for Participation ........................................................................................................ 7 Areas of Nomination........................................................................................................................ 9 Nominating Students...................................................................................................................... 10 Selecting Students.......................................................................................................................... 12 Tools for the Nomination Process ................................................................................................. 13 Entering Nominees into the Master Student List........................................................................... 14 Student Nomination Forms ............................................................................................................ 17 Submitting Your Forms ................................................................................................................. 19 Deadlines ....................................................................................................................................... 20 2014 Governor's Honors Program Interview Dates and Locations............................................... 21 Preparing Students for Interviews.................................................................................................. 22 Finalists.......................................................................................................................................... 23 Information Regarding Home School Students ............................................................................. 24 Filling out the Nomination Form: Part 1/Student & Parent........................................................... 26 Filling out the Nomination Form: Part 2/Nominating Teacher ..................................................... 27 Filling Out the Nomination Form: Part 3/School Coordinator ...................................................... 28
Governor's Office of Student Achievement August 29, 2013

THE BASICS
You are the coordinator for the Georgia Governor's Honors Program for your public school system or private school. It will be your job to identify those students who will represent your school system at the state level interviews for GHP. During the year, Bradley Chester will work at the Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) managing the GHP nomination and selection process. It is his job to assist you in the nomination process. His email is bchester@georgia.gov, and you are encouraged to communicate with him as frequently as needed.
WHAT IS GHP?
The Georgia Governor's Honors Program is a residential summer program for gifted and talented high school students who will be rising juniors and seniors next summer. The program offers instruction which is significantly different from the typical high school classroom and which is designed to provide students with the skills, knowledge, and attitudes necessary to become independent, lifelong learners. From June 22, 2014, to July 19, 2014, the finalists will live on the Valdosta State University campus. They will attend classes in the mornings and afternoons and will be offered a wide variety of social and instructional opportunities every evening. There will be performances by students as well as culminating events hosted by each area. Meals and all instructional supplies are provided by the program. The only costs to the student are travel expenses to the interviews and to the program itself.
GHP IS NOT...
GHP is not just high-powered coursework. Students will not encounter "college level" lecture classes. All instruction is directly engaging, either through research or discussion or production. Students will be challenged to take charge of their own learning. GHP is not a reward for accomplishment--it is a challenge to potential. As one alumnus put it, "The hardest thing about GHP is that being the best is only what got you here. It's not enough to get you through it." There are no grades at GHP, and students receive no credit towards graduation for attending.
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GETTING STARTED
You will need the following documents: 2014 GHP Coordinator's Handbook: This document explains: the process, eligibility of home-schooled students, the ins and outs of your nomination quota, etc. Use this as your first resource of information about nominating students to GHP. o 2014 GHP System Nominations Checklist, page 4 of this document. o 2014 GHP Organizational Timeline, page 6 of this document. This lists the official dates: deadlines, interviews, and next summer's schedule. 2014 GHP Description & Criteria (D&C): This explains the criteria that all areas of nomination are looking for and how we will look for them in the state interviews. Please share this document with nominating teachers, with parents, and with the nominated students. We want the students to be as prepared as they can be for the interviews. 2014 GHP Master Student List: This is the Excel spreadsheet which you will use to list your nominees and to submit them to GOSA for approval. Critical note: The document calculates your quota of nominations and keeps track of whether you are within the guidelines. Before you submit the document, make sure you have not over-nominated. Also, do not confirm nominations to students or parents until you have submitted this document and received confirmation that you are within guidelines. It is embarrassing to everyone involved if you tell a student s/he's nominated and then have to retract the nomination because you are over your quota. 2014 GHP Student Nomination Form: The original and two complete copies of these forms must be submitted by mail for every nominee, and each must be completed on the computer. Important: Do not allow a student to use a personal cell phone for the contact number. 2014 GHP Home School Student Verification Form: Attach this form to the nomination form of any home-schooled nominee in your district. Private schools will not need this form.
These documents are also available to coordinators on the GOSA Governor's Honors Program web page (http://gosa.georgia.gov/governors-honors-program). Save all the files to your GHP folder on your computer.
If you, the superintendent's officially designated coordinator choose to delegate any of the process to another person at the system level, please contact Bradley Chester so he may add that person's email to the coordinator's database.
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WHAT'S NEW
Here's a brief list of things that have changed since last year (or were changed during the process last year): Only nominees in mathematics must submit a PSAT/SAT score as part of the nomination process. We will collect PSAT/SAT scores from finalists as part of the Finalist Acceptance Process, but everyone needs to have one ready to go by March. Finalists must present scores if they have not already been received during the nomination and interview process. The Master Student List now asks for the student's name to be input last name first.
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GHP NOMINATIONS CHECKLIST
Start a GHP folder, both in your desk drawer and on your computer. Save all forms, files, and documents as soon as you receive them.
Read this document, 2014 GHP Coordinator's Handbook, for detailed instructions on every aspect of the GHP nomination and selection process.
Examine the 2014 GHP Organizational Timeline (page 6) to see deadlines for nominee submissions, and other critical dates.
Mark your calendar and create a series of deadlines for your system. Publicize those deadlines. Remember that parents who visit the GHP web page are usually unaware that the GHP office does not manage your local interviews/deadlines!
See the 2014 GHP Master Student List to find your nomination quotas. Instructions are on page 14 of this document.
Identify student nominees based on their qualifications. See GHP Instructional Descriptions and Criteria for Selection for requirements.
Enter nominee information into the 2014 GHP Master Student List (Microsoft Excel file). See page 14 for instructions.
Print the "2014 GHP System Nominations Report Sheet" for your records. Print, cut, and distribute "2014 GHP Student Nomination Receipts" to your nominees. See pages
15-16 for instructions.
Submit the 2014 GHP Master Student List as an attachment through the GOSA site. The appropriate link for this secure site will be emailed to all coordinators.
Once received, GOSA will review the GHP Master Student List for accuracy. You will get an email confirming the accuracy of your Master Student List or asking you to make the necessary changes.
Complete the 2014 GHP Home School Student Eligibility Verification Form for each home school student.
Complete the 2014 GHP Student Nomination Form for each student. See page 17 for instructions.
Student Nominees: Complete part 1 of the Student Nomination Form. Student, Parents/Guardians Must Sign
Nominating Teachers: Complete part 2 of the Student Nomination Form. Nominating Teacher Must Sign
GHP Coordinator: Complete part 3 of the Student Nomination Form. Counselor, Principal, Superintendent, and GHP Coordinator MUST Sign
Proof Student Nomination Forms for completeness and accuracy of information, including transcripts and required signatures. Attach PSAT or SAT scores as the final page of the form for nominees in Mathematics as required and to all others if available.
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Make a copy of each form for your records. Send the original and two complete copies of the completed Student Nomination Forms to the attention of Bradley Chester at the GHP office. See page 19 for complete instructions. To verify that your GHP nomination materials have been received and your nominations approved by the GHP office, you will receive an email from GOSA. Should any corrections need to be made, you will be provided instructions in the email. **SPECIAL NOTE: Please do not notify students and their parents or publicly release the names of your nominees until you have received verification that your nominations have been approved by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement.
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2014 GHP ORGANIZATIONAL TIMELINE

August 29, 2013

Release of GHP 2014 Information on the GOSA Governor's Honors web page http://gosa.georgia.gov/governors-honorsprogram.

Before the Nomination Form deadline, submit your Master Student List.

December 6, 2013

Deadline to submit completed Nomination Forms for school systems with enrollment of 999 or less in grades 10 and 11

December 13, 2013

Deadline to submit completed Nomination Forms for school systems with enrollment of 1000 or more in grades 10 and 11

January 3, 2014

State level interview schedule posted to GHP Web Page

January 25, 2014

State level interviews for students nominated in Music and Visual Arts (conducted at Pebblebrook High School, in Mableton, Georgia).

- AND -

State level interviews for students nominated in Communicative Arts, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies, AgScience/Biotechnology, AgScience/Environmental, (conducted at Luella High School, in Locust Grove, Georgia).

February 1, 2014

State level interviews for students nominated in Dance and Theatre (conducted at Pebblebrook High School, in Mableton, Georgia).

- AND -

State level interviews for students nominated in Mathematics, Design, Technology, Executive Management, French, German, Latin, and Spanish (conducted at Luella High School, in Locust Grove, Georgia).

March 7, 2014

GHP 2014 Finalist list posted to the GHP Web Page.

March 25, 2014

GHP 2014 Finalist Acceptance Deadline

May 30, 2014

GHP 2014 Dormitory Assignment/Report Time posted to GHP Web Page.

June 22, 2014

Opening Day of the 2014 session of GHP

July 19, 2014

Closing Day of the 2014 session of GHP

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REQUIREMENTS FOR PARTICIPATION
All students nominated should meet the subject area criteria outlined in the 2014 Governor's Honors Program Instructional Descriptions and Criteria for Selection (D&C) and the general criteria provided in this document.
You should provide both nominating teachers and their nominees with a copy of the appropriate section of the D&C. When making nominations, the following should be kept in mind.
Students shall be nominated to the state in only one subject area, by the subject area instructor, with the approval of the student and parent/guardian. For areas which the school does not teach, such as Dance or Piano, qualified students may be nominated in consultation with their private teachers. If a student is nominated at the school level by more than one teacher, the student should choose the area in which they prefer to be nominated.
Students nominated for the 2013 program as sophomores who did not participate in the program last summer may be nominated for the 2014 program. This includes students who were selected as finalists in 2013 who declined the opportunity to participate last summer.
Students shall participate in the GHP summer residential program one time only, i.e., students who attended the 2013 program as rising juniors may not be re-nominated for the 2014 program.
The school principal, counselor, local coordinator, and system superintendent/private school head must endorse and sign all nominations.
If a system nominee withdraws prior to the state level interviews, you should contact the GHP office immediately for instructions. Do not send nomination forms and information for local system alternates until you have contacted the GHP office and received instructions.
An official transcript of high school grades must accompany each nomination form.
A score on the Preliminary Scholastic Assessment Test (PSAT) or Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) is a requirement for final selection for each student. Handwritten or typed scores will NOT be accepted. Printouts (or photocopies) from the testing service must be attached as the final page of the student nomination form for students nominated in mathematics and should be attached if available for all students.
If a student's PSAT/SAT scores arrive too late to be included in the official nomination form, the student must bring the score to the state level interview/audition.
Any student nominated by the local school system/private school must:
Be a rising junior or senior in the summer of the program they attend.
Have his/her nomination originate with the subject area teacher with approval of student and parent.
Have demonstrated high aptitude and high interest in the area of nomination.
Be in good physical health. (This is not meant to exclude students with physical handicaps.)
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Commit to participation in the state level interviews as scheduled by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. The dates for state level interviews are listed on page 21; there are no alternate interview dates.
Commit to participation in the program for the entire residential period. This includes opening and closing days. The 2014 program will open on Sunday, June 22, 2014, and will close on Saturday, July 19, 2014. Students must arrive no later than 2 P.M. on June 22, 2014. Students may not depart before 11 A.M. on July 19, 2014. Please be certain that all nominees understand these requirements. Inability to meet the attendance requirement will result in disqualification for consideration; and, if selected for participation, will result in dismissal from the program. Exceptions to the attendance requirement will be rare, will be limited to true emergency situations, and will require approval by the GOSA Executive Director.
Commit to remaining on campus for the entire program.
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AREAS OF NOMINATION
ACADEMIC Science Biology Chemistry Physics Communicative Arts [CommArts] Languages French German Latin Spanish Mathematics Social Studies [SocStuds]
FINE ARTS Dance Music Brass: Euphonium/Baritone, French Horn, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba Jazz: Electric Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone, Trumpet Percussion Piano Strings: Cello, String Bass, Viola, Violin Voice: Alto, Baritone/Bass, Soprano, Tenor Woodwind: Bassoon, Clarinet, Flute, Oboe, Saxophone Theatre Performance Design Visual Arts
CAREER/TECHNOLOGY Architectural, Graphic, & Industrial Design [Design] Executive Management [ExMan] Engineering & Technology [Technology]
AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE AgriScience/Biotechnology AgriScience/Environmental Science
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NOMINATING STUDENTS

QUOTA NOMINEES:
Every system and private school receives a quota of nominations based on its population of 10th and 11th graders from the previous year. Your quota may go up and down from year to year, so check carefully (in the GHP Master Student List spreadsheet) before making plans.

You have a quota of nominations in the following three categories: Academics, Fine Arts, and Career/Technology. How your system fills that quota is up to you. There is no set number of Math or Social Studies or Communicative Arts nominations that you have to make, for example; they are all in the Academic quota. Please take care to stay within your system's nomination quotas as indicated in the Master Student List, which will "keep score" for you as you enter your nominees.

School systems with fewer than five nominations may use them in any of the three categories. The Master Student List will keep track of the numbers for you.

ADDITIONAL NOMINEES:
You may make additional nominations which do not count against your quota in the following areas:

Area

You may nominate...

...which count in the following way:

Agricultural Science (Biotechnology & Environmental Science)

4 students per school

These are free: they do not count against your Career/Tech quota.

Dance

4 students per system

These are free: they do not count against your Fine Arts quota.

French

For every French student you nominate, you may nominate another
French student.

For every two French nominees, the first nominee counts against your Academic quota; the second one is
free.*

German

7 students per system

These are free: they do not count against your Academic quota.

Latin

For every Latin student you nominate, you may nominate 2 more
Latin students.

For every three Latin nominees, the first nominee counts against your Academic quota; the second and
third ones are free.*

Spanish

For every Spanish student you nominate, you may nominate 2 more
Spanish students.

For every three Spanish nominees, the first nominee counts against your
Academic quota; the second and third ones are free.*

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Strings (Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass)
Oboes and Bassoons

Unlimited nominations per system Unlimited nominations per system

Jazz (Trumpet, Trombone, Saxophone, Guitar, Bass, Drums,
Piano)

3 students per system

These are free: they do not count against your Fine Arts quota.
These are free: they do not count against your Fine Arts quota.
These are free: they do not count against your Fine Arts quota.

The Master Student List spreadsheet will keep track of these numbers for you and will alert you if you have overnominated in any of the areas. If any of this is unclear, please contact the GHP office for more information.
*Using French as an example, the first French nominee counts, the second is free; the third French nominee counts, the fourth is free; etc. The Master Student List is keeping track accurately.

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SELECTING STUDENTS
There is no "right" way to select students for nomination. Each system should devise its own process and procedures to select its nominees. However, it is critical that your nominating teachers read and understand the Description & Criteria before nominating students. Just because a student is "good in English" doesn't mean they would make the best Communicative Arts major, for example. If your school does not have a dance or piano program, you may still nominate students in those areas. The school counselor should handle the Nominating Teacher section of the nomination form, but the student's actual instructor in the community should write the recommendation. If you find that you have nomination slots left over, consider filling your quota with sophomores who might not be completely ready for GHP, but for whom the interview experience would be helpful in preparing them for next year. In smaller school settings, especially if you have had difficulty getting teachers interested in the nomination process in the past, hold an open meeting for qualified students to see if any are interested in the program and then meet with the appropriate teachers to verify the nomination. When in doubt, nominate. Let the state interviewers make the final decision. It may be helpful for your nominating teachers, parents, and students to understand that the program has no quota system. Students are not selected based on their gender, race, or geographic area. Nor does the program have a bias for juniors over sophomores, although you may consider the student's grade level in your local nominations if you choose to do so. In general, GHP is not a reward for accomplishment, but a challenge for potential. It is important for teachers to consider students who might not be the most comfortable to teach because they're always pushing for more, or who are interested in explorations and investigations not convenient to the class as a whole. If you have a faculty member who has taught at GHP, it is a good idea to ask that person's advice/help in the nomination process. They understand the kind of student who makes it into the program and who is successful there.
BE AWARE: The SAT will be administered on Saturday, January 25, 2014, which is the first weekend of GHP interviews. That includes the areas of, Music, Visual Arts, Communicative Arts, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Social Studies, and both areas of AgScience. We have no way of accommodating students who sign up to take the SAT on that date, so please advise students and parents of this fact.
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TOOLS FOR THE NOMINATION PROCESS
There are several resources available to coordinators, teachers, parents, and students to help them understand what GHP is like. The GHP webpage (http://gosa.georgia.gov/governors-honors-program) contains useful information, some of which will provide information specifically aimed at the nominees and their parents. Content will be updated throughout the school year. The 2012 Video Production minors have posted a video on YouTube which shows the "fun" side of GHP. The last three minutes are particularly aimed at students who might be reluctant about accepting a nomination. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TJIzF7TXKk) If you have students who want to know more about a particular area, the GHP office can put them in touch with students from last summer who would be delighted to encourage them.
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ENTERING NOMINEES INTO THE MASTER STUDENT LIST
The GHP Master Student List is the Excel spreadsheet that you will use to report your GHP nominations electronically. As you enter nominee information in the Master Student List, the Nominations Report Sheet will automatically be tabulated, and Student Receipts will be generated.
1. Save/Copy the downloaded Excel file to the GHP folder on your computer hard drive.
2. Open the file and click onto the tab labeled Start Here. (If you do not see the three bottom tabs, doubleclick on the title bar and they should show up.)
a. You must first select your school/system from the drop down menu. Click into the red "System Name and Nomination Quotas" area; click the drop-down arrow that appears on the right side of the cell. Use the scroll bar to find your system name. Highlight and click onto it; your system name will be displayed.
3. Click on the tab labeled GHP Master Student List.
a. Input the student's First Name, Last Name, Georgia Testing ID Number, and Home Phone.
i. Independent/private schools: Your students don't have Georgia Testing ID numbers, so please type NONE into the blank.
ii. Home school students do not have Georgia Testing ID numbers, so please type NONE into the blank.
iii. You may type the phone number without any punctuation at all, i.e., 8885551234. Do not allow the student to use his/her cell phone number.
iv. A sample student (Joe Searle from Westover High is being nominated in Theatre Design) has been included. Don't replace him, please.
b. In the "School Attended" cell, use the drop-down list that appears for each cell.
i. For home school students, select the school for the school zone in which they reside.
ii. If you have a new school in your district that does not appear in the drop down list, please contact the GHP office and we'll send you a new corrected copy of the spreadsheet.
c. In the "Area of Nomination" cell, use the drop-down list that appears for each cell. As you designate the subject area for each student, the correlating interview date and location will appear in the next column. Notice that the spreadsheet is keeping track of your numbers at the top of the spreadsheet. At the same time, on the next page, the spreadsheet is providing a more detailed account of your nominations.

d.

Make sure that you are selecting from the drop-down list and not just typing in the area of

nomination--the spreadsheet will not recognize items that do not match exactly. If you have a

large number of nominees in an area, you may select the first one from the drop-down list and then

copy/paste the area into the other students' cells.

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e.

Make sure that you have selected the correct area of nomination. Music can be especially

tricky with Jazz often overlapping other instruments! (Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone,

and Trumpet can be either Music or Music/Jazz.)

f. If at any time you are over a quota, the Nomination Summary Box will inform you immediately.

4. Check the GHP Nominations Report Sheet.

a. If the Nominations Summary Box has told you that you are over a quota, click on the Nominations Report Sheet tab.

b. Compare your nomination quotas with your Quota Nominees, which must not exceed the green numbers. The Quota Verification fields verify whether you are within your nomination quotas, and the quotas that apply to Additional Nominees. Either "Within...", or "Exceeds..." will appear. If "Exceeds..." appears, examine the detailed lower half of this sheet to identify where corrections can be made in order to be within quota.

c. If you need to make corrections, do so on the GHP Master Student List (click on that tab). Once you've adjusted your nominees to the correct number, revisit the Nominations Report Sheet to verify your results. When you are within your nomination quotas, you are ready to print.

5. SAVE YOUR FILE. Return to the Master Student List tab. Print a copy for your records. Doublecheck in print preview to make sure you're not printing dozens of blank pages.

6. Go to the Nominations Report Sheet tab. Print a copy for your records.

7. Go to the Student Nominee Receipts tab.

a. Click onto the spreadsheet tab labeled GHP Student Nominee Receipts. Print the number of pages that contain your nominee receipts. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not specify which of the receipt pages to print (e.g. 1-5), all 114 pages will print.

b. A nominee receipt will be generated for each student on the "GHP Nominee Receipts" sheet. Cut receipt pages into individual receipts (3 per page), and distribute to your nominees.

c.

The Student Receipt merely tells the student the date and location of their interview. It is

imperative that they understand that it is their responsibility to visit the GHP Web Page in order to

find out what time their state level interview will be. State level interview times will be posted to

the GHP Web Page on January 3, 2014.

8. Rename the file YourSystem_MSL, e.g., CowetaCounty_MSL. Submit the 2014 GHP Master Student List as an attachment through the GOSA site. The address for this secure site will be emailed to coordinators.

9. You will receive email confirmation that your Master Student List has been received and approved. Should any corrections need to be made, directions for the necessary adjustments will be provided in the email.

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Once received, the data from your Master Student List will be imported directly into the GHP main database. Any errors in spelling, first/last name inversions, or the wrong area of nomination are included just as you submit them. The wrong area of nomination will result in scheduling issues in January, so please double-check that those are correct.
**SPECIAL NOTE: Please do not notify students and their parents, or publicly release the names of your nominees until you have verified that your nominations have been approved by the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. You may wish to inform students that their nomination is not final until approved by the GHP office. After you receive confirmation of approval you may proceed to completing the Student Nomination Forms.
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STUDENT NOMINATION FORMS

The Student Nomination Form is available in downloadable form on the GOSA GHP web page. The following stakeholders fill out the corresponding parts of the Student Nomination Form.

System Coordinator (Part 3)

School Coordinator (Part 3)

Nominating Teacher (Part 2)
Student (Part 1)

Like the nomination process itself, how you manage the nomination forms is completely up to you. However, the following procedures apply to all nominees. PART 1: Student & Parent
The only students who attach anything to the nomination form are the Executive Management nominees, who are to attach a resume and letter of recommendation.

Students should not staple the pages of their section; turn them in to the school level coordinator unattached.
A handout of instructions for Part 1/Students & Parents can be found on p. 26.
PART 2: Nominating Teacher If the nominee is in an area not taught by the school, such as Dance or Piano, then questions 1-6 should be answered by the community instructor who has nominated the student. The nominating teacher's recommendation can play a critical role in the selection process, so it is important for the teacher to show as much enthusiasm for the nominee as possible. The school coordinator should not staple the parts of the nomination form together until the whole package is assembled: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Transcript, PSAT/SAT scores.
A handout of instructions for Part 2/Nominating Teacher can be found on p. 27. PART 3: Coordinator
"Advanced" courses are Honors, Gifted, etc. "Accelerated" courses are AP and IB. The school counselor's signature is required for home school students. Attach the student's transcript after Part 3, and put the PSAT/SAT (required for math nominees) absolutely last. This makes it easier to check in the 3,000 nomination forms. ACT scores are not an acceptable substitute for the PSAT/SAT.

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If you think the PSAT/SAT score on the attachment will not be noticeable please highlight it. No attachments other than:
Executive Management nominees should attach a resume and letter of recommendation, as indicated in the D&C.
Otherwise, no photos, resumes, poems, certificates, programs, etc., should be attached. NOTE: All attachments will be detached and discarded. Judges will not consider them. A handout of instructions for the school level coordinator for Part 3 can be found on p. 28. Double-check each student's area of nomination against your Master Student List. If there is a discrepancy, correct it. If you discover an error after sending the MSL, please notify Bradley Chester. This is important because data from the MSL goes into the database and is used for scheduling the interviews. It is only necessary for you to alert the program manager to the correction. You do not need to re-send the MSL.
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SUBMITTING YOUR FORMS

Pack your forms in the following way:
Staple the parts of the form together; do not paper clip. The SAT/PSAT score (if applicable) should be the last page, with the score highlighted if it might be difficult to see.
Within each area, sort alphabetically by Last Name, First Name.

Sort by major in this order:

AgScience: Biotechnology AgScience: Environmental Science Biology Chemistry Communicative Arts Dance Design Executive Management French German Latin Mathematics

Music: Brass (all together) Music: Jazz (all together) Music: Percussion Music: Piano Music: Strings (all together) Music: Voice (all together) Music: Woodwinds (all together) Physics Social Studies Spanish Technology Theatre Design Theatre Performance Visual Art

Please sort the forms before sending them. This enables quicker turnaround. Please do not use envelopes or folders for individual nomination forms.

Please do not put transcripts in a sealed envelope. Since the documents are coming straight from the counselor to you to the GHP office, we will assume they are official.

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DEADLINES
All nomination forms (originals and two copies of each) must be received in the GHP office at or before 4 p.m. on Friday, December 6, 2014 (for systems with enrollments of 999 or less in grades 10 and 11), or Friday, December 13, 2014 (for systems with enrollments of 1000 or more in grades 10 and 11). Please send to the attention of:
Mr. Bradley Chester Governor's Honors Program 952 Twin Towers East 205 Jesse Hill Jr. Drive SE Atlanta, Georgia, 30334-5040 It is the responsibility of the sender to ensure and verify that the documents are received by the deadline. Due to periodic disruptions to normal mail delivery, GOSA strongly encourages the use of an alternative delivery method (for example, a commercial carrier such as Federal Express or UPS; U.S. Postal Service Express mail; a courier service or personal delivery) to transmit documents to the GOSA. We advise you not to send your forms via registered mail as the requirement of a signature may hold up the delivery.
NOTE: Faxed/emailed documents will not be accepted.
ONCE YOU'VE SENT IN YOUR FORMS...
You will be emailed for confirmation. If there are any discrepancies or shortcomings, the program manager will notify you by email. If one of your nominees withdraws from the process, email the program manager immediately. Within a certain time frame, you may be able to replace the withdrawal with an alternate, but do not inform the student until you have notified the GHP office and received approval.
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2014 GOVERNOR'S HONORS PROGRAM INTERVIEW DATES AND LOCATIONS

MUSIC AND VISUAL ARTS
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia

COMMUNICATIVE ARTS, BIOLOGY, CHEMISTRY, AGRISCIENCE
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Luella High School in Locust Grove, Georgia

PHYSICS,

SOCIAL

STUDIES,

AND

DANCE AND THEATRE
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Pebblebrook High School in Mableton, Georgia

LANGUAGES, MATHEMATICS, DESIGN TECHNOLOGY, EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Luella High School in Locust Grove, Georgia

*Please note that the SAT will be administered on Saturday, January 25, 2014, and the Governor's Honors Program cannot change interview times to accommodate students who sign up to take the SAT on that date.
There are no alternate interview dates.

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PREPARING STUDENTS FOR INTERVIEWS
Make sure that every student is aware of the GHP webpage, where information for nominees will be posted as appropriate. http://gosa.georgia.gov/governors-honors-program
Provide every student a copy of the appropriate section of the Description & Criteria. Make sure that the student understands what the program will be like and what interviewers will be looking for in the interview process. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact the GHP office. Students may download Interview Tips for Students on the GOSA GHP webpage. These tips were compiled from suggestions by actual state level interviewers and are very helpful. Conduct mock interviews to give students experience before they have to do the real thing. If you have GHP instructors or interviewers available, ask them to help out--they know the real thing. Interview times are assigned by the GHP Nominee database and are calculated using the school's distance from the interview site. Requests for specific interview times are very difficult to manage and are likely to be denied, especially after the schedule is released on January 3, 2014. There are no alternate dates for interviews.
Who are the interviewers? They are volunteers from all over the state, mostly teachers in the subject area. If any teachers in your school would like to volunteer to help with the state level interviews, they may contact the program manager at bchester@georgia.gov for further information. We are not able to reimburse our interviewers for expenses. We ask them to volunteer their time and travel if at all possible.
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FINALISTS
On Friday, March 7, 2014, the list of finalists will be posted to the GOSA GHP web page. In addition, all the forms and instructions will be posted to the GOSA GHP web page. Coordinators will receive the following documents by email: GHP 2014 Finalists; GHP 2014 Alternates by System; and GHP 2014 Finalists by System. In addition, you will receive a generic PR release for your use. All finalists and all alternates will receive a letter from the Governor's Office of Student Achievement. These letters will be mailed to you for distribution to the students. They will be sorted by school and by name, matching the lists of finalists and alternates you received. The Finalist Acceptance Form (FAF) will be an online form. A link will be provided to the appropriate forms. The FAF must be received by 4:00 pm, Monday, March 25, 2014. If a finalist fails to submit the form by the deadline, then your superintendent/headmaster must submit a waiver request to the Executive Director of the Governor's Office of Student Achievement, Martha Ann Todd. Should that be necessary, you will receive instructions further instructions from the GHP Office within GOSA
ALTERNATE PROCESS
After the interviews in January/February, we use the various scores to rank all the nominees within their areas. We then accept the top number for each area as finalists. If a finalist does not accept or is unable to attend, we move to the next student on the ranked list. This does not happen often. There are usually fewer than twenty alternates in any given year. For this reason, we encourage all alternates to explore other opportunities for the summer. Also, it is for this reason that we do not publish the ranked list. We do not want even our first alternates giving up summer opportunities in order to sit by the phone for a call that may never come.
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INFORMATION REGARDING HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS
Home school students interested in participating in the GHP nomination process will be directed to the GHP coordinator of the local school system in which they reside. The home school student's parent/guardian will submit a copy of their Declaration of Intent to Home School (DOI) to verify that the home school student is compliant with Georgia's home study law O.C.G.A. 20-2-690. Upon verification, the student will be eligible for consideration for local nomination to the Governor's Honors Program. Eligible 10th and 11th grade home school students will be added to the local school system's 10th and 11th grade FTE count. The number of nominations for the system will be derived from the total count of both of these constituent groups. Local nominations will be conducted without regard to the public or home school enrollment status to provide a fair and equal opportunity for all constituents.
Suggested best practices for implementation that include the overarching concepts of Eligibility, Equity, and Endorsement:
ELIGIBILITY: When a home school student contacts you regarding GHP, direct the student and the student's parents to complete the GHP Home School Eligibility Verification Form. When the student submits the form (which requires a copy of the DOI to be attached), all you have to verify is that the student resides in your school district.
If the home school student a) provides a Declaration of Intent to Home School; and, b) resides in the school district, then the student is eligible for GHP and must be considered for local nomination.
NOTE: If the parent does not have a copy of their DOI, they may contact the Georgia Department of Education. http://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Pages/Home-Schools.aspx
EQUITY: Once eligibility has been verified, the home school student should be screened for nomination no differently than any other student, i.e., the student follows the same procedures and meets the same deadlines as your other candidates.
Example: If a public school student from High School "A" calls your office to express interest in GHP, you refer that student to the individual that handles GHP nominations for High School "A.". Likewise, if a home school student contact you and is confirmed to be eligible, refer the student to the school for screening. Our most important duty is to understand that while nomination is not a guarantee, it is imperative that at each phase of the local nomination process, a spirit of inclusion and facilitation be employed. Transparency in process and a proactive approach to communication are essential for success. Please work to provide home school students/parents with the same level of customer service that is provided to the public school students/parents. The intent is to create a level playing field, so that students can compete on equal footing. To do otherwise would violate the spirit of the law as it has been amended.
ENDORSEMENT: Once it has been determined that a student is eligible, meets the criteria for local nomination, and will be forwarded from the local system to the state level interviews, the local system GHP coordinator handles the process of collecting signatures of endorsement on behalf of the student (as per Part 3 of the GHP Student Nomination Form).
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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS) FROM GHP COORDINATORS REGARDING HOME SCHOOL STUDENTS:
Q: How will home school students know whom to contact for assistance?
A: Contact information for all local school system GHP coordinators will be posted on the GOSA GHP web page. All interested students and parents (regardless of public/home school) are directed to contact their local school system GHP coordinator for assistance.
Q: Are local school system GHP coordinators responsible for recruiting home school students?
A: No. The Governor's Office of Student Achievement (GOSA) notifies home school community groups. That stated, once a home school student or parent contacts the local school system GHP coordinator, it becomes the coordinator's responsibility to assist the student, in the same manner that would be provided to public school students.
Q: Does the number of home school students affect my nomination quota?
A: It may, or it may not. The Georgia Department of Education shall determine the number of home school students enrolled in the 10th and 11th grades in each local school system by comparing home school numbers to local school system FTE counts. This number shall be added to the total 10th and 11th grade FTE count for each local school system as soon as the data is available from GaDOE.
Example: System "A" has a total public school enrollment of 4985 in grades 1-12, with 639 students (i.e., 13% of the system's total enrollment*) enrolled in the 10th and 11th grades.
System "A" also has a total eligible home school enrollment of 189 in grades 1-12. Because home school enrollment is not reported by grade level, the number of home school students enrolled in the 10th and 11th grades shall be based on the proportional equivalent of the public school enrollment in those grades (i.e., 13% in this case), resulting in a total enrollment of 24 eligible home school students in the 10th and 11th grades.
The combined total public school and eligible home school enrollment in grades 10-11 for System "A" is 663, which yields a GHP nomination quota of seven students.
*It is important to note that this percentage will vary from system to system.
Q: Will home school students take away nominations from public school students?
A: It is possible that home school students might be selected for nominations over their public school counterparts. Conversely, it is also possible that public school students will be selected for nominations over their home school counterparts. In all cases, the local school system will be recognized as the sponsor of the student, and honored for those that it sends to the state level interviews.
Q: Who is the "Nominating Teacher" for a home school student?
A: The nominating teacher is the individual who serves as the student's primary instructor for the subject area of nomination. This may be the nominee's parent.
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FILLING OUT THE GHP NOMINATION FORM: PART 1/STUDENT & PARENT
The nomination form must be filled out using a computer. Handwritten forms will not be accepted.
DO NOT STAPLE YOUR FORM. TURN IT IN TO YOUR COORDINATOR UNATTACHED.
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM:
SUBJECT AREA: Choose your area of nomination from the dropdown menu. Music nominees, be careful that you do not confuse Music and Music/Jazz! (Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone, and Trumpet can be either Music or Music/Jazz.)
PSAT/SAT SCORES: Leave this blank.
NAME OF SCHOOL SYSTEM OR PRIVATE SCHOOL: If you attend a private school, enter the school both here and in the SCHOOL field blank.
NOMINEE'S PREFERRED NAME: Put what the interviewer should call you here, even if it's the same as your first name.
HOME PHONE: Avoid using your cell phone here. GHP is looking for a phone that we can use to contact you in case we need to invite you as an alternate later in the process. It is fine to use a parent's cell phone if your family does not have a land line.
PARENT 1/LEGAL GUARDIAN: We must have at least one legal guardian listed along with contact information. If there is more than one parent, please list both.
DESCRIBE YOUR INTEREST: Why is this area the one you want to spend four weeks of your summer studying and experiencing?
WHAT HAVE YOU ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED: This should include activities in your area of nomination both inside and outside the classroom: teams, performances, independent work, travel, personal projects, etc.
WHY DO YOU FEEL YOU SHOULD BE SELECTED? This is not the time to be modest.
HAVE YOU DECIDED ON A CAREER? It is not necessary for your career goals and your area of nomination to match, but if they do, tell us about it.
OTHER STATEMENT: What have we not asked about that we need to know about you?
SIGNATURES: Please read the material carefully before signing. Pay careful attention to the dates of the program and the fact that exceptions to the attendance requirement will be rare, will be limited to true emergency situations, and will require approval by the GOSA Executive Director.
ATTACHMENTS: Unless you are an Executive Management nominee, do not attach anything else to the nomination form. The GHP office will remove any attachments and discard them. The judges will not see them.
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FILLING OUT THE GHP NOMINATION FORM: PART 2/NOMINATING TEACHER
The nomination form must be filled out using a computer. Handwritten forms will not be accepted. Please read the appropriate section of the 2014 GHP Instructional Descriptions & Criteria for Selection before nominating the student and filling out this form. That document describes what GHP is looking for in a student and how we expect to find it in the interviews. Your job is to go to bat for your nominee so that we have no doubt he/she deserves to be selected. Feel free to ask your school GHP coordinator for advice on filling out this form. DO NOT STAPLE YOUR FORM. TURN IT IN TO YOUR COORDINATOR UNATTACHED. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: SUBJECT AREA: Choose the student's area of nomination from the dropdown menu. For music nominees, be
careful that you do not confuse the overlapping Jazz instruments with their non-Jazz versions. (Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone, and Trumpet can be either Music or Music/Jazz.) STUDENT'S NAME: Make sure that you have spelled it correctly. Interviewers notice these things. INDEPENDENT AND SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING: Classes at GHP are rarely lecture-oriented or teacherdriven. Rather, students are challenged to become independent, lifelong learners. Will your student thrive in this environment? What evidence of that do you have? STUDENT'S PERSONAL COMMITMENT: Is your student just "good at" this area, or is he/she truly excited by it? Does he/she take on extra challenges outside of class? Is this the kind of student with whom you share your own interest in the field because you know it will interest him/her?
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FILLING OUT THE GHP NOMINATION FORM: PART 3/SCHOOL COORDINATOR
The nomination form must be filled out using a computer. Handwritten forms will not be accepted. FROM TOP TO BOTTOM: ON PART 1/STUDENT & PARENT: Check the appropriate box regarding the PSAT/SAT score, i.e., attached to
the nomination form or coming later. You may check the box with pen if the form is already printed out. SUBJECT AREA: Choose the student's area of nomination from the dropdown menu. For music nominees, be
careful that you do not confuse the overlapping Jazz instruments with their non-Jazz versions. (Percussion, Piano, Saxophone, Trombone, and Trumpet can be either Music or Music/Jazz.) GRADE LEVEL VERIFICATION: We no longer ask for specific grade level. Will the student be a rising junior or senior in June 2014? HOME SCHOOL: The student must submit a copy of the Declaration of Intent to Home School form. Verify that the student lives within the school district. Work with the student's home school instructor(s) to provide a transcript and PSAT/SAT scores. COURSES: Advanced = Honors or Gifted; Accelerated = AP, IB. AREA OF NOMINATION GPA: Include any courses that you think demonstrate the nominee's proficiency in the area of nomination. For students whose areas are not taught by the school, e.g., Dance or Piano, type N/A. (Dance nominees may list the dance classes they have taken at their studio.) TRANSCRIPT: Attach the student's transcript to the back of PART 3. PSAT/SAT SCORE: Attach the page with the PSAT/SAT score as the last page. Highlight the score if the page is cluttered. (If the student does not yet have the PSAT/SAT score, he/she may bring it to the interviews in January or February.) SIGNATURES: The school level coordinator should sign the form and get the principal's signature before returning the forms to the system level coordinator. AFTER Parts 1-3/transcript/PSAT scores are assembled, please make two copies and staple the forms together. Do not paperclip. The original and two copies will be submitted to the GOSA GHP office by the superintendent's or headmaster's designee. (See page 20 for specific instructions.)
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