High School Guidance

High School College Advising Resources

Covenant Christian Academy offers a robust program of college advising including personalized attention for each CCA student and family.  Students receive targeted information from 9th grade through 12th grade, including coaching towards identifying the post-high school program that is the best fit, navigating the college application process, writing essays and personal statements, seeking financial aid and scholarships, and more.  See below for details of our college preparatory activities at CCA.

PSAT 8/9 – CCA students in 8th and 9th grade will take the PSAT 8/9, the first in the College Board’s suite of preparatory materials for the SAT. The test is given each October (alternate date in November).

PSAT/NMSQT – CCA students in grades 10 and 11 will take the PSAT/NMSQT (National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test). While the test only counts towards the scholarship contest in the junior year, both sophomores and juniors benefit from taking this test which measures grade-level benchmarks according to a national standard and allows students to see how they would score on the SAT. The test is given each October (alternate date in November).

College Board/Khan Academy partnership – Students who take any of the PSAT suites of assessments can link their results to Khan Academy to create a study plan based on the student’s most recent test results. This allows for personalized, targeted practice. For free! CCA will help students connect their test results and guide students in personalized SAT practice.

SAT – The SAT is given 8 times per year. This national college-entrance exam is given at regional test centers, most often county public high schools. The cost is around $50 per test, without the essay portion, which most colleges no longer require. Students are guided to take the SAT in the late Spring of their Sophomore year, again in their junior year, and if needed to boost scores for scholarship potential, again late in the junior year or the fall of the senior year. SAT test results are available to students 10-25 days after the test is completed. The best score from each attempt at the SAT is combined into a “superscore.” Test dates are posted at the College Board and will be announced by CCA as well.

ACT – The ACT is another national college-entrance exam, also given at regional test centers on established test dates. The ACT tests students in different ways than the SAT. The questions may appear less analytical and more straightforward to students. The ACT includes history and science sections and includes trigonometry in its math test. About 50% of college-bound students take the ACT and 50% take the SAT.

Personal Family Meetings – CCA’s College Advisor will meet individually with each family to get to know the family and help guide the college process for each student.

Overgrad – CCA utilizes a tool called Overgrad (similar to Naviance) for students to search for colleges that are a fit for them according to their academic standing, career goals, location, and other preferences. Students can use this tool to find colleges which are “match” or “reach” schools to gauge the strength of their admission chances.

Honors Courses – Colleges and universities understand that not all high schools throughout the country offer the same courses. Competitive colleges may ask if a student has selected the most rigorous courses offered at their school. If a student is able to work at an Honors level, they should consider selecting that course. Honors courses are weighted and carry the potential for earning additional qualitative points towards a student’s GPA.

AP Courses – CCA currently offers AP English, AP Literature, and AP Calculus. AP courses offer students the opportunity to study at a more advanced level while preparing for an exit exam that can earn a student college credit. AP Exams, offered in May each school year, are scored on a scale from 1 to 5. Colleges award credit for students scoring 3, 4 or 5. Check with the college your student plans to attend to see what standard they require for that institution. AP courses also offer students the potential to earn additional qualitative points.

College Advising Presentations – CCA parents and students are invited to attend grade-appropriate presentations by our CCA College Advisor to learn about the many aspects of preparing for college including: what to do during each year of high school, choosing a college, visiting colleges, college testing, paying for college, NCAA compliance, scholarships and more. Our programs emphasize helping students find the program that is right for them.

Road Trip Nation – This innovative website allows students to explore careers through the lens of actual people working in every field imaginable. Students choose three areas of interest which generate a portal of career options. Students can watch video interviews with real professionals to learn what they actually do in their careers!

NCAA and NAIA – If you are a student who plans to play sports in Division I or II schools, or an NAIA school, you must register for the appropriate clearinghouse. Specific standards are set by NCAA for both the number of courses (similar to standard diploma requirements) as well as academic standards (cumulative GPA of 2.3 or greater). It costs $65 for a student to register with the NCAA Clearinghouse and $80 to register with the NAIA Eligibility Center.

College Brochures –  CCA has a number of college materials readily available to share with students. While college materials are readily available online, these print materials can help gain a student’s interest.

College Fairs – CCA announces regional college fairs held in October each year. Attending a college fair is another great way to be introduced to colleges by meeting actual representatives from various schools. Both Christian and secular college fairs are held in our area each fall.

Golden Eagles Guidance Blog – CCA’s College Advisor posts relevant news on the Golden Eagles Guidance blog. Please visit Golden Eagles Guidance.

CCA’s College Advisor Twitter feed is CCAGuidance1.  Check this out for a steady stream of scholarship postings and other up-to-date news about college admissions.

College & Academic Advisor: Mrs. Suey Nordberg
snordberg@covenantva.org  
703-407-3077 

College Advisor: Mrs. Syliva Case
scase@covenantva.org
540-680-4111

Mailing address:  Covenant Christian Academy, 4177 Bludau Drive, Warrenton, VA  20187
CEEB #:  470009