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[quote=Anonymous]I feel that you need a roadmap to reduce the stress on your HS kid. 
- Meet the counselor along with your kid, during summer before HS begins and find out what courses your kid can take/will take for the next 4 years.  Make sure your kid keeps in touch with the counselor throughout the year.  A public school counselor is the most valuable and most underused resource. Try and touch base during off times when they are not busy with other things. 
- Put the course info in a spreadsheet for all the four years, chalk in other significant milestones (PSAT, SAT/ACT,  sports travel/season, EC activities, travel, college visits etc) so you have a fair idea of what is coming down the pike. 
- Don't miss any PSAT that is offered in 8,9,10.  Link College-Board account with Khan Academy so your kid can get customized study plan to make up any weakness.  
- Take your 11th grade PSAT (NMSQT) and if it is not available, register for alternate route to PSAT. 
- Others have mentioned it - you must get the tutors in place as soon as the kid struggles (or even before that) in hard subjects. We signed up with a tutoring service and made sure that DC got the support before it impacted grades.  Especially, if the regular teacher bails at school and your kid  starts getting a long line of substitute teachers.  Keep an eye on Math, Foreign Language and Science and Comp Sci teachers - as there is usually a dearth of good ones in the school system. 
-  If your kid is a strong student and wants to take AP courses  - Take at least 1 each of the 5 core AP classes before 12th grade -  Math, Science, S.Science, English and FL - if they can take it.  There is no reason to take a huge number of AP courses, but try and take 1 in every core subjects. 
- Weave in one easy class (PE, Health, Electives) with your heavy course load. 
- GPA matters and so does rigor.  For Math, they need to see an upward trajectory over the 4 years. Get as much help and tutoring you can get in Math as you can so that you go in strong for Math in HS. 
- Parents can make a test common app account. Do that so you have an idea of what is asked for ECs and essays for personal statement. 
- Get comfortable with Naviance. 
- Figure out finances. 
- ECs are important, and so are teachers who sponsor your kids ECs, so that they can talk about your child's character
- Look for a good fit of major and college (instead of dream college) in safeties, target and reaches.  
- Read the two books - Who Gets In and Why, and  College is your 2.0.  Sign up for free seminars with CollegeVine, CollegeWise, PrepMatters and other college counselor.  I would not pay for any of their counselling services because you can do a much better job of guiding your child.  
- Apply to your in-state schools for EA. That is when they hand out good amount of merit for the high achieving students.

In the end, what matters most is getting academic support for your child.  If they are doing well in school in terms of GPA...everything else is gravy.  You cannot let that slip. Most everything - SAT, Essays, Recommendations etc can be figured out.

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