Applying to High School – info session

A new company has started recently in Chicago called Chicago School GPS.  Their goal is to help parents navigate the admissions process.

http://www.chischoolgps.com/#

High School Info Session Tuesday Dec 6th at 7pm

They will be hosting a FREE informational session at Sulzer Library at 4455 N. Lincoln from 7 – 8:30pm.

They’ll give tips on navigating the wide range of options beyond the SE High Schools (yeah!).

Reserve a spot at ChiSchoolGPS@gmail.com or 312-324-4774.

They suggest bringing a laptop to bookmark some important links they will share.

FYI, here are some other helpful services to navigate the process and/or prepare you child for testing….

Education Consulting

http://christinewhitley.com/

Test prep for Academic Centers and High School tests:

http://www.selectiveprep.com/

Prep for Kindergarten Gifted/Classical tests and Consulting:

http://www.prepchicago.com/

Tutoring and Test Prep:

http://chicagotutor.net       (see the page on Selective Enrollment for a bunch of links)

Educational Consulting and Products:

http://www.mindseyechicago.com/

November 25, 2011 at 7:07 pm 6 comments

NPN School Fair 2011

I had a CPSObsessed table at the NPN (Neighborhood Parents Network) School Fair today and wanted to report back on some of the happening and my observations.

First, for anyone who has been to the crowded fair at school gyms or park buildings, the new location (which was an auto “multiplex”) near North and Clyborn was very cool and spacious (although parking is a drag.)  The fair was huge, mainly with private and religious schools exhibiting.  We had a small corner for about 10 CPS schools, an OEA booth, and an early childhood education booth.  Brizard showed up for a bit in an unofficial capacity dressed as an everyday day in jeans and a sweatshirt, looking very friendly, as usual.

I asked one of the NPN organizers why there were so few CPS schools and she said they make their best effort to contact as many as they can each year but few seem to respond.  So if you’re part of a friends-of group that is trying to promote their school’s attendance, it’s worth making sure that you get in touch with them. 

It was fun to meet lots of CPSO readers and to spread the word to new parents.  So if you see some new people on here, please be nice.  They’re just getting the hang of our beloved school system. 

I met Buena Park Mom and we talked abou the challenges of “turning around” some of the Uptown elementary schools that have a high transient or homeless population.  Tough job, indeed.  She would like to request that Mayfair Dad move into the neighborhood to help her out. 

Most of the parents I met have kids who are younger than PreK age but are starting to look.  I reassured many people that the school landscape has changed dramatically for elementary in the past 5 years and could continue to do so and the time frame until they have kids is high school is light years away.  So much can change, I hope, I hope.  But it was a good reminder of how many more elementary options there are that are really considered to be “good” schools now versus in the past.

I had one Dad ask me what my list of top 3 schools would be if I could choose any.  Tough question.  I think for every school that has been at the top of my list, I’ve met at least one family who left or really disliked the school.  And of course many schools that are under the radar that people really like.  It’s all so personal and each school has some pros and cons, typically.  If you have a Top 3 list, feel free to share. 

Some thoughts I had after 4 hours of talking about schools:

CPS needs to streamline the preK process like they’ve done with the elementary schools.  It feels so clunky, diffcult to apply to, and somewhat rogue.  

The name “Magnet Cluster” has got to go.  It purposefully confuses all new parents.

I like that we have a system-wide policy that prevents red-shirting as it takes out that decision for parents.

Living in a neighborhood that has a decent local school makes all the difference between intense panic and a more relaxed approach to figuring out schools.  I think that is the most major thing I would recommend to families settling in the city.  Easier said than done, of course.

The tour process is still so ineffiecient.  In *my* opinion, CPS should require all lottery and selective schools to attend their school fair (held earlier this month) so parents can effieciently get a sense of any school on the central application (other than open enrollment schools.)  Maybe parents still need to see the place in person, but the amount of time required to figure out how to select your 20 schools for your application seems daunting.

Speaking of the 20 schools you can apply to, I discussed it with one mom who has an organized list on her iPhone of her top schools and her backup schools.  It makes sense to include some “backups” which are up-and-coming neighborhood schools and/or large schools where your odds of getting in are better.  If you go for 20 low-odds magnets and open enrollments (a la Blaine, Burley, Nettelhorst) you may end up with nothing.  Less important if you have that good neighborhood school!

Overall it was a fun day.  Thanks for everyone who stopped by to say hi.  We have a lot more lurkers than you think….

October 16, 2011 at 1:09 am 159 comments

Find a School – Awesome Map!

http://batchgeo.com/map/c31536d34928405c0e01fb6ddef1c11d

View CPS Options for Knowledge Elementary Schools 2012 in a full screen map

A reader has created this very cool map that will allow you to determine which CPS elementary schools (non-charter) are near you.  Or near anywhere.  Here’s the information he’s written to go with it.  This works well in conjunction with the CPS map that tell what school zone you’re in as you can see which gifted/classical/magnet schools are nearby.  Have fun with it….

We have a 4-year old who will be in Kindergarten next fall. So, we attended the CPS Options for Knowledge Elementary School Fair this past weekend, and although I tried to filter out various schools by location as we passed by all the displays, I realized that: a) I was a little fuzzy on some of the school locations and b) not all of the schools in the 2012-2013 guide were represented at the fair.  So, I decided to make a map of schools near us to help us decide which schools we would be willing to drive to.

Well, one thing led to another, and after 3-4 hours I had exported all the elementary schools from the OFK guide into excel, added links to the CPS  information page for each school, and sorted them by type (neighborhood school, magnet, etc.).  You can access the file I created here, if you’re interested in that sort of thing:

http://tiny.cc/cpselemxls

Next, I used BatchGeo to create a publicly accessible map from the excel data.  The map uses the Google Maps platform and is available here:

http://tiny.cc/cpselem2012

So, here’s a quick how-to guide.  When you load the map, all of the OFK elementary schools will be shown.  It more or less works just like Google Maps, so you can pan, zoom in and out, use Street View, satellite view, etc.  The different types of schools appear in the color-coded legend at the bottom.  If you click on one of the markers in the legend, only that type of school will be shown.  Click the marker in the legend again and all schools will re-appear.

If you click on an individual school’s marker, a callout box will open with the school’s name, address, phone, and all the other information contained on that school in the OFK guide.  Clicking on the school’s name in the callout box will take you to the CPS information page for that school (use control+click and the link should open in a separate tab or window).  I’ve also started entering each school’s external website, but it’s a tedious process.

Double-clicking on a school’s marker will open a separate Google Maps window with that school’s location, so you can map directions to and from the school.

You can use the search box in the upper right corner to search anything in the dataset.  For example, enter “60630″ and schools in that zip code will be shown.  Start typing “Year-Round” and you can filter the list to show Track E or non-Track E schools.  Enter a neighborhood (“North Center, Chicago, IL”) and you’ll get schools in that general vicinity (you have to include “Chicago IL” in the search box for this to work).

Anyway, I hope this is a helpful tool to you as you go through the CPS application process.  Feel free to email me at daddyofzane@att.net if you have any questions, spot an error, or have suggestions to make this better.  One thing that I would like to do but can’t yet is to show schools within a given radius of an address.  I’m not a programmer, so I can’t guarantee that I can make a lot of changes.  

Thanks,

Frank (Daddy of Zane)

October 5, 2011 at 1:21 pm 12 comments

Ready, Set, Apply – 2012/2013 School Year

The application period is now open for signing up for the lotteries for magnet schools + neighborhood schools (where you are outside the zone) and to test for gifted and classical elementary programs, International IB/Gifted programs (middle school at Lincoln and Ogden,) Academic Centers (7-8th grade,) and selective enrollment high schools. The application period ends December 16.  Yes, I have actually stood in line at the post office that day.  Don’t procrastinate!

The official Options for Knowledge Guide is now ready online and should soon be available at libraries and some schools. This document has improved every year and if you have the stamina to get through it, it’s a great resource and it has all the official “rules.”  In my initial scroll-through, it looks easy to read and has a ton of information spelled out very well.  Of course to a new parent unfamiliar with all these terms, it can probably seem overwhelming.  And would they please rename the “Magnet Cluster” designation? So confusing.  A magnet that’s not really a magnet.

http://cpsmagnet.org/ourpages/auto/2011/10/3/43340541/Options%20for%20Knowledge%20Guide%202012-2013%20-%20English.pdf

CPS also has this handy explanation of the selection and tier process:

http://cpsmagnet.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=184188&id=0

This year the applications can be done either online at www.apply.cps.edu or via paper application from the booklet in the first link above.

If you plan to apply online, you need to first sign up to get a PIN number which can take a few days, so factor that into account.

As with anything CPS-related (or any giant organization) it is always ideal to have some kind of paper confirmation to prove that you’ve applied and that they have your application on file.  Errors seem less common these days with the online system, but do everything you can to create a paper trail.  And to you new parents, back in the older days (i.e. 2 years ago) you had to apply to every non-selective school individually.  Luckily CPS has embraced the Internet.  Yay!

When is the best time to apply?  For lottery spots, any time is fine since it’s all random.  Just don’t wait until the last minute in case of snow/cold/forgetfulness.

When is the best time to apply for a Selective Enrollment test?   I’d say somewhere in the middle of the application period.   Some parents of young kids prefer to wait until the end of the test period so their child can learn more before the gifted/classical tests.  Supposedly, the tests are scored based on your child’s actual birthdate so it shouldn’t give you an edge to test later, just like kids with earlier birthdays don’t have an advantage.  If your child just turned 4 in August, it can probably help to wait for them to mature a little more before sending them off into a room with a stranger to take a test. 

However I’ve also heard of parents who prefer to sign up for the test early, to get it over with or to avoid the horrible and unpredictable weather of January and February (the final testing months.)  Trust me, you don’t want to take a 5 year old out at 8am in a blizzard to take a test.

For Selective Enrollment High Schools, well, I am still learning about that.  I believe the tests are administered in groups in the spring so it doesn’t matter when you sign up.   Is that correct?

October 4, 2011 at 7:20 am 86 comments

Magnet and Selective Enrollment School Admissions Process UNCHANGED for 2012/2013 School Year

Wow, this is a Chicago news headline that just has to make you laugh:

For first time in three years, CPS admissions process for magnet and selective schools is unchanged

So after some changing and tweaking over the past couple years, CPS has decided not to revise the admissions criteria for the upcoming application year (and apparently for several years.)

Notably, elementary schools will continue to operate without Principal Discretion going forward (I assume.)

It certainly makes the application process a little easier since families won’t need to re-interpret the system yet again.  But frustrating for people who wanted to see some policy changes.  The Tier System is here to stay, for a while (I’m sure it will change to something entirely different the year my son applies to high school, just to keep things interesting.)

I hope that CPS will still consider enforcing a consistent grading scale across the system.

And hopefully we’ll find something to talk about here this Fall, since we won’t be scrutinizing the new admissions policy……

Story from the Chicago Tribune below:

The new Chicago Public Schools administration has decided not to change the admissions process for magnet and selective enrollment schools, meaning for the first time in three years parents will not be left trying to comprehend last-minute changes to the policy.

After a federal order in 2009 banned the use of race as a key admissions factor to enrollment in the city’s top schools, CPS adopted a new format hoping to maintain diversity. They made tweaks to that format last year.

The district now evaluates the city’s 874 census tracts on six criteria, including median income, adult education, percentages of single-family homes and homeowners, the percentage of children living in non-English-speaking households and the performance of schools in that census tract. CPS then ranks the census tracts based on the indicators and divides them into four tiers.

Last year, 30 percent of openings in selective schools went to students with top academic scores, and the rest were divided among top-scoring students in the four socioeconomic groups.

At magnet schools, which use lotteries to admit students, last year CPS allowed siblings to get in automatically, providing there is room.

CPS spokesman Frank Shuftan said the district expects to keep this admissions policy in place for several years.

“Moving to a multiyear policy will provide stability for the magnet and selective enrollment process going forward,” Shuftan said.

The Chicago Board of Education will consider that plan at Wednesday’s meeting.

August 24, 2011 at 2:44 am 12 comments

The ABC’s of CPS Bootcamp Time!

Do you have a neighbor who is clueless about our beloved school system but you don’t feel like taking the time to explain the whole process?

Are YOU getting ready to enter the quagmire of the application process?

Don’t worry, don’t fret — there is finally an easy way to get the ball rolling, with Christine’s boot camp.  For a mere $30 you get 2 hours worth of introduction to the application process as well as amazingly well organized materials to help it all seem clear (or as clear as it’s ever gonna get.) I attended a session last year and I guarantee it is well worth the money for CPS newbies.

Christine has a child in a Classical school, FYI.

_______________________

August 10, 2011 at 12:09 am 21 comments

Blue Ribbon Committee Presentation from the forums

I was alerted to a new post on cpsoae.org that has the presentation from the BRC forums as well as the transcripts (over 400 pages in total.)  I hope to skim them soon.

But here is the content of the information that the BRC presented at each of the three forums.  I think we’ve discussed much of this already, but it’s interesting to see it all laid out. It doesn’t mention the rank % seats being an area of consideration.  Does this mean it remains at 30%? Am I crazy or did we think it was changing to 40%?

The example of the sample admission numbers for magnet schools is kind of interesting (and depressing, if you have your eye on a magnet elem school.)  6 seats per tier, most likely.

I don’t know that I ever heard/saw the rationale for adding proximity to the magnet schools.  I still don’t really get that one.

As a note, it sounds like the Westinghouse forum was the least attended, so they didn’t enforce the 2 minutes speaking limit (something to keep in mind if you have something lengthy to say in the future).

Also, the Westinghouse notes specifically state that the BRC is aiming for diversity.  They don’t clarify whether this means racial or not.

History of the Blue Ribbon Committee

The Desegregation Consent Decree was vacated in September 2009

• New policy using SES variables adopted in December 2009
• BRC was convened in 2010 to review the 2010‐2011 admissions policy
• BRC recommendations were adopted for the 2011‐2012 admissions policy
• BRC has reconvened to evaluate results and make recommendations for the admissions policy going forward

What were the BRC Recommendations?

• Allow multiples to apply together to ensure best chance of dual/triple admittance & adopt preference for non‐entry level siblings
• Align NCLB process with general education application process
• Eliminate the proximity lottery if 50% of students at a school reside within the proximity, AND more than 50% belong to any one race
• Increase the number of SEHS to which students can apply to 6

Additional changes made by CPS driven by BRC goals:

• Add a 6th factor based on the performance of the attendance area schools in each tract
• SEES & SEHS: 30% rank order, 70% tier

Issues under review for 2011‐2012 include:

• Principal discretion for magnet schools
• Magnet school re‐enrollment (say you leave the school for a year to study abroad, can you get back in?)
• Redefine proximity percentage for magnet high schools
• Reduce qualifications for special education students in magnet high schools
• Redefine magnet school boundaries (people who live near the city borders have a disadvantage)

Why Socio‐Economic Factors for Admissions?

• Students who live in poverty and attend economically isolated schools generally experience lower educational outcomes
• However, students who live in poverty and attend schools with socially and economically diverse student populations, experience higher educational outcomes than their peers who attend isolated schools.
• Diverse learning communities benefit all students by better preparing them to live in a diverse society and to compete in the global economy.
• Focusing on economic diversity will help prevent select schools from becoming accessible only to children from wealthier families and neighborhoods.
• Economic diversity will also promote equitable and fair outcomes across all communities in Chicago.

2011 2012 Timeline

• Oct 1 Application Period Begins
• Options for Knowledge Elementary Fair
• @Malcolm X College
• Oct‐Nov Explore schools, attend open houses, high school informational sessions
• Nov SEES Testing begins
• Dec 16 Application Deadline
• Jan SEHS Testing
• Feb High School Notifications Sent
• Mar Elementary School Notifications Sent

What every parent needs to know

• Cast a wide net.
• Do your homework BEFORE you submit your application.
• Do not apply to schools that you wouldn’t actually send your child to if he/she is accepted.
• Do not wait until the last day to submit your application.

Selective Enrollment Example:

200 Seats Total

Citywide Rank Order: 60 seats

Tier Rank, Order in Tier: 35 seats per tier

Magnet School Process:

#1 Siblings admitted

#2 Of remaining, up to 40% admitted by proximity

#3 Remaining admitted by lottery from 4 tiers

XYZ Magnet School example:

56 open seats

Siblings: 16 seats

Remaining admission: 40 seats

Proximity 16 seats + 6 seats per tier

Here’s the link with the transcripts from the forums:

http://cpsoae.org/apps/news/show_news.jsp?REC_ID=198188&id=0

August 7, 2011 at 11:58 pm 49 comments

Tribune article on the application process

Thanks to a reader for sending the link to this recent Trib article.  Not much here that most of us don’t know (but it’s interesting to see some of the stats laid out.  Ouch.  The magnet odds are really that crummy?)   I think I’m becoming a bit of a magnet cynic, but I think parents have to almost assume it’s not an option, you know?  I think the current trend of parents funnelling into the up-and-coming neighborhood schools and putting their efforts there is probably going to continue to be the best path.   As I like to tell people (well, I don’t like it, but I do it,) CPS is very much a do-it-yourself system.  Parents have to make it happen.   As some of you have pointed out we (I) need to do more than sit here and complain.  My new year’s resolution is going to be to get more involved in regards to expanding high school options.  I’m not sure what yet, or if it will be productive, but I need to know I tried.

One thing in this article that made me laugh was the heading:

“Moms and dads schmooze at open houses and pay for expert advice.”

I was curious about these alledged CPS paid consultants as I haven’t heard of any around town.  I wondered if it was like NYC where parents pay big bucks for that stuff.  The “paid expert” she refers to is the parent seminar I’d posted on here, at a cost of $20!  Just me, but I’d hardly call that “paying!”   I attended one of the seminars and the cost just covered the room and the materials given out in a nice folder that were probably worth the admission price alone.  So I feel good that we’re all still somewhat sane in Chicago, and nobody is making a fortune off nervous parents.

Chicago parents scramble with new rules for best schools

Moms and dads schmooze at open houses and pay for expert advice as many applicants go after a few coveted spots

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah, Tribune reporter

Getting her son into one of the city’s best magnet schools for preschool didn’t mean Rosa Yang Kato could relax about kindergarten.

“During drop-off, pickup, on the playground, it’s what all the moms talk about,” said Kato, who has been so disheartened at times that she has turned to documenting the experience on a camcorder.

“I feel like I’m at the mercy of this system, like the fate of my 4-year-old is in the hands of a plastic (lottery) ball.”

Every year, the competition for a precious spot in the city’s top schools is fierce. Many neighborhood schools have significantly lower test scores, and parents see the competitive and magnet programs as their only option for a good public education.

But the odds of their children scoring a seat in one of the top schools are slim. And the nerve-racking admissions dance has become even more complicated by the fact that the rules keep changing — twice in the last two years.

Last year, the guidelines were rewritten to take an applicant’s race out of the equation and replace it with socioeconomic factors from the applicant’s neighborhood. This year, further changes to increase diversity were approved at a board meeting just a month before the Dec. 17 application deadline for the 2011-12 school year.

Even parents who thought they mastered the old system are at a loss, some wondering if their younger children will have the same opportunities as older siblings.

The bottom line is that there are many more children than spots at the elite schools. Last year, 13,065 teens took a test for 2,942 seats at the selective-enrollment high schools. For top selective-enrollment elementary schools, 10,050 students applied for 1,787 seats. Magnet schools, which choose students via computerized lottery, saw 31,185 applications for 3,352 spots.

“We’re saying lots of prayers,” said Jenny Khalaf, whose eighth-grader is hoping for a shot at the city’s most competitive high schools. She said her daughter has had virtually no social life for two years and has forsaken extracurricular activities for extra math, English, science and language arts lessons. “We’re hoping all her hard work pays off.”

With multiple formulas to understand, depending on what kind of school they’re applying for, some parents pay for expert help.

On a recent Saturday morning, about 50 parents paid $20 and crammed into a Park District room in hopes of learning how to crack the code from Christine Whitley, a therapist whose daughter got into kindergarten at one of the newer, coveted schools, Skinner North Classical School.

The seminar is part of a cottage industry of parent-led information sessions that explain Chicago Public Schools offerings.

“There just was a real need to help parents navigate this really complicated process,” Whitley said. “Most people are feeling overwhelmed. They don’t feel like the neighborhood school is an option, and (the selective-enrollment process is) like a part-time job — doing the research, getting all the paperwork. Parents know there’s a lot of information out there, but they don’t know how to find it or what information to trust.”

CPS’ own school open houses and information sessions are packed across the city. Parents come eager to learn about the schools and the process, only to be told by principals that their chances of getting in are slim.

At a recent open house at Franklin Elementary Fine Arts Center, a magnet school in Old Town known for its arts program, Principal Carol Friedman told parents there were only 30 slots open for next year’s kindergarten.

Her advice wasn’t encouraging.

“Apply everywhere,” she told them. “You might get in.”

Misty Drake lives in Austin. She and her husband have been visiting schools and attending CPS programs since their daughter was 18 months old, trying to make sure they knew everything before applying for kindergarten. Still, Drake said, they continue to get good tips. Last week, she said, her husband learned that they needed to start the online application process a week before the deadline to get a PIN number in time.

“This is just such a ridiculous process,” said Drake, an administrator at a community health center. “You have to totally be on top of it, checking the CPS Web site, going to open houses.”

A federal order banning the use of race as a key admissions factor led CPS last year to adopt a new format to address diversity. CPS evaluated the city’s 874 census tracts on five criteria: median income, adult education, percentages of single-family homes and homeowners and the percentage of children living in non-English-speaking households. This year, a sixth factor will be added: performance of schools in that census tract.

Applicants are placed into one of four socioeconomic tiers based on these criteria.

Last year, 40 percent of openings in selective schools were awarded based solely on academic merit, and the rest were divided among top-scoring students in the four socioeconomic tiers. This year, the ratio has been changed to 30-to-70. Parents such as David Galowich feel the new rules are punishing kids who score well simply because they live in a decent neighborhood.

His youngest son applied to Whitney Young last year as a sixth-grader, hoping to get into an early acceptance program that his older brother had gotten into just two years before. But despite earning higher scores than his older brother, he didn’t get in, Galowich said, and he wonders what his odds will be like for high school.

“Kids he knows with less-than-stellar scores got in just because of geography,” said Galowich, a Lincoln Park resident. “It’s really frustrating seeing a child like my son who has worked his tail off not get in, only to have people less qualified get in.”

Ron Huberman, whose last day as schools CEO was Monday, has said the latest admissions rules are only for one year and could be tweaked again next year to best promote diversity. CPS spokeswoman Monique Bond said the guidelines keep changing because the schools system is in “unchartered territory.”

“We believe that once the process has been completed and we have an opportunity to evaluate the data, it will be fair,” she said.

So this month, parents continue to navigate the process. What aggravates many is the idea that it shouldn’t have to be this difficult.

“My suburban friends say, ‘Why do you have to do this?’ They think this is crazy,” said Karen Ferrantella, of Lincoln Park, whose son is applying to selective-enrollment high schools for next year.

“I just wish the city had a lot more really good neighborhood high schools. That would eliminate some of the panic.”

nahmed@tribune.com

November 30, 2010 at 7:31 am 50 comments