Posts filed under ‘Applying to schools’
POST ELEM/AC LETTER INFO HERE PART 2: FIRST LETTER SIGHTING
Elementary Letters (Magnet/SEES/Academic Centers) have mailed from OAE as of Friday evening March 18.
Second round SE High School letters will mail Monday March 21.
Well ladies and gentlemen (and bugs,) it looks like the OAE fulfilled their promise of mailing something last week, as we have a reporting of an Academic Center letter arriving (to a lucky person who’s mail carrier comes so EARLY!)
Feel free to share your information here. If possible, include Tier, grades/scores (for AC) and any other interesting notes/info that come included in your letter that people might be of interest to people.
I’ve been through the angst and I know many other parents who have as well, and somehow it all works out. And then you can start worrying about high school…..
POST ELEMENTARY LETTER NEWS HERE!
As of SATURDAY MORNING, MARCH 19, there are 2 reports of AC letters arriving so I’ve started a new post on elem/AC letters. Go to home page to read the new post.
This week the letters for elementary gifted/classical/magnet AND “standard” school (magnet cluster, neighborhood, academic center) notifications will begin to mail.
Supposedly this year there will be one letter for the magnet schools for the first round (whereas in the past notification was done by each school.)
Gifted/classical letters will also be in one letter (together, but separate from magnet.) In the recent past, the test score/s and school admitted to was included in the same letter.
Elementar letters are scheduled to mail MARCH 18. Academic Center letters are due to mail Friday MARCH 18 so we’ll see when they start showing up in mailboxes. As of Thursday 3/17 there are no reports of letters arriving yet for elem gifted/classical/magnet/neighborhood/AC.
I wonder if mailmen feel stalked this week. I know I was always sticking my head out the door peering around for him. This will be the first year I’m not waiting for anything, so please share here what you’ve received in the mail so others can know what to expect. Good luck to everyone.
FYI, I called the OAE today to inquire whether the Standard Schools (magnet, magnet cluster, neighborhood) would be treated as one pool, like the gifted/classical schools are. Meaning, if you accept one, are you still on the waiting list for others. After the phone was passed around to find someone knowledgeable, I was told that the system will be like in the past:
You CAN accept a Standard school and you will remain on the waiting list at your other schools. So say you get into Nettlehorst via their lottery, you’ll still have your spot on the waiting list at Hawthorne, Disney II, etc. And you can always attend your neighborhood school.
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.”
Magnet/Selective Enrollment Admission Changes
Well, it is a BIG news day in CPS, eh? Thanks to MayfairDad for alerting us to this news on the CPS website (cps.edu). Can someone help me make sense of it now?
November 4, 2010
Chicago Public Schools today released the Blue Ribbon Commission report on the Selective Enrollment and Magnet School Admission policy which includes several key changes in the one-year policy adopted by the District last year.
Key changes in the new proposed policy include:
- Sibling preference for non-entry grades for magnet schools.
- Twins/triplets/multiples applications linked together for magnet schools.
- Increasing the number of Selective Enrollment High School (SEHS) choices to six.
- Including a sixth variable in socioeconomic tier score calculation — average attendance area school performance
- Modifying the selection process for selective schools (both SEHS and Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools) to 30 percent rank order, and 70 percent tier.
The Blue Ribbon Commission was charged with reviewing the one-year policy and making recommendations for any revisions to the policy. In July and August, the BRC convened three public forums to take public comment in addition to evaluating the effect of different policy changes on the system.
“When we implemented the one-year policy, we said we would review the results and ask the Blue Ribbon Commission to recommend any revisions they felt would make it more effective and representative of the diversity of the District,” said CPS Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman. “We appreciate the time, effort and expertise shown by members of the commission and look forward to presenting these changes to our Board.”
Members of the Blue Ribbon Commission include:
Alderman Latasha Thomas,17th Ward, and Education Committee chairman
- Alderman Freddrenna Lyle, 6th Ward
- Miguel Del Valle, city clerk
- Anna Alvarado, principal of Hawthorne Elementary
- Alan Mather, principal of Lindblom Math & Science Academy
- Cynthia Flowers, Black Star Community PTA
- Lisa Scruggs Esq. Jenner &Block
- Bertha Magana, JD, Latino Education Alliance
- Dr. Mary Davidson, PhD, retired
The one-year policy under evaluation, which used socio-economic variables instead of race as a factor in admissions, was established after a federal court judge vacated a longstanding desegregation consent decree last fall.
Under the one-year policy, approximately 40 percent of those admitted to Selective Enrollment High Schools are drawn from applicants based on their point ranking drawn from such criteria as test scores and grades; the remaining admissions are based on point ranking within four socio-economic groups drawn from updated U.S. Census tract data.
SEHS principals also were given the latitude to admit up to 5 percent of their incoming classes through discretion, with those picks subject to a review process.
Magnet school students were classified into one of three groups: sibling, proximity or general. If space was available, all siblings at the entry level were admitted. Up to 40 percent of the remaining seats were set aside for students within the proximity of each school, and the remaining seats were divided into four equal socio-economic diversity groups. Lotteries were then held for each group of seats.
Huberman is to present the BRC’s findings and the new proposed policy to the Chicago Board of Education at its monthly meeting tomorrow. In all areas where the BRC presented a consensus recommendation, CPS incorporated that recommendation into the new policy.
The Board will be asked to vote on this proposed policy at the November 17th Board meeting. The full BRC report and the proposed new policy can be found on the Office of Academic Enhancement’s website.
Let the Applications Begin! Woo hoo!
I woke up with much anticipation today, eager to see what new information or procedures might be on the cpsmagnet.org for the selective enrollment and “standard” school application. I am not disappointed. It’s interesting.
There are 2 applications: One for the selective enrollment elem schools (gifted/classical/academic centers) and one for what they’re calling the standard schools, meaning the lottery spots in magnet and neighborhood schools (and the oddly-named magnet cluster schools which are neighborhood schools.)
The gifted/classical paper form looks the same as in the past.
The standard school application is where it gets interesting. Oh, CPS does not disappoint. Remember the uncertainly we’ve had about the 20 school limit? There are 20 boxes in which to write a school number (and do not let your letters touch the sides of the box! All caps btw!)
There are also boxes to enter sibling information (3 siblings, 3 boxes each.) It doesn’t say how the sibling information benefits you. Does it give you some priority in a lottery? Or I suppose if you are applying to a magnet school with sibling priority maybe you need this form? In any case, the form says “If you do not already have child already enrolled in a school to which you are applying, you can use the sibling boxes to apply to additional schools.” Yeah! So some people can benefit from applying to 12 extra schools! Maybe this works out? People with siblings in a magnet school get one benefit, the rest of the public gets to apply to extra schools? I don’t know… it just struck me as funny and ripe with potential for complaints.
This list of schools says that if a school doesn’t have a code, it means they aren’t accepting kids outside the area, but I see Nettelhorst, Burley, and Blaine on there. I suppose it’s worth a longshot to apply to these? I know someone who’s kid was offered a 1st grade spot at Blaine this year so it does happen.
I have my PIN so I can theoretically try the Selective Enrollment elementary school application online. I’m curious about it, but I tend to like to wait until later in the enrollment period to sign up so my child would get tested later (when he’s way smarter – ha ha.)
If you find anything else interesting in the materials or you call OAE and get any other information, feel free to post it. I’m sure others would like to hear any updates or what CPS is saying on the phone today.
GO TO: cpsmagnet.org and click on Apply
UPDATE: If you read the comments on this post, you’ll see that one family had their application returned because they used the 3 extra sibling spaces to choose additional schools. Apparently CPS rejected that and requested that they fill it out with only 20 schools. Very unclear wording!
CPS Options for Knowledge Fair Oct 2
CPS will be holding one school fair where you can get information on the different selective enrollment schools. I don’t think that schools are required to have a table at the fair, but hopefully many will. It can be a good way to meet school administrators and to learn more about each school without having to attend an open house (although it’s still ideal to go check the school out yourself.) This is all the information that CPS provides about the fair so far…
Options for Knowledge Elementary School Fair
10/2/2010, 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: Malcolm X College
1900 West Van Buren Street
UPDATE: Here’s the link to more info from CPS, including a list of schools who will be in attendance. They will conduct sessions on the Selective Enrollment Elementary School (SEES) process at 9:15, 10:15, and 11:15.
I noticed that all the gifted and classical schools will be in attendance (I believe they put pressure on the schools to attend last year, I assume the same this year — which is nice to know they’ll all be there to talk to.) 16 of the Magnet schools will be there and a decent smattering of Magnet Cluster schools (neighborhood schools to which you must lottery in.)
UPDATE: I just read a post on NPN where a parent said that last year you could submit an application at the fair and get a receipt for it, which is a good thing. The trouble with this is that you’d need to have your gifted/classical schools ranked already, and if you have not toured any of them, it might make sense to wait until you feel ready to select the order, which is important.
ABC’s of CPS – Parent Workshop
A Chicago parent will be holding 2 workshops to help navigate through the CPS application process. Oh, how easily we forget that information that seems fairly basic to us is like a foriegn language to these poor, unsuspecting parents. It’s always nice to be able to ask questions in person, I’ve found (and to share concerns, frustrations, etc.)
The ABC’s of CPS — a workshop for parents
by CHRISTINE WHITLEY – child & family therapist, parenting coach
christinewhitley@sbcglobal.net
Chicago Public Schools as easy as 1-2-3!
Applications for the 2011 – 2012 year are due December 17, 2010
As parents, we want to provide our kids with the best opportunities in life.
Here in Chicago, we have some of the best schools in the state. But giving your
child the chance to attend those schools takes time, planning, and in-depth
knowledge about the application process. The better informed you are, and the
earlier you start, the more you increase your child’s chances of getting the
best public education available.
The first step is to attend an informational workshop. Educate yourself about
the process so you can maximize the outcome!
How to identify your neighborhood school
Options for Knowledge programs
How and when to apply
Differentiating between magnet, magnet cluster, and charter schools
Testing into and applying for Regional Gifted and Classical Schools
Proximity lottery
TBPK and PFA (preschool)
Resources for ratings of specific schools
Timeline for application
Census Tracts or “Tiers”
WHO: Christine Whitley, MA, LPC
WHEN: Weds., Sept. 29th (FULL,) Sat Oct 9th 10:30am – 12:00
Weds, Oct 27th, Thurs Nov 4th 7-8:30 pm
WHERE: Margate Park Fieldhouse, 4921 N. Marine Drive Chicago IL 60640 (parking
available)
RSVP: 312-218-0329 or christinewhitley@sbcglobal.net
COST: $20 per family
New magnet application process – limit of 20?
While I was at the education news focus group last night, I found out from someone attending that the magnet school application process is different this year! Jeez, I need to look at CPS.edu more often.
So instead of sending applications to each and every school, you complete one application that you send to the OAE (Office of Academic Enhancement.) The form allows for 20 schools. This ALSO includes neighborhood schools with open enrollment (meaning those that have room to take kids outside their neighborhood boundaries.)
So I called OAE to inquire as to whether you can submit 2 application for more than 20 schools. Hmmm, she didn’t know but I don’t think it allows for that.” I was like “I think you need to be ready for that question on October 1!” She went to check and came back with her brain reprogrammed by CPS: “You will find out the answer to that the day the applications are available on October 1st.”
I’m sure she will be flogged later for revealing any information before the “reveal” date. I can never tell with CPS if it’s about secrecy (well, yeah, I can tell that) or lack of information distribution.
What do you guys think of the 20-school limit, assuming it’s valid. It seems like it should be enough, but shouldn’t every child have the right to apply to every freaking magnet school? Actually, maybe it will make the process more streamlined as people will apply to the 20 that they are actually interested in and/or live near.
UPDATE: Another revision is that the applications for selective enrollment schools (gifted, classical, academic centers, SE high schools) can now be done online this year. Not sure I’m trusting that unless I’m guaranteed of a confirmation that lists the schools I applied to.
All the news is here:
http://cpsmagnet.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=72698&type=d&termREC_ID=&pREC_ID=121673&hideMenu=1
UPDATE: A reader has informed us that he tried submitting an application using the 3 extra sibling spaces (the application states that if you do not have a sibling to report, you can use those spaces to select 3 additional schools.) The application was returned, requesting that he only select 20 schools.
Forum on Selective Enrollment and Magnet School Admissions Policy
This looks kind of interesting…
If only these meetings would set up a cash bar, I think attendance might be a bit higher.
CPS Blue Ribbon Commission on
2010 Selective Enrollment and Magnet School Admissions Policy
Community Forums
All are welcome!
Tuesday, August 10th
Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, 211 S. Laflin St.
All forums will begin at 7 pm.
Please call (773) 553-1477 with any questions.
At the very least, this will give me the incentive to figure out where Whitney Young high school is. Hopefully I can make it to find out what the talk is for the upcoming year. Anyone want to join me and we can be a pack of annoying parents who know way more than CPS wants us to? 
Which I guess brings me to the next questions: What should be the admission plan for next year? Assuming they’re open to opinions, I’m not quite sure what I’d recommend. I feel like the 4 Tier System worked OK (aside from the inherent issue that it isn’t house-specific.) I guess some issues I had would be:
-The twin issue (siblings get admission to magnets, but that doesn’t include twins for some reason.)
-What exactly is the rationale about making magnet schools into sort-of neighborhood schools?
-What will be done to prevent that 100 students from the worst schools getting the lucky spots at the end of the high school selection process (I support the idea of kids who bright and motivated but stuck at crappy schools getting a shot at a good high school, but I don’t know that this 100 in one fell swoop was the way to go.)
What else?
UPDATE: What I’m hearing from someone who attended one of these meetings is that CPS won’t be sharing any information. Rather this is the place for parents to express their opinions. They run it like they do the public input section of a CPS board meeting. You have to sign up ahead of time (right before the meeting starts) and then you get a minute or 2 to say what you want. They’ll listen, I assume not respond, and they’ll move on to the next person. I’m debating whether or not to go now. I was hoping to hear them give some information or have some discussion. I guess I need to think about what *I* would truly want to tell CPS about these policies that I felt there was reality for improving. I totally get the problem with the Tiers being unfair to some people. But I don’t know of a feasible solution. There’s no way CPS is going to verify income at a household level, nor is Tier totally about income either. Maybe I’ll just yell out “CPSOBSESSED.COM! read that and you’ll know our complaints!”
New Race Balance at Selective Enrollment/Magnet Schools
Be still my data-loving heart. A reader has sent in a link that breaks out race info for the selective enrollment schools. Score!
This shows the race breakout for the entry level class for last year and this upcoming school year so we can see how the Tier System affected things (and basically who, if anyone, got screwed.)
http://www.scribd.com/doc/34610420/Changes-in-Magnet-and-Selective-Schools
HIGH SCHOOL
The total numbers for SE high schools show only a little change.
Freshman Class 2010 => 2011 all schools:
Af-American 37% => 32% (-5)
Asian 12% => 10% (-2)
Hispanic 28% => 33% (+5)
Caucasian 23% => 23% (0)
Apparently there was rounding that lead to 2 missing % points this year. So basically African Americans lost some spots and Hispanics gained some spots and are at equal percentages. One could argue that Caucasians are over-represented as I believe they less than 10% of CPS.
I looked for any notable differences by school:
King, Westinghouse, and Lindblom all lost Af-Ams and gained Hispanic students.
Northside lost Asians (-12%)
Payton gained Caucasians (+6%)
Whitney Young lost Asians (-11%) and gained Hispanics (+12%)
Other schools didn’t show big shifts.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
As for the magnet, gifted, and classical, some of the numbers look a little screwy which may reflect small base sizes (a school like Edison takes 28 new kids a year, so one child = almost 4% points.)
Some big shifts I noticed (again, I know the Coonley numbers look way off so I’m not sure I totally trust all these:)
Bell – no change
Beaubien +12% White
Decatur -15% Asian
Edison +10% White
Keller -8% Af-Am and -8% White
Hawthorne +26% White (hello proximity lottery!)
Stone – No change
Franklin +9% Af-Am
Thorp +8% Hispanic
Lenart – No change
So…. not quite sure what to conclude except the glaringly obvious impact on Hawthorne. Many of the schools continue to have a good mix of diversity in their entering class (although some schools remain very off-kilter in terms of balance.)
Post any comments. I’m eager to hear if anyone else sees something interesting in the data…..
*As a note, if you’re new to the Tier System, 4 Tiers were used to select kids for these schools. The Tiers are based on socio-economic status (and not race) using information from census tracts.
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