Category: SE High School

GoCPS Deadline for Fall 2023 Extended to 12/8/22 @ 5pm

The GoCPS Kindergarten through 9th grade application portal for 2023-2024 has been extended to Thursday, December 8th at 5pm. https://www.cps.edu/gocps/

A Reality Check on School Rankings

A parent’s school search typically starts by sitting down at the computer and typing in “Best Elementary/High Schools” in your area. The results are populated with hits from sources such as GreatSchools, Niche, Schooldigger or School Sparrow, but what do these results mean, and should parents just add the #1 school to their list while ignoring the other schools closer or more familiar to them? How reliable are the ratings and how should a parent use them?

The fact of the matter is that school ratings and rankings are a very messy, very inexact method to quantify schools. Because they are summarized in a “number” or “grade” or listed in a “ranking order”, parents tend to put undue emphasis on ratings/rankings yet aren’t aware of what is being measured. While test scores are typically the largest component to rankings, “School Fit” is much more than test performance and is ultimately a very personal matter that can even vary within a family from child to child. What truly qualifies as “best” for one family may not be well suited to another. While it is understandable that parents need some metric to start with, the metrics used can be skewed, out of date, or not reflective of the cohort your family will be entering the school with. 

Common misunderstandings of rankings:

  • Ratings typically put the greatest emphasis on test scores, so better resourced families often have higher test scores and those family resources continue to benefit their children throughout their education
  • Ratings/rankings are not set in stone and can change as demographics in a school changes
  • Ratings typically reflect 3rd to 8th grade, so younger families should be wary of looking at metrics that may include a very different demographic than the one their family will be in school with
  • Ratings often lump in all programs within a school, so those with a higher population of students with learning needs may still be a great or even better option for your student but the “rankings” may not reflect the level of supports
  • Schools can and do change and schools in gentrifying areas may have more resources added to the school by the time your family will be attending

Using rankings and ratings to be the first or only metric in choosing a school can also serve to negatively suppress positive changes at a school. Instead, we highly recommend that families tour their local school or those near them as well as talk to families with children their age who may have older siblings at the school. Reaching out to a school’s parent group or attending local school council (LSC) meetings is also a great way to get the “real time” scoop on a school. 

It is somewhat pre-ordaining to use rankings to choose a school because if test scores are a big factor in ratings/rankings, then children who have advantages and resources from birth are certainly going to test better overall and the schools near them will reap the benefits of well resourced students and parents. While new parents may be more swayed by rankings, eventually parents come to realize that academics alone are not a single trait to look for in a school and social emotional factors as well as culture, climate and community are just as impactful yet are hard to capture in objective metrics because they are inherently more subjective. School visits can be invaluable to dispel pre-conceptions or help a family picture themselves in a school, but people gravitate toward or crave the easier route of following rankings.

Parents who blindly follow blanket rankings/ratings may well pass up a school their student could grow and thrive at in favor of one that a 3rd party metric says is 10 spots “above” the other school yet that family needs to drive across town to attend. In the end there may not be any marked difference in outcome for their particular child attending one or the other, but the lifestyle impact is can be much greater at the farther school. One school’s overall scores may be lower because it serves a broader range of backgrounds or has more special needs students, but that doesn’t mean your child’s success can happen only from one and not the other. What your child can achieve and what they score on an exam does NOT have to be the “average” number. Ultimately, the greatest arbiter of student success is parent involvement in their children’s lives beyond one school over another school, public or private, city or suburbs.

Article from https://www.npnparents.org/articles/a-reality-check-on-school-rankings-r410/

2022 Hidden Gems High School Fair


“Hidden Gems” Public & Private Chicago High School Fair

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2022 FROM 1-4PM 
BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CHICAGO
161 W. 9TH ST, CHICAGO 60605

Attendee Registration is open! Register HERE
View our growing list of 2022 schools and businesses HERE 

Knowing how to cast your net wide and increase your options is KEY to a successful Chicago high school search. Join Chicago School GPS as we bring together over 35 participating public, private and boarding high schools & resources, each with unique qualities that you may not have known about prior to coming to our Hidden Gems Fair.  PLUS, you can meet helpful resource vendors and partake in informative breakout sessions that will give you clarity on the high school process.  Join us for an afternoon designed to make your high school journey a successful one!

Program begins at 1pm with high schools showcasing what makes them unique, and breakout sessions begin at 1:45pm.  Fair ends at 4pm.

Our invaluable breakout sessions offer insights for Middle School Parents and Students on topics such as:

  • Navigating the private & public high school admissions process
  • High School Entrance Exam Insights (includes CPS HSAT, HSPT & ISEE)
  • Private school scholarship opportunities & resources
  • International Baccalaureate Programs Demystified
  • Executive Functioning Strategies

Tours of the British International School of Chicago will be available.

Thank You to our 2022 Venue Sponsor:
Thank You to our 2022 Presenting Sponsors:
Thank You to our 2022 Major Sponsors:

CPS Application Dates for Fall 2023 Set For 9/14/22 – 12/2/22

CPS Announced that GoCPS will be accepting applications for Fall 2023 entry from Wed, Sept 14th to Fri, Dec 2nd. From https://www.cps.edu/GoCPS

Elementary School (K-8th grade programs including Suder & Drummond 3 & 4 year old programs) https://www.cps.edu/gocps/elementary-school/

September 14th, 2022 – Application Period Opens
December 2nd, 2022- – Application Period Closes
TBD- Results Released
TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline
TBD- Waitlist Process Opens
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline

High School (9th grade entry) https://www.cps.edu/gocps/high-school/

September 14th, 2022- Application Period Opens
October 26th, 2022- CPS High School Admissions Exam for CPS Students
11/5-6, 11/12-13 – CPS High School Admissions Exam for Non-CPS Students
December 2nd, 2022- Application Period Closes
TBD- Results Released
TBD- Principal Discretion Process Opens
TBD- Accept/Decline Deadline
TBD- Principal Discretion Application Closes
TBD- Waitlist Process Opens
2 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER OFFER ISSUED- Waitlist Accept/Decline Deadline
TBD- Principal Discretion Results Released

2022 High School Testing Info for Fall 2023 Admissions

From our friends at TestPrepChicago.com:

Through our CPS and non-CPS school partners, we have learned the test dates for the CPS High School Admissions Test (CPS HSAT). This year, CPS students will take the exam at their school on 10/26. Non-CPS students will take the exam at a CPS testing center, and they will have the option to test on 11/5, 11/6, 11/12 or 11/13. We expect CPS to make a formal announcement about these test dates soon.

CPS HSAT Test Dates

Wednesday, October 26 (For CPS Students)

Saturday, November 5 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, November 6 (For non-CPS Students)
Saturday, November 12 (For non-CPS Students)
Sunday, November 13 (For non-CPS Students)

Note: the CPS HSAT will also be used in the admissions process for Double Honors and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs.

The Parochial High School Entrance Exam (HSPT) will be held on the first Saturday in December. The test date is listed below.

HSPT Test Date

Saturday, December 3

There are three testing seasons (fall, winter, spring) for the Independent High School Entrance Exam (ISEE). The months for the three testing seasons are listed below.

ISEE Test Dates

Fall (August – November)
Winter (December – March)
Spring (April – July)

Students are allowed to take the ISEE one time in each season. To see a full list of test dates, times, and locations, please click here and type in the required information.

CPS High School Round 1 Results released on 3/18/22

Current 8th graders who applied to Chicago Public Schools for Fall 2022 will receive their Round 1 results at 5pm on Friday, March 18. Good luck to all applicants! From https://go.cps.edu/

GoCPS Fall 2022 Application Closes 12/15/21 @ 5pm

Families interested in Chicago Public School programs for 3 year olds through 9th grade for the 2022-2023 school year must submit applications by 5pm on Wednesday, Dec. 15, 2021 at https://cps.schoolmint.com/login.

  • If your child will be 3 by Sept 1, 2022, then they can submit a CHOICE (lottery based) application for Drummond & Suder.
  • If your child will be 4 by Sept 1, 2022, then they can submit a CHOICE (lottery based) application for Inter-American.
  • If your child will be 5 by Sept 1, 2022 or applying to grades K-8, then they can submit up to 20 CHOICE (lottery) elementary applications for magnet, magnet cluster, and open enrollment elementary schools AND they can submit up to 6 SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT (test based) elementary applications for Classical and Regional Gifted Programs, as well as up to 6 Academic Centers (7th & 8th grade). Selective enrollment options will need to be ranked in order of preference and a test date must be scheduled. Elementary Choice programs do not have to be ranked and no test is required.
  • If your child is applying to 9th grade, then they can choose up to 20 CHOICE high school programs (some high schools have multiple programs within them such as International Baccalaureate, CTE, fine arts, magnet, etc) and up to 6 SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT programs. Both CHOICE and SELECTIVE ENROLLMENT high schools options must be ranked in order of preference, as as a single offer is given for each type. In many cases, a CPS HS Admissions Test must also be taken, and in some cases, additional screenings are required.

This is also the deadline to add or subtract schools and re-rank any Selective Enrollment or high school choices. Any CPS testing dates must be requested by this deadline as well.

Notifications should arrive in the spring, with high school notifications coming a month before elementary notifications. More information and FAQs for preschool, elementary and high school at https://go.cps.edu/

One’s neighborhood school is always guaranteed and does not require an application.

CPS 2022-2023 Applications are Now Open

Chicago Public Schools are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year until Dec. 15, 2021. Families can explore https://go.cps.edu/ to learn about the school options and request an account at https://cps.schoolmint.com/login. One account per family and each student can be added as they become eligible to apply to CPS programs. A CPS Student ID can be requested through the portal for any student not already in the CPS system.

Always apply one year before a program begins, and CPS has a Sept 1st cutoff date to be eligible for preschool through 1st grade programs. An “age exception” is provided only for families with a fall birthday child who wants to start K or 1st grade early.

You do NOT have to apply to your assigned neighborhood school and there is never a deadline to register at your neighborhood school. For all other programs, including a neighborhood school that is not your own, CPS allows for “Open Enrollment” and you can apply to programs for which your student is age-eligible or meets a pre-requisite via a GoCPS CHOICE (up to 20 lottery or minimal criteria based admission programs) and/or SEES (up to 6 ranked test based admission programs) application. Read more about CPS school types here: Elementary and High School.

Scoring rubrics have been updated for this application cycle to reflect the discontinuation of NWEA MAP testing for 5th through 9th grade programs. There are no scoring rubrics and no cutoffs will be posted for K-8th grade Classical or Regional Gifted Center Selective Enrollment programs.

Find helpful CPS FAQ’s on the application process HERE: https://go.cps.edu/about-gocps/faq/elementary (be sure to click on the proper tab: HS, Elem or Preschool)Each student can apply up to 20 CHOICE programs (multiple offers for elementary programs listed in no particular order, and single offer for ranked high school programs) AND up to 6 ranked Selective Enrollment programs (single offer for elementary or high school). If testing is required, you will be asked to choose a test date AFTER you choose the school programs that require testing.Good luck to families applying for Fall 2022 CPS programs! More info at https://go.cps.edu/about-gocps

CPS High School Admissions Test Dates Announced

NOVEMBER TESTING DATES ANNOUNCED FOR CPS HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS EXAM

Beginning this year, the Chicago Public Schools will not use the NWEA MAP exam for the GoCPS eligibility or selection process for any schools or programs. For students applying to ninth grade, no schools or programs will have minimum eligibility requirements based on NWEA. Instead, a single admissions exam, the CPS High School Admissions Test, will be available for all students.

The CPS High School Admissions Test will be available to all current CPS students applying to ninth grade on Tuesday, November 9th, 2021. Students will take the exam at their school during the school day.

The CPS High School Admissions Test will be available to all non-CPS students applying to ninth grade at a designated CPS location on the following dates:

  • Saturday, November 13th, 2021
  • Sunday, November 14th, 2021
  • Saturday, November 20th, 2021
  • Sunday, November 21st, 2021

Registration information for all students will be forthcoming.

For Non-CPS students, these are the four testing dates for this application cycle. Please hold these dates now to ensure that you are available to test if you are planning to apply to a CPS high school.

Using one test will streamline the GoCPS application process by decreasing the number of exams required, and allowing the same single exam to be applied to the selection processes for all programs, where applicable.

For students applying to fifth through eighth grades, eligibility to take the admissions exam(s) for academic centers, classical schools and regional gifted centers will be based on GPA. Dates for these exams will be released at a later date.

We look forward to a great year ahead, and our staff is here to support your family through the application process. You can contact our office by phone at 773-553-2060, or via email at [email protected].

See below for an informational webinar and FAQs on the admissions process for the 2022-2023 school year.INFORMATIONAL WEBINAR

This was from https://go.cps.edu/admissiontest/high-school

Spring 2021 CPS High School Notification Links

The first round of CPS High School Notifications for 2021-2022 were released on April 30, 2021. Depending on whether an 8th grade student applied to test based Selective Enrollment High Schools (SEHS) and/or non-test based Choice High Schools (including IB, Magnet, CTE, Military, Charter, etc), a student can have up to 3 public high school choices: one offer for SEHS, one for Choice, and their neighborhood high school.

Any Round 1 offers must be accepted or declined by May 14, 2021. Waitlists will open on May 17, but families should understand that not all high schools go to a waitlist, including at least half of the SEHS.

1st Round Cutoff scores for 2021-2021 SEHS:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/14i_837GQCPcWnvU2feSN6mzPssnhVNDR/view

1st Round Cutoff scores for 2021-2021 Choice HS (note- not all programs have cutoff scores):  https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YCGhBy3uK4xiTxOG2mAjvOUd7Gp2SiR/view

SEHS Principal’s Discretion is only for students who applied to Selective Enrollment High Schools (SEHS) but would like to enter a holistic appeal process that allows an SEHS Principal to select 5% of the freshman class for another SEHS on their list. SEHS PD opens May 5 and closes May 19. Results will be posted the week of June 14. A packet of information detailing the steps and timing as well as helpful FAQs are linked from here: https://go.cps.edu/high-school/principal-discretion

The GoCPS Round 2 process is for any programs that have not filled their seats from Round 1. The programs offering Round 2 seats will be listed around May 17, and the Round 2 application opens on May 17 and closes on May 21. Results will be released on June 18.