Category: Elementary School

CPS Announces Preliminary Fall 2020 Reopening Plans

After much anticipation, CPS has announced their hybrid remote learning model tentatively scheduled to roll out this Fall 2020. With the pandemic still changing each day, the plan thus far is:

  • Preschoolers return as close to full time as possible
  • K-10th graders will attend 2 days in person, 2 days with at home lessons, and one day remotely
  • In person sessions will be conducted in pods of approx. 15 people with teachers regularly assigned to each pod
  • HS juniors and seniors will most likely be fully remote

There are many impacts to this plan that CPS is seeking feedback on via their Survey. They are asking all stakeholders, including parents, students, staff and community members, to weigh in. Survey HERE.

Community meetings are being scheduled for July 27-31 to solicit input and feedback. The final plan will be announced in late August.

No plan will suit all families, but let your voice be heard by weighing in.  Helpful video explaining the plan can be found HERE.

Spring 2020 CPS Elementary Notifications

CPS released first round elementary notifications on May 8, 2020 for families applying to Choice (Open Enrollment, Magnet, Magnet Cluster) and/or Selective Enrollment (Gifted, Classical and Academic Centers) programs for PK to 8th grade.  Families learned if they were offered a spot or if they would have to wait until further rounds to hear about offers. The first round decision deadline is May 22, and waitlists open on May 29.

Academic Centers (7th grade entry) are the only selective enrollment elementary programs that release cutoff scores.

More info at https://go.cps.edu/elementary-school or check out the ES Choice Forum or ES SEES Forum for crowdsourced information on selective enrollment scores and Choice offers.

“Touring” Schools in a Time of Social Distancing

School Notifications for 2020-2021 entry continue to come in despite our unique time of social distancing and quarantining. Rest assured, we will return to a “new normal” and when that time comes, we will need to have a school choice in place. In order to help determine school fit, we are providing a platform to crowdsource information on various schools. If you have any helpful information for prospective families to learn more about a school remotely, please share your experiences, or create a new string if you do not see a particular school below. If you are a family seeking information, please feel free to pose your question under a particular school. In each school’s entry should be a link to the CPS page with more info.

Besides this forum, we encourage everyone to check out the websites or social media streams for each school, along with any parent groups such as “Friends of” groups that typically have contact information.

We are all in this together, and in this time of need, our collective experiences can help others become better informed. Thank you!

Agassiz ElementaryAlcott Elementary
Audubon ElementaryBell Elementary
Blaine ElementaryBurley Elementary
Chappell ElementaryCoonley Elementary
Burr ElementaryBrentano Elementary
Hawthorne ElementaryGoethe Elementary
Disney ElementaryDisney II Elementary
LaSalle ElementaryLaSalle II Elementary
Nettelhorst ElementaryJahn Elementary
McPherson ElementaryRavenswood Elementary
Waters ElementaryOgden Elementary
Lincoln ElementaryMayer Elementary
Drummond MontessoriSuder Montessori
Inter-AmericanJackson Language
STEM MagnetEdison Elementary
Beaubien ElementaryGalileo Elementary
Mitchell ElementaryTalcott Elementary
Bateman ElementaryMurphy Elementary
Amundsen High SchoolChiArts
Disney II HSJones College Prep
Lake View HSLane Tech
Lincoln Park HSLindblom HS
Northside PrepOgden HS
Payton College PrepSenn HS
Von Steuben HSWhitney Young HS
Westinghouse College Prep

Second Round CPS 2020-2021 Student ID Request Open

Families who missed applying to the first round of CPS elementary and high school programs for 2020-2021 can request to be put into CPS’s application system by filling out their CPS Student ID request form.  

From go.cps.edu:

THE CPS ID REQUEST
PROCESS FOR THE SECOND
ROUND FOR THE 2020-2021
SCHOOL YEAR IS NOW OPEN!
In order to apply online in the second round for the 2020-2021 school year to Choice Elementary Schools for grades K-8, or to ninth grade to programs without NWEA MAP eligibility requirements, your child must have a CPS ID number. In order to request a CPS ID number, click the “REQUEST FORM” link below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdRc4kwoX0S0N8Q_NliY2P_I7N3FLokJeCAwjJgvRA05WtuMQ/viewform

Non-CPS Students to Take NWEA MAP Test This Spring 2020

From CPS Office of Access & Enrollment:
 
“CPS is now administering the NWEA MAP exam to non-CPS students in the spring in order to align with the NWEA MAP testing schedule offered to students enrolled in the Chicago Public Schools system. CPS is now accepting NWEA MAP registration forms for non–CPS students who plan to apply to grades 5-9 for the 2021-2022 school year to Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools and high schools with academic requirements including, but not limited to, CTE-College and Career Academies, IB High Schools, Magnet High Schools, Service Leadership Academies, and Selective Enrollment High Schools. 
For students who do not currently attend a CPS school, will not be enrolled at a CPS school for the 2020-2021 school year, and will be applying to any of the aforementioned schools for grades 5-9 for the 2021-2022 school year, the NWEA MAP will be offered free of charge at multiple locations around the city.

Click the links below to access the NWEA MAP registration form and additional information. The test will be offered on two weekends in May 2020 and one weekend in June 2020. In order for students to be scheduled to take the test in May or June, completed registration forms must be received by the Office of Access and Enrollment no later than April 3, 2020. Submission instructions are on the registration form.

Letter to Parents

NWEA MAP Registration Form

Frequently Asked Questions

Please note that the NWEA MAP test is used by the Chicago Public Schools system to determine student eligibility to apply to schools and programs with academic criteria. The NWEA MAP is NOT the admissions exam for Selective Enrollment schools. If you are interested in Selective Enrollment schools, the NWEA MAP scores will be used to determine whether their children are eligible to take the Selective Enrollment admissions exam. If your child is eligible to take the Selective Enrollment admissions exam, you will submit a GoCPS application and schedule the Selective Enrollment admissions exam during the regular application period this fall. More information on this process will be provided when you receive your child’s NWEA MAP test notification letter, approximately 1-2 weeks before your child’s NWEA MAP test date.

In addition, note that NWEA MAP scores will only be reported in reading and math percentiles. You will not receive an NWEA MAP score report or RIT scores. Further, it is important for your to be aware that this test is only offered for students who are planning to apply to Chicago public schools for enrollment in the 2021-2022 school year. It is NOT designed for parents to use as a practice exam for enrollment in subsequent school years.”

Re-rank CPS 2020-2021 HS & SE Applications until 2/3/20

While applications for the first round of 2020-2021 Entry to Chicago Public Schools closed on 12/13/19, families can re-rank their selective enrollment and/or their high school Choice selections until Feb 3, 2020. Contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-553-2060 or [email protected] for instructions on re-ranking

These ranked applications will only offer a single choice for each list (selective enrollment RGC/Classical, Academic Centers, SE schools and non-selective Choice high schools). A family’s neighborhood school never has a deadline for enrollment.

Elementary Choice (non-selective) programs such as magnet and open enrollment schools are not ranked. Families can get multiple offers for those elementary programs.

First round notifications for high schools will be released on March 27, 2020 and elementary schools will be released on April 24, 2020.

CPS 2020-2021 Applications are Open

Apply now to high school, elementary school, and 3 magnet preschools via www.go.cps.edu now through Dec. 13, 2019. https://go.cps.edu/about-gocps

Early Entrance To CPS Kindergarten Available for Fall Birthdays

CPS automatically allows entry to Kindergarten for students who are 5 by September 1st, but families with students who turn 5 by Dec. 31 can request an Early Entry to Kindergarten this Fall. The evaluation process would allow a fall birthday student to start at their neighborhood school (or any Choice or selective enrollment program with available space) if the student is deemed academically and socially ready by CPS.  Required to implement ISBE’s Accelerated Placement Act, CPS has outlined a new 6 step policy for evaluation. The application is open from July 1-19 and FAQs can be found here. The six steps are:

  1. Visit a CPS Application Site by July 19.
  2. Complete the application & developmental survey.
  3. If student scores above 91% in kindergarten readiness, the academic test will be scheduled.
  4. Academic & cognitive testing to be done at one of 4 centers.
  5. If student scores above 91% in academic testing, then potential sites are offered.
  6. Enrollment at school and Memorandum of Understanding w/parent outlines communication schedule.

Non-CPS Students: Register for 5-9th Grade CPS NWEA Testing

Non-CPS students who are interested in applying for 5th-9th grade CPS programs for Fall 2020 should be sure to take the CPS administered NWEA Map tests.  CPS requires this qualifying test of reading and math to be taken by all non-CPS students applying to selective programs in those upper grades. Students can register by August 30 to take the tests on Sept. 21, 22, 28, 29 or Oct. 5 or 6.  All students who test by those dates will be able to use the online GoCPS application system.  All current CPS students will have their spring NWEA Map scores used for qualifications and rubric calculations. GoCPS applications are open 9/30/19-12/6/19.