2021 VIRTUAL Hidden Gems High School Fair 9/26/21 @ 1-4pm

Registration now open for the 2021 VIRTUAL Hidden Gems High School Fair!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 FROM 1-4PM
LIVE Q&A AT VIRTUAL EVENT + PRE-RECORDED CONTENT PRE & POST EVENT

Click here to view 2021 school and business exhibitors

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

$15 for the whole family, and fee waivers are available upon request.


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 schools, 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 2:00pm.  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 SEHS, HSPT & ISEE)
  • Private school scholarship opportunities & resources
  • International Baccalaureate Programs Demystified
  • Executive Functioning Strategies
Thank You to our generous 2021 Presenting Sponsor:

CPS Round 2 High School Applications due 5/21/21

If your 8th grader missed applying to CPS this year or would like to apply to any programs that still have open spots after Round 1 ended, then NOW is the time to apply for Fall 2021 9th grade spots.  

Participating programs are here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1oP1DuhuzrIip37qn4vOqPyqRMj5NdY9VkbNXzOiQowA/edit#gid=0

Applications are here: https://cps.schoolmint.net/signup

This is from https://go.cps.edu/high-school/learn#RoundTwoWaitlist 

 

“A second round of applications will be opened shortly after the Round 1 application acceptance deadline. However, the only programs available in Round 2 will be the ones that still have remaining seats after Round 1.

Families can accept a Round 1 offer and still participate in Round 2. However, if the student receives a second-round offer, they will automatically forfeit their Round 1 offer. Because of this, families are cautioned to only apply to programs in Round 2 that they would prefer more than the Round 1 offer they accepted.”

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.

CPS HS Notifications for 2019-2020

CPS recently announced the date for 8th graders to hear about first round notifications. This is considered the “Selection” phase per GoCPS and here is their info:

The first activity in the Selection phase will be the release of Round 1 high school results on March 29, 2019.

Families who applied using the online application site will receive their results via their online GoCPS account. Families who applied with a paper application will receive a letter via U.S. mail. Paper applicant families will also be able to receive their results via an online GoCPS account that was created for them by the Office of Access and Enrollment. Notifications will be sent between March 25 and 28 to provide instructions on how to retrieve results.

Below is a complete timeline of dates related to the Selection phase for ninth grade applicants.  It has also been posted in the ‘Important Dates’ section of the GoCPS home page where you can monitor for future updates.

·         March 29: First-round results released

·         April 12: Deadline to accept or decline first-round offers

·         April 17: First-round waitlist process opens

·         April 29: Second-round application process opens

·         May 6: Second-round application deadline

·         May 31: Second-round results released

·         June 7: Deadline to accept or decline second-round offers

·         June 12: Second-round waitlist process opens

Good luck to all expectant 8th graders!

Non-CPS Applicants for 2019-2020 CPS High Schools to Register for MAP

CPS will be administering the Reading & Math NWEA MAP tests to rising non-CPS 8th graders this September.  Check out more info HERE: https://cps.edu/sitecollectiondocuments/gocps/GoCPS-NWEA-NonCPSRegistration.pdf and online at GoCPS.

From the pdf:

“Dear Non-CPS School Parent:

As you may know, the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) currently utilizes the Northwestern Evaluation Association Measures of Academic Progress (NWEA MAP) for the eligibility/selection process for students applying to schools with academic requirements, including, but not limited to, CTE-College and Career Academies, International Baccalaureate High Schools, Magnet High Schools, Military Academies, and Selective Enrollment Elementary and High Schools.

The NWEA MAP will be offered free of charge for students who did not attend a CPS school during the 2017-2018 school year, are not currently enrolled at a CPS school, and will be applying for the 2019-2020 school year to grades 5-9 for schools with academic requirements.

The test is a two-part assessment: math and reading. Typically, the test is administered on two separate days; if you like, you can indicate your preference to have your child take both sections of the test on the same date. The test will be administered on September 15-16, 2018; September 22-23, 2018; and September 29-30, 2018. There will be two sessions offered on each of these days.

In order for students to be scheduled to test, the registration form must be received by the Office of Access and Enrollment no later than September 7, 2018. The test will be offered at four sites: Curie Metropolitan High School, Lane Tech High School, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, and Westinghouse College Preparatory High School. Students will be scheduled for the test location closest to their home address. PLEASE NOTE that your child cannot be considered for any school with minimum eligibility requirements if he/she does not take the NWEA MAP that is administered by the Chicago Public Schools system.

Please complete the attached NWEA MAP registration form and submit it to the Office of Access and Enrollment, indicating your preferred test weekend, as well as whether you want your child to take the test on one day or two. Note that indicating your preferred test weekend does not guarantee that your child will be scheduled for that weekend. Students will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. CPS will put test notification letters in the U.S. mail, to the home address on the registration form, one week prior to the student’s first test date. Reminder notifications will be sent as well, via robocall and email.

Please carefully review the NWEA MAP application and related material. Should you have additional questions after you review this information, please contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-553-2060 or [email protected].”

Helpful FAQs can be found here: https://cps.edu/sitecollectiondocuments/gocps/GoCPS-NWEA-FAQ.pdf