Welcome to Open House Night! 8 th Grade High School Application Process Information

Lauren Leibovich part time counselor and case manager Michelle Porwancher part time counselor and case manager June Bronkema counselor and case manager assistant Who Are We? The Thorp Counseling Team

 All 8 th graders have a high school they can attend. Your neighborhood school!  In addition, 8 th grade students will also apply to high schools.  Chicago Public Schools has an office that manages the application process. Only for high schools that have a centralized application process. This department is called the Office of Access and Enrollment. Appling for High School

125 S. Clark Street, 10th Floor, Chicago, IL Phone: (773) Fax: (773) Office of Access and Enrollment (OAE) Contact Information

Eligibility refers to whether or not your child has the minimum requirements necessary to apply for a program based on the 7 th grade year : *7 th Grade MAP Score (Reading and Math) *7 th Grade Final Report Card Grades (Reading, Math, Science, and Social Studies)  All 8 th graders received their eligibility letters Eligibility Letters What does “ Eligibility ” mean ?

OAE Managed Programs Eligible or Not Eligible 1. CTE (College and Career Academies) 2. IB (International Baccalaureate) 3. Magnet 4.Military Academies 5.Selective Enrollment * For all other high schools, refer to the high school guide for application information

What is CTE? College and Career Academies  Prepare students for college and career success  Offer hands on training in various industries  May give students opportunities to earn college credit and participate in job shadows and internships

CTE- Application/Eligibility Requirements  Can apply up to 5 academies  Lottery Academies - do not have eligibility requirements  Selective Academies – (Health Sciences, Law & Public Safety, Pre-Engineering, IT-Cisco and IT-Database Programming) require that students not be repeating 8 th grade or have not been pushed from 6 th to 8 th grade. *Exception Jones Only – gen ed students/505 students must score on the NWEA MAP at the 24 th % or above in reading and math. Students with IEP /bilingual education must have a % that equals 48 or more.

CTE- Selection Process  Lottery Academies - select students through a computerized lottery, with preference given to students with a minimum NWEA MAP score at the 24 % in reading and math  Selective Academies – select students based on points. Students are given points based on their MAP score, and 7 th grade final grades. Applicants meeting a school’s cutoff score will receive an offer.  Jones – Total possible points: 600, students are ranked, beginning with the highest score. Seats are filled according to score. Students who live in the school’s boundaries are selected first.

Which schools offer the College and Careers Academies?  Austin Business & Entrepreneurship  Austin Polytech  Chicago Vocational Career Academy (CVCA)  Clemente  Curie  Dunbar  Fenger  Foreman  Harlan  Harper  Hyde Park  Jones  Juarez  Julian  Manley  Marshall  Mather  Richards  Roosevelt  Schurz  South Shore International  Sullivan  Wells  Williams Prep

What kind of academy programs are offered with CTE?  The academy offerings include:  Agricultural Science  Architecture  Automotive Technology  Broadcast Technology  Business  Carpentry  Construction  Culinary Arts  Diesel Technologies  Digital Media  Education – Early Childhood Education  Education – Teaching  Health Sciences (Allied Health, Medical Assistant, Medical & Health Careers  Hospitality Management  Information Technology  Information Tech – Cisco Networking  Information Tech – Database Programming  Logistics  Personal Care Services (Cosmetology)  Pre-Engineering  Pre-Law *For a complete list and descriptions of each of the academies, visit

What is IB? International Baccalaureate High Schools  Offers a comprehensive and challenging pre- university program  Widely recognized for high academic standards

IB: Eligibility Requirements  Students must pre-qualify to participate in the selection process, based on their NWEA MAP scores.  General education students/504 plans must score at the 24 % or above in reading and math.  Must have a minimum 7 th grade GPA (grade point average) of 2.5  Must attend one Information Session  Students with an IEP /or receiving bilingual education must have a % in reading and math that equal a 48 or more, must have a 2.5 GPA or higher, and attend one info session.  Your eligibility letters will indicate this information and whether or not you are eligible.

IB: Application Process  Can apply up to 6 schools  Students must attend one information session  If the student is applying online, schedule the information session first and then apply.  If the student submits a paper application, OAE will schedule the information session and send a letter to the parent's home containing the location, date and time.  Online is best

IB: Selection Process  Students are given points based on their MAP score, 7 th grade final grades.  Applicants meeting a school’s cutoff score will receive an offer.  If a student lives in the attendance area or overlay boundary of an IB High School in which they are applying, they will receive 50 additional points.

 Magnet high schools offer specialty programs in areas including fine and performing arts, agricultural sciences, and engineering. What is Magnet? Magnet Schools and Programs

Magnet: Eligibility Requirements:  Students must pre-qualify to participate in the selection process for magnet schools based on their NWEA MAP.  General education students and students with a 504 plan must score at the 24 % or above in reading and math on the MAP.  Applicants with an IEP and applicants receiving bilingual education services must have NWEA MAP percentiles that total 48 or more (e.g. 20 in reading, 28 in math; 10 in reading, 38 in math).

Magnet: Eligibility Requirements - Exceptions Von Steuben High School have two programs: 1.Science Program 2.Scholars Program Scholars program  requires a minimum % of 60 in both reading and math.  Must submit a teacher recommendation and essay all provided to download and print off Von Steuben’s website at

Magnet: Application Process  Can apply up to 8 schools Senn High School – the only magnet school that has required admissions screening. An audition/portfolio review is required in order for students to be considered for the fine and performing arts program at Senn. If applying online, schedule audition first, then apply. If applying on paper, parent will be contacted.  Applying online is easier

Magnet: Selection Process  For most schools, students are selected through a computerized lottery.  Siblings are accepted first. There are two exceptions: 1.Senn Fine Arts Program: selected through an audition. 2.Von Steuben Scholars Program: selected based on test scores, GPA, teacher rec and essay.

Magnet: Socio-Economic Factors  The selection process for most magnet schools takes socio-economic characteristics into consideration.  Each street address falls within one of the four tiers. These tiers are used as part of the selection process.  Details on how the tiers are determined, and how they are used in the selection process, refer to the HS Guide, or

Magnet: Waitlist  After available seats are filled, non-selected students are placed on waitlist.  Waitlists are managed by the high schools.

Magnet High Schools (Some Magnet High Schools) Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences 3857 W. 111th St. (773) Clark Academic Preparatory High School 5101 W. Harrison St. (773) Curie Metropolitan High School 4959 S. Archer Ave. (773) Disney II High School 3900 N. Lawndale Ave. (773) RTC Medical Prep 2245 W. Jackson Blvd. (773) Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center 5039 N. Kimball Ave (773) Engineering Harlan Community Academy High School 9652 S. Michigan Ave. (773) Fine and Performing Arts Senn High School 5900 N. Glenwood Ave. (773)

 Offer rigorous and relevant college predatory curriculum.  Each academy focuses on a different branch of the military.  There is no exception for students to enter the military after graduation. Specific opportunities are provided for leadership, teamwork and service. What is Military? Military Academies

Military: Eligibility Requirements  Students must pre-quality based on their NWEA MAP percentiles.  Students must have a total 48 or more (e.g., 20 in reading, 28 in math; 10 in reading, 38 in math).

Military: Application Process  Can apply up to 4 schools  Must attend one information.  If applying online, schedule the information session first, then apply.  If applying on paper, go to or for a list of infromation sessions and attend the session of their choice.

Military: Selection Process  Students are selected based on a two part questionnaire and essay completed at the required information session, along with their MAP scores and final grades from 7 th grade.  Students are given points that can equal 500 points:  7 th grade final grades (150 points)  NWEA scores (150 points)  Two part assessment (50 points for each part)  Essay (100 points)

 Designed for academically advanced students  Offers primarily honors and AP courses  Admissions testing is required. What is Selective Enrollment? Selective Enrollment High Schools

Testing Eligibility Requirements: Selective Enrollment  Students must pre-qualify for the SE high schools admissions exam, based on their NWEA MAP scores.  In order to be eligible for testing, general education applicants and applicants with a 504 Plans must score at the 24% or above in both reading and math.  Students with an IEP and students receiving bilingual education services must have percentiles in reading and math that equal 48 or more.

SE: Application Process  Can apply up to 6 schools  You must take the Selective Enrollment Admissions Exam first before you apply.  If the student is applying online, they will schedule the test first, then apply.  If the student applies on the paper, their test will be scheduled by the OAE office and the parent will receive a letter containing the date, time and location of the test.

SE: The Admission Exam  About 3 hours, unless the child has an IEP or 504 plan that allows for additional time.  The exam covers 4 subject areas: reading comprehension, vocabulary, language arts (grammar), and math word problems.  Calculators are not allowed (unless this is specified in the accommodations on an IEP).

SE: Early Testing Results  You can get your selective enrollment test results early. Schedule your test date for the month of October or November. You will receive your test results and final point score within three weeks of the test date.  This allows parents and students to be better informed when deciding on their choices for SE high schools.

SE: Selection Process Selection is based on 900 point scale : NWEA MAP (300 points) 7 th Grade final report card grades (300 points) SE Admissions Test (300 points) Refer to the Point Calculation Tool at

SE: Socio-Economic Factors  The selection process takes socio-economic characteristics into consideration.  Each street address falls within one of the 4 Tiers. These tiers are used as part of the selection process.  For details about the tiers go to under “news.”

SE: Selection Process  First 30 % of seats at each school are filled by rank score only – highest scores.  Remaining seats are divided equally among the 4 tiers.  The top-scoring students in each tier are selected  No sibling preference  No consideration for proximity

SE: Principal Discretion  Allows principals of SE schools to fill a designated number of seats, outside the regular selection process.  This process takes place in March, after the first round of regular selection.  Information will be posted at in February.

 Brooks  Jones  King  Lane  Lindblom  Northside,  Payton  South Shore  Westinghouse  Young What are the SE high schools?

1.Charter Schools 2.General Education Schools 3.JROTC separate from Military listed with OAE 4.Neighborhood Schools 5.Small Schools 6.Private Schools *Hard copy high school guides will be out end of month. * Explore your optionshttp:// Not Eligible? Here are some of your options :

1.Online  September 19 th – application website opens to create your online account and profile only  October 1 st – application website opens to apply online. 2.Paper ******* Online is best How do I apply

 September 19 th – Application website opens for account creation only  October 1 st – Scheduling and application process opens at  October 2 nd – O.A. Thorp Mini High School Fair  December 12 th – Application deadline  January 16 th – Deadline for address change  January 23 rd – Application choice change deadline  February 20 th – Notification letters are mailed to students ’ homes  March – Principal Discretion  March 6 th – Confirmation forms of selected high schools due. Important Dates

Office of Access and Enrollment Choose your future Applying online Website Resources

 The O.A. Thorp Counseling Team will be hosting online application clinics in the computer lab to assist you if needed.  If you have trouble applying online from home, come visit us during one of our clinics.  Clinics are offered every Tuesday and Thursday from 7:45 am – 8:30am starting October 7 th, ending November 13 th.  Please call the office if you need an individual appointment. Appointments will be held on Tuesday and Thursday ’ s October 7 – November 13 th. THANK YOU!!!!!! We are here to help Thorp Online Application Clinics

Thank You And Happy Applying!