1. Look for tip boxes during the presentation!
Introduction to High School Admissions
Maria Sampedro
Good morning/afternoon! Welcome to our school. (Please introduce yourself.)
Today I’ll be talking about how you and your child will apply to high school in the fall of 8th grade. I’ll also be sharing tips for how to apply successfully. Keep an eye out for yellow tip boxes during the presentation. At our school, I am in charge of helping families apply to high school. The best way to reach me if you have any questions is __please share your contact information____.
At our school, we have a created a High School Admissions resource space where you can find information about applying to high school. This is located __ please identify location__.
Today I’ll only be talking about applying to New York City Department of Education high schools. Charter schools, private schools, and parochial schools are not part of high school admissions.
Read Tip Box
Look for tip boxes during the presentation!
JHS194Q

2. HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS A Basic Overview
80,000 Applicants
REQUIRED
OPTIONAL
YOUR CHILD
There are two paths that students may take to receive a high school offer.
The first is the High School Application (point to left of screen), which is used to apply to over 700 programs at over 400 high schools. Students will receive high school applications from me in October. You and your child will complete it by writing on the application the 12 programs you’d like to apply to. You will give it back to me by December 1st. Every eighth-grade student must complete a High School Application.
The optional, second path is for the Specialized High Schools (point to right of screen). There are nine specialized schools: eight of them take top-scoring students on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (called the SHSAT). The ninth, LaGuardia requires an audition and also looks at academics. Last year, over 27,000 students took the SHSAT for around 5,000 seats at the specialized testing schools. [Make mention here of students who at your school who typically receive an offer to a Specialized High School]
If you are interested in any of the specialized schools, please return this Specialized High School Registration Survey to me in September telling me that you would like to register your child for the SHSAT or a LaGuardia High School audition. (Tell parents when and how they can complete the surveys.) Students receive a test or audition ticket from me by mid-October, and then take the SHSAT and/or audition during the fall. Taking the test or auditioning means students have applied. On the SHSAT, students rank the testing Specialized Schools in their order of preference.
In March, I will give all students a letter from the DOE that tells them if they received an offer from the HS Application, an offer from a testing Specialized school, and/or an offer from any of the six studios at LaGuardia. (Point to bottom row.) If a student has received multiple offers, the student must choose one.
If your child does not receive an offer in Round 1, your child can participate in Round 2 for schools with availability. Those results will be available in May
High School Application 700+ Programs at 400+ High Schools
Specialized High Schools 8 Testing Schools LaGuardia HS
Complete Specialized High School Survey; receive SHSAT and/or audition ticket(s) from guidance counselor.
Receive HS Application from guidance counselor.
Early Fall
Group Three
Complete Application by listing 12 programs in order of preference. Return to counselor.
Late Fall
SHSAT
Audition
1 Offer*
March
1 Offer*
1-6 Offers*
Round 2 (if necessary)
*if applicable

3. APPLYING TO SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS
Specialized Audition and SHSAT Schools
Audition
Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
Dance
Drama
Instrumental Music
Technical Theater
Fine Arts
Vocal Music
Here are the Specialized High Schools *point to screen* Additional information regarding testing and auditions can be found in the Specialized High Schools Student Handbook.
Each of these schools have a specific theme. We encourage families to read the handbook and visit these schools at the Citywide High School Fair.  
Take the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT)
The Bronx High School of Science
The Brooklyn Latin School
Brooklyn Technical High School
High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at the City College of NY
High School of American Studies at Lehman College
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
Staten Island Technical High School
Stuyvesant High School

4. RECEIVE from me in October
ROUND 1 HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATION
Receive, Review, and Complete
RECEIVE from me in October
REVIEW that all the information is correct
Students will receive their High School Application from me in October. Here is a Sample. (Point to screen.)
The Application will come printed with your child’s information and 7th grade academic record (grades, test scores, attendance and punctuality). Review that all information is correct. If anything is inaccurate, please tell me immediately.
You will complete the High School Application by writing 12 program choices in order of preference starting with your top choice. You’ll return your completed application to me by December 1.
COMPLETE by writing 12 program choices in order of preference
PAGE 1
PAGE 2

5. Search online with schoolfinder.nyc.gov
NEW YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTORY
Your Journey Begins
This is a family’s most valuable resource in the High School Admissions process.
With over 700 programs offered throughout the city, this book helps families narrow their lists down to 12 choices.
Your child’s journey begins with this book, the NYC High School Directory.
You can find information on all the DOE high schools in NYC in this book.
Where do you start? You should start learning about programs in the Directory, then keep exploring and visiting schools to decide which programs to write on the Application.
Search online with schoolfinder.nyc.gov

6. A GOOD APPLICATION LISTS 12 PROGRAMS OF INTEREST TO YOUR STUDENT
COURSES
location
With over 700 programs to choose from for the High School Application, it’s important to think about what will engage your child and help him or her learn and grow.
Start researching programs by thinking about what matters to you and your child. Keep these in mind as you explore schools and programs.
Students received their High School Directories on _ date__. This book lists every program you may write on your High School Application. Start learning about programs by looking at this book. Then, keep researching and visiting schools to decide which programs to write on your application.
Would anyone like to share something they are looking for in their child’s high school??
Allow people to respond.
Thanks for sharing. The High School Directory has lots of information about high schools. We’ll talk more about what we can learn from it.
size
Activities
Program Interest
area
School
performance

7. Programs and Admissions Methods
HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAMS
Programs and Admissions Methods
You can think about programs as “doorways” through which they accept students.
If a school has multiple programs, eligible students may apply to one program, or more than one program at that school.
Programs at the same school may have different Admissions Priorities and Admissions Methods. You may decide to apply to one program over another based on its admissions information.
When we fill out the High School Application, we are not applying to schools, we are applying to programs.
Many schools have multiple programs, and you may apply to more than one.
Read bullets on slide.
Here you see an actual example from the High School Directory of a school that has two programs with different Admissions Methods. We’ll talk about Admissions Methods shortly.
Remember, you’ll need to list twelve programs to complete your High School Application.  
Program #1
Program #2

8. Admissions Priorities Choices on Application
HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED
Matching Students With Programs
STUDENT FACTORS
PROGRAM FACTORS
The order in which applicants are considered.
Admissions Priorities
The 12 programs listed on the application AND the order in which they are listed.
Choices on Application
How programs consider and match with applicants.
Admissions Methods
Students will receive one offer from the 12 choices on their High School Application. Multiple factors affect what offer your child will receive.
Read boxes under “Student Factors” and boxes under “Program Factors.”
Remember that your child’s address and school may affect the order in which your child is considered.
Let’s talk more about each of these factors.
Student’s academic record, audition, and/or address.
*(Only for some programs)
Student Information*
The number of seats available for applicants.
Seat Availability

9. 97% of students who listed 12 programs received an offer in Round 1!
HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED
CHOICES ON THE APPLICATION
Students should list 12 programs on their application. Listing fewer than 12 works against a student; making it less likely to yield an offer from the application.
Students should list programs in their true order of preference starting with their top choice. High Schools will not see where families rank them. High Schools should not ask where they’ve been ranked, or insist on ranking them first.
97% of students who listed 12 programs received an offer in Round 1!
# Programs % On Application Matched % % %
The first factor is your application. The programs you list AND the order in which they are listed affect the offer.
Read bullets
Does anyone have any questions about choices on the Application?
FAQs: What if I only like 6 programs? Should I only list six?
This is your child’s only opportunity to apply to high schools when there is complete availability. By listing 12 choices, you’re saying if your child isn’t matched with a top choice, you’d still like to have a say in where your child goes to school. By looking through the Directory and keeping an open mind, you’ll be able to find 12 choices.
Does where a program is ranked affect my child’s chances of getting in?
Ranking your programs is how you tell the DOE which school you’d like to be matched with. The only way ranking a school lower may affect your chances of “getting in,” is that you may match with a school higher on your list. This is why ranking in your actual order of preference is the best thing to do.

10. Program INFORMATION Now let’s move to the three program factors.
We will refer to sections of this sample high school directory page, which you can find on page 4 of the high school directory

11. NEW YORK CITY HIGH SCHOOL DIRECTORY Admissions Priorities
Admissions Priorities determine the order in which applicants are considered for placement.
The next factor that affects offers is Admissions Priorities.
Read bullets
Admissions Priorities can be based on where a student lives or goes to school, if a student signed in at a school fair or open house, or if a student attends a continuing 6-12 school.
Here is an actual example of Admissions Priorities.
Read example
Note that the Directory now tells you what percent of offers went to students in the first priority group. In this example, 40% of the offers went to continuing 8th grade students. This means that 60% of the offers went to students outside the first priority group.
Remember, your child’s address and school location can affect Admissions Priority
You can find information about each program’s Admissions Priorities in the High School Directory.
Continuing
8th graders
Brooklyn
students
residents
NYC
students
residents

12. HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED Eligibility
Eligibility: Some programs are only open to certain students.
Students must meet a program’s eligibility requirements to list the program on the application.
Some programs have eligibilities that limit who can apply. Eligibilities and priorities are displayed together on each school’s directory page.
Read example on the slide.
Students who go to school and live outside of the Bronx are not eligible to apply to this program!

13. You can learn about Seat Availability in the Directory!
HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED
Seat Availability
Review the number of seats in a program and the number of applicants for those seats. The number of applicants per seat will affect a student’s chances of being matched.
The average demand for programs is 6 applicants per seat.
The data refers to the previous year’s admissions cycle.
The next factor is seat availability, which refers to how much space a program has for incoming students. This means that not every applicant to a program will be offered a seat.
Read first bullet
This program has average demand. There are 108 seats available, and there were 638 applicants last year. That means there was an average of 6 applicants who listed the program anywhere on their Application for each available seat.
Read third bullet
You can find information about a program’s seat availability in the High School Directory. This information is in the Program Admissions section, usually at the bottom of the page.
Read tip box
You can learn about Seat Availability in the Directory!
Tip: Don’t list only programs with high demand on your Application!

14. HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED Admissions Methods
An Admissions Method is the way a school program matches with applicants. Remember that students are first grouped by Admissions Priority and then considered by Admissions Method.
These programs DO NOT see applicant’s school record
ZONED
Based on address
UNSCREENED
Random selection
LIMITED UNSCREENED
Higher priority to students who demonstrate interest
SCREENED FOR LANGUAGE
Based on students’ English language skills and/or years in the country.
The last factor is Admissions Methods.
Read note on the top of the page.
Programs each use one of the Admissions Methods you see here. Those on the top do not look at an applicant's academic record; those on the bottom do.
Your child’s academic record may affect which programs you choose for the application. It’s a good idea to have programs with different Admissions Methods on your application to help make sure you get an offer.
 Notice that programs with a “Limited Unscreened” admissions method give priority to students who have demonstrated interest. If you’re interested in one of these programs, it’s especially important you visit these programs and sign in. Also, programs with an “Audition” Admissions Method require you to take action. We’ll talk more about that shortly.
 You can find each program’s Admissions Methods in the High School Directory.
Does anyone have any questions about Admissions Methods?
FAQs:
Question about a particular screened school? Screened schools manage their own rankings. It’s best to learn directly from a screened program how they consider and match with applicants. How do we know what Ed. Opt. group our child is in?
It will be on the front of the Application.
These programs DO see applicant’s school record
SCREENED
Screened programs rank students using seventh grade core course grades, attendance, and state test scores.
Additional requirements possible, such as portfolios or interviews.
AUDITION
Same as Screened, but require an audition. (Some auditions require pre-registration.)
EDUCATIONAL OPTION
Seats reserved for students with high, medium, and low NY State ELA scores.
Half of seats filled by students who were ranked by the school.
Half of seats filled through random selection.
Tip: Before listing a program on your Application, please check all details about that program’s Admissions Priorities and Admissions Methods in the HS Directory!

15. HOW OFFERS ARE DETERMINED Selection Criteria
A program’s Selection Criteria is useful to know how a student’s application compares with other applicants.
Read bullet on slide and this applies to programs with Screened and Audition Admissions Methods only.
These programs look at your school record (grades, test scores, and attendance). Some of these programs require other activities, such as submission of a portfolio of work, an on-site test, or an on-site interview. You can find relevant information about each program’s selection criteria in the directory.
[Point to slide] The ranges shown here reflect the academic record of the students who received offers to this program last year. Not all students who fall within last year’s ranges may get an offer based on factors we’ve mentioned before such as Admissions Priorities, Eligibilities, and demand. Remember, this is why you have the opportunity to list 12 programs on the Application.
This is only relevant for programs that see an applicant’s school record.

16. “Likely-Match” Programs Zoned Guarantee Program
BUILDING A BALANCED APPLICATION
A balanced application has a mix of “reach” programs, “target” programs, and “likely-match” programs.
High Demand More than 6 applicants/seat
Student is not in first priority group
“Reach” Programs
Student’s academics fall below selection criteria OR
Average Demand About 6 applicants/seat
Student is in
first priority group
“Target” Programs
Student’s academics fall within selection criteria OR
Low/Average Demand 6 or fewer applicants/seat
Student is in
first priority group
“Likely-Match” Programs
Student’s academics fall on the high end of selection criteria. OR
Continuing School
Guaranteed Programs
Zoned Guarantee Program
Check the High School Application to see if a student is eligible for a guaranteed program.
Demand
A good Application will lead to an offer at the end of Round 1. This table will help explain what that means.
You should think about programs you are interested in and whether or not the programs are reach, target, or likely-matches for your child. For example, say we have a student named [insert student’s name]. Read each column and contextualize. For example, when you say the student is not in the first priority group, say that means many other students would be considered before this student.
Some students have guaranteed programs to which they can apply. These programs are continuing 6-12 schools, or zoned guarantee programs that are based on address. Check page 2 of the Application to see if you have a guaranteed program.
This slide is a rough guideline. What a reach program and target program is specific to the applicant. Remember, academics only matter at some programs and the selection criteria listed in the Directory are the level of academics the program accepted last year.  
If you are going to include “reach” programs on your Application, it’s important that you also include “target” programs and “likely-match” programs. This is what we mean by a balanced Application.
For counselors at 6-12 schools only:
If you want to apply to other programs before our continuing school, you should list those other programs ahead of our continuing school on your application. You will still be guaranteed a seat at the continuing school if you do not match to a higher choice.
Priority
Academics

17. ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Students who are English Language Learners may apply to any high school in New York City.
All high schools must provide ELL services for students.
There are three different ELL service delivery models offered in NYC public high schools:
English as a New Language (formerly ESL)
Transitional Bilingual Education
Dual Language
ELL students are eligible for supports and accommodations on admissions-related tests and auditions
Read bullets

18. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITES (“SWD”)
Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) may apply to any high school program in New York City; all high schools must provide services for students.
For the purposes of High School Admissions, seats at each high school program are divided into two groups:
General education students (“GE”); or
Students with disabilities (“SWD”) who receive special education services for more than 20% of their instructional school day
Read bullets

19. A balanced application will look different for each student.
TIPS FOR A BALANCED APPLICATION
A balanced application will look different for each student.
Before listing a program on your application, please check all details about that program’s Admissions Priorities and Admissions Methods in the High School Directory!
Tip #1
List programs on your application in order of true preference!
Do not list programs you are not interested in attending just for the sake of getting in somewhere.
Tip #2
List some programs with six or fewer applicants per seat to increase your chances of receiving an offer from your application.
Tip #3
Students who are eligible for a Zoned Guarantee program or a continuing school are guaranteed to receive an offer from that program if they do not match to anything higher on their application.
Tip #4
Let’s summarize what you’ve just learned in four important tips for a balanced Application
Read slide

20. NEXT STEPS FOR FAMILIES
Explore!!!
Use the High School Directory or NYC School Finder to find schools of interest!
Plan to attend High School Fairs and school open houses
Citywide – September 24 and 25
Borough – October 15 and 16
Audition Surveys
Return to the
School Counselor,
if interested, in the fall
Specialized High School Surveys
Here are some next steps for applying to high school.
If your child is interested in any of the Specialized High Schools or Audition Programs the require pre-registration, please complete the correct survey and return it to me. (Tell parents when and how they can complete audition and specialized high school surveys.) This survey will allow me to register your child for the SHSAT and the auditions that require pre-registration. Note that some Audition programs require me to pre-register your child; others ask your child to show up for an audition on the dates listed in the Directory.   
Start exploring options! Look through the Directory today and start learning about programs for your child.
Start learning about high school programs today!

21. Stay Connected Review Admissions Resources
schools.nyc.gov/ChoicesEnrollment/High/Resources
Research Schools schoolfinder.nyc.gov
Sign Up for Updates
schools.nyc.gov/Subscribe
Find Your Zoned School
schools.nyc.gov/SchoolSearch
Contact Maria Arestin-Sampedro
[ ext.1254
Let me provide you with my contact information. Please feel free to reach out with any questions about your child’s High School Application.
On the High School Admissions Resources website, you can find information about applying to high school. You can also find online copies of the High School Directory and the Specialized High School Handbook.
You can contact the Office of Student Enrollment using this phone number and address.
If you’d like to receive updates from the Office of Student Enrollment, you can sign up at this website. If you’d like to learn if you have a zoned school, you can do so at this website.
Thank you for being here today! I look forward to working with you and your child to successfully apply to high school! Please feel free to reach out to me at any time.