Elementary Process - Family Deck

GoCPS Training on the Applications Process for SY 2024-2025

Fall 2023

• Spring Offers & the Rolling Waitlist
• Navigating the Parent Portal
• Resources
• Questions

• Overview & Timeline
• ES Process
• Choice Process
• Selective Enrollment Process
• Early Entrance & Accelerated Placement

Overview & Timeline

Fall 2023

• Every street address in the city of Chicago is assigned one attendance area (or “neighborhood”) elementary and high school.

Neighborhood Schools

• Students are guaranteed a seat at their neighborhood elementary school and the general education program at their neighborhood high school without having to submit an application through GoCPS.
• For information on enrolling your child in your neighborhood school, contact the school directly.
• To find your neighborhood school, visit the GoCPS website and click School Search.

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No App Required!

• You are not restricted to schools that are close to your home; there are a wide variety of academic options throughout the city.
• Students must submit a GoCPS application for any school outside the neighborhood.
• Applications are submitted the year before a child will enroll – if a child will enroll in fall 2024, the application will be submitted in fall of 2023.

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GoCPS is the platform that allows families to apply to every K-9 CPS-managed school and program using one site, one application and one deadline.

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Families can apply to:

• All District High Schools
• All Charter High Schools
• All Cluster High School Programs

• All District Elementary Schools

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Charter elementary schools will continue to manage their own process.

• Chicago Early Learning website for all Preschool programs.

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The application process for all Preschool programs takes place in the Spring.

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High School

Elementary School

Pre-K

The application process is divided into three phases.

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Explore

which programs are the best fit for your student

Apply

to programs

Selection

issues results for the schools/programs to which you applied

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NOW

EARLY SPRING

SEPT 13 - NOV 9

The Application window will...

Open:

September 13th, 2023 at 10am

Close:

November 9th, 2023 at 5:00 pm

For the upcoming application cycle for the 2024-2025 school year:

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Fall Timeline at a Glance…

Re-Rank Deadline

Because CPS HSAT scores are anticipated to be delivered close to the application deadline, a re-rank period will be available for families to log in and re-rank their existing application choices. No additional programs will be added or removed during this time. No additional applications will be submitted during this time.

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Elementary Process

Fall 2023

Selective Enrollment

Choice Programs

GoCPS Categories

The elementary school programs listed on the GoCPS application are divided into two general categories.

• Choice Programs
• Selective Enrollment

To view a list of Elementary Schools sorted by program type and specialty (e.g. Fine & Performing Arts or World Language), please click HERE!

How does the Selections Process Work?

A combination of multiple factors goes into Selections for each program.

Ranking of the program in the application

* Only Selective Enrollment programs are ranked

Available seats in the program

Check out the ‘How to Use the GoCPS Search’ video to see how to find SY23-24 offer numbers (start at 2:05 in the video)

Selections Process Used

Priority Preferences Used

Lottery Based

(all Choice ES)

Points Based

(all Selective Enrollment ES)

Sibling

Choice programs only. All grade levels.

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Proximity

Magnet* programs only. Entry-level grade only.

Staff

Choice programs only. Entry-level grade only.

Can include:

Tiers

Magnet & Selective Enrollment programs only. Entry-level grade only.

Applicants whose address is within a 1.5 mile radius of a school qualify for proximity preference. Per CPS policy, not all magnets will conduct a proximity lottery: “...if more than 50 percent of the entire student body, according to the current 20th day file, is comprised of students within the proximity and if more than 50 percent of the student body is any one racial or ethnic group, no proximity lottery will be held for that school.”

What is the “entry-level grade”?

The entry-level grade is the lowest grade level served by a program. For Academic Centers, it is 7th grade. For all magnets, Regional Gifted Centers, EL Regional Gifted Centers, and Classical programs, it is kindergarten.

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Exceptions: Beaubien & Keller - 1st grade; Coonley - no entry grade

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What’s different this year?

• Families will STILL get test scores in the Spring when Results come out.

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• All Selective Enrollment Programs will have a score to points conversion rubric that can be found on the GoCPS ES Resource page.

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• Waitlist Numbers and Tiebreaker processes will be shared with families.

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• Sub-Test scores will be shared with families.

Click HERE to view the new Selective Enrollment rubrics for the 2024-25 application cycle

CHOICE Elementary Process

Fall 2023

CPS Preschool Programs

• Information on the application process for all Pre-K programs can be found on the Chicago Early Learning website.

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• This application process takes place in the spring.

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• For current preschoolers (attending Kindergarten in Fall of 2024) who are not attending their neighborhood school, they will need to apply through GoCPS to remain at their current school for Kindergarten.

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Choice Elementary Basics

There are 4 types of Choice Elementary programs.

Students can select up to 20 choice programs to add to their application.

Click link to view a list!

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Choice Elementary Program Specifics

Open Enrollment

Students receive a general education. Students who live in the neighborhood boundary of this school do not need to apply through GoCPS.

Students living within the boundary are accommodated first. Students living outside of the boundary must submit a GoCPS application.

Dual Language

Students receive a general education that is taught in Spanish & English. One-way (only EL students) and two-way (both EL and Non-EL students) programs are available.

Students living within the boundary are accommodated first. Students living outside of the boundary must submit a GoCPS application.

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Choice Elementary Program Specifics

Magnet Cluster

Students receive an education that specializes in one subject area, such as fine arts, world language, or technology.

Students living within the boundary are accommodated first. Students living outside of the boundary must submit a GoCPS application.

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Exception: Belmont-Cragin, Kellman, & South Shore ES are Magnet Cluster programs with no boundary.

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Magnet

Students receive an education that specializes in one subject area, such as fine arts, world language, or technology.

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There is no neighborhood boundary and all applicants must apply through the GoCPS application.

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If a Magnet program has an attendance boundary, it is categorized as a Magnet with Boundary program on the application.

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Priority Queues & Preferences

Some programs include certain preferences for applicants. Please see the School profile pages for a complete list per program.

Sibling Preference:

In order for applicants to qualify for the sibling preference, they must meet ALL of the following requirements:

• The applicant must have a sibling who is currently enrolled in kindergarten* or above and will remain enrolled for the 2024-2025 school year, in the school to which the applicant is applying.
• The currently enrolled sibling and the sibling applicant must live in the same household.
• The term “sibling” applies only to natural siblings, step-siblings, foster siblings, and adopted siblings.

Staff Preference:

Only 2 seats are available to children of CPS staff at ENTRY level only. Staff preference is only given if the CPS employee is a FTE at the school for which they are applying. When more than 2 students apply, a lottery will be used to determine who will get the seat.

Proximity Preference:

Proximity lotteries might be available for certain programs at the entry level only. This preference would include applicants that live within a certain radius of the school.

* PreK siblings qualify for sibling preference at Drummond, Suder, and Inter-American ONLY

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Choice Elementary

Apply to up to 20 programs

Receive up to 20 offers

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Programs are NOT ranked! Seats are filled by random computerized lottery. Students are placed on the waitlist for ALL programs they did not receive an offer to.

EXAMPLE:

Exceptions: Students who apply to their designated neighborhood program will receive a ‘Guaranteed Seat’ status & should contact the school directly to register. Non-EL / Non-Spanish-speaking applicants to one-way Dual Language programs OR grades 3+ of two-way Dual Language programs may be marked ‘Not Eligible’.

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Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES) Process

Fall 2023

Selective Enrollment Elementary Basics

These programs are divided into 3 categories. Applicants can select up to 6 programs each in the first 2 categories and up to 3 programs in the 3rd category. Applicants can receive up to 1 single best offer in each category.

There are 4 types of Selective Enrollment Elementary programs.

Click link to view a list!

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SEES Program Specifics- Academic Centers

Academic Centers

Allow high-achieving students to take high school classes in English, social studies, science, mathematics, world language, and music or art.

Housed in High Schools

Applicants will be selected in descending total point order out of 600.

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Total points are based on:

• Final Grades (50%)
• Entrance Exam Score (50%)

Eligibility:

Students must be applying for 7th or 8th grade.

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Minimum final GPA of 2.5 during the year prior.

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Must take Entrance Exam

• The test for Academic Centers is the Gifted Exam for 7th and 8th graders respectively.
• Families will see total points as well as subtest scores
• Subtest scores will be reported as subtests for the Regional Gifted Center Exam
• 600 Point Scale

Final Grades from Previous Grade

Total Points

Converts

Composite Standard Score

300 points or 50%

300 points or 50%

600 points

Tie-Breaker Process

1. Composite Standard Score
2. Non-Verbal Standard Score
3. Verbal Standard Score
4. Lottery

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SEES Program Specifics- Regional Gifted Centers

Regional Gifted Centers

Applicants will be selected in descending total point order out of 300.

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Total points are based on:

• Entrance Exam Score

Regional Gifted Centers provide an accelerated instructional program that places an emphasis on thinking, reasoning, problem solving and creativity.

Eligibility:

Students can apply to grades K through 8.

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Minimum final GPA of 3.0 during the year prior. (grades 5-8 only)

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Must take Entrance Exam

• Families will get a Composite Standard Score as well as Standard Scores from 2 subtests.
• 300 point scale

Composite Standard Score

Total Points

(out of 300)

Converts

Tie-Breaker Process

• Non-Verbal Standard Score
• Verbal Standard Score
• Lottery

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SEES Program Specifics- Classical Programs

Classical Programs

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Applicants will be selected in descending total point order out of 300.

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Total points are based on:

• Entrance Exam Score

These programs provide an accelerated program in literature, mathematics, language arts, world language, and the humanities.

Eligibility:

Students can apply to grades K through 8.

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Minimum final GPA of 3.0 during the year prior. (grades 5-8 only)

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Must take Entrance Exam

Applying to K

Applying to 1-8

• Families will get both Percentiles and Standard Scores
• 300 point scale

Standard Score

Total Points

(out of 300)

Converts

Tie-Breaker Process

• Math Standard Score
• Reading Standard Score
• Lottery

• Combo Standard Score
• Math Standard Score
• Reading Standard Score
• Lottery

Tie-Breaker Process

• Families will get both Percentiles and Standard Scores
• 300 point scale

Percentile

Total Points

(out of 300)

Converts

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SEES Program Specifics- RGC for English Learners

Regional Gifted Centers for English Learners

Housed in three elementary schools, these programs are designed to meet the needs of high-ability students whose primary language is Polish or Spanish.

Eligibility:

Students can apply to grades K through 8.

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Applicants must have an A or B in both Math and Reading from their previous school.

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Must take Entrance Exam

Applicants will be selected in descending total point order out of 300.

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Total points are based on:

• Entrance Exam Score

• Families will get a Composite Standard Score
• 300 point scale

Tie-Breaker Process

• Lottery

Composite Standard Score

Total Points

(out of 300)

Converts

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How does the Selections Process Work?

A combination of multiple factors goes into Selections for each program.

Ranking of the program in the application

Available seats in the program

Points Based Selections Process

Tiers System

Admissions exam - scores convert to points using rubric

2022-23 Final Grades

AND

Tier

Tier

Tier

Tier

Classical

Gifted

EL-Gifted:

50%

Grades of Core Subjects are used

(Reading, Math, Science & Social Studies)

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Rank

Academic Centers:

Admissions exam - Regional Gifted Exam

50%

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Points & Tier System Working Together

The system will try to match each student with their highest ranked program. Students are placed in line according to their total points. All programs are considered simultaneously.

30% of available seats are filled by students with the highest scores regardless of tier.

The remaining seats are distributed equally among the four tiers.

1.

3.

2.

30% of seats

Applicants to be tiered

If an applicant does not receive a seat through either the top 30% or the tiers, the system will then try to match them with the program ranked #2. Once an offer is received, the system will stop trying to match a student with a program.

4.

300

295

295

290

280

280

275

270

300

300

290

285

270

270

265

260

280

285

280

280

275

280

270

270

265

270

260

265

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Selective Enrollment Elementary Programs

Apply to up to 6 Academic Centers

Apply to up to 6 Regional Gifted/Classical Schools

Apply to up to 3 EL Regional Gifted Centers.

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Receive up to 1 offer in each category.

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Make sure to Rank Programs in your true order of preference!

EXAMPLE:

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HOW IT WORKS…

Single Best Selective Enrollment Offer in Each category

Applicants are placed into line by descending score order

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• Classical Schools: Based on Classical Exam Scores Only
• Regional Gifted Centers: Based on RGC Exam Score Only
• Academic Centers: Based on Total Points (Exam + Grades)
• EL Regional Gifted Centers: Based on EL Exam Score Only

• The system will try to place each applicant in their highest ranked Selective program.
• All applicants and programs are considered simultaneously.
• As an applicant matches with a program, they are not considered for any programs ranked lower than the offer received.

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HOW IT WORKS:

RANK #1

RANK #2

RANK #3

RANK #4

Not Waitlisted

Not Waitlisted

Waitist

RANK #1

RANK #2

RANK #3

RANK #4

Not Waitlisted

X

X

X

If NO offer is received, the applicant will be placed on waitlists for all programs they applied to*

If an offer to a selective enrollment program is received, the applicant WILL NOT automatically be placed on any waitlists

Offers and Waitlists for the different categories of SEES function independently

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Categories

• Academic Centers
• Classical & Regional Gifted Centers
• EL Regional Gifted Centers

* students will be marked “Not Eligible” if they do not meet minimum program eligibility requirements or have a score below the 50th percentile on the entrance exam

Waitist

Examples:

• This means that an applicant can receive an offer to an Academic Center and be waitlisted for a Classical school.
• The applicant can receive an offer to a Classical school and will NOT be waitlisted for an RGC.
• An applicant can accept an offer in one category and continue to be on the waitlist in other categories.

When is an applicant automatically waitlisted?

Selective Enrollment Elementary School Waitlist Process

Early Entrance & Accelerated Placement for ES

Fall 2023

Early Entrance to Kindergarten and 1st Grade

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Must be born between September 2, 2019-December 31, 2019

• Provide proof of age & proof of at least 1 yr in-person preschool
• Score at or above 91st percentile on Developmental Survey
• Complete in-person academic (reading & math) and cognitive testing - must score at or above 91st percentile on all 3 portions
• Testing fee is $50*; families can apply for a fee waiver

* Applicants who are not residents of the city of Chicago by the application deadline must pay a testing fee of $250

Must be born between September 2, 2018-December 31, 2018

• NOT a grade-skipping process; only non-CPS students are eligible
• School must verify that student completed both PreK and K there, was taught by appropriately certified teacher, is ready for 1st grade work
• Do not need to complete application; can email letter directly to gocps@cps.edu

Fall/Winter application will open on September 13, 2023 and close on November 9, 2023. There will also be a Spring/Summer application available in March or April 2024.

Early Entrance to Kindergarten

Early Entrance to First Grade

How to Apply

Application Link

Whole Grade & Single Subject Acceleration

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• Score of ‘Exceeds’ (5) on Spring 2023 Math & ELA IAR
• 22-23 GPA of 3.75+ (final grades in Math, Reading, Science, & Social Science)

• School will complete Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS)
• In-person exams in Academic Ability, Aptitude, & Achievement
• School Acceleration Team & principal must give final approval
• Testing fee is $250; families can apply for a fee waiver

• Score of ‘Exceeds’ (5) on Spring 2023 Math &/or ELA IAR
• 3.75 for last 8 quarters (22-23 & 21-22) in Math &/or Reading

• School will complete Iowa Acceleration Scale (IAS)
• In-person exam in Aptitude
• School Acceleration Team & principal must give final approval
• Testing fee is $35; families can apply for a fee waiver

Application open September 13, 2023 through November 9, 2023 at 5pm

Whole-Grade Acceleration (grade skipping)

Single-Subject Acceleration

How to Apply

** Students must currently be in grades 4-6 to be eligible to apply **

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• Families of students who meet IAR pre-qualification will receive an eligibility notification letter via email in October 2023.
• Students who are new to the district will not receive a notification. All interested families are encouraged to apply.
• Families must choose to apply for Whole-Grade OR Single-Subject Acceleration. They cannot apply for both.

Application Link

Spring Offers & the Rolling Waitlist

Fall 2023

High School Results will be released in the Spring of 2024. Elementary Results follow approximately a month later.

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(Final dates to be released at a later date.)

Approximate Spring Timeline

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HOW IT WORKS

Receiving Offers…

ONLINE

APPLICATION

PAPER

APPLICATION

All Offers posted to GoCPS online account

Posted to GoCPS online account created by the Office of Access and Enrollment

What Will Applicants See?

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• Programs that have been offered to the student.
• Programs that have not been offered to the student.
• Programs which have been waitlisted and the waitlist position.

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Logging In & Adding a Student

(Navigating the Parent Portal)

Fall 2023

Log into the GoCPS Parent Portal

from the GoCPS site!

Click the “Log In” button in the top left corner.

Start at the GoCPS website…

Link to GoCPS Parent Portal Here

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Click here to translate the site into a different language

Families can use their existing log in information if they created an account last year.

Reach out to our office for a password reset if needed.

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Create a new account here.

Parents must select at least one of these options.

FIll in all the required fields and click Create Account.

Make sure the school year is set correctly:

23-24: applying for the current school year

24-25: applying to the next school year

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Click this button to add a student. You can add as many students as you need to.

Required Fields for CPS students. This is how we pull in the student’s existing info including grades, test scores, IEP info etc…

For students who do not have a CPS ID. No information will be pulled in.

Is the applicant a current CPS or Charter school student?

Complete the Student’s Basic Information

CPS & Charter Students: This info will pull in automatically from the Student Information System (Aspen)

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Non-CPS Students: Input this info. If this info is wrong on the application later, you will need to correct it here.

Make sure to select the address from the auto-populated list if you input this information.

Select the Correct Application form

This student is now added to the Parent/Guardian Dashboard.

Completing an Application

(Navigating the Parent Portal)

Fall 2023

Navigate through the steps by clicking on “Save and Continue” at the end of each step or you can click on the step in the menu on the left side of the screen.

Designates how far you have gone in the application. The current step you are on will be highlighted in light blue.

TIP: You can go to any step you like and in whichever order you like as long as you have visited the step before. It must be on or before the orange circle.

The fields highlighted in red will pull in information for CPS students. Families will not be able to edit this and must submit changes to the school to make in Aspen.

CPS Students:

If you are able to type in these boxes, you should go back to the first step and put in your CPS ID.

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Non-CPS Student:

If any of this info needs to change, you will need to change it on the first screen.

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Call our Hotline if you don't see your current school in the drop down list

Student Information & Address

Very important information that a lot of families leave off the application.

Add more siblings here.

Sibling & Staff information must be provided in full on the application if the applicant wants to qualify for those preferences.

Multiples must have their own applications, but this is how they get linked in the queues and waitlists.

Multiples, Siblings & Staff Applicants

The information on this step should pull in automatically from the guardian account info. Make sure that this info is correct as this is how OAE will be able to send testing info or any reminders or updates.

Guardian Information & Languages

Students applying to k-8 must select Spanish/Polish in either question here to see Regional Gifted Centers for English Learners.

All the questions on this step are required.

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Uploading this information is optional. You can email to GoCPS.

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Non-CPS families should upload if they have the materials – IEP/504/Service Plan documents must be from a public school district and need to be shared with the testing team prior to testing.

CPS student’s information is already with OAE, so no need to upload IEP/504 information

Steps that only Non-CPS students will see:

Students applying to 5-8 Grade: Put in the Grades→ Converted to numbers in order to see your GPA. This is how you can apply to Classical, Regional Gifted Centers and Academic Centers.

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Note: these will not be the grades used in Selections, you must submit official transcripts or have admin put grades in.

The neighborhood school associated with the address in step 2 will show at the top of the page.

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You will have a guaranteed seat at the General Education program at this school.

If the address is incorrect, you will need to submit this to your current school to correct in Aspen.

Expanded

Use the key words at the top of the page to narrow your search

The page defaults to sorting by distance. So the schools you see at the top are the ones closest to the address on the application.

You can also sort alphabetically or by the ones you selected. This is useful in seeing how many schools you have applied to.

Program Selection

Check the box to select the program and included it in your application.

This gray box will pop up at the top of the page each time you select a program and tell you how many selections you have left in that category.

WATCH OUT!!

This box will disappear in a few seconds!

It will reappear when you select the next program

Remember, the programs will default to sort by distance to the address on the application. This means the schools at the top of the list are closer to the applicant’s home.

Program Selection Continued…

Rank each program using the drop down. Click “Select Choice #” to delete a choice.

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Applicants can come back to re-rank their choices any time before November 22, 2023.

TIP!!

Choice Elementary Schools do not need to be ranked so that category will NOT be visible on this step. Go ahead and click continue and Save.

Ranking the Programs

To re-rank programs after all choices have been ranked, click the ‘x’ to clear program selections first.

Goes to the next date with available sessions.

This calendar button does nothing!

Sessions can be rescheduled an unlimited number of times in the application. If an event can no longer be rescheduled in the application (this typically occurs 1-2 weeks before the event date), please contact (773) 553-2060 to reschedule.

Event Scheduling

Classical Exam

EL Regional Gifted Exam

Regional Gifted Exam

EL Regional Gifted Exam

weeks prior to this event.

Read through and complete the last 2 steps before reaching the “Review and Submit” summary.

Applicants can go back to any previous step by clicking the pencil icon or the step itself in the menu. Hit submit at the bottom of the screen when you are done.

Finishing the Application

Viewing Test Scores & Grades

(Navigating the Parent Portal)

Fall 2023

Click here to return to this screen at any time

The Student Details tile will populate with any exam scores, or grades that will be used in the selections process.

Click here to view or edit your application for this student.

Click here to add another student to this guardian account.

Shows the number of completed applications

Guardian Dashboard & Student Tile

2024-2025

Click here to see your existing application

12345678

Neighborhood School

2

Mickey Mouse

92

316

99

329

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4.0

Calculating Points from Grades and Test scores

HIGH SCHOOL: HSAT scores will be shown as both Percentiles and Standard Scores. Math and Reading Percentiles are used for HSAT points calculation.

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: All test scores and subscores will be shown in this same area. Test scores for applicants to grades K-8 will not be released until Spring 2024.

These are the grades that were used in the Selections process for this student. GPA is automatically calculated based on the grades shown below.

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Use the scoring rubrics on the GoCPS Website to see how scores and grades translate to points for specific programs.

Math Percentile:

Math Standard Score:

Reading Percentile:

Reading Standard Score:

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Click here to modify your admissions screenings if the program allows reschedules.

Click here to go back into the application and edit anytime before the deadline.

Remember!

You re-rank your options until the re-rank deadline on November 22nd, 2023.

Editing Submitted Applications

Resources

Fall 2023

GoCPS Family Trainings

Schedule

All sessions below available in English. Sessions available in both languages are yellow.

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Applying to 9th Grade Session:

• September 19, 2023 at 9 am
• September 20, 2023 at 11:30 am
• September 28, 2023 at 12pm
• October 4, 2023 at 12:30 pm
• October 10, 2023 at 5pm
• October 19, 2023 at 10 am
• October 23, 2023 at 10 am
• November 2, 2023 at 6pm
• November 7, 2023 at 12:30

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Applying to Grades K- 8 Session:

• September 21, 2023 at 10 am
• September 26, 2023 at 5pm
• September 27, 2023 at 2 pm
• October 3, 2023 at 4 pm
• October 11, 2023 at 10:30 am
• October 16, 2023 at 12 pm
• October 26, 2023 at 6pm
• November 1, 2023 at 2pm
• November 6, 2023 at 10 am

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Please set a hold in your calendar, invites to the sessions will be sent out the day before the training.

• If you would like to attend a future session, please feel free to register for another test date!
• Audience questions may vary from session to session, so there may be new info provided in subsequent sessions.
• Sign up linked below and will also be on the GoCPS Homepage.

Family Training Sign Up Linked Here

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Make sure to Subscribe to the Mailing List

Contact the OFFICE OF ACCESS AND ENROLLMENT

773-553-2060

gocps@cps.edu

Thank you.