Chicago High School Admissions: Important Updates - Academic Approach

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:

We work quite extensively with students in the middle grades. Just this summer we released our updated curriculum designed to bridge the gap we often see between middle and high school academic skills. We support our students’ success both on the high school entrance exams and in mastering the academic skills they’ll need to be successful in high school and college.

Today, we share an update on the high school admissions process for students applying to selective enrollment schools within Chicago Public Schools. This week, CPS opened the GoCPS application for students applying to high school for the 2021-22 school year, and they’ll have until December 11 to submit their application, rank programs, and sign up for admissions exams. CPS has adapted the process significantly this school year. Some changes to note:

Students can now use a superscored NWEA-MAP score for eligibility to take the selective enrollment test and toward their selection total score. This means CPS will automatically take a student’s highest reading score and highest math score from any eligible date.
- CPS students can use their scores from Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Winter 2019 for eligibility along with their upcoming test in Winter 2020 for their total selection score. Students from non-CPS schools should have already registered for an upcoming test date to take the NWEA-MAP at a CPS school in the coming weeks.
CPS will also be using a superscored version of GPA, using the highest score from either the first semester or final grades from 7th grade.
They do still anticipate administering the selective enrollment exam in-person using health and safety protocols in winter of eighth grade as usual.

You can learn more about these process changes from CPS here. For more information on high school entrance exams and how we support our students’ success on them, read more here.

Be well,
Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:

We work quite extensively with students in the middle grades. Just this summer we released our updated curriculum designed to bridge the gap we often see between middle and high school academic skills. We support our students’ success both on the high school entrance exams and in mastering the academic skills they’ll need to be successful in high school and college.

Today, we share an update on the high school admissions process for students applying to selective enrollment schools within Chicago Public Schools. This week, CPS opened the GoCPS application for students applying to high school for the 2021-22 school year, and they’ll have until December 11 to submit their application, rank programs, and sign up for admissions exams. CPS has adapted the process significantly this school year. Some changes to note:

Students can now use a superscored NWEA-MAP score for eligibility to take the selective enrollment test and toward their selection total score. This means CPS will automatically take a student’s highest reading score and highest math score from any eligible date.
- CPS students can use their scores from Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Winter 2019 for eligibility along with their upcoming test in Winter 2020 for their total selection score. Students from non-CPS schools should have already registered for an upcoming test date to take the NWEA-MAP at a CPS school in the coming weeks.
CPS will also be using a superscored version of GPA, using the highest score from either the first semester or final grades from 7th grade.
They do still anticipate administering the selective enrollment exam in-person using health and safety protocols in winter of eighth grade as usual.

You can learn more about these process changes from CPS here. For more information on high school entrance exams and how we support our students’ success on them, read more here.

Be well,
Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:

We work quite extensively with students in the middle grades. Just this summer we released our updated curriculum designed to bridge the gap we often see between middle and high school academic skills. We support our students’ success both on the high school entrance exams and in mastering the academic skills they’ll need to be successful in high school and college.

Today, we share an update on the high school admissions process for students applying to selective enrollment schools within Chicago Public Schools. This week, CPS opened the GoCPS application for students applying to high school for the 2021-22 school year, and they’ll have until December 11 to submit their application, rank programs, and sign up for admissions exams. CPS has adapted the process significantly this school year. Some changes to note:

Students can now use a superscored NWEA-MAP score for eligibility to take the selective enrollment test and toward their selection total score. This means CPS will automatically take a student’s highest reading score and highest math score from any eligible date.
- CPS students can use their scores from Spring 2019, Fall 2019, and Winter 2019 for eligibility along with their upcoming test in Winter 2020 for their total selection score. Students from non-CPS schools should have already registered for an upcoming test date to take the NWEA-MAP at a CPS school in the coming weeks.
CPS will also be using a superscored version of GPA, using the highest score from either the first semester or final grades from 7th grade.
They do still anticipate administering the selective enrollment exam in-person using health and safety protocols in winter of eighth grade as usual.

You can learn more about these process changes from CPS here. For more information on high school entrance exams and how we support our students’ success on them, read more here.

Be well,
Matthew Pietrafetta, Ph.D., Founder & CEO