Updates To Chicago Public Schools (CPS) High School Admissions Testing

Dear Academic Approach Families & Colleagues:

At Academic Approach, we are committed to serving as a reliable resource for parents in our community, especially as they navigate an often-changing landscape of assessment, curriculum, and instruction. One of the more complicated landscapes to navigate is high school admissions in Chicago Public Schools (CPS).

Two weeks ago, we summarized for you the critical guidelines in planning and preparing seventh graders for the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) Selective Enrollment Exam and noted the importance of the NWEA MAP scores, which comprised one-third of a student’s point total in the scoring system.

Today, we’re sending this important update to the CPS high school admissions process, announced this week. Here are the key points of reference:

• Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will not administer the NWEA MAP this spring to be used in the 2022-2023 selection process
• The 900-point scale moves to an equal weight (450 points each) of seventh grade grades and the CPS High School Admissions Test, dropping the NWEA MAP portion entirely
• The Selective Enrollment Exam (also known as the High School Admissions Test) will be administered to ALL Chicago Public Schools 8th grade students during the school day this fall. A qualifying NWEA MAP score is no longer required. Non-CPS students will sign up to take the test on a weekend.

CPS notes that the universal administration of the admissions test during the school day fosters equity of access, among other key logistical practicalities. It’s important to note that the elimination of the NWEA MAP testing will not impact the selection process for current 8th graders in the 2021-2022 school year. Admission results are still expected on April 30th. We will continue to highlight the impact of this announcement to students and their preparation programs in the coming weeks.

Academic Approach improves your students’ standardized testing by tailoring our research-based, expert instruction and curriculum to your needs, and we can design a solution for you right away. Feel free to give us a call at 773-348-8914 or get in touch by filling out our contact form.

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