Janice K.

Jackson, EdD
Chief Executive Officer

LaTanya D. McDade
Chief Education Officer

Sara McPhee Office of Access and Enrollment

Executive Director 42 West Madison Street, Garden Level Chicago, Illinois 60602
Telephone: 773/553-2060 Fax: 773/553-2061

Fall 2020

To the Parent/Guardian of Isaiah Bethune

CPS ID: 60023322 PRITZKER

2056 W DIVISION ST 3W
Chicago, IL 60622

Dear Parent/Guardian:
Your child's eight grade school year marks an important next step in their educational experience:
exploring and applying to high school. We are pleased to provide you with this eligibility data letter,
which contains your child’s NWEA MAP scores, seventh grade grades, and Activation Code (if
applicable), to be used for the online application process. (See page 2 of the enclosed Frequently Asked
Questions for information on the NWEA MAP scores and grades that will be used for the application
process.)

Please find your child’s scores/grades below:

Avg. of Final Grade used NWEA MAP

Grades Quarter 1-2 (Cumulative) for NWEA score
Eligibility Grades Grade application MAP Spring Fall Winter used for
Eligibility SY18-19 SY19-20 SY19-20 application
Reading A A A
Reading N/A 88 93 93
Math A A A
Math N/A 66 86 86
Science A A A

Social A A A

The high school application process is managed through GoCPS, which allows families to apply to ninth
grade, via online or paper, using one application and one deadline. In order to use the GoCPS online
application site for this process, you will open your account and add your child to the account using your
child’s Activation Code.

DO NOT LOSE THE ACTIVATION CODE LISTED BELOW.

This Activation Code is unique and connected to your child’s academic record.

NOTE: If the Activation Code says “N/A,” you HAVE ALREADY added your child to your existing GoCPS
account, and no Activation Code is needed. Visit go.cps.edu and click ‘Log In’ to enter the username
and password you created.

Your activation code is 57WUV3

When you open your account, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you follow the steps below:

- Starting October 12th, go to go.cps.edu and click ‘Sign Up.’

- Create a username and password.
- Complete the parent information, including the primary address.
- Click ‘Add Student.’

You will be asked two questions:

1. Is your child new to the Chicago Public Schools? ANSWER 'NO .'
2. Is this student applying to 9th grade for fall 2021, or is the student applying to grades 5-9
for non-CPS students? ANSWER ' YES.'

You will next be prompted to enter your Activation Code and your child’s date of birth. After you enter
the Activation Code and date of birth, your account will automatically enter your child’s address,
telephone number, and other information. (If you have younger children and you wish to apply for the
elementary school processes, you will add your younger children to this account with their CPS ID
number.) Once you activate your student, you will be able to review your child’s school and program
options in one place, rank school and program choices based on your preferences, and schedule any
required admissions screenings (e.g., admissions exams, auditions, interviews).

If you have not already done so, please subscribe to the GoCPS mailing list by visiting
go.cps.edu/contact. This will ensure that you receive updates and important information
throughout the application season.

If you have questions, contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at (773) 553-2060 or gocps@cps.edu.

Sincerely,

Sara McPhee
Executive Director
 CPS Student Eligibility Data Letter - FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. What does “Eligibility” mean?

Eligibility refers to whether or not your child meets the minimum requirements necessary to apply for a school or
program. The Eligibility Data Letter provides your child’s NWEA MAP scores from spring, fall, and winter 2019 (if
applicable); seventh grade final (cumulative) grades in reading, math, science and social studies; and the average
of the seventh grade grades in reading, math, science and social studies from the first and second quarters. The
highest of your child’s NWEA MAP scores and seventh grade grades will be used to determine whether your child
is eligible to apply to the schools/programs in which you are interested for the 2021-2022 school year. Note that
being eligible to apply does not mean your child is guaranteed an offer. Processes and guidelines for the selection
process vary according to the program.

2. How can I find the eligibility requirements for these programs?

Once you log into your GoCPS account, you can view the eligibility requirements for each program on the screen
where all the programs are listed. Hover your mouse over the ‘i’ to view a pop-up of the requirements. You can
also visit go.cps.edu and look under ‘High School’ and ‘Apply’ for the list of eligibility requirements and selection
procedures for all programs. Click ‘High School Supplemental Document.’

3. How do I apply for the schools or programs?

There are two ways you can apply:

- Online: We strongly encourage you to apply online. The process is easy to use and allows you to research.
the schools/programs of your choice, submit your application, schedule your admissions screenings, and
receive and accept your offers online. Beginning October 12, 2020, visit go.cps.edu and click “Sign Up” in
order to create your online account and add your child, rank your school/program choices in order of
your preference, and submit your application. Based on your child’s eligibility, you can apply to up to 20
Choice Programs and up to 6 Selective Enrollment High Schools. If you have younger children and you
wish to apply for the elementary school processes, you will simply add your younger children to this
account with a CPS ID number. (Visit go.cps.edu and click ‘Elementary School’ and ‘CPS ID’ if you have a
younger child applying to PreK-8th grade who does not already have a CPS ID number.)
- Paper: If you prefer to submit a paper application, you can obtain it starting October 12, 2020, by printing
it from go.cps.edu – click “High School” and “Apply”.

4. What does it mean to “rank my school/program choices in order of my preference”?

In the application process, students can apply to up to 20 Choice programs and up to 6 Selective Enrollment High
Schools (if they are eligible, based on any minimum eligibility requirements). Students are considered for the
schools and programs on their application in the order in which they list (or “rank”) them on the application. The
application system is designed to try to offer students the highest-ranked school/program on their application for
which they qualify. Therefore, you should carefully consider the order that you list your program selections, and it
is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT for you to list the schools/programs on your application in the ORDER OF YOUR
CHOICE. In other words, you will list the program you want MOST as your first choice, the program you want next
as your second choice, and so on. For example, if School A is the school that you want MOST, rank School A as the
first choice on your list. Put each of your program selections in the order that you MOST PREFER and then submit
your application. THIS IS THE ORDER IN WHICH YOUR CHILD WILL BE CONSIDERED. Once your child qualifies for
an offer in your ranked list, they will not be considered for any programs ranked BELOW that program.

5. How do I schedule appointments for admissions screenings?

For the 2021-2022 school year, admissions screenings will be offered remotely, with the exception of the in-person
Selective Enrollment admissions exam. Online applicants will use their online account to schedule appointments
for auditions, interviews, and the Selective Enrollment admissions exam. Paper applicants will be contacted by
schools requiring auditions and interviews, and the Office of Access and Enrollment will schedule their Selective
Enrollment exam. All applicants (online and paper) will contact schools with programs requiring essays or teacher
recommendations, and all applicants (online and paper) to Service Leadership Academies will be emailed a link to
the Information Session.

6. Will there be any changes to the eligibility and selection criteria because of the transition to
remote learning
last spring?

Yes. For programs that use NWEA MAP scores, seventh grade grades, and/or attendance in the eligibility or
selection process, the application process for 2021-2022 will be revised as indicated below:
 NWEA MAP Scores

Typically, we use spring NWEA MAP scores from students' seventh grade year. Since this exam was not
administered this year, we will look at NWEA MAP scores that were administered during the following test
windows:

- Spring 2019 (2018-2019 school year) -- administered in April/May 2019

- Fall 2019 (2019-2020 school year) -- administered in September/October 2019
- Winter 2019 (2019-2020 school year) -- administered in December 2019/January 2020

Please note that all NWEA MAP percentiles used in the admissions process are based on the 2020 norms
released by NWEA in July 2020. More information on the norms is available at go.cps.edu.

If your child has NWEA MAP scores from a test administered by CPS in spring 2019, fall 2019, or winter 2019:

- We will use the highest of the math and reading scores from these exams for the eligibility process
- Your child will not take the NWEA MAP in fall 2020 for the purposes of the 2021-2022 application process.
- If your child meets minimum eligibility requirements (24th percentile in reading and math for general
education students, combo reading/math score at the 48th percentile for students with an IEP), your child
can take the NWEA MAP in winter 2020, and the highest reading score and the highest math score from
all of the exams will be used for the selection process

If your child does NOT have NWEA MAP scores from spring, fall or winter 2019:

-Your child will take the NWEA MAP in October 2020 at one of the designated testing sites: Curie, Lane,
Lindblom, or Westinghouse High School. These scores will be used for the eligibility process
-If your child meets minimum eligibility requirements (24th percentile in reading and math for general
education students, combo reading/math score at the 48th percentile for students with an IEP), your child
can take the NWEA MAP again in winter 2020, and the highest reading score and the highest math score
from these exams will be used for the selection process

-If your child does not have NWEA MAP scores from spring, fall, or winter 2019, and did not register to
take the NWEA MAP in October 2020, contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-553-2060 or
gocps@cps.edu for next steps.

Note: We will take the highest scores, even if they are from different testing windows. For example, if a student's
highest reading score is from spring 2019 and the highest math score is from winter 2019, those are the scores
that will be used.

Grades and Attendance

Some schools and programs typically use students' GPA and attendance for eligibility and/or selections. The
process for the 2021-2022 school year will be revised as indicated below:

-Grades: We will use students' final (cumulative) grades in reading, math, science, and social studies for
the entire seventh grade year, or the average of their first and second quarter grades in reading, math,
science, and social studies -- whichever is higher.
-Attendance: Because attendance was not tracked during the remote learning session in the spring,
attendance will not be used for eligibility or selections for

7. My child’s letter indicates that some of their eligibility data are missing. What should I do?
If NWEA MAP scores are missing- Missing NWEA MAP scores may indicate that your child did not have scores
from the spring, fall or winter 2019 NWEA MAP. If your child registered to take the NWEA MAP in October 2020,
your child’s scores will be posted to your GoCPS account within three weeks of the test date. If your child does
not have scores from spring, fall, or winter 2019, and did not register to take the NWEA MAP in October 2020,
contact the Office of Access and Enrollment at 773-553-2060 or gocps@cps.edu for next steps.

If grades are missing – OAE has attempted to obtain missing grades from your child’s school but was unsuccessful
at the time of the printing of the Eligibility Data Letters. Within the coming weeks, OAE will contact you with
instructions for providing us with your child’s grades.

Please ensure that all applications are received by the Office of Access and Enrollment
no later than December 11, 2020.