Reflections Due Soon!

Reflections entries are due on November 19, 2009. Make sure to fill out the green entry form before turning in your submission. The Reflections box is across from the office on the second floor. Good luck!

8th-graders' shot at elite high schools better

November 12, 2009

BY ROSALIND ROSSI Education Reporter rrossi@suntimes.com

Poring over data about eighth-graders who applied to the city's elite college preps, Chicago Public Schools officials discovered an alarming pattern.

High-scoring kids were being rejected simply because of the order in which they listed their college prep preferences.

Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman said a computer will assign applicants to the highest-ranked school they qualify for on their list.
(Rich Hein/Sun-Times)

"I couldn't believe it,'' schools CEO Ron Huberman said. "It's terrible.''

CPS officials said Wednesday they have decided to let any eighth-grader who applied to a college prep for fall 2010 admission re-rank their preferences to better conform with a new selection system.

Previously, some eighth-graders were listing the most competitive college preps as their top choice, forgoing their chances of getting into other schools that would have accepted them if they had ranked those schools higher, official said.

Under the new policy, Huberman said, a computer will assign applicants to the highest-ranked school they qualify for on their list.

"It's the fairest way to do it," Huberman told the Chicago Sun-Times editorial board Wednesday.

The application deadline for fall 2010 admission is Dec. 18.

Teacher Luncheon

If you would like to bring a dish for the PTA sponsored teacher luncheon on report card pick up day, please email us at oathorppta@gmail.com. Report card pick up day is Wednesday November 18th. We need side dishes and entrees. Here's your chance to show off your culinary skills and feed a hungry teacher! :)