Planning for High School--7th Grade Families Please Read!
Dear Parents and Students,
My name is Sofia Daly, the Thorp's Counselor. The Nurse, Social Worker, Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist, can all be reached in Room 317 at 773-534-3643.
Aside from letters being sent home in students’ backpacks, information will now be made available to you on the Thorp website, the PTA website, as well as the bulletin board outside room 317. Please check the websites for updated information.
7th Grade Parents and Students
The High School application process can be a stressful one. One year's performance, and one day's test can decide a big part of the next 4 years in a student's career. For this reason we at Thorp want to make sure our 7th grade families feel supported, so they will have the most options when it comes time to apply next Fall. Understanding the high school application process can be of big help. Some important things to help your 7th grader have the best opportunities:
1. Aim for A's. B's are okay too. The high school application includes Selective Enrollment and Choice Programs. Please note that both options have excellent schools where your child can thrive in. Selective enrollment schools are the most competitive ones to get into. Those rely on high grades (mostly if not all A's) and high test scores (80's or higher in percentile) in the high school admissions test. Choice Programs include magnet schools, performing arts, and military schools to name a few. These schools offer honors classes and IB programs which are highly competitive in helping students go to college. In other words: there's dozens of great options, and Thorp students generally find themselves in a great choice for them.
2. Explore High Schools. With hundreds of high school choices in the CPS it is important to consider all options. Look at various programs. Selective Enrollment, IB, Magner, Career Academy, CTE, Military schools--there is value in all of these schools and programs. Some schools have multiple programs within a school and you have multiple ways of getting in to one school. Visit Open Houses. Shadow the School. Get to know your options as a 7th grader.
3. Improve your test-taking skills. Most people are not natural test-takers. If you know you don't do well on tests, find new strategies, take test-prep classes at school when offered (some find their own tutoring), read in your free time. Scoring well on the test is half of the process.
4. High school admissions goes off of a 900 point system. In the 2022/2023 application, 450 are the maximum number of points from grades alone (all A's in ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies), and 450 points come from receiving 99% score in ELA and Math high school admission test.
5. Principal Discretion Applications are a thing! Each Selective Enrollment high school can take a certain number of students through an application known as the Principal Discretion application. Students who do not earn an offer for their top school can apply through this application, which looks at other contributions a student could make at a school, besides being a good student. So continue to be the best athlete, school leader, musician, debater or artist that you can be. This could help you get into your top school.
6. Applications of students with IEP and 504 plans are reviewed separately. Students in these programs are compared to other students with IEP and 504 plans and not compared to general population applicants.
Please let me know if you have any questions and would like some support in beginning to plan your high school applications for next year.
Thank you,
Sofia Daly
773-534-3543
[email protected]