High School Guide: Admissions, reviews, and advice

Sarah Hall53 said:Yeah, absolutely.

Kudos to Google, though! At least they interpreted "stand" as "stop."

The way I actually heard it was more like this:

If you could call me by a song, I wouldn't just be standing there; I'd be singing my heart out.😁

And honestly, I’ve always thought to myself—if it’s that hard for you to stay on your feet, just sit down already; someone get this man a chair.

Quick question for the experts out there:

My little girl had German as her primary foreign language in elementary school, with English coming in second.

If she decides to pick English as her main foreign language once she hits high school enrollment, will they be looking at her German grades or her English ones when calculating her GPA for admissions?

boldbadger1 said:Quick question for the experts out there:

My little girl had German as her primary foreign language in elementary school, with English coming in second.

If she decides to pick English as her main foreign language once she hits high school enrollment, will they be looking at her German grades or her English ones when calculating her GPA for admissions?

There exists a shared system for evaluation. In this CRITICAL framework, they evaluate grades from the final four years of middle school (grades 5-8) (maximum is 20 points). After that, they look at three specific subjects from the last two years of middle school (7th and 8th grade), which are: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, AND THE PRIMARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE (which for your daughter would be German) — that’s a maximum of 30 points. Then, they factor in elective subjects (3 subjects, with the last one determined by the specific high school curriculum) from those same final two years of middle school (7th and 8th grade) — maximum of 30 points = 80 points is the total maximum for HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.

English (acting as the second foreign language alongside her first—German) is ONLY EVALUATED if that specific subject is listed on the criteria for that particular high school program. How are you supposed to figure that out? You should probably check the "High School Enrollment Elements and Criteria" document from 2015 (just scroll down—those "elective subjects" for enrollment are listed at the very end of that document).

👍

copperhound12 said:There exists a shared system for evaluation. In this CRITICAL framework, they evaluate grades from the final four years of middle school (grades 5-8) (maximum is 20 points). After that, they look at three specific subjects from the last two years of middle school (7th and 8th grade), which are: ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS, MATHEMATICS, AND THE PRIMARY FOREIGN LANGUAGE (which for your daughter would be German) — that’s a maximum of 30 points. Then, they factor in elective subjects (3 subjects, with the last one determined by the specific high school curriculum) from those same final two years of middle school (7th and 8th grade) — maximum of 30 points = 80 points is the total maximum for HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT.

English (acting as the second foreign language alongside her first—German) is ONLY EVALUATED if that specific subject is listed on the criteria for that particular high school program. How are you supposed to figure that out? You should probably check the "High School Enrollment Elements and Criteria" document from 2015 (just scroll down—those "elective subjects" for enrollment are listed at the very end of that document).

👍

Thanks for such a detailed response. 👍

Look, we’ve already got the math part figured out—we have our calculator ready to go—but honestly, the thought of sitting through an English exam just for the sake of it sounds absolutely exhausting. I'm really not in the mood to tackle English as a standalone subject for the application. The track I'm looking at is web design, so they're focusing the grading on physics, technical drawing, and art. Why bother with the extra headache?

boldbadger1 said:Thanks for such a detailed response. 👍

Look, we’ve already got the math part figured out—we have our calculator ready to go—but honestly, the thought of sitting through an English exam just for the sake of it sounds absolutely exhausting. I'm really not in the mood to tackle English as a standalone subject for the application. The track I'm looking at is web design, so they're focusing the grading on physics, technical drawing, and art. Why bother with the extra headache?

Hey there. I guess she might try to enroll in that major too. From what I’ve gathered—though I could be wrong—the entrance exam is where you really rake in the points. At least, that’s my understanding if we're talking about a Chicago high school.
Anyway, good luck.

mellowskipper said:Hey there. I guess she might try to enroll in that major too. From what I’ve gathered—though I could be wrong—the entrance exam is where you really rake in the points. At least, that’s my understanding if we're talking about a Chicago high school.
Anyway, good luck.

It’s not like NYC—we aren't exactly your competition. 😉 Best of luck to you all as well. 👍

In my situation, I’m looking at Cleveland—or maybe Des Moines if I want an alternative—and there isn't even an entrance exam. At least, it hasn't been a total drag so far; I’ve already been emailing the school about specific courses, and they haven't mentioned anything about any kind of formal testing process.

mellowskipper said:Hey there. I guess she might try to enroll in that major too. From what I’ve gathered—though I could be wrong—the entrance exam is where you really rake in the points. At least, that’s my understanding if we're talking about a Chicago high school.
Anyway, good luck.

I should probably mention that last year, the cutoff just to qualify for the entrance exam was 74 points. So, if she isn't quite there yet, maybe these next two months could be used to bridge that gap...

gentlepanther3 said:I should probably mention that last year, the cutoff just to qualify for the entrance exam was 74 points. So, if she isn't quite there yet, maybe these next two months could be used to bridge that gap...

Where on earth are you getting that from?

If you're looking for a specific cutoff score for the GDMP, there isn't one set in stone.

Michelle Nelson4 said:If you're looking for a specific cutoff score for the GDMP, there isn't one set in stone.

That’s exactly what I thought—I was looking through the same stuff and it honestly just confused me. It seems like the entrance exam is actually the deciding factor here, more so than anything else.
Thx

So, May 12th in Chicago. Only one minor issue—the weather might be unpredictable. It's scheduled for Friday from 10 AM to 4 PM...
The kids might even head over with their class 😁

Thanks for the heads-up.
I suppose I should probably mention—if anyone's interested, I think some of the local school districts have already posted their open house dates on their websites.

mellowskipper said:Where on earth are you getting that from?

I was just talking to some folks over at Cisco.

gentlepanther3 said:I was just talking to some folks over at Cisco.

If you check the school's official website, there isn't anything like that listed—and honestly, I suppose that would be a much more reliable source anyway.

If I’m reading this correctly—and I might be wrong, but I think I am—everything is supposed to be wrapped up by July 13th?
I’m asking because we really need to get our vacation time requested at work. If that timeline holds, we could head out to the coast as early as July 14th. Maybe?

mellowskipper said:If I’m reading this correctly—and I might be wrong, but I think I am—everything is supposed to be wrapped up by July 13th?
I’m asking because we really need to get our vacation time requested at work. If that timeline holds, we could head out to the coast as early as July 14th. Maybe?

That was my understanding as well.

It’s possible we might wrap things up a few days ahead of schedule, and I noticed quite a few schools allow for online enrollment
but even I won't be heading anywhere during that June 28th to July 13th window ☕

I mean, I probably won't go either. But we have to sign up at work, so I'm trying to figure out if we’re actually free after July 13th.
Rihanna, what's the deal with the medical clearance—do you happen to know when that's happening? Or are you guys planning to just skip high school too?

mellowskipper said:I mean, I probably won't go either. But we have to sign up at work, so I'm trying to figure out if we’re actually free after July 13th.
Rihanna, what's the deal with the medical clearance—do you happen to know when that's happening? Or are you guys planning to just skip high school too?

It says everywhere that it needs to be submitted by September 30th at the latest, so we have plenty of time for that.👍
We will see about high school later...😁

It’s my firm belief that children aren't actually buckling under academic pressure; rather, they're being crushed by the distorted societal values being shoved down their throats via social media. It's quite a struggle for them. In our current American culture, a solid education doesn't seem to hold the same weight it once did—though I suppose there are still those rare, exceptional parents who prioritize it. However, this push for all-day schooling isn't going to solve either issue. It won't improve the quality of learning, nor will it do any favors for a child's mental well-being.