For 2019 - 20 Dear Students
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MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE FOR 2019 - 20 DEAR STUDENTS, We are so excited to help you and your family learn about all your school choices for next year! One of the things that makes City Schools unique is that students going into middle or high school, like you, get to choose where they’d like to go to school. With so many different options available, it’s important that you and your family take the time to think about your interests and talents as you explore what City Schools has to offer you. You — a young person with passions and dreams — know what you want for yourself. Think about who you are, what interests you, and what motivates you to go to school in the morning. Use this guide and our new online school comparison feature to find out what schools can offer. When you visit schools, ask questions (lots of them!) to find out if they have what you’re looking for. The choice is yours — do everything you can to make the best choice for you. Over the next few years, you’ll find passions that can turn into careers. You’ll use your voice to fight for issues that are important to you and challenge yourself to try new things. With the help of your family, friends, and teachers, you’ll get to know yourself and find the path to a successful future. No matter what school you go to, your commitment to going to school every single day will be the most important factor in helping you accomplish your future goals. Take advantage of everything your school has to offer — clubs, sports, advanced courses — to make sure you stay focused and excited about going to school. I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next year, as you work towards high school graduation, college, and your future. Dr. Sonja Brookins Santelises Chief Executive Officer Baltimore City Public Schools City Schools’ Blueprint for Success Every day, students walk through the doors of our schools filled with talent, dreams, and enormous potential. It is our responsibility to make sure that all students, including you, have a world-class education that will empower you to pursue the future that calls you. To do this, we are focusing on three things: 1 Literacy across all subject areas and through reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Student Wholeness by creating supportive environments 2 that meet the academic, social, emotional, and physical needs of all students. 3 Leadership, so that teachers, principals, and all staff members do their part to make your school a welcoming place to learn. The choice To find out more about City Schools’ blueprint, visit www.baltimorecityschools.org/blueprint. is yours! WWW.BALTIMORECITYSCHOOLS.ORG/CHOICE TABLE OF CONTENTS COMPOSITE SCORE 4 CALCULATIONS 5 HOW CHOICE WORKS SCHOOL CHOICE LIAISONS SCHOOL ADMISSION TYPES SPECIAL ACADEMIC 6 7 PROGRAMMING MORE ABOUT MIDDLE MORE ABOUT HIGH SCHOOL CHOICE SCHOOL CHOICE Priority Groups Students Now 10 Enrolled At Middle/High Schools 8 Siblings School Location Opportunities For College Credit Special Academic Programming Advanced Placement Special Academic Programming CAREER PREPARATION ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Students Who Are Not Currently 12 15 Enrolled At City Schools Students With Disabilities MIDDLE SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL OPTIONS 18 OPTIONS AT A GLANCE 20 AT A GLANCE SCHOOL PROFILES Elementary/Middle Schools F 24 Middle Schools F 26 24 Middle/High Schools F 28 3 High Schools F 30 Baltimore City Public Schools’ Notice of Nondiscrimination Baltimore City Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry or national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or age in its programs and activities, and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. For inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies, please contact: Equal Opportunity Manager, Title IX Coordinator, Equal Employment Opportunity and Title IX Compliance | 200 E. North Avenue | Room 208 Baltimore, MD 21202 | Phone (410) 396-8542 | Fax (410) 396-2955 COMPOSITE SCORE CALCULATION City Schools uses composite scores to place students at schools with entrance criteria schools (page 6) and in Advanced Academics for middle school (page 9). The composite score is based on students’ performance during the 4th or 7th grade as well as their performance during the 1st quarter of the 5th or 8th grade — including attendance, standardized test scores, and grades. In fact, grades in the 4th or 7th grade are counted more than your performance in the 5th or 8th grade. Each entrance-criteria school uses a different calculation that reflects the school’s focus. For example, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute puts more emphasis on students’ math grades because the school has a strong STEM focus. It’s important to note that taking honors classes or advanced programs in middle school can increase a student’s composite score and make it easier to get in to some schools. If you need more information about your composite score, please speak with the choice liaison at your school. School Choice Liaisons School choice liaisons at elementary and middle schools are ready to help students and families with the middle and high school choice process. This includes everything from exploring schools to filling out the choice application. Check with your school or visit www.baltimorecityschools.org/choice to find your choice liaison. Get answers to your questions about how to get ready for school choice and how to choose the school that’s right for you. WWW.BALTIMORECITYSCHOOLS.COM/CHOICE WWW.BALTIMORECITYSCHOOLS.ORG/CHOICE HOW CHOICE WORKS Get informed about your options, Complete your choice application including the requirements and application and submit it to your current processes for different schools and what’s school by Friday, January 18, 2019. special about each school. You can find out 3 Choice applications are available at 1 more by reading this guide or attending open elementary and middle schools, and houses, school tours, or shadow days (visit can also be downloaded from www.baltimorecityschools.org/choice www.baltimorecityschools.org/choice. for a list of dates). You can also use the new New this year: If you have Campus Portal online school comparison feature on the access, you can fill out the application online. district website. Visit www.baltimorecityschools.org/choice for more information. If you currently don’t go to a Baltimore City public school, see page 15. Pick five schools to enter on your choice Look for a letter from City Schools in application, ranking them from first choice early March, letting you know where you’ll to fifth. To help narrow down your top five, think be going for middle or high school next year. 2 about the following: 4 F What interests you most about school? Specific subjects? Career or technical training? Sports or other activities? Something else? F At what type of school do you think you’d be most successful? Big or small? All boys/girls or NEW: co-ed? A school with a specific focus or with SEARCH AND COMPARE SCHOOLS ONLINE! lots of options? City School’s new website has a brand new feature that lets you search for schools based F How will you get to school? How long will it take you to get there? Are you sure you can on what’s important to you — location, program be there on time every day? offerings, and more! You can also compare schools side by side, making it easier than ever to F What do your family, school counselor, learn about what schools have to offer and teachers, or friends think about the choices narrow down your top schools. you are considering? Some schools have a school-based lottery or their SUBMIT YOUR CHOICE APPLICATION ONLINE! own specialized application instead of the choice Students can now submit their choice applications application process (see page 6). If you’re interested online using Campus Portal (www.baltimorecity- in one or more of these schools, contact the schools schools.org/campus). You can get your log-in for more information and apply to them separately information from your school. by the individual deadlines. Do not include them on your choice application. SCHOOL CHOICE GUIDE 2019 – 20 5 SCHOOL ADMISSION TYPES There are different ways that students are admitted to schools. Before you select the schools to enter on your choice application, check the requirements for each school. CHOICE LOTTERY If a school (with no specific admissions requirements) receives ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS more applications than they can accept, the district will place ABOUT THE SCHOOLS YOU CHOOSE students there using a lottery. Each year, the district reviews and assesses how the district as a whole and individual schools are doing in ACADEMIC ENTRANCE CRITERIA providing all students and families with high-quality When a school has academic entrance criteria, a student school options. This annual school review process must have a minimum “composite score” to be considered helps City Schools create better options for students for admittance (see page 4 for more information about how and families by strengthening low-performing schools, composite scores are calculated). For schools with entrance expanding the reach of high-performing schools, criteria, students who apply are ranked according to their tapping into the resources of outside organizations composite scores. If space is available at a particular school, to operate or partner with schools, ensuring as many students who score lower than the required minimum score students as possible have access to modern buildings, may be accepted. If more eligible students apply than the and closing schools with poor prospects of school has room to serve — as usually happens with improvement for growth.