July 20, 2010

Chicago Public Schools today released preliminary socio-economic and racial diversity data regarding 2010-11 admissions in the District’s selective enrollment and magnet schools.

The numbers reported are pre-enrollment numbers – students who have registered and are projected to attend selective and magnet schools – and will shift between now and this fall, District officials stressed.

The numbers are based on the one-year policy that was approved by the Chicago Board of Education late last year. The policy, which uses socio-economic variables instead of race as a factor in admissions, was established after a federal court judge vacated a longstanding desegregation consent decree last fall.

The one-year policy that governs admissions to Chicago Public Schools’ selective enrollment and magnet schools – along with audits, and tighter and more centralized control of the admissions – has created a fair and equitable process for CPS students and families, District officials said.

The one-year policy that governs admissions for the 2010-11 school year, will be reviewed and revised as needed, said CPS Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman. A blue-ribbon commission is being formed and three community forums will be scheduled to garner public input on the policy.

The one-year policy established criteria to replace the race-based considerations that were part of the consent decree. Under the one-year policy, approximately 40 percent of those admitted to selective enrollment high schools are drawn from applicants based on their point ranking drawn from such criteria as test scores and grades; the remaining admissions are based on point ranking within four socio-economic groups drawn from updated census tract data.

Selective enrollment high school principals also were given the latitude to admit up to 5 percent of their incoming class through discretion with those picks subject to a review process.

Magnet school students were classified into one of three groups — sibling, proximity or general.  If space was available, all siblings at the entry level were admitted. Up to 40 percent of the remaining seats were set aside for students within the proximity of each school, and the remaining seats were divided into four equal socio-economic diversity groups.  Lotteries were then held for each group of seats. 

 “From the time the consent decree was vacated, our deliberations and decision-making have been governed by a determination to preserve diversity in selective enrollment and magnet schools, and to ensure transparency in the application process,” Huberman said.

Preliminary data show that for selective enrollment high schools, entry-level admissions were 23 percent majority and 77 percent minority, identical to last year. Within the minority subgroups, the preliminary data shows some shift, with Asian and African-American enrollment slightly down and Hispanic enrollment higher.

Potential reasons for these shifts include an increase in applications from Hispanic students (up 4.1 percent), while applications from African-American students declined by 2.6 percent. Additionally, applicant diversity has increased for such selective enrollment high schools as Westinghouse, King and Lindblom.

At selective enrollment high schools, 4,651 offers were made for about 3,000 seats.  Officials pointed out that final results of the current policy will not be clear until the 20^th day of school; that all numbers released today are a snapshot in time and may shift.

Huberman said CPS plans a full review of the one-year policy led by a blue-ribbon commission. The blue ribbon commission will include the following members:

Alderman Latasha Thomas, Education Committee Chairman

Miguel DeValle, City Clerk

Anna Alvarado, Principal of Hawthorne Elementary

Alan Mather, Principal of Lindblom Math & Science Academy

Cynthia Flowers, Black Star Project

Lisa Scruggs Esq. Jenner &Block

Bertha Magana, Latino Education Alliance

Dr. Mary Davidson, PhD, Center for Protection of Children  

The commission plans three two-hour public forums on the policy: on July 27, August 3 and August 10, all from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Locations will be announced.

• Centralizing the admissions process for selective enrollment high schools. All applications were submitted to the Office of Academic Enhancement (OAE) with seats assigned under the Board policy.
• Centralizing policies and procedures for transfer students. Principals must submit an affidavit explaining why they feel a transfer candidate would be able to succeed at their school and submit it to OAE for review and approval.
• Principal discretion. While the Board and CEO determined that principal discretion is an important part of the selective enrollment high school admissions process (discretion was eliminated for magnet principals for one year), specific guidelines that govern discretionary picks were established:
• Principals must report any prohibited contact with elected officials and CPS officials and employees.
• Principals must sign an affidavit that they were not unduly influenced in regarding a discretionary pick.
• A panel reviewed all principal selection materials and forms, and reviewed principals regarding compliance with policies and guidelines.

• Establishing a clear policy regarding influence in the admissions process. Beyond the guidelines governing principal discretion, CPS officials and employees with children in the application process must certify they did not attempt to exert influence to assist their children.

“We intentionally approached the Board with a one-year policy, the goal being to see what worked and what didn’t, and to act accordingly. And we are preparing further administrative steps to ensure continued fairness in applications and admissions. The upcoming review and additional action items will allow us to make further improvements in the process,” Huberman added.

Following the public forums, the commission will develop a final report with any recommended changes to the existing one-year policy. The District’s Office of Academic Enhancement and the CPS Law Department, in conjunction with the CEO’s office, will consider the report and public comments when developing a new policy to be presented to the Chicago Board of Education. 

About CPS

Chicago Public Schools serves 417,855 students in 675 schools. It is the nation’s third-largest school district.