The Middle School Choice Process

Elementary School Parent Coordinators Training

AgendaOverview of MS Choice Process

• MS Choice Calendar (2010-11)• Student Eligibility & Priorities • Types of Programs• Application Process• Navigating SEMS

Middle School Choice Calendar (2010-2011)Dates Activity

Week of October 4, 2010 Middle School Directories Distributed to Families

October 8, 2010

Deadline for Families to Return Request for Testing for: Academically Enriched Programs

(Districts 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 & 30) District 21 Talent Programs and Mark Twain Citywide Program

October 12, 2010 - October 22, 2010 District Middle School Fairs & School-Based Open Houses

November 2010 Middle School Applications Distributed to Families

December 4, 2009 - December 12, 2010 Middle School OLSAT Testing (Districts 17, 18, 20, 22, 24 & 30)

December 10, 2010 Deadline for Families to Return MS Choice Applications

January 9, 2011 – February 28, 2011 District 21/Mark Twain Middle School Talent Testing

February 2011 - March 2011 Student Interviews and Testing at Selected Middle Schools

March 2, 2011 – March 23, 2011 New Middle School Choice Application Round

May 20, 2011 Decision Letters Distributed to Families

June 24, 2011 Appeal Decision Letters distributed to Families

EligibilityEligibility to Middle School is based on Chancellor’s Regulation A-101:

Students will be able to apply to schools in their district of attendance and/or district to which they are zoned for middle school.

Students may apply to schools with multiple district eligibilities, borough-wide or city-wide programs

To read Chancellor’s Regulation A-101, please visit:

http://schools.nyc.gov/RulesPolicies/ChancellorsRegulations

Priorities Priority to continuing 5th grade students

K-8 schools offer priority to continuing 5th graders 5th grade students who wish to continue to middle school in their

current school must list that school as one of their choices on the MS Application

Priority to zone Zoned middle school will continue to grant priority to students who

reside in the zone 5th grade students who wish to attend their zoned middle school must

list that school as one of their choices on the MS Application

Program Type Description

Screened - Academic

Admission based on any combination of the following:• Review of Academics• Review of Attendance• Interview• Writing Sample• Teacher Recommendations

Screened - Language

Admission based on language background. Examples of types of programs/criteria include:

• Newcomers Program:oPriority to English Language Learners (ELLs) who have lived in the United

States for two (2) years or less• Dual Language Program:

oPriority to the following students:1. English Language Learners (ELLs) 2. Participants of Elementary Level Dual Language and Transitional

Bilingual Education programs in the target language3. Heritage Language Speakers of the target language

Test Based Placement

Admission based on combined test score ranking only. Examples of types of programs include:

• Academically Enriched Programs which require the Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT)

oComposite score = OLSAT (50%) + 4th Grade NYS ELA (25%) + 4th Grade NYS Math (25%)

• Test based placement using 4th Grade NYS ELA & Math scores (and may use attendance cut off)

• District 21 / Mark Twain Talent Testing

Program Type Description

Limited Unscreened

Admission’s priority given to students who demonstrate interest in a program by signing in at any combination of the following events:

• Information Session• School Tour• Open House• Middle School Fair

Unscreened Admission based on random selection of applicants.Zoned Admission is based on the students address.

Program Types (continued)

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Middle School Choice Application Applications for public school students are pre-populated with Middle School Choices on the application will be based on the following:

District(s) for which a student is eligible:• District of attendance• District of zoned middle school

Programs based on submission of Request For Testing Form: • Academically Enriched Programs (based on eligibility to

those districts in which OLSAT is administered) • Talent Testing Programs:

Mark Twain for the Gifted & Talented (citywide program)

District 21 Talent Testing Programs (based on eligibility to District 21)

Sample Application – Front PagePre-populated

customized applications

Any changes to student

information must be updated in ATS – SEMS will then change to reflect

and a new application can be

printed directly from SEMS on the following Monday This section

will be blank & should be completed

after students return

application

Sample Application continuedTop of Page 2 –

Directions & Sample (followed by customized

choices)

Program codes to enter in SEMS will be listed here

Ensure that students have ranked a sufficient number of schools in preference order

Bottom of Page 3 –Parent/Guardian Signature

Student Offers 1. Offer letters from the Middle School Choice Process will be distributed in May.2. Elementary Schools will be able to see to which schools their students

received offers via SEMS.3. At the middle school level, there are still a variety of forces at work.

Therefore, an “offer” is not always the same as a “placement.”4. Students may receive additional offers from:

• Schools that run school-based processes• New Schools that have to run the later “New Schools” round• Charter School lotteries

5. There will continue to be an Appeals Process. It will conclude in June.6. Placement Exception Requests (PERs) also still exist and may be issued

over the summer and into the fall.

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SEMS

Student Enrollment Management System (SEMS) is a web-based tool that is designed to support school staff and administration as they manage enrollment processes including the Middle School Choice Process.

Navigating the Home Page

Select MS Main Round to bring up ASL & MS Info

Search by an individual student

Links to every District’s Middle

School Directory & MSD Translations

Principals can request access for

MS Liaisons by clicking

here

Click here to return to home page from any screen

Check here for important updates

Navigating Your ASL

Student Name & ID will be frozen on the left so you can still see

when you scroll to far right

Click here to print all application receipts at once

Check box to print selected student application receipts

Student offer information will be available on ASL when decision letters are distributed elementary

schools

Questions?