high school and middle school options

88 Pages·2010·3.72 MB·English

your
Choose sChool
Baltimore City Public Schools 2011–12
Middle and HigH SCHool CHoiCe gUide
Choosing the
rIGHT
sChool
you
for Please use the checklist below
to guide your school choice:
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Attend City Schools’ middle and high Talk to your teachers, school counselor(s),
school choice fair on Saturday, school choice liaison, family and peers you
November 13, 2010 to talk with school trust to help you with your decision.
staff and find out more information about
q
schools that interest you. Consider distance to school and transportation
needs when looking at each school.
q
Think through your choices carefully. (Visit www.mtamaryland.com for public
Consider what interests you most transportation routes and information.)
about different schools, like academics,
q
extracurricular activities, athletics and Submit the middle and high school choice
other opportunities. application by Tuesday, December 21, 2010.

HelPFUl PHone nUMBeRS
City Schools Connect/ Office of Student
General Information ..........443-984-2000 Placement ........................410-396-8600
Office of Career and Office of Student
Technology Education ......443-642-3814 Records ............................443-642-4640
Office of Family and Office of Student
Community Engagement .... 410-545-1870 Support and Safety ............410-396-8672
Office of Office of Teaching
Special Education .............410-396-8900 and Learning ....................443-642-3990
ContEnts
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making a great Choice 4
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CEO LEttEr .........................................2 nOn-City n
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AppLiCAntS/rESidEntS ....................13 ti
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An OvErviEw o
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Of SChOOL ChOiCE ...........................3 StudEntS with p
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diSAbiLitiES ......................................13 E

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thingS tO COnSidEr e
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during thE ChOiCE prOCESS ........4 frEquEntLy ar
ASKEd quEStiOnS......................14 – 15 C

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ChOiCE prOCESS n
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StEpS fOr 5th And 8th mApS And
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grAdE StudEntS And LiStS Of SChOOLS` .....................16 – 18 g
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ChOiCE timELinE .................................5 ll
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rEAding thE SChOOL
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hOw middLE SChOOL prOfiLE pAgES: A KEy .....................19 o
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ChOiCE wOrKS ...................................6 y
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SChOOL prOfiLES e
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hOw high SChOOL LiStEd ALphAbEtiCALLy .......20 – 84 a
ChOiCE wOrKS ...................................8 Ac
CALCuLAting yOur
CtE COmpLEtEr prOgrAmS .........10 COmpOSitE SCOrE ......inside back cover
guidE tO rEAding
SChOOL prOfiLES ............................12
For more information, call the Office of Student Placement at 410-396-8600 or visit www.baltimorecityschools.org 1
Fall 2010
M
DEAr rISING MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL STuDENTS,
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As rising 6th- and 9th-graders this year, you are among Schools’ 2011-12 Middle and High School Choice
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G Baltimore City Public Schools’ luckiest students! You Guide. The guide provides a thorough overview and
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ea have the exciting—and extremely important—task of explanation of the choice processes for both middle and
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C choosing your school for next year and beyond. high school. It offers tips for students on how to make
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o the best school choice, and it includes full-page profiles
i School choice is expanding every year in City Schools.
c of all 65 middle and high schools participating in this
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Since last year, all prospective middle and high
year’s choice process. These profiles cover schools’
school students have the opportunity to choose their
academic programs, themes, special services and extra-
school. And with each year, they have more and
curricular programs, logistical details—school uniform,
different schools to choose from. You can now choose
bus lines, bell schedules, etc.—and comments from
your school based not just on geographic location,
students about what makes these schools great.
but school performance, school type, school theme
Please read this guide, Choose Your School, carefully.
and school programs. This is an opportunity to
Let it guide you through the coming weeks as you weigh
choose the right school for you.
your options. And please take it with you to City Schools’
School choice represents an incredible opportunity, 2011-12 middle and high school choice fair on November
and we in City Schools want to make sure it is as 13, so you can make carefully informed decisions about
pleasant and easy a process as possible. We also want which schools’ staff you want to meet with, and which
to make sure you make the best possible decisions schools you want to visit.
to meet your own unique interests and needs. So this
City Schools is here to help you build your future.
year, middle and high school choice are combined.
Be sure to take full advantage of the resources and
This way, rising middle school students can make their supports we have to offer. And good luck to you, as
middle school choice with high school plans in mind. you make this important life decision.
For example, you want to go to an arts high school, you
Sincerely,
may want to consider applying to a middle school with
a strong arts program.
To get you started with this year’s school choice
process, and to help you through it, City Schools has Andrés A. Alonso, Ed.D.
compiled Choose Your School—Baltimore City Public CEO, Baltimore City Public Schools
2 Baltimore City Public Schools • 2011–12 middLE And high SChOOL ChOiCE guidE
An ovErviEw
of sCHool CHoiCE
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introduCtion oi
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baltimore City public Schools is committed to

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creating more options for students, so that
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no matter where students live, they can attend G

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schools that meet their interests and needs.

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many of City Schools’ middle school students n
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can choose a middle school that works for a
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them—a school of choice. All high schools are
schools of choice.
A snApsHot

• In 2009-10, 98 percent of all 8th-graders
chose their high school for 2010-11.
• In 2009-10, choice was extended to middle
school students for the 2010-11 school year.
• In 2009-10, City Schools opened six new
Transformation Schools (combined middle/
high schools, three of which target overage
and undercredited students), two new
charter schools and one contract school.
• In 2010-11, City Schools opened three new
Transformation Schools and two new charter
schools, and launched turnarounds and
restarts of five schools with program themes
and external operators.

CHoosE your sCHool
Choosing the right school is about finding the best fit. City Schools encourages you to consider all of
your available options. in the right school, you will have the support to pursue the right college or
career program for you.
www.baltimorecityschools.org 3
tHinGs to ConsidEr
durinG tHE CHoiCE proCEss
M Know your options. City Schools has 65 middle and Visit your schools of interest. All schools will have
a high school options available for you to choose from, an open house day.
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in including schools with highly selective academic
• Plan to attend the open house activities at the
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a programs, career and vocational programs, themes schools you are considering.
G that encourage success through the arts and credit
• See open house dates and times on the schools’
re recovery programs. This guide provides detailed
a individual profile pages included in this guide.
t information on four grade categories of Baltimore
C • You may also find a list of scheduled open
City public schools:
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houses on the City Schools district web site at
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ic • elementary/middle www.baltimorecityschools.org. under City Schools
e • middle
Now click on Middle and High School Open Houses.
• middle/high
• For more information about a school’s performance,
• high attendance and demographic data, please visit
www.mdreportcard.org.
Know yourself. Ask yourself the following questions
to better understand your school preferences and what Choose. Think about the schools that you have
matters most to you as you consider different schools: visited. Begin to compare how the schools differ in the
• What are your likes and dislikes? following areas:
• What are your career interests? • The extent to which they meet your interests
• Programs or themes
• What are your talents and abilities?
• Parent involvement and input
• What clubs, activities and sports do you like?
• Distance from home, travel time and
Know your supports. City Schools offers support transportation needs
throughout the choice process. You should talk with: • Extracurricular activities, clubs and other
• The choice liaison at each school who is available to school offerings
answer your questions and will help you make a • School or work schedule
great choice.
Decide. Think about which schools you like most.
• Your parents, teachers, guidance counselor and other
You should make five school choices. Choices must be
students in your school.
listed in the order you prefer, for example:
• Your choice liaison to get a middle and high school
• Choice 1: I love this school.
choice application in November. remember that your
parents or legal guardians must sign your choice • Choice 2: I like this school a lot.
application, indicating that they are aware of, and • Choice 3: I like this school.
agree with, your selections.
• Choice 4: I like this school too, but prefer choice 3.
• Choice 5: This school is OK, but I prefer choice 4 .
All City Schools students should
submit their applications to their
school. non-City Schools or
non-resident students should
submit their applications to the
Office of Student placement.
4 Baltimore City Public Schools • 2011–12 middLE And high SChOOL ChOiCE guidE
CHoiCE proCEss stEps for
5tH* And 8tH GrAdE studEnts
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1 All studEnts: Attend the middle and high school choice fair to learn about your school options. c
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2 All studEnts: Attend the open house for all schools of interest. t
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3 All studEnts: research all available options. think about your choices. use your supports. G
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4a MiddlE sCHool: 4 HiGH sCHool: #
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For Advanced Academics only – determine eligibility for g
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determine eligibility for entrance criteria schools: entrance criteria schools:
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• use the information on the inside back cover to calculate your composite score. • use the information on the o
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inside back cover to calculate at
• Compare your score with minimum requirements for schools. r
your composite score. o
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• Compare your score with p
4b For all students – determine your preferences x
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(For example, priority group, quadrant, sibling) schools. er
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5 All studEnts: review the choice process and key dates to ensure that C
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you are following the right steps in the right sequnce. n
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6 All studEnts: rank order your choices. remember, choice 1 is the school that you like the most. le
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7 All studEnts: Submit the middle and high school choice application to your school choice or
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liaison by tuesday, december 21, 2010. All non-City Schools students should submit choice applications y
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to the Office of Student placement, 200 E. north Ave, room 106, baltimore, md 21202.
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* Not all 5th-graders are required to submit a choice c
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application. If you are a 5th-grader, not at a priority 1
school, you are welcome to stay at the school that you
CHoiCE tiMElinE: Key Dates attend. See pages 6 and 7 for more information.
NOvemBer 2010 DeCemBer 2010 marCh 2011 aPril 2011
The Middle and High Middle and Choice Decision Notification for
School Choice Fair High School Choice Letters mailed reassignment requests
Saturday, November 13, 2010 Applications due on or before due to the Office of
Tuesday, December 21, 2010 Tuesday, March 1, 2011 Student Placement
Attend Open
Houses* Friday, April 29, 2011
*Be sure to check the
school profile pages included in this dOn’t miSS thE ChOiCE AppLiCAtiOn dEAdLinE
guide for open house dates and times
TuesDay, DeCeMBeR 21, 2010.
at schools that interest you.
For more information, call the Office of Student Placement at 410-396-8600 or visit www.baltimorecityschools.org 5
How MiddlE sCHool
CHoiCE worKs
M dEtErMinE your
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City Schools divides all 5th grade
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G students into two groups for middle
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a school choice: priority 1 and priority 2.
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e which group are you in?
priority 1: priority 2:
This group includes all 5th grade This group includes 5th grade students
students currently attending K - 5 elementary schools that currently attending K - 5 elementary schools that are feeder
are feeder schools for traditional middle schools that serve schools for elementary/middle schools or 5th grade students at
grades 6 - 8. These students must choose their middle school K - 8 schools. Because these students may automatically attend
for next year, and they will have first priority for admission to schools with middle grades, they will have second priority for
schools with middle grades in the quadrant of the city where admission to schools with middle grades in the quadrant of the
they live. city where they live.
The liST BelOw iNCluDeS all priority 1 SChOOlS.*
priority 1: Students attending the schools on the list * Note: Any school not listed is
a priority 2 school.
below must choose their middle school for next year.
Abbottston Elementary School #50 Furley Elementary School #206 Lyndhurst Elementary School #88
Brehms Lane Elementary School #231 Furman L. Templeton Mary E. rodman Elementary School #204
Callaway Elementary School #251 Elementary School #125 Northwood Community Academy #330
Calvin M. rodwell Elementary School #256 Gardenville Elementary School #211 Northwood Elementary School #242
Cecil Elementary School #7 George Washington Elementary School #22 robert W. Coleman Elementary School #142
Charles Carroll Barrister Govans Elementary School #213 Samuel F. B. Morse Elementary School #98
Elementary School #34 Sarah M. roach Elementary School #73
Gwynns Falls Elementary School #60
Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Sinclair Lane Elementary School #248
Harford Heights Primary School #37
Elementary School #39 The Green School #332
Hilton Elementary School #21
Dr. Bernard Harris Sr. The Historic Samuel
Elementary School #250 Johnston Square Elementary School #16 Coleridge-Taylor Elementary School #122
Edgewood Elementary School #67 Langston Hughes Elementary School #5 Westside Elementary School #24
Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary School #11 Leith Walk Elementary School #245 William Paca Elementary School #83
Fort Worthington Elementary School #85 Liberty Elementary School #64 Yorkwood Elementary School #219
6 Baltimore City Public Schools • 2011–12 middLE And high SChOOL ChOiCE guidE
How MiddlE sCHool
CHoiCE worKs
what gets factored into what about charter schools? e
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placement decisions? o
Students and families interested in charter schools should h
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consider the following:
City Schools weighs numerous factors when placing students in
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the school choice process. • When a middle school student applies to a charter school, e
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they are not assigned priorities in that lottery. Charter schools G
your Priority Group. Priority 1 students are placed before

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priority 2 students in middle schools of choice, unless they are operate on the premise that every student has equal
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applying to charter schools or Advanced Academic programs. opportunity for admission to the school. All applicants are n
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student Preference. Students are required to rank their top five entered into the lottery and randomly selected for admission. 42ak
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school choices in order of preference on the middle and high school • City Schools has three charter schools with 6th grade entry
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choice application. using these rankings, City Schools attempts to points on the middle and high school choice application: g
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place as many students as possible in their top choices. Baltimore Freedom Academy #423, ConneXions Community

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sibling status. In an attempt to keep siblings close together Leadership Academy High School #325 and Maryland o
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and, where possible, in the same schools, City Schools gives place- Academy of Technology and Health Sciences Middle/High a
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ment preference to students with siblings already enrolled in their School #331. o
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schools of choice. A sibling is defined as: • City Schools has four charter schools with 6th grade entry x
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• a brother or sister who resides in the applicant’s household points that follow a separate application process: Afya Public r
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and shares a common parent or legal guardian Charter School #337, Baltimore Leadership School for Young e
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• a brother or sister who has been legally adopted by Women #348, Bluford Drew Jemison STEM Academy #334 a
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the applicant’s family and The Crossroads School #323. To apply to these schools, d
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• a child who is the legal responsibility of the applicant’s you must apply directly to the school. a

parent or legal guardian e
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what about advanced academic e
A sibling does not include a cousin, niece, nephew or any l
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unrelated child sharing the same address with the applicant. middle school programs? C
For proof of sibling status, the applicant must provide a birth r
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certificate for each child, custody or guardianship papers or The Advanced Academic middle school programs provide students f

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foster care (Department of Social Services) documentation. in grades 6 - 8 with differentiated academic opportunities designed m
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Geographic Location. In order to keep young students as close for those who learn at a faster pace and who benefit from greater d
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as possible to their communities, City Schools gives placement depth and breadth in instruction. c
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preference to students who want to attend schools in the quadrant • Students will be accepted on the basis of specified criteria
of the city where they live. See the school listing by quadrant on and available space, not based on priority codes.
the map on page 16. And be sure to update your official address
• City Schools has three advanced academic middle school
with your school so you get preference at schools in the quadrant
programs within the following schools: Francis Scott Key
where you live.
Elementary/Middle School #76, Mount royal Elementary/
what about missing information? Middle School #66 and roland Park Elementary/Middle
School #233.
The Office of Student Placement will notify the students’ parents
or legal guardians if there is missing information on the middle and ingenuity project
high school choice application. Choice applications with missing
information will not be processed until the required information The Ingenuity Project provides a rigorous advanced
is provided. Missing information received after the placement mathematics and science program for qualifying gifted students.
process has been conducted will cause a delay in processing the For more information please visit www.ingenuityproject.org and
choice application. page 49 of the City Schools 2010-11 Family Information Guide.
For more information, call the Office of Student Placement at 410-396-8600 or visit www.baltimorecityschools.org 7
How HiGH sCHool
CHoiCE worKs
M The process for high school choice differs
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There is no priority 1 and priority 2 division for

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G 8th grade students. rising 8th grade students
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1. Attend the middle and high school choice fair. 7. Choice applications with missing information
2. Attend open houses for all schools that interest you. will not be processed until the required information
is provided. missing information received after the
3. research all available options.
placement process has been conducted will cause a
4. determine eligibility for entrance criteria schools.
delay in application processing and will affect placement.
5. rank (list) your choices in the order that you prefer.
6. Submit your middle and high school choice application
by tuesday, december 21, 2010.
88 Baltimore City Public Schools • 2011–12 middLE And high SChOOL ChOiCE guidE