CPS to Absorb Five Acero Charter Schools

In October of 2024, the Chicago based Acero charter network announced the closure of seven of its schools by June of 2025. These schools include Cisneros, Casas, Fuentes, Paz, Cruz, Santiago, and Tamayo. The network claims these closures are necessary due to rising maintenance costs, low attendance, and a $40 million dollar deficit. The shutdowns would affect 2,000 students and more than 250 teachers, making the decision extremely controversial amongst the community.

While Acero asserts that students who previously attended these schools would be allowed to assimilate to one of the several remaining Acero campuses, parents remain unsatisfied with this solution. They fear their students will not receive the same quality of education because of larger class sizes and transition adjustments. To fight this outcome, parents and teachers have come together to seek a solution through Chicago Public Schools. At the forefront of this crusade, Stacy Davis Gates, President of the Chicago Teachers Union, demanded that CPS absorb the schools in jeopardy.

Following months of public outcry and intense negotiations, the Chicago Board of Education voted to keep five of the aforementioned seven charter schools open. In a 16-3 vote, the decision to absorb these schools won by an overwhelming majority. However, those who voted against the notion fear that there is not enough money in the budget as CPS is currently operating under a $500 million dollar deficit. Nevertheless, Cisneros, Casas, Fuentes, Santiago, and Tamayo will remain open for the 2025-26 school year while Paz and Cruz will close as originally planned.

Kayley Horton, Tutoring Coordinator
kayley@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Illinois Schools Closed Through End of Academic Year

After Illinois’s largest single-day jump in known Coronavirus cases, Governor Pritzker announced on Friday, April 17th that all Illinois schools (public and private) would remain closed through the end of the academic year. This comes after approximately 20 other states –including Michigan and Indiana—issued state-wide closures for their schools through the end of their academic years in order to continue mitigating the spread of COVID-19.

On Monday, April 13th Chicago Public Schools began their remote learning plan for all CPS students which included delivering 100,000 laptops, tablets, etc. to students who need them (for more information, see our blog post from April 1st). Schools will continue with this remote learning plan through the duration of the year, and while students are encouraged and expected to participate, school work through remote learning will not be counted against students in their final grades. 

In a statement released by CPS, Janice K. Jackson (Chief Executive Officer) and LaTanya D. McDade (Chief Education Officer) assured families saying, “We know this is a tough time, but Chicago Public Schools (CPS) will be here to support you every step of the way.” They also offered these tips for quality remote learning through the rest of the year:

• Visit cps.edu/remotelearning for the most up-to-date information on remote learning and to access valuable learning resources.

• If your school is providing remote learning online and your child needs a device, please contact their principal.

• Your involvement is key to ensuring your child puts forth their best effort. Please take advantage of the resources offered by your school, including remote office hours with your child’s teachers.

• Please utilize Parent Portal to monitor your child’s progress.

In addition, they wanted to make sure families knew that Grab-and-Go meals would remain available throughout the rest of the school year. For more information on how/where to receive Grab-and-Go meals, visit cps.edu/mealsites. While some logistics of remote learning through the end of the year remain uncertain including “grading in quarter four, grade advancement, and requirements for graduation,” CPS reassured families that they are working to find the best solutions possible for families and will keep everyone updated as soon as they know more.

Chicago Public Schools has still yet to make an announcement regarding when and if students will make up their spring NWEA MAP test for selective enrollment high schools. However, Test Prep Chicago will continue to monitor the situation and let families know as soon as CPS disseminates that information. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter on our homepage, testprepchicago.com, for all the most current information. 

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Tips for Remote Learning

Since Chicago Schools will be closed through at least April 30th due to COVID-19 concerns, CPS announced a remote learning plan for schools to begin on April 13th (for more information, see our previous blog post). While students will have the opportunity to continue learning, that doesn’t mean it won’t be without a challenge.  

Below are Test Prep Chicago’s tips for optimizing your student’s remote learning.

1.       Create the most ideal learning space possible.

While this may be difficult with the whole family all home at once, finding a quiet space in your home for your student to do his or her work will help your student to maintain focus, and be engaged in their remote learning.

2.       Make sure your student turns off his or her phone or other electronic devices before logging in to learn.

Just like in school, students should turn off any other electronic devices that may distract them from schooling.

3.       Use applications or browser extensions to help maintain focus.

Browser extensions like StayFocused for Chrome is a free extension to your browser which limits accessibility to other websites that may be distracting during work time. In addition, if your student is completing remote work on a phone or tablet, there are also similar apps available.

4.       Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

We’re all collectively becoming a bit more tech-savvy out of necessity, but these skills don’t come easily to everyone. It’s okay to reach out to your student’s school, etc. to ask for help on how to set up the necessary programs to facilitate remote learning for your student.

5.       Don’t be too hard on your student (or yourself).

This is a tough time for everyone. In addition to moving work and school online, many families are also worried about the safety of their loved ones. Don’t be too hard on yourself or your students as you navigate how best remote learning fits into your family.

In addition to schools transitioning online, Test Prep Chicago is now online as well to help supplement your student’s learning with a private tutor. We can also help your students work to prepare for placement tests or get a jump-start on standardized tests in the fall. To set up private tutoring, email us at info@testprepchicago.com.

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

Chicago Public Schools to Deliver 100,000 Computers to Students, Illinois Schools Closed Through 4/30

Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced remote learning plans on Monday, March 30th, which will begin on April 13th after CPS’s scheduled spring break. As a part of their plans, CPS will deliver approximately 100,000 laptops, Chromebooks, and iPads to students most in need. Schools plan to continue with remote learning through at least April 30th after Governor Pritzker announced yesterday, March 31st, that stay-at-home orders as well as school closures throughout the state (both public and private) were extended through the entire month of April. 

Families of CPS should expect more detailed information from their individual schools by April 6th which will entail what their school’s remote learning plan will look like. CPS also intends to provide non-digital learning materials to help further enrich students’ learning outside of the classroom. All remote learning material is included in the state’s $75 million Board of Education coronavirus budget approved last week.

CPS’s new remote learning plans are more detailed than their previous enrichment packets with which they were provided before schools shut their doors on March 17th. The new plans outline remote office hours for teachers to provide for students as well as daily lessons. According to CPS, the district will release two weeks of activities at a time. Schools are also welcomed to add to these. In addition, though the district and schools certainly expect students to participate in the planned activities and classwork, remote learning cannot be counted against them in their final grades.

Furthermore, even though the NWEA MAP tests are canceled, Test Prep Chicago will continue to run its classes online for further enrichment for students and families who are interested. The classes are being streamed live through an educational platform, Vedamo, which allows students to interact with their instructors in real-time as well as use a digital whiteboard to help further grasp the material.

While CPS still hasn’t released more information about the NWEA MAP and Selective Enrollment testing, Test Prep Chicago will continue to keep families updated as the situation progresses. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter on our homepage, testprepchicago.com, to receive the most current information.

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

CPS Extends School Closures Through 4/20, Cancels Standardized Testing

In a public address to the city, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced on Thursday, 3/19 that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) would extend their closures through 4/20 in light of Covid-19. Lightfoot stated, “We need to give parents and guardians plenty of advance notice about this reality and the ability to plan.” This decision came to light after consulting with the city health commissioner Dr. Allison Arwardy and schools chief Janice Jackson who contend that they expect an “upward trajectory of the virus spread.”

Previously, the state had intended schools to be closed through 3/30 after Governor Pritzker mandated that all schools (both public and private) in the state of Illinois close from 3/17-3/30. It’s still unclear if another state-wide mandate will follow CPS’s lead in extending their closures.

While the safety of students and their families is the city’s top priority, this makes for an extremely unusual school year for the country’s third largest school district. Just last fall, CPS students missed 12 days of schooling during the Chicago Teacher Strike.

Furthermore, after Mayor Lightfoot made her announcement, Janice Jackson made a second announcement on behalf of CPS in an email to families on Thursday evening: all standardized tests, including the NWEA MAP test, would be canceled this spring.

The NWEA MAP test, in addition to serving as a helpful benchmark of progress in student learning, is also used for Selective Enrollment into Chicago’s top public high schools and academic centers. Jackson stated, “We are fully committed to ensuring students can access assessments tied to college entry, selective enrollment admission, and grade promotion, and we will keep families informed regarding any adjustments to the assessment calendar.”

CPS had not announced if they will reschedule the NWEA MAP exam to this fall or if they will even use the NWEA MAP exam in the admission's process for Selective Enrollment High Schools and Academic Centers for current 5th and 7th graders. That said, Test Prep Chicago will keep all families updated on any and all CPS announcements regarding testing.

Lauren Lynch, Tutoring Coordinator
lauren@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266