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

Test Prep Chicago’s Online Tutoring FAQs

In light of COVID-19 concerns, Test Prep Chicago transitioned completely online on March 18th. While the city of Chicago remains on lockdown, we will continue to operate remotely for the safety of our students and staff. Below are frequently asked questions about our online tutoring.

What kind of online tutoring are you currently offering?

We can offer any test prep or subject-matter tutoring you need from 4th to 12th grade. Test Prep tutoring includes tutoring for the NWEA MAP, SEHS, HSPT, ISEE, Academic Center Entrance Exam, SAT, and ACT. In addition, we also offer tutoring for math placement tests like the Algebra Exit Exam.

With what program are you operating your online sessions? Can we use Zoom?

Test Prep Chicago is currently using Vedamo. Unlike Zoom, Vedamo is a platform specifically dedicated to remote tutoring and education, so it has more features available both to our students and tutors. Additionally, it’s provided at no additional cost to families.

What features can you access in Vedamo?

Like other video-chat platforms, Vedamo allows students and tutors to see and speak to one another through a video chat. Unlike other platforms, Vedamo has a digital whiteboard that also allows us to upload our material. During the session, the instructor and the student can write directly on the whiteboard, working through our custom material. 

How does a Test Prep tutoring session work now that it’s online?

The set-up of the session isn’t all that different from an in-person tutoring session once it gets going; the main difference is in the time leading up to tutoring. A day or two before the session, our tutor will send a PDF of what the student and tutor will work through during the session. This way, our students will have a paper copy if they’d prefer to write answers down rather than work through them on the computer, and they have a chance to briefly look over the material first if they’d like.

About 10 minutes before the session begins, the tutor will send a link to their virtual classroom. Once the student clicks the link, he or she is immediately logged into the session. Once the session begins, the tutor and student will work through the material as usual with their digital whiteboard. In addition (depending on which test the student is preparing for), after the session, the tutor will send an email link with online homework for the student to do in between sessions.

How does a Subject-Matter Tutoring session work now that it’s online?

Students will need to send a PDF version of what they’re working on with the tutor so the tutor can upload it to our platform before the session. Then, 10 minutes before the session, the students will receive a link from the tutor to log into the virtual classroom. Once in the virtual classroom, the session will proceed as usual as they work through the material on our digital whiteboard. After the session, the tutor can send supplemental material for homework if the student would like a little extra practice in between sessions. 

Is Online Tutoring as Effective as In-person Tutoring?

Since this is new for Test Prep Chicago, we don’t yet have any data to show one way or another. However, there is no reason to believe it’s less effective given the same kind of one-on-one, personalized nature of the session as well as the fact that we are continuing to utilize our custom material. 

Does Online Tutoring Cost the Same? Can I Get a Discount?

Yes. It’s the same price for online tutoring as it is for in-person. Our company is actually paying more to use the service to put everything online at no extra cost to our customers. Lastly, since we are a small business that has been greatly affected by the pandemic, we cannot offer any discounts at this time.

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

CPS’s District Testing Action Plan

Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced on February 21, 2020 that due to a performance review conducted by the CPS Office of Inspector General (OIG) which cited a few potential testing concerns, CPS will be providing more oversight for CPS staff who are administering the NWEA MAP tests. CPS contends, “While the OIG did not substantiate any systemic misconduct at the school or district level, the review highlights a need for additional guidance and training for staff on NWEA's unique, untimed testing format.”

In addition, CPS noted that these findings don’t challenge the lofty improvements or accomplishments CPS students have achieved in the past, but rather will help to encourage a plan of action to ensure each school is clear on testing protocol. Thus, the District Testing Action Plan (DTAP) was born and will be implemented for this Spring’s NWEA MAP testing window (May 9th- June 12th). CPS’s summarized DTAP is below.

• Hiring a Test Security Expert: The district has hired a national test security company that will help provide expertise and guidance as we work to improve NWEA test administration and security procedures.

• Strengthened Testing Policies and Guidelines on Duration and Pauses: CPS updated testing guidance for duration and pauses, which will be included in the administrator, test coordinator, and proctor test guidance documents and training for Spring 2020.

•  Improved Training: CPS updated our mandatory training module for test coordinators and proctors that specifically addresses testing duration, pauses, and other important testing guidelines.

• Enhanced Monitoring and Auditing Processes: The district will also conduct targeted school audits during testing, analyze daily reports to identify unusual test times, and provide additional guidance and support to schools as needed.

CPS also maintains that they’ll continue to strive to make the NWEA MAP, and all testing, more efficient and effective in order to ensure “educators and parents have access to actionable academic data to support [their] students.” To find out more about CPS’s new plan, visit their website at cps.edu/testingactionplan.

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

An Overview of St. Ignatius College Prep

One of five extant public buildings dating back to before the Chicago Fire of 1871, Saint Ignatius College Preparatory School is one of the oldest Jesuit Catholic preparatory schools in Chicago. Located between Chicago’s Near West Side and Little Italy neighborhoods, St. Ignatius is on the National Register of Historic Places. Notable alumni include stand-up comedian John Mulaney; former Chief of Staff under Barack Obama, William M. Daley; and actress Gina Rodriguez among others.

According to their website, “the academic experience at Saint Ignatius is characterized by rigor, reflection, and personal responsibility.” The school offers 40 honors class electives as well as 25 different Advanced Placement classes to choose from in order to begin gaining college credit in high school. Impressively, 90% of their teachers have a master’s degree or higher, with a student to teacher ratio of 17:1. In addition, they boast a 1:1 iPad program that allows for classroom experiences which are “enhanced by state-of-the-art technology.”

Within each department, students have a wide range of classes from which to choose. In addition to more traditional courses, students can choose electives like Shakespeare, Chicago Authors, or African American Literature within English or Microbiology: Viruses, Bacteria, and Fungi; Earth Science; or Engineering within the science department. Similar elective courses can also be found in other departments. Furthermore, there is a vast array of music, visual art, and religion courses available as well as foreign language courses in French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, Latin, and Greek. Students interested in sports can choose from football, soccer, field hockey, volleyball, tennis, and swimming and diving among others.

Since St. Ignatius is a Catholic school, students must apply to be admitted. Thus, students must take the High School Placement Test (HSPT) on the first Saturday of December in their 8th-grade year for a chance at going to a Catholic or Parochial school. Unlike with selective enrollment, however, Catholic schools such as St. Ignatius look at the student as a whole (resume, transcript, as well as test scores) to decide whether or not a student will be admitted.

In addition, to attend St. Ignatius, tuition is required. In the 2019-2020 school year, tuition was reportedly $19,500 (per year). However, scholarships and financial aid are available and according to their website, approximately 28% of students at St. Ignatius receive some kind of tuition assistance. In the 2019-2020 school year, $4.5 million was pledged to help students who have a financial need. In order to be eligible for scholarships at St. Ignatius, however, students must sit for the HSPT at St. Ignatius.

For more information about courses, athletics, extracurriculars, or tuition visit the school’s website at https://www.ignatius.org/.

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

Dates for Non-CPS Students to Take the NWEA MAP Test

On Friday, February 14th, Chicago Public Schools (CPS) announced the dates below for non-CPS 5th and 7th-grade students to take the NWEA MAP test for admittance into Academic Centers or Selective Enrollment High Schools, respectively. In order to take the test on a date listed below, parents must register their students on the CPS website by Friday, April 3rd.

TEST DATES

Saturday, May 9th

Sunday, May 10th

Saturday, May 30th

Sunday, May 31st

Saturday, June 6th

Sunday, June 7th

In the past, non-CPS students took the NWEA MAP test in the fall of their 6th and 8th-grade years. However, CPS announced that this school year, 2019-2020, as well as moving forward, non-CPS and CPS students will take the test at the same time. While CPS students will be taking the test in their neighborhood schools, non-CPS students will take the test at Curie Metropolitan High School, Lane Tech High School, or Lindblom Math and Science Academy, all free of charge. Students will be assigned a testing location closest to their home address.

As a reminder, the NWEA MAP test is a common-core-aligned, computer-adaptive test designed to quantify a student’s knowledge of math and reading. It is untimed, and students may elect to take the math section and the reading section on the same or different days.

In addition, this test provides 1/3 of the points required to attend an Academic Center or Selective Enrollment High School. Each section of the test is worth 150 points, with a total of 300 points up for grabs based on their NWEA MAP score. An additional 300 points are taken from a student’s 5th or 7th-grade grades, with a final 300 points available from the Academic Center Exam or Selective Enrollment High School Exam (SEHS), respectively.

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

An Overview of Morgan Park Academic Center

Morgan Park Academic Center (also known as Morgan Park) resides in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood and is situated on the south side of Chicago. Similar to the other six Academic Centers, Morgan Park Academic Center is made up of 7th and 8th graders. Morgan Park offers their students the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) curriculum. In doing so, Morgan Park Academic Center is able to thoroughly prepare its students for their future academic endeavors. Upon completion, students are automatically accepted into the 9th grade IB MYP Cohort at Morgan Park High School.

To elaborate, Morgan Park’s International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme allows students to take 9th grade level curriculum which in turn allows the students the opportunity to earn high school credits. Therefore, when students are entering their high school years, they are better advantaged to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) and dual credit courses during their later years. Additionally, students are assigned a dedicated counselor specifically for Academic Center students and their counselor remains with them until they enter the 9th grade. This is also supplemented by Student Academic and Social Supports for continued, consistent support during their 7th and 8th grade years. 

Morgan Park Academic Center lets students choose between studying Spanish or French coupled with an elective course of either band or chorus through their duration of 7th and 8th grade years. Students are also encouraged to participate in clubs and select sports programs such as NJHS, Student Council, Boys & Girls Basketball, Girls Volleyball, Flag Football, etc. Transportation is also provided to students who live more than 1.5 miles away from Morgan Park Academic Center. 

To find more information for Morgan Park Academic Center, please visit Morgan Park High School’s website and click the Academic Center tab: https://morganparkcps.org/

Ramisha Ejaz, Tutoring Coordinator
ramisha@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266

An Overview of Lindblom Academic Center

Lindblom Academic Center (also known as Lindblom) is one of seven Academic Centers in Chicago. Lindblom is located in the south side of Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. Although it is one of the newer Academic Centers in Chicago, Lindblom remains competitive in its rigor, course offerings, and after school programs. Students who attend Lindblom Academic Center are offered acceptance into Lindblom Math & Science High School (a Selective Enrollment High School) as long as they remain academically on-track.

Lindblom Academic Center prepares its students by offering Honors courses for its core curriculum to begin readying their students for college level classes. The curriculum is dedicated to providing its students a solid foundation before they enter their higher level classes by enrolling students in advanced mathematics courses that integrate Algebra I into either one or two-year courses. Students also become exposed to laboratory-based science and have the ability to choose between studying two unique languages: Mandarin Chinese or Arabic. Students are offered the potential to take other unique classes through Lindblom’s Colloquium courses which is a program that “engages students in project-based learning centered in Community Outreach, Arts, Creation, STEM, and Athletics.” With the variety of classes offered and the commitment to expose their students to higher level learning, Lindblom Academic Center maintains its promise of providing their students a competitive curriculum intended for their segue into Lindblom Math & Science High School. 

Lindblom Academic Center enjoys being able to offer its students a variety of conveniences. Students are accommodated with a busing service that has designated pick-up and drop-off locations in order to make commuting to Lindblom easier on their students and parents. Lindblom also prides itself on allowing extensive accessibility to its teachers for the benefit of their students. Additionally, students are offered participation in select clubs and sports programs to supplement their academics. 

While Lindblom Academic Center does not have its own website, visit Lindblom Math & Science High School’s website to find more information for the Academic Center underneath the Academic Center tab: https://lindblomeagles.org/index.jsp

Ramisha Ejaz, Tutoring Coordinator
ramisha@testprepchicago.com
(312) 848-1266