Eligibility testing for 2009-2010 admission to Boston’s Advanced Work Class program begins this month

BOSTON – Boston Public Schools (BPS) announces the start of the admission process for the Advanced Work Class (AWC) program for the 2009-2010 school year.

Advanced Work Class is a full-time program in the Boston Public Schools that provides an accelerated academic curriculum for students in grades 4, 5 and 6. Students are expected to complete more school work and more home study. Student participation is by invitation only and is based solely on the student’s scores on an eligibility test (Stanford 9).

For students currently enrolled in the Boston Public Schools:
·    All Boston Public Schools students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be tested for eligibility for AWC in late September / early October at their school. Spanish-speaking bilingual students are tested in their native language.
·    All students will receive letters in January 2009 notifying them of their eligibility for AWC.
·    In January (grade 5) and February (grades 3 and 4), students will receive applications at their schools listing all AWC and non-AWC school choices for which they are eligible. Families complete the application, indicating school choices in order of preference, and return it to the student’s current school.
·    Students will be notified in mid-March (grade 5) or late April (grades 3 and 4) of their school assignments.

For students not currently enrolled in the Boston Public Schools:
·    Boston students not currently attending Boston Public Schools may register to take the eligibility exam, which will be offered on Saturday, October 4, 2008 at the Washington Irving Middle School in Roslindale. Registration materials are available at all private and parochial schools in Boston and at branches of the Boston Public Library, and there is no cost to take the exam. The deadline for registration is September 26, 2008.
·    All students will receive letters in January 2009 notifying them of their eligibility for AWC.
·    In January (grade 5) and February (grades 3 and 4), these students also will receive by mail applications listing all AWC and non-AWC choices for which they are eligible as well as BPS registration materials. Families should indicate their school choices in order of preference on the AWC application form. The completed AWC choice forms and registration materials must be brought, along with proof of Boston residency documentation and immunization records, to the BPS Enrollment Services Office at 26 Court Street.
·    Students will be notified in mid-March (grade 5) or late April (grades 3 and 4) of their school assignments.

Twenty-four BPS schools in the district’s three zones will offer AWC in the 2009-2010 school year, including two schools that offer city-wide programs for English Language Learners (list attached).  Parents exploring AWC can take advantage of the City-wide Showcase of Schools (Saturday, December 13, 2008 at the Reggie Lewis Center), which brings representatives from all Boston Public Schools to one place, and School Preview Time (November 3, 2008 – January 23, 2009), during which all schools host open houses for families, to learn more about options for their children in the Boston Public Schools. When visiting AWC programs, parents should consider whether the activities and classroom atmosphere seem like a good match for their children’s interests, abilities and learning style.

For further information, contact Enrollment Services at 617-635-9512.