Transition grade activities

Changing schools is an exciting time to move up, meet new people and take on exciting new challenges! It can also be a time with many questions. We're here to help.

Kindergarten Transition

Countdown to Kindergarten 
A BPS initiative to help families navigate this important milestone. Visit the web site for information about choosing schools, registration and getting ready!

2011 Printable Registration Guide Pamphlet
Print out this helpful guide on 11x17 paper and fold it into a brochure for your convenient use!  

Middle School Transition

• Next Stop: Middle School Guide (2012-2013)  This guide lists all high school options for the district and includes an overview of program options and definitions.
• Middle School Student Survival Guide 2011
• Middle School Parent Survival Guide 2011

High School Transition

• Next Stop: High School Guide (2012-2013)  This guide lists all high school options for the district and includes an overview of program options and definitions.
• High School Ready. College Bound. A Guide to Success for Boston Public High School Students: Side A/Side B

Helpful information about Choosing High Schools and the Assignment Process

BPS high schools are citywide. This means that students may apply to any high school in the district. Current grade 8 students receive School Choice Forms via their current schools and they are asked to complete the form with their parents at home and return it by the deadline.

Registration for grade 9 takes place annually from early January through early February. The deadline for this year is Friday, February 3, 2012.
Grades 10-12 register February 8 – March 23.

Applicants are asked to include at least five school choices on their forms (more is better), ranking them in the order in which they would prefer, with number one (1) being their top choice.

Discovering your options

Applicants should research their many options to identify a good fit, which includes considering the following:

• Course offerings, including college and career pathways
• School hours
• Sports and enrichment opportunities
• Commuting logistics to and from school

Searching one or more of the following tools can provide you with some of the answers to these questions:

• www.discoverbps.org
• http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/whataremyschools
• Next Stop: High School Guide (see above)
• You can also read profiles on all the schools, here on the BPS website.

Armed with this information, the best way to make a final decision about your choices is to:

• Attend Showcase of Schools (held in early November)
• Visit the school in person, during School Preview Time (November – January)
• Contact the school directly with questions or to request a tour

For more information on these in-person options, visit: http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/showcase-schools-school-preview-time-and-more

Ranking Schools on your School Selection Form

It is critical that applicants rank their selections in order of true preference. The computer algorithm used to make assignments works to place students in their highest choice school, where there is an available seat. If no seat is open, then it looks to the second choice, and so forth.  (Please see www.bostonpublicschools.org/assignment for more information on the assignment plan).     
 

Special Admission Schools

Some of the district’s high schools ( the in-district charters and some pilot schools) have special admission procedures. These schools make their own assignments and manage their own waitlists; however, it is critical that an applicant interested in applying for any of these schools completes the special admission requirements outlined by the school and include that school on his/her BPS school selection form.

Applicants interested in any special admission schools should rank them according to their interest in attending. If a special admission school is one’s first choice, then it should be ranked as number one. If that school is one’s fourth choice, then it should be listed as such.

Boston Public Schools’ Special Admission Schools, listed alphabetically:

• Boston Arts Academy
• Boston Community Leadership Academy
• Boston Green Academy
• Fenway High School
• Kennedy Academy for Health Careers
• New Mission High School
   

Assignment

Families that register during the first round (January through early February for Grade 9) are typically informed of their district high school assignments in late-March.

Families are asked to confirm their acceptance to the district assignment and to any special admission school invitations.   

Ranking plays a major role in both the original assignment and in waitlists.  The special admission schools send the district a list of confirmed acceptances that is matched against each other and with other Round One results to identify the student’s most preferred school. 

Examples:

If a student accepts an invitation to more than one special admission school, his/her ranked list will determine assignment.

If a student prefers another district school over a special admission school, but fails to include both on the ranked list, an assumption will be made that s/he prefers the special admission school over all other choices and will be assigned to the special admission school at which s/he is accepts an invitation.

If a student receives his second choice in round one and is on the wait list for his first choice, having the true order of preference helps the district determine if the waitlist choice is preferred over the special admission school.

Q&A

Q:  If I rank my top three choices as special admission schools followed by three other district schools, if I don’t get into any of the special admission schools, will I have wasted my top three choices?

A: No. The algorithm skips over special admission schools, so in this example where the first three choices are all special admission schools, the computer will treat the fourth choice as a student’s first choice. If there are no available seats, the student will be placed on the waitlist for their 4^th, 5^th and 6^th choices, as though they were numbers one, two and three.

Q:  Is there any advantage to ranking regular district choices first and then adding my special admission schools below those?

A:

• Yes, if your top choice(s) is a district school.
• No, if your goal is to obtain a seat in a special admission school.

The algorithm works to assign students to their first available choice. If the computer is able to give you a seat at the school you ranked as number one (1), then you’ll be assigned that first choice. The algorithm won’t even move on to a lower choice if it can give you choice number one.