Chicago Survival Guide

The Testing Survival Guide
Chicago Public Schools

Regional Gifted Centers & Classical Schools 2012 Edition
Pre-K to 4th Grade Programs
With 90 Practice Questions
by the Testing Mom
If you are reading this, then you are a parent or a grandparent in Chicago
who is thinking about finding the best possible school for your little one.
There are so many options in Chicago that it can sometimes feel
overwhelming, especially if your child is just 4-years-old! Even if your child
is older, its still a complicated process to understand.
Maybe you are fortunate to live in an area where your designated

neighborhood school is great. Perhaps you are thinking of sending your
child to one of Chicagos prestigious private elementary schools or you
want to consider the options offered through the Chicago Public Schools
(CPS). The Chicago Public School system is one of the largest school
districts in the United States and there are many elementary school options
to consider. In addition to general education programs, CPS offers magnet
and magnet cluster schools (special emphasis on a topic area such as Fine
Arts or Math & Science), along with charter (privately run), and Regional
Gifted Centers and Classical Schools (academically advanced).
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At www.TestingMom.com, we can advise you about the many school

choices available in Chicago and provide you with resources to help you
prepare for various admissions tests. In this ebook, we will focus on the
Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools (SEES) of the Chicago Public
Schools (CPS); specifically, the Regional Gifted Centers (RGCs) and Classical
Schools, which you should consider if you are seeking a free academically
advanced curriculum for your gifted child. We will provide you with a
general overview of the RGCs and Classical Schools as well as the
application and testing process. In this ebook, you will also find some
sample test prep practice questions from our website, as well as resources
on recommended Chicago-based companies that can further assist you
with navigating the SEES admissions process, assessing your childs critical
thinking skills, or finding a tutor to help your little one prepare for his or her
first gifted admissions test.
The Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools are offered through the

Options for Knowledge program of Chicago Public Schools. All SEES and
application-based elementary programs are managed by the Office of
Access and Enrollment (OAE) (formerly the Office of Academic
Enhancement). Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools offer
academic programs to challenge children identified as gifted.
What are Regional Gifted Centers?
Regional Gifted Centers are designed to challenge the academically

advanced child by providing an accelerated instructional program. The
programs curriculum focuses on critical thinking, reasoning, creativity and
problem solving. Many students work at an accelerated pace that ranges
from one to two years above grade level in core subjects such as reading,
math, science and language arts.
There are 13 Regional Gifted Centers in Chicago, but only 12 Centers were
featured for selection in last years 2012-2013 Options for Knowledge
application. South Loop School (SLS) Regional Gifted Center, whose
program is housed within a Chicago neighborhood school, limited the
number of students admitted to their RGC program due to the growing
neighborhood population. The school continues to offer neighborhood K8th grade programming and Regional Gifted Center programming for
enrolled students in grades 1-8. CPS has decided to gradually phase out
SLS RGC to relieve the school's overcrowding issue. CPS is currently in the
process of identifying a new building within close proximity of SLS. It is
uncertain whether the new RGC will be phased in during the 2013-2014
school year. Parents will have to wait to see if the new RGC will be
featured on the upcoming SEES application. If you are interested in
learning more information about the South Loop Regional Gifted Center
admissions process, we highly recommend that you contact CPS Office of
Access and Enrollment (www.cpsoae.org) directly.
Similar to SLS Regional Gifted Center, eight other Centers are housed within
neighborhood schools, which means that these schools (Beaubien, Bell,
Carnegie, Coonley, Greeley, Orozco, Pritzker, and Pulaski) offer two
separate programs: general education for the neighborhood students and
an academically advanced program for RGC students. While neighborhood
students are admitted based on attendance boundaries, RGC students are
admitted based upon test results and a socio-economic Tier system.
Three of the eight Centers (Greeley, Orozco and Pulaski) are dedicated to
high-ability English Language Learners (ELL). Three of these schools have a
primary language other than English: Greeley (Polish, Russian or Spanish),
Orozco (Spanish), and Pulaski (Spanish).
Another Centers program (Beasley) is held within an elementary magnet

school. Magnet elementary schools in Chicago typically do not require
admission testing and accept students who live within the attendance
boundaries and/or through random lottery selection.
Three other Centers (Edison, Keller and Lenart) are called full-site centers
primarily because the Centers are located in separate facilities and the
students do not share building space with any neighborhood or magnet
elementary students. This designation is a little misleading, however,
because Edison Regional Gifted Center (still classified as a full-site center)
moved from its separate building location in 2008 and currently shares
building space with Albany Park Multicultural Academys 7 th and 8th grade
middle school students.
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Thus, the vast majority of students accepted into the Regional Gifted
Centers will share the same school building, have the same school principal
and interact with students enrolled in the schools neighborhood-based or
magnet programs. A number of CPS principals retired after the 2011-2012
school year and several were from RGCs. Carnegie, Edison, Lenart,
Beaubien, Orozco and Pulaski all received a new school principal for the
2012-2013 school year.
All RGCs have only one classroom per grade level with class size ranging
between 25 and 32 students per class. Homeroom and core subjects for the
RGC students are held in separate classrooms within the school, but the
students may share other common facility space such as the music, art,
gym or lunchrooms with neighborhood or magnet students.
Eight of the RGCs serve students from K-8th grade. Beaubien, Bell and Keller
serve students from 1st to 8th grades. The program at Coonley RGC, which
began in 2008, currently serves RGC students in grades K-5 with the initial
intent of adding a new grade level each school year. However, some recent
sources indicate that Coonley may be experiencing capacity issues that will
need to be addressed for the upcoming school year.
In some cases, a pre-K program may be held at the RGC facility but it is NOT
part of the Regional Gifted Center Program. Enrollment in the Pre-K
program does not guarantee acceptance into the RGCs kindergarten class.
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Students who attended the Pre-K program must go through the SEES
testing and selection process.
In addition, siblings of RGC students are not automatically admitted into

the RGC program. They also must go through the SEES testing and selection
process. Siblings may attend the general education program for
neighborhood or magnet students if space permits. You will find specific
details about Regional Gifted Centers at the Office of Access and
Enrollment:
Regional Gifted Center

http://www.cpsoae.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=72695&type=d&te
rmREC_ID=&pREC_ID=151352
Regional Gifted Center for English Language Learners

You may also want to review the helpful chart on the next two pages, which
was compiled in July 2012 by consultants from Minds Eye Educational
Consulting Services in Chicago, Illinois. The chart does not include SLS RGC.
*Chicagos Regional Gifted Centers

Admissions Determined by CPS Testing and Selection Process
Name
RGC
Grades
Beasley
th
K-8
Where is the
# of RGC
ELL
RGC program
classrooms
Required
housed?
per Grade
Magnet
Zone
Address/website
South
5255 S. State St. Chicago, IL
School
60609:
Beasley
(773) 535-1230
Elementary
www.beasleyac.org
Magnet
Academy
Beaubien
th
1st-8
Neighborhood
North
5025 N. Laramie Ave.
School
Chicago, IL 60630
Jean Baptiste
(773) 534-3500
Beaubien
www.beaubien.cps.k12.il.us
Elementary
School
Bell
st
th
1 8
Neighborhood
North
3730 N. Oakley Ave
School
Chicago, IL 60618
Alexander
(773) 534-5150
Graham Bell
www.agbellschool.com
Elementary
School
Carnegie
th
K-8
Neighborhood
South
1414 E. 61st Pl
School
Chicago, IL 60637
Andrew
(773) 535-0530
Carnegie
www.carnegieschool.com
Elementary
School
Coonley
th
K-5
Neighborhood
North
4046 N Leavitt St
Expanding
School
Chicago, IL 60618
by one
John C.
(773) 534-5140
grade
Coonley
http://www.coonley.org/
each year
Elementary
School
Edison
K-8th
Neighborhood
North
4929 N Sawyer Ave
Middle School
Chicago, IL 60625
Thomas A
(773) 534-0540
Edison
www.edgifted.org
Regional
Gifted Center
Greeley
th
K-8
Neighborhood
832 W Sheridan Rd
School
Chicago, IL 60613
Horace
(773) 534-5800
Greeley
www.greeleyelementary.net
Elementary
School
Keller
st
th
1 - 8
Stand alone
Regional
Far
South
3020 W 108th St
Chicago, IL 60655
Gifted Center
(773) 535-2636
School
www.keller.cps.k12.il.us
Annie Keller
Elementary
Gifted Magnet
School
Lenart
th
K -8
Stand alone
South
8101 S LaSalle St
Regional
Chicago, IL 60620
Gifted Center
(773) 535-0040
School
www.lenart.cps.k12.il.us
Ted Lenart
Elementary
Regional
Gifted Center
Orozco
K-8th
Neighborhood
Near
1940 W 18th St
School
North/
Chicago, IL 60608
Orozco
West/
(773) 534-7215
Community
Central
www.orozco.cps.k12.il.us
Academy of
Fine Arts and
Sciences
Pritzker
th
K-8
Neighborhood
Near
2009 W Schiller St
School
North/
Chicago, IL 60622
A.N. Pritzker
West/
(773) 534-4415
School
Central
www.pritzkerschool.org
Fine Arts
Magnet Cluster
Pulaski
th
K-8
Neighborhood
Near
2230 W McLean Ave
School
North/
Chicago, IL 60647
Pulaski
West/
(773) 534-4391
International
Baccalaureate
Central
http://www.pulaskischool.org/
School of
Chicago
*South Loop Regional Gifted Center is not included

Source: http://www.mindseyechicago.com/welcome.html
What are Classical Schools?
There are only five Classical schools in Chicago, fewer options than what is
offered with the Regional Gifted Centers. As with Regional Gifted Centers,
all Classical Schools in Chicagos Options for Knowledge Program require
testing for admission. The five Classical Schools are designed to offer
elementary students with high academic potential a challenging liberal arts
course of instruction. The instructional program emphasizes critical thinking
skills and strong academic exposure to music, foreign language, math and
the arts. Students work at an accelerated pace that is at least 1-year above
grade level in core subjects such as reading, science, and math.
Four Classical Schools (Decatur, McDade, Poe and Skinner North) have their
own separate building and principal, and all the students (kindergarten and
up) who attend the school are enrolled in the Classical program. Skinner
West, which opened its state-of-the art building in 2009 in Chicagos West
Loop area, shares the building with neighborhood-based program students.
Except for Skinner North and Skinner West, Classical schools serve students
from K -6th grades. Skinner North currently serves grades K-5, and plans to
add another grade level every year until 8th grade. Skinner West serves K9
8th grade students enrolled in the Classical program. Classical Schools

classroom size typically ranges from 25 to 32 students per class. In most
cases, there is one classroom per grade. The exceptions are Skinner West,
Skinner North and, occasionally, Decatur. Skinner North and Skinner West
have multiple Classical classrooms for the primary grade levels K-3. Skinner
North plans to expand each year to eventually have two Classical
classrooms per grade level until 8th grade. Decatur has been known to add
additional Classical classrooms in the past but this varies based on the size
of graduating classes.
Unlike the Regional Gifted Centers, the vast majority of Classical Schools
are housed in their own school buildings. As a result, students have no
interaction with students who are not enrolled in the program. At Skinner
West, the Classical students do not have classes with the neighborhoodbased students but they do participate in special activities together.
The principals of Classical Schools will remain fairly consistent this year.
McDade is one school that has a new principal for the 2012-2013 school
year.
At some Classical Schools, you might find a Pre-K program housed within
their facilities, but these are NOT part of the Classical School Program. As
with the Regional Gifted Centers, enrollment in the Pre-K program does not
guarantee acceptance into the Classical Schools kindergarten class.
Students who attended the Pre-K program must go through the SEES
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testing and selection process. In addition, siblings of students enrolled in a

Classical School are not automatically admitted into the Program. They too
must go through the SEES testing and selection process. At Skinner West,
siblings may attend the general education program as a neighborhood
based student if space permits. You will find specifics about Classical
Schools from OAE at:
You may also want to review the helpful chart on the next page which was
compiled in July 2012 by consultants from Minds Eye Educational
Consulting Services in Chicago, Illinois.
(http://www.mindseyechicago.com/welcome.html )
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Chicagos Classical Schools

Admissions Determined by CPSTesting and Selection Process
Name
Grades
Where is the
# of Classical
Zone
Address/website
Varies, 1 or 2
North
7030 N Sacramento Ave

Chicago, Illinois 60645
(773) 534-2201
www.decaturclassical.org
Far
Classical
classrooms
Program
per Grade
housed?
Decatur
th
K-6
Stephen Decatur
Classical
Elementary
School
McDade
th
K-6
James E
McDade
South
Elementary
8801 S. Indiana Ave.

Chicago, IL 60619
(773) 535-3669
http://www.mcdadeclassical.org/
Classical School
Poe
th
K-6
Edgar Allan Poe
Elementary
Far
South
Classical School
Skinner
K-8th
West
Mark Skinner
Varies, 1 or 2
Near
Elementary
North/
School
West/
10538 S Langley Ave

(773) 535-5525
www.poe.cps.k12.il.us
260 W. Adams St.
Chicago, IL 60607
773-534-7790
www.skinner.cps.k12.il.us
Central
Skinner
North
K-5th
Expanding by
Skinner North
Varies, 1 or 2
Near
North/
one grade
West/
each year
Central
640 W Scott St
(773) 534-8500
http://skinnernorth.org/
How to Apply for Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools

Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools are SEES managed by the
Office of Access and Enrollment (formerly the Office of Academic
Enhancement). You would follow the same process to apply your child to a
Regional Gifted Center or a Classical School Program.
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You would apply your child to take the test in the fall (October to
December) one year before your childs entry into the program you are
testing for. Children who turn 5 before September 1 are eligible to apply
for the Kindergarten entrance test in the fall when they are 4-years-old and
children who turn 6 before September 1 are eligible for first grade entrance
test in the fall when they are 5-years-old. There are some exceptions
where a younger child can apply for a first grade seat, and we recommend
that you consult with the experts at Chicago School GPS Navigator
(www.chischoolgps.com) for advice if you have a child in that situation.
All students must be tested. There are no pre-qualification requirements

(i.e., test score and grades) to take the admissions test for children applying
for kindergarten through 4th grade entry. Students applying to 5th grade
and above must pre-qualify for testing eligibility based on a students
standardized testing percentiles in reading and math and cutoffs vary based
on the program being applied to.
Parents of preschoolers and early elementary students can apply as long as

their child is age-appropriate and can separate from their parents at the
test site. This is especially important since parents will not be allowed to
accompany their child into the assessment area. Applications must be
submitted each Fall for your child to be considered for the following years
programs. Remember, there is no sibling (including twins, triplets and
other multiples) or proximity preference for the test-in schools.
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Applicants for the Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools are
selected based on test results and a tier system.
Below is an outline of the application process for these programs as it

stands today. Be sure to check the OAE website (www.cpsoae.org) in the
early Fall in case changes are made. www.TestingMom.com will update
this ebook if major changes are announced, and we will be reporting them
on our site and during our tele-seminars and live events as well. Here is the
current process you should follow:
Read the Options for Knowledge Guide and review the application
deadlines under apply and options for knowledge guide at the
following website: www.cpsoae.org. The Options for Knowledge
Guide is an extremely helpful document that is updated yearly. The
Guide contains an overview for admissions, details of the application
and selection process, FAQs, and other important information.
Get an Application at https://apply.cps.edu/. Applications for the

2013-2014 school year should be available to download around
October 1, 2012. The application period usually begins in early
October and ends around mid-December. You might also find an
application within the Options for Knowledge Guide, which can be
picked up at your local library, park districts field house, or
Aldermans office. In the past, it has been difficult to find paper
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applications so you are encouraged to apply online via the 2 step

process at https://apply.cps.edu/ (see more details below).
Attend the open houses and rank your top school choices. In early
September, you should be able to find a list of Open Houses to be
held at Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools at this link:
www.cpsoae.org under Programs. Click on Open House Events.
Representatives from the OAE may host a number of parent
information sessions throughout the city at local libraries and school
fairs.
Select up to six Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools (using

any combination); and/or up to three Regional Gifted Centers for
English Language Learners. You do not have to apply for the
maximum number of schools.
Submit an application to the OAE during the designated application

period. Go to www.cpsoae.org. Look under apply and application
materials. You can apply online or complete a paper application. If
you apply online you will need to have an email address. If you have
never used the online process before, you will need a Personal
Identification Number (PIN) before you can submit an online
application. Please note that a PIN number will be mailed to your
home address and cannot be given out via email. This is done to
confirm your home address. OAE can confirm whether you need to
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get a new PIN each year and whether you only need one per family.
Pay close attention to the deadlines. Last year, the deadline to
request a PIN was one week prior to the postmark deadline for the
paper application.
Make sure to get a confirmation that you applied. You can print your
confirmation if you applied online. If you are using the paper process
you can enclose a stamped self-address envelope as confirmation.
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The Testing Process
After the applications are processed, eligible students will be

contacted via U.S. mail regarding testing date, time, and location.
The Illinois Institute of Technology has been the test location for the
past few years. If for some reason your child is not eligible to test
(i.e., your child is not age appropriate based on the September 1st
cutoff date for Kindergarten and 1st grade enrollment), you will
receive a letter notifying you of this information.
After the applications are processed, eligible students will be

contacted via U.S. mail regarding testing date, time, and location.
The Illinois Institute of Technology has been the test location for the
past few years. If for some reason your child is not eligible to test
(i.e., your child is not age appropriate based on the September 1st
cutoff date for Kindergarten and 1st grade enrollment), you will
receive a letter notifying you of this information.
Testing can be scheduled in the early mornings and afternoons,

throughout the week and on weekends. Be sure to arrive early. Tip:
Be sure to arrive at least 15 minutes before your childs scheduled
appointment. Students who arrive late may forfeit their
appointment. If you receive a testing date that is not feasible for you,
you may only request one rescheduled date. Rescheduling is highly
discouraged, as there is no guarantee that your child can be
accommodated.
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According to CPSs Office of Access and Enrollment, approximately 3,100

children were tested for kindergarten entry-level seats for the 2012-2013
school year. Keep in mind that most openings are at the kindergarten
and/or first-grade entry levels. After kindergarten, children must leave the
program for seats to open up, so you are depending on attrition to get
those higher-grade spaces. At the same time, fewer children apply for
these spaces. There is one exception at 4th grade, CPS allows enrollment
to increase by 2 4 students to 32 students per class. Once your child gets
into a Regional Gifted Center or Classical School, he or she can stay for the
duration of the program. Your child does not have to test again to stay in
the program. The following information is covered in the OAE website:
http://cpsoae.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=72695&type=d&termRE
C_ID=&pREC_ID=121684
Your childs assigned test date(s) will depend on the grade to which
the student is applying and the programs you select on the
application. It will also depend on when your application is
processed by OAE and the availability of test dates.
You should expect to receive notification of your childs scheduled

test date, time, and place about two weeks before their scheduled
test date. If you do not receive a letter notifying you of your childs
test date by the end of January, you will want to contact the Office of
Access and Enrollment at (773) 553-2060 or oae@cps.k12.il.us .
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Testing typically begins in early November and goes through midFebruary (or even late March) in order to accommodate the number
of applicants to be tested. Each test (the test for the Classical School
Program and the test for a Regional Gifted Center Program) will take
between 20 and 30 minutes, but it really depends upon how the child
answers the examiners questions. Last year some children testing
for kindergarten programs completed their test in under 10 minutes.
Chicago Public Schools does not disclose the names of the tests that
are administered by the proctors or examiners. We do know that
two different types of admission tests are administered. The test for
the Regional Gifted Centers measures critical thinking skills,
reasoning, problem solving, and mental control. Mental control is
Working Memory that is, the ability to hold information in the
short-term memory while performing a mental operation or doing
something with that information. The test for the Classical Schools
program is an achievement test that assesses the students reading,
language arts, and mathematics abilities.
Remember, if you apply to Regional Gifted Centers AND Classical

Schools, your child will need to take two separate tests. The number
of test appointment letters you will receive depends upon the grade
level for which your child is applying. Your child will only receive one
appointment letter if he or she is applying for kindergarten. Your
child will receive two separate appointment letters if he or she is
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applying for grades 1 4. Preschool children applying for

kindergarten will take a one-on-one test with a proctor at IIT, while
students applying for 1st grade or other entry years will take the
exam in a group setting. Questions are read aloud by a proctor to
preschool - 1st grade children. Applicants for older grades may have
sample questions read aloud but will mainly be responsible for
reading the test questions themselves.
For the K and 1st grade RGC exams, your child will not be expected to
know how to read; the questions will be read aloud for your child and
indicated by picture icons. For Classical exams, your child may be
expected to recognize basic numbers, letters and some words.
This ebook covers the application and testing process for children testing
into Kindergarten - 4th grade.
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The Selection and Tier System
Applicants for the Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools are
selected for admission based upon their admissions test score and a tier
system. CPS has stated that the admissions tests are used for placement
purposes and do not represent diagnostic scores, nor do the scores capture
all of a childs potential and creativity. Typically, there are two ways the
admission test scores are reported: standard score and percentile rank.
The Regional Gifted Centers admission test measures the childs capacity
for problem solving and higher order thinking. The test results are reported
in standard scores which correspond to a percentile rank. For example, a
standard score of 100 is considered average because it is equivalent to the
50th percentile, whereas a standard score of 130 corresponds to
approximately the 98th percentile.
According to CPS, approximately 3,100 students were tested for the 20122013 kindergarten level seats. Selections for kindergarten seats began
with standard scores as high as 160. Selections for first-fourth grades
began with a standard score of 150.
Be aware that over the last few years, students who scored below the score
of 115 were not offered a seat for a Regional Gifted Center School.
The Classical School admission test measures achievement in reading and
math. Percentile scores are used to report the test results for the Classical
21
School admissions test. The Percentile ranges from 1% to 99.9%. If your

child received a score at the 80th percentile it meant that based on a
national sample of children of similar age in years and months, 80 percent
of the children scored below your child. Selection for the Classical School
2012-2013 seats began with students whose percentiles were at the 99.9th
percentile in both reading and math. Children who earned a score below
the cutoff of 80th percentile in either math or reading were not offered a
seat for a Classical School. Due to the limited number of seats at each
school, cutoff scores for K-6th grade programs are not released for privacy
reasons.
The Tier System
CPS places every part of the city into one of four socio-economic tiers based
on ones residential address. You may want to go to this website
(http://cpstiers.opencityapps.org/) to find out your tier number. It is
important to understand that at each Regional Gifted Center and Classical
School, CPS assigns 30% of the available seats to the highest-scoring
applicants, regardless of their tier or where they live in the city. As part of
CPS effort to maintain diversity in the school system, the remaining 70% of
seats are offered to the top-scoring applicants within each of the four tiers.
Here is a hypothetical scenario: Lets say that Regional Gifted Center A

has 28 kindergarten seats to fill for the upcoming school year. First, 30%
(or 8 of the seats) are designated as city-wide seats and would be offered
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to the applicants with the highest test scores across the entire city who put
down that school as their first choice. Next, the remaining 70% (or 20
seats) would be divided equally across the tiers and offered to children who
scored the highest within their tier. A student applying for one of these 20
seats competes with children living in similar neighborhoods and not
against every applicant in the city. Thus, 5 seats would be offered to the top
students in Tier 1, another 5 seats offered to the top students in Tier 2, and
so on. Since Tier 1 and Tier 2 neighborhoods have a lower socioeconomic
status (generally less affluent and educated) than Tier 3 and Tier 4 areas, it
is possible that children from Tiers 1 and 2 may get offered a RGC or
Classical seat with a lower admissions test score than children with higher
admission test scores living in Tier 3 or 4 areas.
The Notification Process

Notification letters are typically mailed by the Office of Access and
Enrollment in late March or early April. The date depends on the number of
applicants tested, which seems to be getting larger each year. Children
who take both Regional Gifted Center and Classical School admission tests
and score exceedingly well may receive an offer letter for only one but not
both types of schools (RGC or Classical). The school offered will be based
on the order of the previously ranked school choices.
Parents will have a deadline to accept or decline the seat offered. After the
first round deadline, the qualified but non-selected applicants will remain in
the applicant pool. While there is no official waitlist for RGC and Classical
23
test-in schools, applicants are ranked by score within the tiers and may
receive an offer in a later selection round. Although kindergarten seats fill
up quickly, CPS Office of Access and Enrollment will continue the selection
process until all the seats at each grade level are filled. Seats can continue
to be filled up to and through the first week of school in successive
selection rounds.
Testing for Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools
As mentioned earlier, to qualify for a seat at a Regional Gifted Center or a

Classical School, your child will need to be tested. A different test is given
for each program. The CPS Office of Access and Enrollment (OAE) does not
disclose the names of the tests given for each program. However, they do
let parents know the abilities assessed on the tests given for each program.
In these next pages, we will review the testing process in a bit more detail
than before.
Skills Assessed on Test for Classical Schools

Reading
Language Arts
Math
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Skills Assessed on Test for Regional Gifted Centers

Critical Thinking Skills
Reasoning Abilities
Problem Solving
Mental Control (defined as the ability to hold information in the
short term memory while performing a mental operation also
known as working memory.)
Additional abilities that we believe are covered on the test but are not
mentioned on the OAE Website include:
Logical Thinking
Mathematics
Classification
Creativity
Child Must Be Able to Separate to Be Tested
Parents are not allowed to accompany children into the assessment room.
Your child will need to separate from you and walk with the examiner to
the assessment room. Examiners are typically graduate students from the
Psychology Department at Illinois Institute of Technology (ITT). Chicago
Public Schools contracts the service of administering the test to ITT. These
graduate students are supervised and trained by licensed clinical
25
psychologists. Tip: Make sure your child has gone to the bathroom and
has been well fed beforehand so they dont get hungry during testing.
Parents wait in an ITT auditorium while their children are being tested.
Children are taken to a classroom at the college to be tested.
When Reading and Writing is Required
Preschoolers applying for Kindergarten do not need to use a pencil or fill in

bubble forms during either test. For children this age, the test is given oneon-one. The examiner reads the question and the child will point to the
answer. The examiner fills out a bubble answer sheet for the child.
Children applying for 1st through 4th grade programs are tested in groups,
which can be as large as 20 students. For kindergarteners applying to first
grade, the examiner will read most of the questions during both tests and
the child will fill in the bubble answer. There may be some exceptions to
this where your child will need to read. First graders 3rd graders applying
to Second Fourth grade will read the questions themselves and fill in the
bubble answer. There may be some exceptions to this where questions will
be read to your child.
It is reported that no scratch paper is provided and children are not allowed
to write in their booklets. In the upper grades, children answer questions
using bubble sheets as the test booklets are reused.
26
Appointment Letters if Your Child is Taking Both Tests
If your preschooler is applying for Kindergarten entry at both a Classical

School and a Regional Gifted Center, you will receive one appointment
letter that covers both tests. Appointments are during weekends and
weekdays throughout the entire day. Typically, both tests will be taken on
the same day. Your child will stay with the examiner the entire time but
may get a short break between tests. Parents will not see the child until
both tests have been taken. Each test takes between 5 30 minutes,
depending on how many questions your child answers. If you have just
signed up for one test, then your childs appointment letter will be for that
one test.
If your child is applying for 1st through 4th grade entry at both a Classical
School and a Regional Gifted Center, you will receive two appointment
letters. If your child is taking both tests, they may be scheduled days or
weeks apart it is unlikely that they will be scheduled on the same day. If
your childs appointment is during school hours, students can get an
excused absence, but you will have to let your childs school know that you
are having your child tested for a different school.
THE INFORMATION ABOVE ABOUT TESTING PROCEDURES AND TESTS IS

BASED ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN PAST YEARS. PLEASE NOTE THAT CPS
CAN CHANGE THEIR PROCESSES AND TESTS AT ANY TIME.
27
Test Preparation
At www.TestingMom.com, we have set up a Chicago Public School (CPS)
section on our website with thousands of practice questions you can use to
work with your child who may be applying to Kindergarten 4th Grade. We
have included practice questions that will familiarize children with the kinds
of tasks or questions they might encounter on a variety of different tests
that assess the skills that are reportedly evaluated on the Test for Classical
Schools and Regional Gifted Centers. In the CPS section of our website,
practice questions for the following tests are included:
The Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT), The Cognitive Abilities
Test (CogAT), The Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS), The WoodcockJohnson Tests of Achievement, The Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale
of Intelligence IV (WPPSI-IV), The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for
Children (WISC) and The Torrance Test of Creative Thinking.
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), Wechsler Preschool and Primary
Scale of Intelligence Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), OLSAT Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, Eighth Edition, are
registered trademarks of Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliate(s), or their licensors. TestingMom.com is not affiliated
with nor related to Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates (Pearson). Pearson does not sponsor or endorse any
TestingMom.com product, nor have TestingMom.com products or services been reviewed, certified, or approved by
Pearson. Trademarks referring to specific test providers are used by TestingMom.com for nominative purposes only
and such trademarks are solely the property of their respective owners.
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement
(W-J-III) are registered trademarks of Riverside Publishing, a Houghton Mifflin Company, or their affiliate(s), or their
licensors. TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related to Houghton Mifflin Company or its affiliates (Houghton
Mifflin). Houghton Mifflin does not sponsor or endorse any TestingMom.com product, nor have TestingMom.com
products or services been reviewed, certified, or approved by Houghton Mifflin. Trademarks and such trademarks are
solely the property of their respective owners.
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Eighth Edition is a registered trademark of Scholastic Testing Services,
Inc. or its affiliate(s), or their licensors. TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related to Scholastic Testing
Services, Inc. or its affiliates (Scholastic). Scholastic does not sponsor or endorse any TestingMom.com product, nor
have TestingMom.com products or services been reviewed, certified, or approved by Scholastic. Trademarks and such
trademarks are solely the property of their respective owners.
28
The tests listed above are commonly administered to children applying to

Gifted & Talented programs across the country. Working with practice
questions for these tests will help your child develop the underlying skills
the CPS Office of Access and Enrollment indicates are needed to prepare
for Chicagos Regional Gifted Center and Classical Schools admissions tests.
The advantage of working with www.TestingMom.com over buying

individual test preparation workbooks is that your child will have access to
thousands of practice questions, not only for all of the tests listed, but for
other tests that use questions assessing similar skills. While we have set up
a section filled with practice questions for families in Chicago, you will also
have access to practice questions for all the other tests we have on our site.
In order to give you a feel for the kinds of questions asked on tests that
assess reading, math and language (the Classical Schools test) and on tests
that measure critical thinking, reasoning and logic skills, working memory,
classification, math, and creativity skills (the Regional Gifted Center test),
we have listed below examples of practice questions at different grade
levels that are designed to assess these abilities. Please note that the
questions on the actual tests are in black and white. Practice questions at
www.TestingMom.com are in both black and white and in color (to make it
more interesting for the child). They can be printed out in black and white
and practiced that way if you wish.
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) does NOT recommend, endorse or sponsor ANY test preparation courses, study
guides, or sample questions for the Classical Schools and Regional Gifted Center testing process. TestingMom.com is
not affiliated with nor related to CPS. TestingMom.com does not know what tests CPS administers for the Classical
Schools and Regional Gifted Center testing process. CPS does not sponsor or endorse any TestingMom.com product,
nor have Testingmom.com products or services been reviewed, certified or approved by CPS.
29
Assessment for Classical Schools

Note: The formats of the questions below will differ because they are
modeled after questions from a variety of tests.
All answers are listed at the end.
Reading
First Grade Reading Examples
1. Parent read this sentence out loud. Have your child fill in the bubble
next to the right answer.
The word is that. Give me that book. Fill in the circle next to that.
2. Parent say to your child, Look at the picture on the left. Then fill in the
circle under the word that best describes the picture.
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3. Parent say to your child, Look at the picture on the left. Then fill in the
circle under the word that best describes the picture.
4. Parent say to your child, Read the sentence to yourself. Then, fill in
the circle that best shows what the last word of the sentence was.
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5. Parent Ask your child to read this incomplete sentence. Say Decide
which of the three words makes the most sense if you put it in the blank.
Fill in the circle next to the word that best completes the sentence.
Billy ______ his lunch.
Parent say to your child, Look at the picture. Below the picture are some
incomplete sentences that describe what is happening in each picture.
Read each sentence and circle the word that best describes what is
happening in the picture.
6. The children are playing with ______.
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a) toys
b) blocks
c) pencils
d) clay
7. Barneys seven-block tower is ______.

a) short
b) straight
c) leaning
d) strong
b) singing
c) eating
d) jumping
8. Lily is ______.
a) pointing
All answers are at the end. For more questions like these, visit
www.TestingMom.com.
33
Third/Fourth Grade Reading Comprehension Example

Parent say to your child, Here is a story for you to read. After the story,
there are some questions about what you just read. Choose the answers
you think are best.
Letter to Principal
Dear Mrs. Powell,
My name is Noah and I am a fourth grade student. I am writing to tell you
why I think recess should be longer at our school. To begin with, I really
need the exercise! Sitting for most of the day makes me fidgety. It is hard
for me to focus on schoolwork when I am full of energy. I often find myself
bouncing in my chair in my afternoon classes. Thank goodness, my teacher
lets me stand at my desk when I feel this way. Honestly, I think all classes
would be less wild in the afternoon if we had more time to run around after
lunch.
I would like you to increase our recess time from thirty minutes to one
hour. I know you think that increasing recess time to one hour will take
away from important lessons. But, I think that students can get more done
in less time if they are focused. And, by increasing recess to an hour, my
friends and I could actually play a real soccer game! Plus, I think I heard the
President of the United States says that getting outside is important to our
health. I know that you want me and my friends to be healthy.
Thank you for considering this issue.
Your student,
Noah Roberts, 4th grade
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9. What is the authors purpose for writing this letter?

(A) to explain that playing soccer is fun
(B) to tell the principal that he has a lot of energy
(C) to persuade the principal to increase recess time
(D) to say that going outside is healthy
10. What does the author imply in this sentence?

"I know you think that increasing recess time to one hour will take away
from important lessons."
(A) the principal will increase the recess time
(B) the principal thinks Noah has good ideas about recess
(C) the principal thinks that Noah just wants more time to play outside
(D) the principal will question Noah's reasons for increasing recess
11. What is the main reason why Noah wants the principal to increase
recess time?
(A) he doesn't like school
(B) he will focus better in class
(C) he prefers to play soccer
(D) he wants to get fresh air
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12. What does "considering" most nearly mean in the last line of the letter?
(A) agreeing
(B) changing your mind
(C) saying no
(D) thinking about
13. What is the last reason Noah gives the principal to convince her to
increase recess time?
(A) the President of the United States thinks getting outside is healthy
(B) he could play a full game of soccer
(C) he will focus better
(D) he needs exercise
All answers are at the end. For more questions like these, visit
www.TestingMom.com.
36
Language Arts
Third Grade Examples

Parent say this to your child, I am going to read the words that are in
front of you in each question. Then Im going to read you a sentence that
includes these words. Fill in the circle next to the word that is not spelled
right.
14. Parent sees and reads these words (emphasizing the underlined
words):
students, listen, teachers. Students should listen to their teachers. Fill in
the circle next to the word that is misspelled.
Student sees:
15. Parent: Say to your child, Look at the words below. If you rearranged
them so they made a sentence, what would the first letter of the first word
in that sentence be?
today
O
O
O
O
37
C
T
D
M
dont
me
call
Parent say this to your child, I am going to read a short passage that is in
front of you. When I do, follow along on the page. You will notice that the
story needs one or more words capitalized. Mark the circle in the row of
words that contains at least one word that needs a capital letter.
16.
17.
Parakeet is to bird as Poodle is to ______.

O
O
O
O
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cat
dog
pig
pug
Parent for questions 18 and 19, say to your child, I am going to read the
short passage that is in front of you. When I do, follow along on the page.
You will notice that one of the words in the story is wrong. Look for
mistakes. Mark the circle in the row of words that contains the mistake.
18.
19.
39
Parent for questions 20 and 21, say to your child, For this section, you
will see a list of words. If one of the words is spelled wrong, fill in the circle
next to that word. If none of the words are spelled wrong, fill in the last
circle that says, no error.
20.
large
spesial
disrepair
lovable
no error
21.
journal
afternoon
house
greive
no error
40
Parent say this to your child, Read the first 3 lines to yourself. You will
notice that the passage may need some punctuation corrections. Mark the
circle in the row of words that contains a mistake with the punctuation. If
there are no punctuation mistakes, fill in the last circle that says, no
error.
22.
Today is February 29, 2012.
The next time it is February
29 it will be the year 2016.
no error
23. Choose the word that completes the compound word:
Dog____
O house
O pound
O animal
O puppy
41
Math
Kindergarten Examples
Parent: Read the question out loud. Have your child point to the right
answer.
24.
How many birds are shown below:
a)
b)
c)
d)
3
4
5
6
25. Choose the smallest number below.

a)
b)
c)
d)
7
8
9
5
26. Which is the number 9?

a)
b)
c)
d)
42
4
6
9
2
27.
Look at the dinosaurs above. Choose the line below that has one less
dinosaur than you see in the line above.
a)
b)
c)
d)
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28. What number goes where the question mark is?
a)
b)
c)
d)
5
7
8
9
Second Grade Examples

29.
Which day is eight days after May 16th?
a)
b)
c)
d)
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Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
30.
12 X 15 =
a)
b)
c)
d)
125
180
152
144
31.
What shape is this?
a)
b)
c)
d)
Hexagon
Rhombus
Square
Octagon
32.
What number is next in this pattern?
1, 3, 6, 10, 15, 21
a)
b)
c)
d)
45
24
25
28
30
33.
Which of these equations has the smallest sum?
a)
b)
c)
d)
3+5+8=
4+4+7=
3+5+2=
7+1+1=
For more questions like these, visit www.TestingMom.com.
Assessment for Regional Gifted Centers
Kindergarten Question Examples

Parents: Read these questions aloud. Have your child point to the answer.
34. Look at the pictures in the boxes. They go together in a certain way.
But one picture doesnt belong with the other pictures. Can you point to
the picture that doesnt belong?
46
35. The pictures in the boxes go together in a certain way. Look at the
pictures to the side of the boxes and point to the picture that belongs in the
empty box.
36. Point to the picture that shows this: A yellow triangle and green circle
are between a blue square and a red heart.
47
37. The figures in the top boxes go together in a certain way. Look at the
figures to the side of the boxes and point to the figure that belongs in the
empty box.
38. Point to the picture that shows this: Sam and Bobby just realized that
they were late for dinner and they needed to get home quickly.
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39. Point to the letter that is next to a number and below a letter.
40. Look at the shapes in the boxes. They go together in a certain way. But
one shape doesnt belong with the other pictures. Can you point to the
shape that doesnt belong?
49
41. Look at the letters in the first box. Some are ready to be mailed and
some need stamps. Point to the box that contains the number of stamps
needed to mail the rest of the letters in the first box.
42. Dara decided to learn to play an instrument. The instrument she chose
did not require her to blow into it. She needed to use her fingers to play it,
but it did not require sticks, pedals or a bow. Fill in the circle under the
picture that Dara learned to play.
50
empty box.
44. The pictures in the top boxes go together in a certain way. Look at the
empty box.
51
45. Look at the pictures on top. They are alike in some way. Choose one
picture from the bottom row that belongs with the pictures on top.
46. Look at the first tugboat. It is pulling a boat with a certain number of
red boxes in it. Look at the 3 cars below. Choose the boat that the second
tugboat should put in the empty space in order to pull the same number of
red boxes as the first tugboat.
52
47. Look at the picture below. That is an abacus. The first 5 rods form a
pattern or follow a rule. The beads in the sixth rod are missing. Can you
choose a rod that goes in the sixth place that would complete the pattern
or follow the rule?
picture from the bottom row that belongs with the pictures on top.1
53
49. Look at the pictures in the two boxes on top. They are related to each
other mathematically. Now look at the pictures in the bottom box. Can
you find the answer choice that is related to those pictures mathematically
the way the two pictures on top are related?
54
First Grade Question Examples
55
52. Point to the box that shows this: A nickel is to the right of a dime and a
quarter is to the left of a dime.
53. Look at these boxes. Do you see how the pictures inside form a
pattern. Choose the picture in the bottom row that belongs in the empty
box.
56
empty box.
55. Point to picture that shows what would happen if the 2 switched places
with the A and the 3 switched places with the D.
57
empty box.
57. Look at the figures in the boxes. They go together in a certain way. But
one figure doesnt belong with the other pictures. Can you point to the
figure that doesnt belong?
58
58. Ellie is carrying a first aid kit for the hike she will take with Ben and
Danny. The kit has twice as many band-aids as the number of kids that will
take the hike. Point to the box that shows how many band-aids the kit
contains.
59. Point to the box that shows this: There is a small circle and a small
triangle to the right of a large circle and a large triangle.
59
60. The pictures in the boxes go together in a certain way. Look at the
empty box.
61. Point to the box that shows this: The girl is sitting on a chair that is
beneath a cage. There is a bird inside the cage, a dog on the girls lap, and a
cat is at her feet.
60
Second Grade Question Examples

empty box.
61
other mathematically. Now look at the pictures in the bottom box? Can
you find the answer choice that is related to that picture mathematically
62
other mathematically. Now look at the pictures in the bottom box? Can
you find the answer choice that is related to that picture mathematically
67. Look at the figures on top. They are alike in some way. Choose one
figure from the bottom row that belongs with the figures on top.
63
68.
Look at the first tugboat. It is pulling boats with a certain number of red
boxes in it. Look at the 3 boats below. Choose the boat that the second
tugboat should put in the empty spaces in order to pull the same number of
red boxes as the first tugboat.
69. Look at the figures on top. They are alike in some way. Choose one
figure from the bottom row that belongs with the figures on top.
64
70. Look at the first tugboat. It is pulling boats with a certain number of red
boxes in it. Look at the 3 boats below. Choose the boats that the second
tugboat should pull in order to pull the same number of red boxes as the
first tugboat.
or follow the rule?
65
or follow the rule?
73. Which one of these would you not find at the shore?
66
74. Which one of these is citrus?
75. On the top row, you will see how a square piece of paper is folded
sometimes once, sometimes more than once. Holes are then punched
after the paper has been folded. Choose the answer in the second row that
shows how the folded piece of paper would look unfolded.
67
76. On the top row, you will see how a square piece of paper is folded
sometimes once, sometimes more than once. Holes are then punched
after the paper has been folded. Choose the answer in the second row that
shows how the folded piece of paper would look unfolded.
Third/Fourth Grade Question Examples
77. What doesnt belong?
68
78. At the hair salon, there are 15 boys and girls waiting for haircuts. If
there are 3 more girls than boys, how many girls are waiting for haircuts?
79. Choose the picture that belongs in the empty box.
80. The opposite of give is ____?
69
81. The pictures in the first part of the row are related in a particular way.
In the next part of the row, find the one picture that belongs in the empty
box.
82. The letters and words below are related in a certain way. Select the
word that goes in the empty box.
83. What doesnt belong?
70
84. If you rearranged these words into sentence order, the first word of the
sentence would begin with the letter ___?
85. The pictures in the first part of the row are related in a particular way.
In the next part of the row, find the one picture that belongs in the empty
space.
86.
71
87. The numbers below are related because they follow the same rule.
Figure out what the rule is, then select the number that goes in the empty
space.
88. Select the number or letter that belongs in the empty space.
Parent the next 2 questions assess listening, working memory, along with
thinking skills. You read the question to your child and let them choose
from the answer choices (these follow the questions)
Parent reads:
89. Anagrams are words with letters that can be rearranged to make
other words. INCH can spell CHIN, EARTH can spell HEART, LAMP can spell
PALM. Which of these words is an anagram for a body part?
72
Student sees:
Parent reads:
90. Look at the words below. There are 3 words on top of the row: BREAD
AND BUTTER. We will use these letters to spell a new word. Take the last
letter of BREAD, the first letter of AND, and the first letter of BUTTER. Put
them together and what to do they spell? Mark the circle under the word
that they spell.
Student sees:
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questions ahead of time, your child will go into the test feeling confident
and able to do her very best.
If you have any questions, contact us at www.TestingMom.com or 800-9753061.
Read this Chicago Tribune Article featuring www.TestingMom.com and

tutor, Lemi Erinkitola:
79
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-14/news/ct-met-cps-testing0215-20110214_1_kindergarten-tests-tutors-private-schools
Answers to Sample Questions

1. 3 3rd word next to the bubble
2. 1
3. 3
4. 2
5. 3
6. b
7. c
8. a
9. C
10. D
11. B
12. D
13. A
14. 2
15. 3 (D) Dont call me today.
16. 3
17. 2
18. 1
19. 1
20. 2
21. 4
22. 3
23. 1
24. d
25. d
26. c
27. c
28. b
29. c
30. b
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31. d
32. c add 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
33. d
34. 1st image over the bubble (the lollypop is the only sweet snack)
35. 4
36. 4
37. 3
38. 4
39. 1 (Y)
40. 4 (it is round and the other shapes have angles)
41. 1 (1st box over the bubble)
42. 1
43. 4
44. 2
45. 4
46. 2
47. 4
48. 1
49. 4 (+2)
50. 2 (it is white and the other items are colorful)
51. 2 (it moves fast and the others move slowly)
52. Bottom right box
53. 2 (its a pattern)
54. 2
55. 3
56. 2
57. 5
58. 1
59. 3
60. 1
61. 4
62. 3 (things that cut)
63. 3
64. 2 (all have holes)
65. 3 (double)
66. 3 (half)
67. 2 (a big square, a small square and a small circle)
81
68. 3
69. 2 (same circle and a black shape inside)
70. 1
71. 1
72. 2
73. 3
74. 3
75. A
76. E
77. 2
78. 1 (9)
79. 3
80. 3
81. 1
82. 3
83. 5 (all are minus 3 in the middle except #5)
84. 3 Dont answer the doorbell when you are alone.
85. 3
86. 1
87. 3 double the first number and add 3
88. 1 3 letters back each time
89. 1 (finger)
90. 2
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition (WISC-IV), Wechsler Preschool and Primary
Scale of Intelligence Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV), OLSAT Otis-Lennon School Ability Test, Eighth
Edition, are registered trademarks of Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliate(s), or their licensors.
TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related to Pearson Education, Inc or its affiliates (Pearson).
Pearson does not sponsor or endorse any TestingMom.com product, nor have TestingMom.com products
or services been reviewed, certified, or approved by Pearson. Trademarks referring to specific test
providers are used by TestingMom.com for nominative purposes only and such trademarks are solely the
property of their respective owners.
Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS), Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and Woodcock-Johnson Tests of
Achievement (W-J-III) are registered trademarks of Riverside Publishing, a Houghton Mifflin Company,
or their affiliate(s), or their licensors. TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related to Houghton
Mifflin Company or its affiliates (Houghton Mifflin). Houghton Mifflin does not sponsor or endorse any
TestingMom.com product, nor have TestingMom.com products or services been reviewed, certified, or
approved by Houghton Mifflin. Trademarks referring to specific test providers are used by
TestingMom.com for nominative purposes only and such trademarks are solely the property of their
respective owners.
Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), Eighth Edition is a registered trademark of Scholastic
82
Testing Services, Inc. or its affiliate(s), or their licensors. TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related
to Scholastic Testing Services, Inc. or its affiliates (Scholastic). Scholastic does not sponsor or endorse
any TestingMom.com product, nor have TestingMom.com products or services been reviewed, certified,
or approved by Scholastic. Trademarks referring to specific test providers are used by TestingMom.com
for nominative purposes only and such trademarks are solely the property of their respective owners.
The Chicago Public Schools (CPS) does NOT recommend, endorse or sponsor ANY test preparation
courses, study guides, or sample questions for the Classical Schools and Regional Gifted Center testing
process. TestingMom.com is not affiliated with nor related to CPS. CPS does not sponsor or endorse any
TestingMom.com product, nor have Testingmom.com products or services been reviewed, certified or
approved by CPS.
THE INFORMATION ABOVE ABOUT TESTING PROCEDURES AND TESTS IS

BASED ON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN PAST YEARS. PLEASE NOTE THAT CPS
CAN CHANGE THEIR PROCESSES AND TESTS AT ANY TIME.
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The Testing Survival Guide

Chicago Public Schools

Maybe you are fortunate to live in an area where your designated

At www.TestingMom.com, we can advise you about the many school

The Selective Enrollment Elementary Schools are offered through the

Regional Gifted Centers are designed to challenge the academically

Another Centers program (Beasley) is held within an elementary magnet

In addition, siblings of RGC students are not automatically admitted into

Regional Gifted Center

Regional Gifted Center for English Language Learners

*Chicagos Regional Gifted Centers

5255 S. State St. Chicago, IL

5025 N. Laramie Ave.

3730 N. Oakley Ave

4929 N Sawyer Ave

2230 W McLean Ave

*South Loop Regional Gifted Center is not included

What are Classical Schools?

8th grade students enrolled in the Classical program. Classical Schools

testing and selection process. In addition, siblings of students enrolled in a

Chicagos Classical Schools

7030 N Sacramento Ave

8801 S. Indiana Ave.

Edgar Allan Poe

10538 S Langley Ave

How to Apply for Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools

All students must be tested. There are no pre-qualification requirements

Parents of preschoolers and early elementary students can apply as long as

Below is an outline of the application process for these programs as it

Get an Application at https://apply.cps.edu/. Applications for the

applications so you are encouraged to apply online via the 2 step

Select up to six Regional Gifted Centers and Classical Schools (using

Submit an application to the OAE during the designated application

The Testing Process

After the applications are processed, eligible students will be

After the applications are processed, eligible students will be

Testing can be scheduled in the early mornings and afternoons,

According to CPSs Office of Access and Enrollment, approximately 3,100

You should expect to receive notification of your childs scheduled

Remember, if you apply to Regional Gifted Centers AND Classical

applying for grades 1 4. Preschool children applying for

The Selection and Tier System

School admissions test. The Percentile ranges from 1% to 99.9%. If your

The Tier System

Here is a hypothetical scenario: Lets say that Regional Gifted Center A

The Notification Process

As mentioned earlier, to qualify for a seat at a Regional Gifted Center or a

Skills Assessed on Test for Classical Schools

Skills Assessed on Test for Regional Gifted Centers

Child Must Be Able to Separate to Be Tested

When Reading and Writing is Required

Preschoolers applying for Kindergarten do not need to use a pencil or fill in

Appointment Letters if Your Child is Taking Both Tests

If your preschooler is applying for Kindergarten entry at both a Classical

THE INFORMATION ABOVE ABOUT TESTING PROCEDURES AND TESTS IS

The tests listed above are commonly administered to children applying to

The advantage of working with www.TestingMom.com over buying

Assessment for Classical Schools

6. The children are playing with ______.

7. Barneys seven-block tower is ______.

Third/Fourth Grade Reading Comprehension Example

9. What is the authors purpose for writing this letter?

10. What does the author imply in this sentence?

Third Grade Examples