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

An Overview of Kenwood Academy Academic Center

Kenwood Academy Academic Center (also known as Kenwood) is one of seven Academic Centers in Chicago. Kenwood calls Chicago’s Hyde Park-Kenwood neighborhood its home and has been providing rigorous academics to the south side neighborhood for years. Priding itself as one of the first Academic Centers opened in Chicago Public Schools; Kenwood Academy Academic Center begins in the 7th grade and continues into 8th, promising a “nurturing, small school setting” coupled with an intensive curriculum to prepare its future scholars.

Kenwood Academic Center’s curriculum involves a core set of classes that are only taught by Academic Center educators, with each student taking Academic Center Math, Science, Social Science, and Language Arts. Since each subject is taught only by other Academic Center instructors, students are exposed to a more personalized education than in a regular classroom. These instructors also use web-based instructional tools to provide their students with up to date and accessible course information online. Students are not the only ones who benefit from Kenwood Academic Center’s personalized approach; Kenwood also prioritizes parents by including them in frequent feedback and and student updates by phone, email, and parent meetings with the educators and administrators of the Academic Center. 

Kenwood Academic Center is dedicated to making sure that their students reach their fullest potential by not only providing them with a curriculum that challenges them, but by also providing an abundance of outlets for support for the duration of their program. This includes utilizing teachers, mentors, tutors, and school counselors to achieve the most effective organizational skills for the student and providing consultations from past Kenwood Academic Center alumni in order to ease the transition into the Academic Center. Kenwood Academic Center also offers a variety of extracurricular activities for students to choose from. These include clubs and activities such as Debate, Ivy League club, Poetry club, Anime club, and the traditional offerings of art, band, and sports. 

While Kenwood Academic Center does not have its own website, visit Kenwood Academy’s website to find more information for the Academic Center underneath the Academic Center tab: https://www.kenwoodacademy.org/

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

An Overview of Whitney Young Academic Center

Whitney M. Young (also known as Whitney Young) Academic Center is one of seven Academic Centers in Chicago. Maintaining roots on Chicago’s west side, Whitney Young’s Academic Center has provided its students the same level of preparedness as their high school counterparts for over three decades. Their Academic Center begins in the 7th grade and continues into 8th with a guaranteed spot into Whitney M. Young Magnet High School (one of Chicago’s eleven selective enrollment high schools) upon completion.

Whitney Young’s Academic Center prides itself on engaging students in their maximum academic potential while also providing them with a skill set that encourages lifelong learning. It begins this process by arming its students in the 7th grade with an accelerated curriculum that correlates with the Academic Center’s Six Year Plan. All students in the 7th grade are enrolled into core courses such as Language Arts, Honors Environmental Science, Social Science, Math, and Physical Education with the ability to choose up to two Honors-level electives. 8th graders continue this core curriculum with Honors English I, Honors Biology, Honors World History, and Math as well as two Honors-level electives. By the end of the two years at Whitney Young’s Academic Center, students have the potential to accumulate as many as twelve high school credits before beginning their 9th-grade year. 

Whitney Young Academic Center’s elective schedule offers its students the opportunity to flex their academic independence with its diversity in courses.These classes can include computer science, robotics, dance, orchestra, guitar, piano, chorus, drama, graphic design, and mixed media to name a few. Language courses offered at the Academic Center include Mandarin Chinese, French, Latin, Japanese, and Spanish. Additionally, if students are interested in sports or extracurriculars, Whitney Young offers many programs including but not limited to basketball, cross country, track, and math team.

While Whitney M. Young Academic Center does not have its own website, visit Whitney Young’s website to find more information for the Academic Center under the Admissions tab at: wyoung.org.

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

New Point Calculators for Selective Enrollment High Schools and Academic Centers

Are you tired of manually attempting to calculate the necessary scores your child needs to get into the school of their choice? Well, good news is about to come your way. Test Prep Chicago recently unveiled a new feature: a free point calculator for both selective enrollment high schools and academic centers. You can find this easy-to-use feature on our homepage. To try it, click the point calculator button for either selective enrollment high schools or academic centers, and the website will redirect you to our calculation page.

Once on the calculation page, you can enter your student’s percentiles for both math and reading on the NWEA MAP test. After that, you can enter your student’s 5th or 7th grade grades and select which socio-economic tier in which you live. Once that information is entered, click the “calculate” button.

The calculator will then show you the points your student has earned based on their MAP score and their 5th or 7th grade grades. Underneath your student’s points earned, you can access their points needed based on the above scores, your tier neighborhood, and the scores required for different selective enrollment high schools or academic centers based on last year’s cutoff scores. This includes a breakdown of the minimum score required, exam points needed, as well as the exam score needed (on the AC exam or SEHS).

To try Test Prep Chicago’s point calculator now, visit our website’s homepage at www.testprepchicago.com.

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