STUDENT PLACEMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

CPS PARENTS:
I wanted to update you on our student placement process at CPS. Access to our network and
student/classroom placements was granted yesterday afternoon. Our planning and organization of the
placements however, revolved around parent-portal access being given on Friday afternoon. The early-
than-planned access has made an already complicated task a little messier. The class groupings were
tentatively distributed to teachers on Monday so teachers could take a look at the lists and begin their
planning. Additionally, there are still many students whove not registered and some new students
who continue to enroll each day since registration. We are still waiting on several students whove rolled
over from last year based on end-of-the-year surveys to enroll (as of yesterday 2 Kindergarten, 4 First
Grade, 14 Second Grade, and 15 Third Grade students). A few of our current groupings also appear
gender heavy --- and may need tweaked. All of these conditions cause our placements to be fluid at
best for now. Friday afternoon is still my target deadline for making the lists as final as they can be made
so teachers and parents can reasonably rely on the information moving into next week (10 days before
our first day). PLEASE CHECK YOUR CHILDS PLACEMENT AT 5 P.M. ON FRIDAY TO VERIFY THEIR
INFORMATION.
*A summary of our current placement process is below for your review.
I apologize for the confusion and appreciate your patience! --bl

*PRIMARY STUDENT PLACEMENT SUMMARY
The demand on resources in each classroom --- and each grouping of students with the assigned teacher --- is the
primary focus when placing students. First and foremost, the learning needs of each student and the group he or
she is placed in are evaluated (STAR Early Literacy Screen, STAR Enterprise, MAP, and Fountas and Pinnell
measured reading levels) to gauge student need or the balance of resource demand in each classroom. There are
scheduling considerations for students with individualized education plans and associated services/instruction
(academic, speech, and/or language) as well. The process for student placement begins in the late spring when our
teachers analyze placement to develop an initial set of student placements for the following school year --- taking
into consideration learning needs (and the personalities, learning styles of the students with whom theyve worked
for an entire school year). Ultimately, it is my responsibility to finalize student/class placements and I review the
groupings several times before and then after registration. During late spring and the summer break, some parents
(on average / 18 per summer) typically bring concerns in the way of their childs personality or other extenuating
circumstances that might affect how well they would get along with other students due to past history in
neighborhood, domestic issues, etc. I guarantee consideration of these expressed concerns, not that I will grant
requests or take the desired action. Due to our size (550-575 K-3 students), parent requests simply cant be
guaranteed. Doing so wouldnt be feasible or functional. If I can affect the learning environment in a positive way, I
make every effort to do so. Some concerns/requests are accommodated ---- and some are not. No system or
process is perfect. We will continue to evaluate and refine our procedures for placement. For now, the placement
of students is done in the most responsible way we can carry it out to maximize learning for all students (in my
opinion).