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Admissions

Lindblom Academic Center is one of the newer Academic Centers and one of two Academic Centers on the south side of Chicago that is associated with a Selective Enrollment High School. This means that any student who is admitted to the Lindblom Academic Center has a guaranteed spot, if desired, at Lindblom — a Selective Enrollment High School. This is a define plus. The other Academic Center on the south side that is linked to a Selective Enrollment High School is the newly opened Academic Center at Brooks College Prep.

In 2016-2017 (the most recent admissions cycle), the average admissions score for Lindblom’s Academic Center was 717 on the 900 point admissions scale, relatively flat with last year (-3 points). Two years ago, for the first time, CPS used the more rigorous MAP test as the 5th grade test in the Academic Admissions formula. When this happened two years ago, average scores fell 17 points and Tier 1 students saw the largest drop (-45 points) while scores for Tier 4 students actually rose 9 points as Lindblom increased its appeal to middle class students.

For the past seven years, CPS has been using a socioeconomic Tier system to select students for all of its selective admissions schools, including Academic Centers. Currently, thirty percent of seats are allocated to students with the highest academic performance citywide – regardless of their “socioeconomic status”. The remaining seventy percent are allocated to each of four socioeconomic Tiers, with each Tier receiving 17.5%. Students compete for this portion based their academic performance in comparison with other students in their Tier.

Use of the Tier system has led to significant gaps in the academic achievement required for admissions between students from different parts of the City of Chicago. There is a particularly large gap between admissions scores of Tier 4 (the highest socioeconomic Tier) and Tier 1 (the lowest socioeconomic Tier) students – in the more competitive schools.

In 2016-2017, there was huge gap of 110 points between the average score of an admitted Lindblom Academic Center Tier 4 and Tier 1 student and 185 points between the cut-off score of an admitted Tier 4 and Tier 1 student. Such tremendous gaps means  that students admitted to Lindblom’s Academic Center have significant differences in their academic backgrounds.

In the past, unlike some other Academic Centers, Lindblom Academic Center has considered transfer students seeking to enter the Academic Center in 8th grade. However, Lindblom’s Academic Center is no longer taking transfer students. More students are applying to Lindblom as 6th graders there are fewer spots available.

Another indication of the success of Lindblom’s AC is a dramatic increase in its students. From 2010 to 2014, the size of Lindblom’s AC student population has more than doubled from a population of less than 60 students per grade level to more than 120.

Programs

A new principal, Wayne Bevis, recently took the helm at Lindblom from Alan Mather, who led Lindblom for ten years. Bevis is a graduate of the New Leaders Program, a special training program for aspiring principals. Under Mather’s leadership, Lindblom consistently achieved impressive academic results and took bold strides including opening an Academic Center. This progress came despite Lindblom’s location in Englewood, a neighborhood best known for poverty and crime.

Unlike most other accelerated schools, Lindblom has a Track E calendar, not only for its High School, but also for its Academic Center. According to Lindblom administration, the Track E schedule with its year round school attendance minimizes summer learning loss. The school day also operates on a block schedule, which the administration feels will provide students with greater depth in their studies.

Lindblom operates a bus shuttle service that provides transportation twice each morning and afternoon directly to the orange, green, and red lines. In addition, bus service is provided to various elementary schools including Coles, Mann, Dennen, Reed, Nicholson, Clissold, Vanderpoel, Carroll, Hampton, Barton, Turner, Drew, Poe, McDade, Gresham, Murray, Fuller, Chavez, Sawyer and Peck. Lindblom’s bus service has helped alleviate parent concerns about having their children attend a school in the Englewood neighborhood.

At Lindblom’s Academic Center, Algebra is a two year program that is taken by both 7th and 8th graders. At the end of their 8th grade year, students take CPS’ Algebra Exit Exam which tests students’ Algebra I knowledge. Students who pass this exam and do well in their Algebra class will then begin their high school math sequence with geometry – and will be in a better position to take advanced math classes in their high school career than students who start high school with Algebra. At other Academic Centers, notably Whitney Young and Lane Tech, students take Algebra in 7th grade and then move on to Geometry in 8th grade.

Lindblom’s Academic Center offers its students the relatively unusual World Language choices of Mandarin Chinese and Arabic.

Academics

Standardized tests administered to middle school CPS students are in a state of flux. The ACT organization has phased out the EXPLORE test which has been administered to 8th and 9th graders and transitioned to the Aspire test. The ISAT was phased out in favor of the Common Core aligned PARCC and MAP tests. Currently the most up-to-date and insightful method of tracking school performance is the PARCC test. The PARCC is designed to measure student readiness for the next grade level’s work and subsequent college and career readiness. The PARCC test is also designed to correlate with subsequent ACT performance.

Students who met or exceeded expectation are likely to be on track for the next grade level and ultimately for college and career readiness. In 2016, 27% of Lindblom Academic Center 8th graders met or exceeded standards in ELA (English Language Arts) however no students exceeded expectations. Fifty-five percent of Lindblom 8th graders met expectations in Mathematics however no students exceeded expectations in Mathematics.

For additional academic information about Lindblom Academic Center, click here for a state report card.