Frequently Asked Questions
WHAT ARE THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR MY CHILD TO BE ENROLLED AT THE HOPE INSTITUTE LEARNING ACADEMY?
The Hope Institute Learning Academy is a non-selective school. This means that grades and test scores are not evaluated prior to admission. The Hope Institute Learning Academy does not require that students have a minimum grade point average or test score. The only requirement is that your family lives in Chicago.
WHEN DOES OPEN ENROLLMENT BEGIN?
Open enrollment begins on November 1, 2009 and is closed on August 31, 2010.
HOW DO I OBTAIN AN APPLICATION?
Parents interested in applying to The Hope Institute Learning Academy can obtain an application by calling The Hope Institute Learning Academy at 773-534-7405 to request that an application be mailed or faxed to their desired location. Applications are also available online by clicking here. Please note: The completed online application with additional documentation must be submitted to 1628 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60612.
HOW DOES THE HOPE INSTITUTE LEARNING ACADEMY ADMIT STUDENTS?
The Hope Institute Learning Academy manages the admission process for its campus. All students are admitted through a lottery process. Students are not admitted on a first come first served basis. In order for your child to be included in The Hope Institute Learning Academy lottery, the parent must submit a complete application to The Hope Institute Learning Academy by the lottery deadline printed on the application. Due to its special education focus, The Hope Institute Learning Academy uses a two-tier lottery to maintain its enrollment in compliance with federal guidelines and mandates and with the Corey H. Consent Decree. As such, students who have an IEP are randomly selected during one lottery for the available seats for students with IEPs. Only students with IEPs are included in this lottery. Students who do not have IEPs are selected through a second lottery for non-IEP seats. Only students without IEPs will be included in this second lottery. During both lotteries, students are randomly selected to fill the seats available at for each grade. If a child’s name is picked during the lottery that child will be accepted. Children who are not accepted during the lottery are randomly placed on a waiting list.
WHEN WILL I RECEIVE NOTIFICATION OF WHETHER OR NOT MY CHILD WAS ACCEPTED?
The results of the lottery are mailed to all parents the day following the lottery. The lottery takes place in April for elementary students.
I RECEIVED A LETTER THAT MY CHILD IS ON THE WAITING LIST. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
That letter explains that your child was not accepted through the lottery and was placed on a waiting list. If seats become available at The Hope Institute Learning Academy during the enrollment period, The Hope Institute Learning Academy will admit students off of the waiting list, in numerical order, to fill the available vacancies. Parents will be notified of the student’s acceptance either by phone or mail.
HOW LONG WILL MY CHILD BE ON THE WAITING LIST?
The waiting list becomes active on the date of the lottery and expires on August 31, 2010.
MY CHILD WAS NOT ACCEPTED FROM THE WAITING LIST. DO I HAVE TO REAPPLY OR DOES THE WAITING LIST CARRY OVER TO THE NEXT YEAR
You would have to reapply as the waiting list expires on August 31, 2010 and does not carry over.
I HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD. DO I HAVE TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FOR EACH CHILD?
Yes. A completed application and the additional documentation requested must be submitted to The Hope Institute Learning Academy for each child.
I HAVE MORE THAN ONE CHILD WHO IS APPLYING TO ATTEND THE HOPE INSTITUTE LEARNING ACADEMY. BEING THAT YOU ADMIT BY LOTTERY, WHAT HAPPENS IF ONLY ONE CHILD IS ACCEPTED?
Due to the random nature of a lottery, it is possible that only one child will be accepted and the other sibling will be placed on the waiting list. The Hope Institute Learning Academy understands that this is a problem for parents. In an attempt to alleviate the problem we will utilize a sibling preference policy beginning in the 2010-2011 school year. An applicant is given sibling preference when they have a brother or sister who is currently enrolled or are accepted for enrollment at The Hope Institute Learning Academy. If there are vacancies for the grade that the prospective student is applying for, siblings will be accepted before non-sibling prospective students to fill the available seats.
I RECEIVED MY APPLICATION BACK IN THE MAIL WITH A LETTER THAT STATED I DID NOT SUBMIT EVERYTHING. WHAT SHOULD I DO?
At the top of the application there is a list of all of the documents required. Applications submitted without those documents are considered incomplete and returned. Simply, make copies of the documents that you were missing and send everything back to The Hope Institute Learning Academy’s office before the application deadline.
I MISSED THE APPLICATION DEADLINE CAN I STILL SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR MY CHILD?
Yes, however your child will be placed on the waiting list in the order that we received the application. If there are vacancies at The Hope Institute Learning Academy during the enrollment period, The Hope Institute Learning Academy will admit students off of the waiting list to fill the available seats. The Hope Institute Learning Academy will admit the students in numerical order. Parents would be notified of the child’s acceptance either by phone or by mail of their child’s acceptance.
CAN I DOWNLOAD AN APPLICATION ONLINE?
Yes. The application is available by online by clicking here. Please note: Additional documentation must be mailed to The Hope Institute Learning Academy, 1628 W. Washington, Chicago, IL 60612 to complete your application.