Admission & Audition Process

The Admission & Audition Process

ChiArts will begin accepting applications for the class of 2015 (students entering 9th grade in September 2011) on October 1, 2010. Students may submit an online application on this website, or download and print a paper application from this website to mail, fax, or hand deliver. Students already attending high school who wish to be considered for transfer admission should submit the transfer application. ONLINE SUBMISSION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

Academic Requirements
In order to be eligible to audition/interview for The Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), students and their families must submit an application to ChiArts no later than December 17, 2010 (see Procedures). Applications received after the deadline will NOT be considered.

ChiArts is a college-preparatory school. Therefore, both academic and artistic programs are rigorous. Students may apply and audition/interview for ChiArts if they meet all of the minimum criteria listed below:

1. The applicant must have no more than 10 unexcused absences in the 7th grade year.
2. The applicant must have achieved a minimum "stanine" score of 5 or higher in both Reading and Math on the 7th grade Illinois Standard Achievement Test (ISAT) or other approved nationally norm-referenced standardized test (ITBS, SAT10, TERRA NOVA, CAT, etc.).

Students with special needs (IEP, 504) are eligible to apply and audition/interview if their Reading and Math stanines total 10 (i.e., Reading 3 and Math 7; Reading 6 and Math 4; etc.). Students who do not meet these requirements may submit an application and then apply for special consideration by contacting our Guidance Counselor, Dana Grube, at 773.534.9710 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Please note: There is no guarantee that students who apply for special consideration will be granted an audition/interview.

Procedures
Please follow the procedures described below carefully. All steps and deadlines in the application process are required for admission. INCOMPLETE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. The entire process includes the following:

1. Submit an online application at http://www.chiarts.org no later than Friday, December 17, 2010 at 5:30pm. Copies of the 7th grade standardized test scores and 7th grade cumulative report card will need to be submitted separately. These student records must also be received by the application deadline in order for the applicant's file to be complete. After submission of an online application, the family will receive an email with the list of documents that must be submitted, as well as instructions on how to login to view the application checklist to see if any documents are still missing. Student records may be sent by a counselor, but must be received no later December 17, 2010.

2. If submitting a paper application, it must be received by The Chicago High School for the Arts on (or before) 5:30 p.m. on December 17, 2010. Applications sent by US Mail must be postmarked by December 17, 2010. Applications sent through the Chicago Public Schools (CPS) mail run must arrive at ChiArts on or before December 17, 2010. After receipt of the application and verification that the student has met the minimum academic requirements, the student will be scheduled and notified of an audition/interview date and time. Audition/interview notifications will be sent no later than the beginning of January. Auditions/interviews will begin in January and continue through February.

3. Audition preparation guidelines are listed under each arts area in this guide and should be carefully followed. If a student becomes ill and is unable to audition, please contact the school immediately. Written verification documenting the illness from a doctor must be presented to the school within three (3) business days of the student's originally scheduled audition date. A new audition date and time will be scheduled for the student by the school ONLY if there are additional audition dates and times available.

4. Notification will be mailed no later than the end of February regarding the status of the student's acceptance. When all available spaces have been filled, the names of students who qualify for reconsideration will be placed on an applicant waiting list in the event that additional openings become available at a later date.

5. A parent/guardian may request an admission decision appeal by submitting a written request to the Executive Director ten (10) business days from the date of the letter indicating an applicant's status. The committee will only hear an appeal if the basis of the appeal is determined to be an inequity or technical problem that occurred during the audition. An appeal against the panel's judgment of artistic merit will not be heard.

Application Guidelines
1. Applications will be available October 1, 2010. We suggest that you apply online, but you can also download a paper application, or pick up an application at ChiArts (3200 S Calumet Ave).

2. Applications must be received (if submitted online, hand-delivered, or sent through the CPS mail run) or postmarked (if sent by US postal mail) no later than 5:30pm on Friday, December 17, 2010. Please deliver or send to the following address:

Attention Admissions
The Chicago High School for the Arts
3200 S Calumet Ave, Suite 110
Chicago, IL 60616

3. All information on the application must be complete, current, and accurate. The application must be signed by the parent or guardian in order for the student to be eligible to audition/interview. Due to the high volume of applications, EARLY SUBMISSION IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

4. Applicants may apply and audition for no more than TWO arts concentrations (i.e. Dance & Flute, Acting and Visual Arts, etc.).

5. The following materials must be submitted before a student will be eligible to audition/interview:
a. Complete, signed Application for Admission, listing the arts concentration(s) to which the student wishes to apply.
b. Copy of 7th grade standardized test showing stanines for Reading and Math (TBS, SAT10, TERRA NOVA, CAT)
c. Copy of 7th grade cumulative report card showing attendance.

6. Students with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply. If your child is selected for an audition or interview, and s/he requires an accommodation or modification identified in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that is appropriate in order to participate in the audition or interview, such accommodations/modifications will be provided. This will necessitate that you provide your child's IEP to ChiArts after your child is selected for an audition/interview. The procedures for this will be communicated after ChiArts identifies which applicants will be given auditions or interviews.

Audition Workshops
The audition workshops are offered to interested 8th grade students as an opportunity to learn more about the audition/interview process. Workshops will be scheduled for the late fall (October, November, December). The workshops will be taught by professionals from the Chicago arts community and ChiArts faculty and will help students prepare for an audition or interview. All workshops are free and will be held in various locations throughout the city. While students are not required to attend a workshop in order to audition or apply for admission to ChiArts, they are strongly encouraged to attend. These sessions are offered as an aid to increase confidence and improve audition skills. The workshop schedule and registration form will be available on the Audition Workshops page on October 1, 2010. Information covered at each workshop location will be the same, so there is no need to register for more than one workshop location.

Audition Process: Fall 2011 Admission
Once a student submits a completed application and meets the minimum academic requirements, s/he will be given an audition date & time and notified by mail. Auditions/interviews will take place in late January and throughout February 2011. Parents are welcome to accompany their auditioning child on the scheduled date; however, parents will not be allowed in the audition or interview room.

Specific audition requirements for each arts discipline are described at the end of this guide to ensure the student will be fully prepared for his/her audition. Each requirement must be met. Auditions are scored using a rubric, and an incomplete audition presentation will result in a loss of points. Sample audition rubrics (scoring criteria) are available on our website. The audition adjudication panel for each arts discipline includes, but is not limited to, at least one of each of the following: a CPS designee, a community arts partner, a ChiArts representative; and a member of the Office of Specialized Services if the applicant has made this request.

Students will only compete for slots in their artistic discipline and within each subgroup of each arts discipline (e.g., flute students will not compete with visual artists for a slot, and beginning dance students will not compete with advanced students.) The projected admission slots for each arts department include: 30 dance (novice, intermediate and advanced combined); 30 theatre (acting and musical theatre combined); 30 visual arts; 60 music (strings, winds, voice, guitar, and piano combined). ChiArts reserves the right to adjust admission slots in each area based on the number of applicants.