Admissions Process

CSS has an admissions process in order to accommodate the high demand for space in the school.

As of May 18, 2012 we are accepting names on the wait lists for grade 9, 2012/13 and 2013/14 and grade 8, 2013/14.  All other waiting lists  are full, with over 400 names on each grade 4 waiting list and one hundred names on the grade 5 to 9 waiting lists.

The next grade 4 wait list to open will be for the 2017/18 school year.  If you have a child who will be entering ECS (kindergarten) in 2013, you may add their name to the wait list for grade 4, 2017/18 beginning at 8:00 am on Monday, September 16, 2013.

The purpose of the process is to ensure that there is a good alignment between the learner profile of potential students and the nature of our program. Given the extremely low attrition rate, the primary intake year is grade 4.

The nature of our program is such that learners should have the capability for independent learning, the desire to learn and grow with the support and guidance of peers as well as teachers, and an adventurous spirit. As with every school, there is a wide variation in terms of the types of learner at CSS, but those who have found the most success at CSS have had the capacity for independent learning but also appreciate and have the capability for highly collaborative work.

The admissions process is comprised of the following steps:

1. Placement on the waiting list – Parents or guardians can put their child’s name on the wait list on September 15 or the first business day thereafter of the year that the child enters ECS (kindergarten). Siblings of existing CSS students are placed at the top of the waiting list.
2. Admission Procedures
   a. Prior to admission,parents must provide the following:
   • The child’s most recent report card
   • Copies of any formal assessments completed since starting
   school (i.e. – Psycho-educational, Occupational therapy,
   Speech-Language assessments)
   • An original, authentic writing sample completed by the child
   no more than 30 days before the specified date.
   • Parent questionnaire

   b. Students entering grades 5 to 9 must submit the most current report card, their final report card from the preceding year, any formal assessments completed within the previous three years, a writing sample, and a completed parent questionnaire.

   c. In meeting the admission criteria, the student will be offered a spot in the school based on their placement on the wait list, as openings occur.
   
   d. In some circumstances where all criteria are not met,further investigation will be conducted regarding the suitability of the CSS program for that student.
   

3. Parent Information Sessions
   a. To help parents make an informed decision,parent information sessions will be held in late January or early February, wherever possible.
   b. Parents must attend the parent information session or make alternate arrangements with the admissions office in order to maintain their child’s place on the waitlist, as described in procedure 1 (f).
   

4. Siblings
   a. Siblings of existing Calgary Science School students will be moved ahead of non-siblings on the wait list. The order of the siblings on the wait list will be based on the date of first contact with the school.
   b. Siblings of current Calgary Science School students will be contacted prior to the winter break each year and will be asked to provide supporting documentation (report cards, writing sample, parent questionnaire, assessments if applicable).
   c. In the best interests of providing appropriate educational programming for all students, the entrance criteria noted in #2 above will also apply to siblings.
   

5. GenderRatio
   a. Where practicable,the school will maintain a ratio of at least one girl for every two boys in each class.
   b. Where the ratio in a class falls below the minimum specified ratio, girls will be admitted ahead of boys, based on their placement on the wait list.
   

6. Appeals Procedures
   a. Parents may appeal admissions decisions in accordance with Calgary Science School policy no. 2.01 – Appeals

7. Decision on Admission

Decisions on admissions can be appealed according to Board policy.