City of Chicago SD 299 · IL
What matters most here
The earliest test that affects placement is Selective Enrollment exam — Classical Schools, starting in Kindergarten.
The bar: Score at or above the median on BOTH reading and math. Grades 5–8 also need a 3.0 GPA.
What schools usually do with these scores
- Placement. Advanced-track decisions almost never hang on one test. Districts combine an ability test, an achievement measure, and teacher input into a matrix — which is why each score below earns its keep.
The path to the advanced track
- K–8 · Selective Enrollment exam — Classical Schools
- K–8 · Selective Enrollment exam — Regional Gifted Centers
- Tier-based seat allocation
- 7–8 · Selective Enrollment exam — Academic Centers
Admission to Classical Schools, which run an accelerated program. Selection is a 300-point system built from the reading and math exam scores.
Your kid's grade
Pick a grade — the page narrows to what your kid actually takes.
What 2nd Grade takes
2 of City of Chicago SD 299's 4 assessments apply to 2nd Grade. Tap a test for what it measures and why it matters.
Got a score report?
Your kid's scores come home without context. Check one against the published bar — free, no account.
Not every test here has a published benchmark — where there isn't one, we won't invent a bar. And one score is one data point: schools decide from several measures across the year, plus the teacher's judgment.