Transfer Students

Enrollment & Registration Information

All transfer families should contact Student Services at 847-415-4528 or 847-415-4502 to begin the enrollment process. Stevenson will then send the information necessary to enroll the student.

Required Enrollment Documents

Parents/guardians will need to complete and upload the following required school enrollment documents. All completed documents must be in digital form to upload during the online enrollment process.

Household Information: 

• Address and phone contact for the primary and additional household (where applicable).
• Note: Parents/guardians living in separate households will need to provide a copy of the parenting agreement for school records.* 

Parent/Guardian Information: 

• All parent/guardian email addresses and home, cell and work phone contact numbers.

Student Information:

• Student’s birth certificate (translated in English). 
• Health/medication information, immunizations, doctor and hospital choice 
• 504/IEP documentation

Affirmation of Legal Residency:

In accordance with the Illinois School Code, all students attending Adlai E. Stevenson High School must be legal residents of District 125. Families are required to verify their residency by affirming that their student lives in the Adlai E. Stevenson school district and submitting the required documents during the annual residency verification process. Each family will be asked to provide documentation from each category below.

One of the following:

• Current and Valid Lease Agreement (including name and phone number of landlord)
• Real Estate Tax Bill
• Monthly Mortgage Statement
  • If you just purchased your home, we will accept the following:
    • Closing Document
    • Bill of Sale 
    • Warranty Deed 

And two of the following:

• Utility Bill Statement - Entire first page of the bill including the coupon portion. Utilities accepted include gas, electric, water, trash collection or cable.

• Vehicle Registration (current year)

Records

Consent for Records allows Stevenson faculty to communicate with sender school regarding your student.

• Please have a copy of the unofficial transcript available at the time of enrollment.
• If transferring from an Illinois public school, an ISBE (withdrawal) form is required.
• If the student is a Freshman, MAP (or other standardized test scores) are needed.
• Home Language Survey
  • In accordance with state law, all students must complete this information regarding language(s) spoken by your student and family.

*Please note that your documents must be in digital form to upload during the online enrollment process.

Enrollment Appointment

Students transferring into grades 10, 11 and 12 will have an enrollment appointment with a counselor to select courses for the current year.  Students will typically have one or two periods in which to choose elective courses. Students can view the Stevenson Course Book online at:  https://www.d125.org/academics/course-selection if they want to review courses prior to the enrollment meeting.

For sophomores, juniors and seniors, placement into core courses (math, science and English) will be based on the student’s previous academic history. Students may be asked to complete a math exam and/or world language exam (if applicable) in order to verify placement. If there are questions about the placement results, you can contact the director of a specific academic division with questions.

Registration Instructions

After residency has been verified and enrollment is complete, families will receive instructions to complete the registration and fee payment process.  Information will also be provided on student IDs, iPads and books.

Need Help?

If you have any questions on completing online enrollment, please call Student Services at 847-415-4528 or 847-415-4502 or email us at shs_enrollment@d125.org. For technical assistance or login help, please call 847-415-4208

Course Placement

Stevenson uses a placement process to make an initial recommendation in English, mathematics, science and world language courses for new transfer students. Stevenson’s divisions may use a slightly different evidence-based process to arrive at their placement recommendations than other schools, so please review the following information for division-specific benchmark details.

Families must be registered as district residents through our Student Services Division before testing can take place. To verify residency, please contact the Student Services Division at 847-415-4500.

World Languages

Placement in World Language courses is determined by student performance on a language-specific assessment that can be completed remotely. Students who have prior coursework or experience in Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Spanish, or Latin, and are interested in potential placement in one of these language programs beyond the introductory level, may sign up for the corresponding language benchmark exam.

• For Chinese, French, German, and Spanish, students will complete the listening, reading, and writing portions of the AAPPL exam.

• Students interested in completing a placement exam for Hebrew will complete the listening, reading, and writing portions of the STAMP exam.

• For Latin, students will complete the ALIRA assessment.

Please click here to preregister for the benchmark exam. Contact Sylvia Lima at slima@d125.org or 847-415-4700 with any questions regarding benchmark testing for World Languages.

Science

Recommendations for our Science classes are based on MAP scores in Math and Reading, as well as a review of students’ performance in 8th grade. Our Science Division first reviews math Map scores; based on strong math MAP some students given the recommendation/choice of Accelerated Chemistry or Accelerated Biology.

For the other students, we review the MAP Reading score to give one of three options. We also consider the English recommendations and then:

• Recommend Accelerated Biology with a choice of Accelerated Chemistry

• Recommend Accelerated Biology with a choice of College Prep Biology

• Recommend College Prep Biology with a choice of Accelerated Biology

• Place in College Prep Biology

Mathematics

For students transferring into Stevenson from outside Consortium 125 schools, the mathematics course placement will be determined based on a complete transcript from the previous school and curriculum review of the student’s previous course. A full topic-by-topic syllabus of the previous course is requested. 

Families must be registered as district residents through our Student Services Division before a transcript and course curriculum review is initiated. Contact Valerie Tomkiel at vtomkiel@d125.org or 847-415-4581 for details around the transcript/curriculum review. 

A benchmark/placement exam will only be administered when additional data about a student’s mathematical proficiency is needed.

Communication Arts

Our Communication Arts Division uses the fall or winter MAP reading score to make a Recommendation for placement.

Students who are able to provide a standardized reading and/or English test score (from the MAP, AIMS or Iowa tests, for example) do not need additional assessment. Contact Doug Lillydahl at dlillydahl@d125.org to submit such scores at any time.

For students who cannot provide a standardized reading and/or English test score, recommendations/placement in Freshman English and literacy courses is determined by a reading assessment of the student’s ability to comprehend and analyze text. Students should expect to read texts, answer questions in argumentative paragraphs, and answer online multiple-choice questions. This test is also open to students who wish to reassess and change their initial Academic Literacy placement.

In order to arrange for this SHS testing, please contact Denise Perkins at dperkins@d125.org or 847-415-4325.

Technology

How Students Receive Their SHS iPad

Each transfer student will receive an iPad which they keep until their time at Stevenson is finished. Students should expect to use these to access textbooks, class assignments and communicate with their teachers. Students new to Stevenson who will be attending summer school will receive their SHS iPad on Tuesday, June 8. Students only attending the second summer school session, will receive their SHS iPad on Tuesday, July 6.

For students attending summer school:
An optional hour-long iPad orientation session will start at 1 p.m. on June 8 and again on July 6. The session will be held in Link Lab (Room 3016). Students may sign up by replying to the email they will receive about this session. Additionally, students may simply show up to either session.

For students not attending summer school:
SHS iPads will be distributed on Transfer Student Orientation Day on Tuesday, Aug. 10. An optional hour-long iPad orientation session will be available at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12. The session will be held in Link Lab (Room 3016). Students may sign up by replying to an email they will receive about this session. Alternatively, students may simply show up to this session.

For frequently asked questions about SHS iPads please visit this webpage: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdNRT0q2YjPCl2a1_Lem2ytJPgQ6r3JVh_NQYQmc4Dg/edit#

Student Access to Technology

Stevenson students are given access to several different technology programs.  Every student is provided with a network account, an email account, Canvas account, IRC account and an Infinite Campus account.  Login information (account names and passwords) should be kept private at all times.

Students with questions or needing assistance with the SHS issued iPad should visit the technicians at the SMARTdesk. The SMARTdesk is located in the Link Labs building.  During summer school, the SMARTdesk is open Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Special hours will be posted. During the school year, it is open on regular school days from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. On late arrival days from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Special hours will be posted. 

During the school year, computers are available for student use in the Information Learning Center (ILC) in the west building (Room 1300) or in the East Learning Center (Room 7026). Students  may use the desktop computers during study hall by asking a classroom teacher for a pass to one of the Learning Centers from study hall. 

The use of a Stevenson High school computer is intended to serve instructional purposes only, playing games are not permitted. In exchange for the privilege of using the District's computers, computer network, and Internet access, students must consent to staff members monitoring such use. 

In order to use the Internet, a summer school student must have a signed Acceptable Use Guideline form (regarding access and use of the District Information Services systems) on file.  For the school year, students will agree to acceptable use during the registration process. Inappropriate use of the District's computers, computer network and/or Internet access may be considered gross disobedience or misconduct.  

Need Help?

For help with technology services for students, visit the SMARTdesk page in the student’s Canvas portal. Or visit the online SMARTdesk webpage: www.d125.org/student-life/tech-services.

Transfer Student Programs

Stevenson High School offers a variety of ways for transfer students to get connected to the school. Whether a student enrolls before the school year starts or after it has already begun, transfer students will be exposed to everything Stevenson has to offer.

Orientation

For students who enroll over the summer, a special Transfer Student Orientation is offered on Tuesday, Aug. 10. Transfer students are paired with a Transfer Buddy, a current Stevenson student who has volunteered to escort the transfer student around the school. The Transfer Buddy will show you where your classrooms are located, and other important locations, such as Learning Centers, Student Support Team offices and bathrooms.  Students who enroll after the school year starts will also be assigned a Transfer Buddy to help with orientation.

Transfer Parent Evening

Parents of transfer students are invited to Transfer Parent Evening on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Here, parents will learn all about Stevenson High School, from academics, to athletics, to resources. Bring your questions. If the student enrolls after this date, always feel free to contact the student’s counselor with any questions.

Transfer Student Resource Fair

On Wednesday, Aug. 25, transfer students should attend the Transfer Resource Fair. At this event, transfer students meet with various groups at the school, including co-curricular coordinators, intramural coordinators, and the leaders of SPINS (Stevenson Patriots In New Situations).  SPINS is a social group for transfer students who meet throughout the school year to go bowling, play whirlyball and other activities. SPINS is free of charge, except for stopping for food. Whenever a student enrolls, he/she is invited to join SPINS.

Transfer Student Groups

Starting on Friday, Aug. 27, Transfer Student Groups begin meeting during each lunch period.  These weekly meetings are vital for upperclassmen to attend so they can learn the rules of Stevenson High School, such as how to drop a class, how to level change, or how to fix your iPad. Freshman transfer students will be placed in an advisory, where they will cover the same material.

Invitation to Join PPA

Families new to Stevenson are also invited to join the Patriot Parent Association. More info is available at https://www.d125.org/parents/patriot-parent-association.

*Transfer student events and dates are subject to change due to COVID protocols.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How are my student’s placements determined in English, math, science, and world languages?
   We use our placement process to make an initial recommendation in English, Math, and World Language courses for new transfer students in grades 10-12. Our divisions may use a slightly different evidence-based process to arrive at their placement recommendations, so please review the information for division-specific benchmark details available on our website. Options are available for adjustment but parents and students should discuss this with the student’s current teachers.  Families must be registered as district residents through our Student Services Division before testing can take place. (To verify residency, please contact the Student Services Division at 847-415-4500.)
    
2. What if I have questions about my student’s placement in English, math, science, world language, or special education?
   You should contact the director of the specific academic department:
   English - Douglas Lillydahl, 415-4326
   Math - Darshan Jain, 415-4601
   Science - Dr. Steve Wood, 415-4401
   Special Education - Traci Krawczyk, 415-4834
   World Languages - Justin Fisk, 415-4701
    
3. What is a normal class load?
   The typical school day consists of eight 47-minute periods. School begins at 8:30 a.m. and ends at 3:25 p.m. Freshmen may enroll in up to seven classes (including physical education or dance) but have the option to enroll in a study hall as opposed to a seventh class. Freshmen are assigned to a lunch/Advisory period. Lunch periods are divided into two periods: 27 minutes for lunch and 20 minutes for Advisory.
    
4. Which courses should my student take for college?
   All information pertaining to graduation requirements and college admissions can be found in the beginning pages of the SHS Coursebook. College admissions requirements vary from school to school.  Some schools require fine arts, applied arts, and/or world language courses. Any questions can be directed to your student's school counselor.
    
5. What if my student is having difficulties in a class?
   If a student is having a problem in a class, all remedies start with the student talking to the teacher. Students are advised to make an appointment to meet a teacher during free time or a study hall period to discuss the difficulties. Students are also encouraged to meet with their school counselors. Counselors will share resources and supports available and assist students in developing plans to address their concerns.
    
6. Should my student take summer school courses?
   Summer school is not required, but taking a summer school course allows a student to become familiar with Stevenson's academic policies and procedures and get to know other students.  It may also allow a student to create space in their schedule during the school year for an elective course or study hall.
    
7. What courses are available in the summer?
   Information is available on our Summer School web page.
    
8. Are school counselors available over the summer?  
   Yes, students can email any course-related questions or request an appointment with a school counselor by emailing summercounselors@d125.org or calling 847-415-4080 over the summer break.
    
9. When may a student take Driver Education?
   Enrollment in driver education is based on age. Cutoff dates are printed in the SHS Coursebook.  This course is normally taken during one semester of sophomore or junior year as students are ineligible to take the course during freshman year. The student must have a social security number, an instruction permit issued by the Secretary of State’s office through the Driver Education Department, parental consent, verification of age, and have earned at least eight credits in the previous two semesters. Passing the classroom phase of Driver Education is required for graduation. 
    
10. How do we learn about co-curricular activities?
    A list of co-curricular activities is included in this booklet.  A Co-Curricular Handbook is available upon request. In addition, club and sport meeting times are announced through the Student Announcements web page at our website and through the Stevenson News Network morning announcements.  Visit these web pages for more information: 
    
    https://www.d125.org/student-life/announcements
    https://www.d125.org/student-life/activities
     
11. Are there late afternoon buses for students involved in sports and student activities?
    Monday through Friday, buses leave the Forum from parking lot B at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.  One bus goes east and one goes west.  On Wednesdays and Thursdays, buses also leave the Forum at 4:30 p.m. The route each bus will take is determined by the destinations of the students riding. These days/times are subject to change with COVID protocols.
     
12. How does my student see their school counselor?
    Students are able to arrange a meeting with their school counselor during the school day. Students are encouraged to make an appointment during a study hall, lunch period or before school.  Appointments can be scheduled through the counselor's Calendly link or by emailing them directly.
     
13. What kinds of support services are available at Stevenson High School?
    Students experiencing difficulties at Stevenson are referred to the individual’s Student Support Team (SST), consisting of a school counselor, a school psychologist, a dean, and a social worker.  Appropriate intervention strategies to promote student success are recommended at weekly SST meetings.  More information can be found at the Student Services web page as well as the Student Learning Program web page.
    
    Student Services: https://www.d125.org/student-life/student-services
    Student Learning Program:  https://www.d125.org/academics/tutoring
     
14. How does the EBR grading system work?
    Evidence-Based Reporting measures the student’s mastery of the essential standards and targets for a class, or how well the student understands the material in class. Students and parents can monitor student growth through the Interactive Report Card (IRC). The final grade is a professional determination of the student’s body of work with consideration of their growth.
    
    EBR courses use proficiency scales (and not points) to collect accurate evidence of student performance and academic growth. Students reflect on and grow their knowledge and skills throughout the semester. At the end of the semester, the teacher reviews the evidence presented by each student in each target, and converts said evidence into a traditional letter grade. All courses at Stevenson use EBR reporting. For more information on this system, please go to: https://www.d125.org/academics/grading.
     
15. Are there any iPad restrictions?
    Parents/Guardians are encouraged to handle and view the SHS iPad and set any family/household rules about the iPads. For example, no iPad use after a certain time and/or no iPads use in private spaces like bedrooms. Whatever rules you have had or now want to set for the household are welcomed. The iPad is still property of the school, until the student graduates. Parents/Guardians have the power to control the SHS iPad. Parents are welcome to set restrictions on the school issued iPad using the options provided within the operating system. In iPadOS 13 there are many new features for restrictions. For details about Apple’s iPadOS restrictions, please visit this webpage: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201304.
    
    Use of any third party apps for restrictions of the SHS iPad will conflict with the district management of the iPad and therefore will not function. Parents/Guardians may request to have the district add restrictions and manage them. Inquiries for district management of restrictions can be emailed to Nancy Hudson, SMARTdesk Manager at nhudson@d125.org. For frequently asked questions about SHS iPads, please visit this web page: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bdNRT0q2YjPCl2a1_Lem2ytJPgQ6r3JVh_NQYQmc4Dg/edit.
     
16. What is the best way to receive current information about upcoming programs and events?
    Stevenson High School offers a number of print and electronic publications to help you stay informed, including the Daily Digest and E-Minuteman. To sign-up for either publication, please visit the following web page: https://www.d125.org/about/shs-communications.
    
    Additionally, Stevenson is active on social media. Please visit the following web page for all Stevenson social media accounts: https://www.d125.org/about/social-media-directory.
     
17. When is the first day of school for students?
    Sophomore, Junior, and Senior students begin school on Thursday, Aug.12, 2021. Regular bus service is available on this day. Freshmen start school on Wednesday, Aug. 11.

Calendar of Events

Date	Event
May 1	Health forms due for those attending summer school
May & June	Annual Residency Verifications & Registration Fee Payment
June 8 - July 1	Summer School - Semester One
July 6 - 29	Summer School - Semester Two
June & July	Sports PREP Activities
June - July	Band Summer Rehearsals (Band Directors will send out details)
Late July	Band Camp – exact dates TBA
Aug. 10	Transfer Orientation Day
Aug.12	Health forms due for the 2021-22 school year
Aug.12	School Begins
Aug. 17	Transfer Parent/Guardian Evening
Aug. 25	Transfer Student Resource Fair

NOTE: All dates listed above were accurate as of March 18, 2021. To verify all dates, check the Stevenson web site. You may also subscribe to the online newsletter, E-Minuteman, in order to receive news alerts.