Admissions Policy


INTRODUCTION
An admission process is necessary for Career and Technical Programs where there are more applicants than openings. A process is necessary to determine which applicants may most benefit from such educational opportunities. All applicants to the Career and Technical Programs for grades nine (9) through twelve (12) at Silver Lake Regional High School will be evaluated using the selection criteria contained in this Admission Policy. The Silver lake Regional School Committee approved this policy.

EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
Silver Lake Regional High School admits students and makes available to them its advantages, privileges and courses of study without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability.
If there is a student with limited English proficiency, a qualified staff member from Silver Lake will assist the applicant in completing the necessary forms and assist in interpreting during the entire application and admission process upon the request of the applicant.
Disabled students may voluntarily self-identify for the purpose of requesting reasonable accommodations during the entire application and admission process.
Information on limited English proficiency and/or disability submitted voluntarily by the applicant, for the purpose of receiving assistance and accommodations during the entire application and admission process, will not affect the applicant’s admission to the Career and Technical Programs.

ELIGIBILITY
Any eighth, ninth, tenth or eleventh grade student who is a resident in the Silver Lake Regional School District, serving the towns of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton, is eligible to apply for fall admission or admission during the school year subject to the availability of openings to the Career and Technical Programs at Silver Lake.
District students will be evaluated using the selection criteria contained in this Admission Policy. Priority for admission is given to school district residents. Students who are not residents of the school district are eligible to apply for fall admission or admission during the school year provided they expect to be promoted to the grade they seek to enter by their current school.
Non resident students will be evaluated using the selection criteria contained in this Admission Policy.
Transfer students from other Vocational-Technical schools are eligible to apply for fall admission or admission during the school year to the Career and Technical Programs grades 9-12 at Silver Lake provided they expect to be promoted to the grade they seek to enter by their current school. Transfer students will be evaluated using the selection criteria contained in this Admission Policy.
No applications will be accepted for new students into the Career and Technical Programs after the fourth calendar week of school.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE
Silver Lake Regional High School is a regional, comprehensive, public school located in Kingston, Massachusetts. Silver Lake serves the children of Halifax, Kingston, and Plympton. Silver Lake is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Silver Lake is committed to providing quality Career and Technical Programs.
There are no quotas which limit the number of students who may apply and/or be accepted into the Career and Technical Programs on the basis of town of residence.
It is the responsibility of the Silver Lake Principal to supervise the administration of the policies and procedures required to admit and enroll applicants in conformity with this Admission Policy.
Silver Lake has an Admission Committee appointed by the Principal. The committee consists of the Director of Career and Technical Education, a member of the Administration, the Career and Technical Guidance Counselor, and representatives of the Special Needs, Career and Technical, and Academic Departments. Responsibilities of the Admission Committee include:
  • determination of standards for admission
  • development and implementation of admission procedures
  • processing of applications
  • ranking of students
  • acceptance of students according to the procedure and criteria in the admission policy
  • establishment and maintenance of a waiting list of acceptable candidates
The Silver Lake Director of Career and Technical Education is responsible for disseminating information about Silver Lake’s Career and Technical Programs through local school assemblies and press releases, and for collecting application from 
students.

Silver Lake does not participate in the School Choice Program.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
The Silver Lake Director of Career and Technical Education disseminates information about the program through a variety of methods to include:
  • Visitations with a multimedia presentation to 8th grade classes in local schools from October to 
    February are scheduled.
  • All interested eighth grade students are invited to tour the Career and Technical Programs during the day with their counselors. Parents are welcome to participate in these tours.
  • An Open House is scheduled during the winter months. Prospective students and their parent(s)/guardian(s) have an opportunity to visit all Career and Technical Programs and speak with teachers and students, as well as view a presentation about all offerings.
  • Parent(s)/guardian(s) may schedule individual visits at a mutually convenient time.
  • Brochures, which describe Career and Technical Programs including academic courses, cooperative education, and special education resources, are distributed during the 8th grade visitations and the Open House.

APPLICATION PROCESS
Students interest in applying for admission to the ninth, tenth, eleventh or twelfth grade Career and Technical Programs for fall admission must:
  1. Obtain an application from the Director of Career and Technical Education or the Guidance Department as early in the school year as possible. One application is all that is needed. It will cover admission to all the Career and Technical Programs in the event that a student is interest in more than one program
  2. Return the completed application form to the Director of Career and Technical Education, through the Guidance Department, by the April 15th deadline.
  3. Participate in an interview with the Director or another member of the Admission Committee.
If incomplete applications are received, the following procedures will be followed:
  1. The applicant’s parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified by mail by the Silver Lake Regional High School Director of Career and Technical Education.
  2. If after notifying the parent(s)/guardian(s), the application remains incomplete for ten (10) school days, the application will be voided.
Applicants must obtain a total of 60 points to be accepted. All applications are rated in five (5) areas:
  • Attendance for two preceding years - 20 points
  • Grades for two preceding years - 25 points
  • Discipline/conduct record for two preceding years - 20 points
  • Recommendation from a teacher or a counselor - 15 points
  • Interview - 20 points

LATE APPLICATIONS
Applications received after April 15th for enrollment during the subsequent year,or the second Friday of the year for current year enrollment, may not be accepted. If accepted, they will be evaluated using the same criteria as other applications and their composite score will be computed. They will be placed in rank order on a waiting list with other late applications.
No applications will be accepted for new students into Career and Technical Programs after the fourth calendar week of school.

TRANSFER STUDENTS
Applications from students who are enrolled in a stare-approved (Chapter 74) career and technical high school pro gram in another school (transfer students) will be considered for admission (including admission during the school year) if they relocate from their current school and wish to pursue the same program of study at Silver Lake. All transfer applicants must complete an application and participate in an interview at Silver Lake. If the applicant or parent/ guardian cannot provide transportation, an official from Silver Lake may choose to go to the local school to meet with the applicant. Their applications will be evaluated according to the selection criteria contained in this Admission Policy.

WITHDRAWN STUDENTS
Students who withdraw from Silver Lake’s Career and Technical Programs may reapply for admission to Silver Lake’s Career and Technical Programs following the procedures contained in this policy and will be evaluated using the selection criteria contained in this policy.

SELECTION CRITERIA
Students who complete an application for admission to the Career and Technical Programs participate in a one-half school year Career and Technical Exploratory program designed to help them learn about their talents and interests to a variety of Career and Technical Programs. In addition, Career and Technical Program (shop) teachers evaluate students during the exploratory program. Students explore five Career and Technical Programs for approximately twelve two weeks each. At the end of this exploratory period, at the end of the first semester, each student selects his/her program of choice, as well as second and third choices from the shops explored.
Students who enroll in Silver Lake after grade nine may explore Career and Technical Programs that have openings before making a program selection. Students are evaluated and graded by each shop teacher during the period of exploration. If the number of enrollees seeking a particular shop exceeds the number of openings, the evaluative grades received by the students rank ordered would determine the enrollee or enrollees who are placed in the particular shop.
Each shop/related teacher evaluates each student during the exploratory period. Students are evaluated and scored in the following areas (out of a possible 100 points):
  • Shop/related grades - 60 points
  • Attendance - 20 points
  • Discipline/conduct - 20 points

SELECTION PROCESS
Students are admitted into the shop of their choice based on the point average they received in all shops combined during the exploratory period. For example, a student with a point average of 92 would be admitted before a student with a point average of 90. If a shop fills, based on point average, before a student gets his/her first choice, the Director then moves to the student’s second or third choice depending upon whether there is an opening in the shop. Again, the student is admitted based upon overall point average. If a student’s point average in all shops combined is so low that they are not placed in their second or third choice shop because the shops were filled by students with higher point averages, the Director will meet with the student and present a list of shops with openings and ask the student to choose one of them. Again, students selecting shops from among the shops with openings will be admitted based on their point averages. If necessary, the Director may use point averages from individual exploratory to make final placements. The process continues until all students are placed.
Students in the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth grades who have not participated in the ninth grade exploratory program may apply to enter any program offered by Silver Lake Regional High School. If the program that they select has no vacancies, students are counseled about the programs with openings. Students use the course selection sheet to make their selections.
After placement, students continue to explore the shop in which they were placed for the remainder of the school year in order for them to continue to learn about their talents and interests.

TRANSFER PROCESS
Students who wish to transfer from one shop to another may apply for transfer. Transfer requests will be considered subject to the availability of openings in the requested shops and the student’s overall and individual point averages. Each transfer applicant will be interviewed and counseled individually to determine the appropriateness of the transfer for the particular student.

REVIEW
The applicant’s parent/guardian, upon receipt of a letter from Silver Lake indicating that the applicant was not accepted or placed on a waiting list for a particular program (shop) (major), may request a review of the decision by sending a letter requesting a review to the Superintendent within thirty (30) days of the receipt of the letter. The Superintendent will respond in writing to the letter with the findings of the review within thirty (30) days.