Class of 2029

Alpha STEM Program Requirements:

Acceptance to Lane Tech

• All incoming freshmen accepted into Lane Tech will receive an email from Ms. Johnson and are invited to join the Alpha STEM Program. Please check the Lane Tech Class of 2029 website for more information.

• Students accepted into Lane Tech will need to submit their intent to join the Alpha STEM Program. The Alpha Intent Form is WILL OFFICIALLY CLOSE ON April 24th.

  • Intent to join the Alpha STEM Program does not guarantee entry into the program. See below for requirements and attend our informational sessions.

Passionate about STEM 

• Participate in Science Fair by completing individual research and experimentation for the School Science Fairs freshmen and sophomores years

• Expectation that students will focus on our rigorous STEM course offerings (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)

  • The Alpha STEM math sequence will follow the Math BC track, but will have the option to take Math AB classes. Math BC track requires a placement exam.

• Interdisciplinary program in which students are in a cohort with their peers (Science, Math, English)

Characteristics of the Successful Alpha Student 

Independent

Form study groups

Good study skills

Good organization

Self-motivated

Hard worker

Good time management

These  prerequisites that must be met in order to be officially placed in Alpha are: 

1) Prospective students and parents should review the slideshow above and this webpage.

2) Placement out of Algebra I (official elementary school transcripts are required). Alpha freshmen must be placed in Honors Geometry or higher-level math.

a)  All incoming Alpha freshmen are suggested to take the Lane Tech Math Placement exam in June to determine if a student would be recommended to take Algebra again. If this is the case, the student will be recommended to retake Algebra but NOT mandated to. However, if a student does not pass the Algebra Exit Exam, the Lane Tech exam is a second chance at testing into Geometry. Again, all incoming Alpha freshmen students must be placed in Honors Geometry or higher-level math. Check out more information about Math Placement on the Lane Tech Class of 2029 website. Any questions about the Lane Tech Math Placement exam can be emailed to math department chair Mark Hamel at mhamel@cps.edu.

b) Review expectations of Math literacy and Algebra concepts. See the pdf attached below that helps you review:  finding midpoints, slopes, and distance of two points; writing linear equations in various forms; solving linear systems of equations; simplifying radicals; and factoring and solving quadratic functions.

c) It is very important that Alpha students have a good Algebra foundation and understand that this is the expectation. Alpha students will ideally follow the Math-BC track.

3) Selective Enrollment Scores, which vary year to year, are a good indicator of how well a student will succeed in the rigorous Alpha Program. These scores are taken into consideration for acceptance into the Alpha STEM Program.