Admission Procedures
An admissions process is necessary for technical schools where space is a limiting factor. Technical shops and laboratories are designed and equipped to serve a specific maximum number of students safely. The admissions process is highly student-centered, with a strong focus for individuals to be successful and to be able to meet their curricular, interest and learning expectations. A selection process is necessary to determine which applicants may most benefit from such educational opportunities. All applicants to grades nine through twelve at the Mercer County Technical School District will be evaluated using the criteria contained in these Admissions Procedures.
- Equal Education Opportunity
- Eligibility
- Application Process
- Program Admission
- Review and Appeals Process
- Recruitment
Equal Education Opportunity
Mercer County Technical School District admits students and makes advantages, privileges, and courses of study available without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or disability. If there is a student with limited English proficiency, a qualified representative from the Mercer County Technical School District will assist the applicant in completing the necessary forms and assist in interpreting during the entire application and admissions process upon the request of the applicant. Recruitment information is available in multiple languages on the district’s website at www.mcts.edu. English Language Learners (ELL) and disabled students may voluntarily self-identify for the purpose of requesting reasonable accommodations during the entire application and admissions process. Information on limited English proficiency and disabilities submitted voluntarily by the applicant, for the purpose of receiving assistance and accommodations during the entire application and admissions process, will not affect their chances of admission.
Eligibility
The Board of Education guarantees that all vocational opportunities are accessible to all students without regard to race, color, creed, national origin, affectional or sexual orientation, atypical hereditary cellular blood trait, limited English skills, liability for service in the Armed Forces of the United States, or handicap. The Superintendent or designee shall base admission on the following Board approved evaluation process and criteria. Qualified applications will be defined as those meeting the minimum standards as defined in the acceptance criteria outlined in district policy. Students will be ranked according to acceptance criteria score for admissions.
Academy Programs
Only 8th-grade students can apply and, if accepted, students will begin 9th grade year each September. Students in 10th, 11th, or 12th grade attempting to transfer into Mercer County Technical High School’s Academy Programs are not permitted.
Determination of admissions to any of the academy programs is based on a committee review of objective assessments that include but are not limited to grades as reflected on the transcript, the results of nationally normed-standardized test scores, and an admissions assessment administered by Mercer County Technical High Schools.
Shared Time Programs
All rising eleventh-grade students who are legal residents of Mercer County and meet all the academic eligibility criteria will be considered for admission to the shared-time secondary programs upon submission of the required application materials.
Qualified applications will be defined as meeting the minimum standards defined in the acceptance criteria. Additional students will be selected from the next highest scores.
Career Prep at Mercer County Community College
Students must be rising twelfth (12th) graders to be eligible to apply (apply in 11th grade only). Applicants for this program shall have no less than a 3.2 GPA and an attendance rate of 95% or better. *Students enrolled in our Academy and Shared-Time Programs are not eligible to apply for the Career Prep Program.*
Application Process
Information about admissions is available on the Mercer County Technical School District’s website at www.mcts.edu/admissions.
Applications for admissions will be available on the district website beginning in September of each school year.
- Students are accepted after a full committee review of completed application packets from October 16th of the previous school year and by October 5th of the current year.
- Only complete application packets will be considered.
- Untimely applications will not be considered.
- All applications must be completed and have all required documents by the designated deadline each year.
Subject to Board approval, Mercer County students shall be eligible for full or shared time attendance in the schools of this district and such others as may be admitted pending applicants complete/submit the following materials for a completed application packet:
- Mercer County Technical School District’s application form;
- Academic transcripts and report cards from the student’s current school year and previous school year;
- Attendance records from the student’s current school year and previous school year;
- Standardized test scores for the previous school year.
- Disciplinary records from the student’s current school year and previous school year.
- Most recent IEP* and/or 504 plan* and all current evaluations (if applicable); and
- Student health records.
*A student with an IEP or 504 will be given the same consideration as all students. Budgets are planned based on estimates made the previous school year. A student’s Special Education status will have no bearing on the admissions committee’s decisions and will not be included in the committee’s review packet.
- The application requests personal information and program choices and is filled out by the prospective student and parent/guardian. The parent/guardian must electronically sign the application to indicate approval of the student’s application and authorize the release of all information by the sending school.
- Once the prospective student and parent/guardian complete their portion of the application, a notification is automatically generated by Infosnap to notify the sending school district for the student’s counselor to provide the school records requested. This information includes the student’s report card from the current school year and previous school year, academic transcripts, attendance records from the student’s current school year and previous school year, standardized test scores for the previous school year, and other pertinent information. When all information has been uploaded by the sending school counselor to the student’s online application, the application will be reviewed by the admissions committee.
- Once all of an applicant’s application materials are received, the Director of Pupil Services shall submit the following application materials to the Admissions Committee for consideration:
- Mercer County Technical School District’s application form;
- Academic transcripts and report cards from the student’s current school year and previous school year;
- Attendance records from the student’s current school year and prior school year;
- Standardized test scores in the preceding school year.
- Disciplinary records from the student’s current school year and last school year.
*Any accommodations given to the applicant for the standardized assessment shall be shielded from the Admissions Committee.
4. After each Committee member recommends, the application materials shall proceed to the Principal. If the recommendations are evenly split or where no consensus has been reached on the applicant, the Principal shall make a final determination. The Director of Pupil Services shall notify the applicant, in writing, of the Committee’s determination. Such notice shall include an explanation of the reason for that decision and how the applicant may appeal the decision. Decisions on each applicant’s candidacy will be communicated promptly to the parent/guardian or adult student no later than March 15th.
Program Admission
After acceptance letters are emailed to the parent(s)/guardian(s) and students they are required to notify the Office of Admissions to confirm their attendance in the program. Parents and students may do so by email or telephone contact. The Office of Admissions will keep track of student enrollment via the infosnap system. Accepted students who do not confirm their attendance, may risk losing their space in the program.
Review and Appeals Process
The applicant’s parent(s)/guardian(s), upon learning that the applicant was not admitted for a particular program or placed on a waiting list, may request a review of the decision by sending a letter requesting a review to the Assistant Superintendent within 15 days of the receipt of the letter. The Assistant Superintendent will respond with the review findings within 15 days of receipt of the letter. If, after the review by the Assistant Superintendent, the parent(s)/guardian(s) wishes to appeal the findings, they may do so by sending a letter requesting a review to the Superintendent within 15 days of receipt of the response from the Assistant Superintendent. The Superintendent will respond in writing to the letter with the review findings within 15 days of receipt of the appeal letter. The decision of the Superintendent is final.
Recruitment
Before applying to the Mercer County Technical School District, prospective students have several opportunities to gain information about the school and its programs, including:
- General program information about Mercer County Technical Schools’ academic and technical programs is available online.
- An online application is available via the PowerSchool Enrollment portal, accessible from any website page.
- Targeted direct mailings to all Mercer County prospective students are distributed.
- District Information Sessions are held annually onsite and online at various district campuses. Virtual information sessions are available as well. Participation in District Information Sessions is not required for admission.
- On-site presentations are offered to all sending school districts.
- On-site presentations are given at various community organizations such as the Boys and Girls Club, religious organizations, etc.
- Admissions team members attend various career days, high school recruitment events, college fairs, etc., throughout the school year, during evenings, weekends, and the school day.
- Student groups are invited to tour the schools, learn about available programs, and listen to presentations describing program offerings. The sending school district provides transportation.
- School counselors and child study team members from each sending district are provided information regarding all programs, admissions events, and available space.
- Each sending school (middle and high schools) shall have a designated “Liaison Counselor” to distribute information to their students and relevant staff members.
- Students may attend a Guest Day Visit where they spend a morning or afternoon in a program.
- Students may attend a multi-day visit to sample various programs.
- School offices are open year-round to provide information to prospective applicants.
- Videos and virtual tours of programs and shops are offered on the district’s website, and captions of these videos are available in multiple languages via the YouTube closed-captioning feature.
- All admissions material can be translated into native languages upon the request of the sending school or parent and distributed during presentations or posted on the district website as per the demographic data.