What is the On-Track Metric?
In Chicago, a student is considered On Track if he or she has accumulated five full credits (ten semester credits) and has no more than one semester F in a core subject (English, math, science, or social science) by the end of freshman year. These represent the criteria to become a sophomore in Chicago Public Schools. Students who are On Track are far more likely to graduate from high school than their off-track peers.
On Track may be defined differently in your school or district. For more information about the origins of On Track in Chicago, please refer to the Understanding Research & Applying Data Component in this Toolkit.
What is Creative Commons?
Many of the tools in the NCS Freshman On-Track Toolkit are original works or adaptations with the permission of the original creator. Because all of the tools have been compiled and presented here in the interest of sharing best practices, original works have been marked with a Creative Commons copyright license.
In contrast to a traditional copyright, where all rights are reserved to the creator, our purpose in using a Creative Commons license is to make it easier for others to share and use the material. We encourage you to openly use and share the original works found in this toolkit. You may also adapt the tools marked with a Creative Commons license, provided you share those adaptations in the same open, non-commercial manner.