Over the almost 50 years of Hecht-Calandra act being law, we now have decades of research detailing the problems with high-stakes testing as the sole measure of student ability. Yet Hecht-Calandra and the exam it authorizes continue to be New York State law.
Denying the harm in using a single multiple-choice exam as the sole measure of a child’s academic worth with the mountains of scientific evidence we now have is similar to denying global warming.
No other district in the nation uses a single exam for screening a public high school. No red state or GOP-led State has a single-measure entrance exam.
Replace Hecht-Calandra act to allow modern psychometric testing practices that aren’t subject to the above issues.
How you can help
We have a hard time getting NY Assembly and Senate elected members to give on-record opinions on the test. Call your Assembly and Senate representatives to ask for their opinion on the test. And let us know their opinion.
Posts, News & Articles
Interested in learning more? We’ve collected 240 articles on Hecht-Calandra, SHSAT, and related topics.
Stuyvesant High School Admitted 762 New Students. Only 7 Are Black.
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At New York’s Other Selective Public Schools: Auditions for 9th Grade
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Who’s Afraid of Integration? A Lot of People, Actually.
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Is the Fight for School Integration Still Worthwhile for African Americans?
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How I found my voice as a Black student at Brooklyn Tech
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Report Shows School Segregation in New York Remains Worst in Nation
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Boundary Matters: Uncovering the Hidden History of New York City’s School Subdistrict Lines
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NAGC Files Amicus Brief in Support of Equitable Access to Exam Schools in Boston
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NYC’s specialized high schools continue to admit few Black, Latino students, 2022 data shows
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