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 203 articles on Hecht-Calandra, SHSAT, and related topics.

news, ny1, principals

Students Will Take SHSAT in Person Next Week, Adding to Strain on Middle School Principals

Covid pandemic or not, NYC holds the SHSAT exam. "It seems incredibly unfair to put families in the position where they, again, any family who chose remote learning, now has to choose whether it is worth jeopardizing the safety and ...
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analysis, de blasio, mayor, pdf, proposal

Mayor’s 2018 Proposal

Mayor Bill de Blasio's 2018 SHSAT proposal ...
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editorial-board, hunter, nytimes, opinion

Reopen Schools, and Reform Them

Instead of allowing the pandemic to worsen longstanding inequities, New York could seize on the disruption to fix its broken high school admissions practices at all its schools. Several promising proposals have emerged in recent years. Instead of a single exam, Albany could allow ...
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medium, opinion, parents for responsive equitable safe schools, PLACE

Nobody’s Special PLACE

But if schools are “good” and “bad” based on who enrolls, then what function does a school itself serve?The SHSAT conversation has crystalized into who is worthy of the “best” education, and who is not. A dyslexic student who excels on ...
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first-hand, ny-daily-news, opinion, opinion

NYC, suspend high-stakes admission tests

Yet for years, neither the mayor nor the Legislature — nor anyone in Hunter College leadership — has taken the necessary action to overhaul a system that bases admissions to the most coveted schools on just a test, the SHSAT ...
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research, taylor

Taylor Study 2019

...
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chalkbeat, lucas, online, opinion

Will the coronavirus mean the end of the SHSAT? I hope so

I believe the exam should have been eliminated years ago, but this difficult moment in history would be the perfect opportunity to see how a more inclusive set of admissions criteria could work for these specialized high schools without administering ...
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christa-mcauliffe, kappan, law, lawsuit, pacific-legal

The legal battle over high school entrance exams

The points made in this article cannot be overstated. The Hecht-Calandra Act may be an unknown, obscure law to many Americans, including New Yorkers. But this law may be the small crack in the armor that allows conservative legal groups ...
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berkeley, debate-overview, history, law, law, research, zubair

Brown’s Lost Promise: Segregation & Affirmative Action In New York City Specialized High Schools

New York City is one of the most diverse cities in the United States. However, its schools remain some of the most segregated. The crown jewel of the City’s public education system, Specialized High Schools, are among the nation’s top ...
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barron, city council, lander, law, powers

New City Council Resolutions Push for Overhaul to School Admissions Process

Repeal of the 1971 Hecht-Calandra Act and transferring control of admissions to New York City’s specialized high schools to the City. The Hecht-Calandra Act made the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test the single metric that can be used to admit ...
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