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 239 articles on Hecht-Calandra, SHSAT, and related topics.
Stokely Carmichael interviewed by Mike Wallace discusses the SHSAT Exam
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Boston Overhauls Admissions to Exclusive Exam Schools
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Why I Support Reforming New York City’s Elite High School Admissions
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After admissions changes, Thomas Jefferson High will welcome most diverse class in recent history, officials say
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She got into one of NYC’s top high schools. Four years later, she wishes she hadn’t
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Teachers union chief cites Stuyvesant HS in ripping standardized testing
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The Mayor has shifted blame to state lawmakers. But he can take action now if he wants to.
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Brown’s Lost Promise: New York City Specialized High Schools as a Case Study in the Illusory Support for Class-Based Affirmative Action
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