SHSAT Sunset

SHSAT Sunset

  • Bangladeshi families prep for controversial specialized high school exam

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    About 40 middle school children—all but one from Bangladeshi immigrant families in the Bronx—sat quietly inside a stark classroom at Khan’s Tutorial in Parkchester on a Sunday afternoon in September. Barely audible from the upstairs classroom were the sounds of children playing at a nearby park as the 12 and 13-year-olds reviewed fractions, greatest common…

  • 5-10-19 Public Hearing on Specialized High Schools

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    The NY State Assembly had its first hearing on SHSAT exam. The hearing brought together activists, scientists, politicians and city hall employees all to discuss Hecht-Calandra and the exam it authorized. Follow the link below for the over 7 hours of testimony. https://nystateassembly.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=8&clip_id=5117

  • De Blasio’s Plan for NYC Schools Isn’t Anti-Asian. It’s Anti-Racist.

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    The mayor’s plan isn’t anti-Asian, it’s anti-racist. It would give working-class parents — including Asian-Americans — who can’t afford and shouldn’t have to find ways to afford expensive test prep programs a fairer chance that their child will be admitted into what’s known as a specialized high school. True, taking a test prep course doesn’t…

  • Is the SHSAT a Valid Test?

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    The fact that the test changes so frequently with no impact on the quality of graduates from the specialized high schools also argues against the utility of the exam as a necessary factor in that success. http://akilbello.com/is-the-shsat-a-valid-test/

  • NYC chapter of Sharpton’s group looks to scrap elite schools test, in break with longtime ally

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    “The National Action Network, as a Civil Rights organization, cannot allow nor support ‘elitism,’” the remarks state. “As for the opposition’s position for ‘keeping the test as is and fix all middle schools,’ NAN asks why hasn’t this been done before??! And doing so would take too long. Eliminate the test and fix all the…

  • Two key questions about how New York City admits students into its elite public schools

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    Two key questions about the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT) have not received enough attention in the current debate. First, is the SHSAT a good test? Second, is using a test, even if it’s good, as the sole basis for admission a good idea? The answer to the second question is easy. No. No…

  • NYC Bar: Eliminate Competitive Admissions to NYC Public Elementary & Middle Schools

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    Equal access to educational opportunity and racially and economically integrated public schools are central goals of the SDAG and the larger civil-rights community. These goals cannot be achieved unless the New York City Department of Education eliminates competitive admissions to its elementary- and middle-school programs and schools. In the elementary-school context, New York City provides…

  • Testimony regarding segregation in New York City public schools

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    UFT opposes single measure admissionsThe union is on record criticizing and challenging the validity of a single test as the sole criteria for high stakes decisions – such as entrance to early elementary gifted and talented programs or specialized high schools. The proponents of these standardized tests for entrance to competitive screened schools allege the…

  • Entrenched positions and pleas for change: NYC council debates school integration

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    City council members on Wednesday grilled education department officials on school segregation at a joint hearing of the Education Committee and Civil and Human Rights Committee. The sharp questions and answer session took place just weeks before the 65th anniversary of the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. The atmosphere was a stark departure from…

  • Big Money Enters Debate Over Race and Admissions at Stuyvesant

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    Follow the money they typically say. Ronald S. Lauder, the billionaire cosmetics heir, and Richard D. Parsons, the former chairman of Citigroup, have for decades had their hands in New York City affairs. Mr. Lauder ran a failed bid for mayor and successfully led a campaign for term limits for local elected officials. Mr. Parsons…