Author: siteadmin
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SHSBADI at 10: Lessons Learned and the Path Forward
We realized that both the admissions process and the school system had changed from the time of our attendance. Many of us came to Stuyvesant by way of gifted classes in our neighborhood public schools. Until the 90s, gifted education was decentralized, with accelerated SP (“special progress”) and IGC (“intellectually gifted”) classes in local schools…
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High-Stakes Standardized Testing Supporter: Aravella Simotas
Name: Aravella SimotasAssembly Link: https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Aravella-SimotasBallotpedia: https://ballotpedia.org/Aravella_Simotas Phone: 718-545-3889 Although frequently virtue-signaling in public, Assemblymember Simotas has been a firm supporter of keeping the SHSAT high-stakes exam as the sole admissions criteria in NYC public specialized high schools. Media: From: “Aravella Simotas” <[email protected]>Date: June 27, 2019 at 12:19:40 PM EDTTo: [Redacted]Subject: RE: Please OPPOSE A2173 on…
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Chancellor Carranza’s NYS 2021 Budget Comments on Repealing Hecht-Calandra
Chancellor Carranza gives the New York State Assembly and Senate a great summarized argument for repealing the Hecht-Calandra Act. Also at this hearing, Senator John Liu brought up the question of decertifying the 5 most recent SHSAT schools…
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Close Stuyvesant High School
This 2014 Slate.com article makes the unusual argument that Specialized High Schools should be closed. My alma mater, Stuyvesant High School, has been a lightning rod in New York City politics for as long as I can remember. Whenever critics have griped about the way Stuyvesant does business, my inclination has long been to say,…
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Boston: Exam school test administrator clashes with BPS over use of admissions test
Boston Public Schools have for years misused the test results that help determine admissions to its coveted exam schools, in a way that makes it harder for “underrepresented” students to win admissions, according to the organization that administers the controversial exam. The fairness of the admissions process to the three exam schools—Boston Latin School, Boston…
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The System that Segregated NYC Schools
Although the mayor’s proposal is modest, opposition to it has been enormous. Opponents defend wholeheartedly the use of the SHSAT. It’s their belief that this high-stakes exam is objective, merit-based, and fair. This opposition movement is largely backed by lobbyist groups funded by CEOs, and alumni associations with deep pockets. Its ranks also include self-described progressives such…
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Lawyers Argue the Discovery Program on Injunction Appeal
In an attempt to appeal an earlier district court preliminary injunction decision plaintiff lawyers argue that the Discovery Program is somehow racist. It should be noted that… …that the Discovery program was started in the 1960s and predates the SHSAT exam and Hecht-Calandra itself. also, the Discovery program was reserved roughly 15% of offers in…
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My son was admitted to a specialized high school. Then the school told us it couldn’t accommodate his disability.
I asked if there was any plan to offer integrated co-teaching in the fall. “Not that we know of,” came the response. I then asked how many special education teachers they had on staff. Despite everything I already knew about Tech and the competitive admissions process to get there, I was still shocked: the answer…
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A Single Score No More: Rethinking the Admissions System for New York City’s Specialized High Schools to Preserve Academic Excellence and Promote Student Diversity
This paper gets a few of its core premises wrong. The SHSAT exam does NOT strongly predict academic performance nor ability. Papers put its validity at 20%. Which basically means it’s only predicting 20% of what makes a student successful. GPA comes in at about 40% as a comparison. Unlike Mayor de Blasio’s plan, this…