n panel documents, it reported receiving two bids during a request for proposals from Pearson, which has historically provided the exam, or a competitor, Educational Testing Services. After negotiating the contract down with Pearson, education officials said the cost of their product was 19% lower than switching vendors, and urged panel members to vote it through.
“This would be the sole means of providing an exam,” First Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg told the panel on Wednesday night at its monthly meeting, the second consecutive forum where the test was included but later removed from the agenda. “So if we don’t have this contract in place, the current contract will expire. There will be no contract of paper and pencil to continue.”
The tests will continue to be administered in school for eighth graders, with weekend testing available for ninth graders and students from private, religious and charter schools at central locations, according to education officials. Paper versions would remain available for students with disabilities who need accommodations. The changes would go into effect next fall.
In a statement, State Sen. John Liu (D-Queens), the chair of the upper chamber’s committee on New York City education, reiterated state law requires the exam for admission to specialized high schools, with no indication that he would push for changes in Albany.
“While the single test is not perfect, it is still the most objective assessment for admission to these specialized high schools,” Liu told The News.
Tag: john liu
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Push to digitize NYC entrance exam for specialized high schools reignites equity debate
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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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Liu: No quick fix to specialized high schools entrance exam
Senator John Liu showed his hand and hinted that he plans to kill any SHSAT reform by languishing the decision in committee over the next few years.
State Sen. John Liu said at City & State’s Education Summit on Thursday that he doesn’t expect any major changes to come out of Albany for at least several years as lawmakers and stakeholders figure out the best way to address racial disparities at the city’s specialized schools. The Queens lawmaker said that he does not yet know the best path forward, adding that he and his colleagues in the state Legislature don’t want to act hastily in response to results from the Specialized High Schools Admission Test.
For Senator Liu, this continues a pattern of not addressing specific issues around testing and admissions but rather simply declaring other proposals won’t work.
Senator Liu has yet to propose a single proposal of his own. A common practice among SHSAT supporters, as their goal is to protect the status quo as is.
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Racist? Fair? Biased? Asian-American Alumni Debate Elite High School Admissions
“We used to joke that whoever had the most money to spend on test prep would probably go to Stuyvesant.” That was how Ms. Rahman was introduced to the specialized school debate as a young Bangladeshi immigrant living in Brooklyn.
In high school, she came to believe that the admissions process was about money, not merit. Now, she said, “I feel like that system shouldn’t really exist.”https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/06/nyregion/nyc-specialized-high-school-test.html