Sweeping application changes for NYC specialized high schools, middle schools
December 18, 2020
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Sweeping changes to New York City’s specialized high school and competitive middle school application process were announced Friday by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Richard A. Carranza in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and vocal critics calling for more diversity in the city’s most esteemed schools.
“The COVID-19 crisis has exposed longstanding inequities in our city’s public schools,” said de Blasio. “Now, as we rebuild our city, we are expanding opportunities for all public-school students and doubling down on our mission to provide a quality education for all, regardless of a child’s ZIP code.”
Among the changes: Middle schools will temporarily pause academic “screens” to select students. Instead, they will select students through a lottery system. This means students applying to middle school will not be selected based on previously used screening criteria, including grades, student interviews, school-based assessments, behavioral evaluations, standardized test scores and attendance
The city Department of Education (DOE) will evaluate this one-year pause on middle school screens in the enrollment cycle for the 2022-23 school year, depending on the availability of data for next year’s applicants and the outcomes.
HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSIONS TEST
At the high school level, the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) will be administered in students’ own middle school to reduce travel and mixing of different cohorts of children.
Eight specialized high schools in New York City currently offer admission to students based on the score on the SHSAT.
These schools are: Staten Island Technical High School in New Dorp; Stuyvesant High School; Bronx High School of Science; Brooklyn Latin School; Brooklyn Technical High School; High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College; High School for American Studies at Lehman College; and Queens High School for Sciences at York College.
SHSAT registration will close on Jan. 15, 2021. It will be administered beginning in late January. Families can complete applications via the MySchools portal, by calling P311, or through a virtual Family Welcome Center.
The city will also temporarily eliminate a district-based admissions preference for high schools for the upcoming admissions cycle. Other geographic priorities, like borough preferences, will be eliminated for the following admission cycle, the DOE confirmed.
Opponents of district-based admission argue that the system has allowed some of the city’s wealthiest ZIP codes an easier path into the desirable schools in their community.
In other pandemic-related changes, performing arts auditions are going virtual. Students will only need to create one audition that can be submitted for all schools that require it.
Schools will also be required to publicly publish their rubric criteria on MySchools, and the ranking process will be centralized to ensure equity and transparency.
EMPOWERING STUDENTS
“It is my responsibility to deliver the highest-quality education possible to each child, so that they are prepared for a successful, productive life, and empowered with the skills they need to chase their dreams and lead us all forward,” said Carranza. “This year, we have faced the unknown together, and as we look ahead, we know that opening up more of our schools to more of our students will make our system stronger and more equitable for all.”
Additionally, the DOE plans to expand District Diversity Plan grants, which Staten Island’s District 31 participates in, to five more districts. Those applications will open soon.
Integration advocates have been pushing for changes for years, noting a lack of diversity among the city’s specialized high schools.
The current middle school process favors wealthier families who have the time and connections to navigate through it, they say.
SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOL ENROLLMENT DATA
Two hundred and eighty-six students were offered admission to Staten Island Technical High School in the fall of 2020, including one student is Black and eight Latino students, according to numbers from the DOE.
And, for the third year in a row, the number of Asian students offered admission to Tech exceeded offers made to white students. Out of the 286 students, a total of 185 Asian students received offers to the freshman class, while 81 white students were accepted, data shows.
There were 27,831 students across the city who competed for seats at the city’s specialized high schools in 2020, according to DOE numbers. Across the city, 4,265 students received offers.
Citywide last year, 4.5% of the offers went to black students, and 6.6% went to Latino students. Fifty-four percent of offers went to Asian students, 2.3% went to multi-racial students, 0.9% went to Native American students, and 25.1% went to white students, DOE data shows.
According to the DOE, 2019-2020 attendance and punctuality will not impact applications to middle or high schools for students entering high school in fall 2021.
Parents and students can explore schools and programs with the searchable MySchools directory.