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In Major Education Overhaul, NYC Plans To Drop Middle School Screens, Geographic District Priority For High Schools
By
Jessica Gould
and
Sophia Chang
Published Dec 18, 2020
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By
Jessica Gould
and
Sophia Chang
Published Dec 18, 2020
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In a massive shakeup of how the city handles admissions to its middle and high schools, the Department of Education will remove all selective ‘screens’ for middle schools for the 2021-2022 academic year and eliminate district priority for high schools altogether.
The city’s most selective high schools will continue to use the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) which will be administered beginning January 27th at students’ middle schools, after being delayed from its usual schedule in the fall. The DOE will also maintain selective admissions for high schools, using students’ state tests from 2018-9 and grades up through 2019. Art schools will hold auditions virtually.
No updates have been given on the gifted and talented program testing dates.
Officials said the pandemic has made it impossible to use typical screening criteria—including test scores, attendance, and grades—to determine admission for middle schools. All state tests have been cancelled. Because many students had trouble getting online after schools closed, the DOE said attendance could not be factored into admissions. And grading has changed: There are no Fs this year, and students have the option to drop their lowest grades from their GPAs.
The removal of middle school screening was announced for the current school year, but opponents have argued for years to stop using them altogether. Selective screens and district priority have long been flashpoints in the fight against segregation in the city’s public school system.
In November, the student-led activist group Teens Take Charge filed a federal lawsuit arguing that admissions screens disparately disadvantage Black, Latinx, and under-represented Asian students. A diversity task force convened by the mayor also came out against middle school screens more than a year ago.
Brooklyn’s District 15, which covers Park Slope, Cobble Hill, and Carroll Gardens as well as lower-income areas including Sunset Park and Red Hook, switched from screens to a lottery with priority for disadvantaged students in 2018. The move led to more diverse student bodies at some of the district’s most popular middle schools. According to the DOE, about 40% of the city’s middle schools use selective admissions.
Earlier this week, several principals at District 2 high schools called for changing rules that give families within the district priority in admissions. District 2 covers some of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the city—from the Upper East Side to Soho and Tribeca—and also includes some of the city’s most sought-after high schools.
“My responsibility and goal: all (Lab) students receive an education that includes learning with and from a racially integrated student body reflective of NYC,” wrote Brooke Jackson, principal of NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies, in a letter this week to her school community. “If not now, when?”
The United Federation of Teachers union issued a statement of support for the removal of screens this year: "The academic and geographic screens that proliferated during the Bloomberg era effectively limited the choices of tens of thousands of children. Removing those screens — even for one year — will help ensure that our system can provide all students with the maximum opportunity to succeed," said UFT president Michael Mulgrew in a statement Friday.
But proponents of selective admissions said the de Blasio administration is taking advantage of the crisis to push through the changes it wants. Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza has consistently been vocal about his opposition to screened admissions, saying earlier this year he was "hopeful we'll move towards a more equitable system next year" when discussing the SHSAT.
“The COVID-19 crisis has exposed longstanding inequities in our City’s public schools," said Mayor Bill de Blasio in a statement. "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.”
“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," Carranza said in the statement. "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.”
Students and families can apply to middle school starting on the week of January 11th, and the deadline will be the week of February 8th.
Applications for high school will open the week of January 18th; the deadline will be the week of February 22nd.
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COVID-19
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Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Sophia Chang
Sophia Chang is a former WNYC and Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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