The Parents' Association of the Bronx High School of Science Statement Opposing S 7738

Sep 15, 2026

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The Parents’ Association of the Bronx High School of Science opposes S 7738, arguing it would change the admissions process for New York City specialized high schools away from a transparent, incorruptible meritocracy. The statement claims the proposal fails to address early educational inequity and presents flawed new criteria, since middle schools are not equal and GPA comparisons would worsen disparities. It highlights Bronx Science’s long history of serving diverse, immigrant, and economically disadvantaged students, and proposes improving K-8 education, offering SHSAT to all eighth graders during the school day, and providing free tutoring and test preparation.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time5 min

AccessFree to download

SHSAT and Specialized High School Admissions

Objection to S 7738

Critique of proposed admissions criteria

Evidence of inequity starting early

Proposed solutions for fairer outcomes

June 11, 2014 The Parents ’Association of the Bronx High School of Science opposes S 7738 Felder that proposes changing the mandated admissions process of the specialized high schools in the City of New York. Westand for an admissions process that is a pure meritocracy, with one standard that is transparent and incorruptible. The suggested changes to the admissions process do nothing to address the root cause of inequity in elementary and middle school education. Further, the proposed new admissions criteria are deeply flawed. Disparities in academic outcomes start very early on. • Using multiple criteria such as a student’s GPA assumes that all middle schools are equal. By the Department of Education’s own school grading system, this is clearly not the case. The Schools are not equal and therefore, GPAs cannot be compared fairly. • Considering GPAs at the same time as the common core curriculum is introduced will further divide and expose disparities in populations. Bronx Science has for over seventy-five years been a home for gifted and hard working students of all backgrounds to attain the American Dream. With a population that is a wonderfully diverse as New York City itself, Bronx Science is a home for students across racial, ethnic and socioeconomic groups. • Bronx Science (and its fellow schools Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech) has a long history of serving immigrant and economically disadvantaged communities. • The current admissions process is color blind and immune from corruption and politics. • Nearly half of the student body at Bronx are eligible for free or reduced lunch, a metric that captures families that live below the poverty line in New York. • More than half of families currently at Bronx Science do not speak English in the home at all, including 568 students who are immigrants themselves. • Our students and their families make tremendous sacrifices to attend Bronx Science, most of whom travel more than an hour each way to get to school. As parents, we believe strongly in exceptional education for all of our children. The SHSAT is not the cause of the problem, but rather a symptom of an unacceptably flawed and inequitable elementary and middle school education system. We agree that the underrepresentation of the African American and Latino populations needs urgent attention. We believe the following proposals would help address the root causes of underrepresentation of African American and Latino students in the specialized schools while maintaining the uncorruptible method now in place. • Dramatically improve middle and elementary school education for all. This is the number one cause of this issue and must be immediately addressed by the Department of Education. Every child, regardless of ethnicity, deserves an education of equal quality that will inspire each to reach his or her potential. • Offer the SHSAT to all 8th graders during the school day and eliminate the current process where students have to register for the exam on a Saturday. • Provide access to free tutoring and test prep programs for any interested student to hone their skills and confidence in taking the exam. The specialized high schools are the jewels in the crown of our education system. With a myriad of problems facing our public schools today, focusing on schools that are thriving fails to address the root causes of educational inequity. In 1971 our wise state legislators realized that the admissions process for the Specialized High Schools needed to be protected by law from the tides of politics, pandering, and poor planning, passing the Hecht-Colandra Act. Changing a meritocratic and already fair admissions procedure deflects from real failure to fairly educate every student equally and only further hurts all of our children.

FAQs

What does the Parents’ Association oppose in this statement?

They oppose S 7738, which proposes changing the mandated admissions process for New York City specialized high schools.

Why do they argue the new admissions criteria are flawed?

They contend that using multiple measures like GPA assumes middle schools are equal, which they are not, and that combining GPA with common core exposure would further divide student populations.

What proposals does the statement make to address underrepresentation while keeping the current approach?

It calls for dramatically improving middle and elementary education, offering the SHSAT to all eighth graders during the school day, and providing free tutoring and test prep for interested students.

Sep 15, 2026

Uploaded by McGucket