By Gina Martinez
State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) and Sen. Jamaal Bailey (D-Brooklyn) announced a new legislative package to diversify the student population in the highly competitive specialized high schools across the city.
According to the senators, 28,333 eighth-graders sat for the Specialized High School Admissions Test last fall to qualify for spots in Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Queens High School for the Sciences at York College, Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn Technical High School, Staten Island Technical High School, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, and High School for American Studies at Lehman College. The total number of students who took the test only increased 2 percent from the year before, while the number of black and Latino students taking the test fell by 2 percent.
As a result, only 10 black students were admitted to a Stuyvesant’s class of 902, down from 13 last year and 27 Latino students were admitted, down from 28 last year.
These low numbers are due to the fact that over the years the test has evolved to the point where many parents spend large sums of money on special tutoring classes and test prep for their children, creating a disadvantage for low-income students, who are predominantly black and Latino, according to Stavisky.
Stavisky said the goal is to prepare students for more than just a test, which is why the package includes programs that will assist students at a much younger age.
“The gifted and talented program provides an opportunity to identify students at an early age and tap into their potential for academic excellence,” she said. “Hopefully, more children in under-served areas will be identified and given the opportunity for enriched, enhanced academic programs. Studies have shown that many students identified as gifted and talented will be minority children from economically disadvantaged communities. We have to expand our search to identify these children.”
There are currently certain initiatives, like the Discovery Program and the DREAM Program, that are designed to increase diversity. The Discovery Program allows low-income students that fail to make the passing score threshold of the exam to attend a summer program that, upon completion, will give them a second chance at attending a specialized high school. The DREAM program is an after-school or summer program that offers test prep for sixth and seventh graders at 20 locations across the city.
But Stavisky and Bailey, both graduates of Bronx High School of Science, want to do more. Their legislation will ensure that all students entering high school have an opportunity to participate in the Discovery Program to gain access to specialized high schools in the city. The bill would also mandate every school district to screen for gifted and talented students before entering the third grade, though parents will have the opportunity of opting their child out if they choose to.
The legislation would also implement a pre-SHSAT to students in the sixth grade to guide them as they prepare for the SHSAT given to eighth-graders. Parents and students will also be given a gap analysis to help them determine areas in need of improvement and the opportunity to sign up for test prep programs in time.
Finally, the bill would establish a “Commission on Diversity in Specialized Schools,” comprised of 18 members that will provide recommendations and measure the effectiveness of their admissions policies and programs.
Bailey said attending Bronx Science opened many doors that led to his success and income status and ethnic background should not be factors of whether a student has the opportunity to attend these schools.
Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmart
