The SHSAT’s Admission Process shakes some things up

In October of 2016, the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) exams made several changes in hopes of heightening diversity in New York’s specialized high schools. The success achieved through hard work and equal opportunity is not a concept foreign to the diverse body of students attending The Brooklyn Latin School.

According to the NYC Department of Education (DOE), as of the 2016- 2017 school year “six new initiatives increasing access and boosting diversity at New York City’s specialized high schools” were put in place. The overall purpose of these new initiatives was to allow more “historically underrepresented groups” to sign up for and take the SHSAT, enabling every child to have an equal shot at some of the best public school education New York City can offer.

These initiatives include the creation of more outreach programs, free tutoring to low-income students, administering the test on a school day to increase attendance, and enrolling more low-income students by expanding the size of their discovery programs. The essence of these new efforts can be expressed in one word: opportunity. The DOE desires to level the playing field for capable minds who lack the resources and support to take on the SHSAT.

These plans have finally come into play after years of critique. Many top specialized high schools were urged to diversify their demographics overtime. Among the specialized high schools, TBLS students are in general very diverse: considering all classes, we are 49% Asian, 17% Black, 14% Hispanic, 14% White, 10% Multiracial, and 6% other. This rings especially true when we’re compared to the esteemed Stuyvesant High School, which in 2014 had a 73 percent enrollment of Asian students.

These actions give our community the chance to enhance the little melting pot that is New York, and the benefits to be reaped are beginning to seem immense.