Diversity or Test Scores: Inequities in New York City’s Specialized High Schools
By MIRIAM ZUO ‘20
At the highly praised Stuyvesant High School in New York City, 7 black students were admitted into the freshman class of 2023. The total number of students accepted? 895. For the less mathematically inclined, that means black students comprise of less than one percent of Stuyvesant’s incoming class. In a school system where 26% of students are black, that’s a problem.
Admission to specialized New York City public high schools like Stuyvesant and the Bronx High School of Science is reliant on a single, challenging test: the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). There is no short answer section, no interview, no writing portfolio, and none of the other aspects of an application that Milton students may be accustomed to. Upon first glance, this system appears meritocratic, merely judging applicants purely on the basis of academic performance. But while this idea may look good on paper, the SHSAT has a number of fundamental flaws.
As the reputations of the eight specialized high schools continue to rise to mythical proportions, the SHSAT has come to dominate the lives of many young students in New York City public schools. They begin preparing for it as early as first grade. Their studying only intensifies in middle school, with some students attending SHSAT preparation programs and taking practice tests on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Compare this approach to the lives of many lower-income students and students of color. Some aren’t aware that these schools exist, and those who are often do not have access to sufficient preparatory programs or rigorous middle schools. As a result, the distance between these two disparate paths becomes insurmountable, and substantial talent is inhibited from reaching its fullest potential.
The main issue with the SHSAT is that the testing field is heavily imbalanced. This application system raises many questions, particularly in regards to the overrepresentation of Asian-American students. Do Asian-American students with qualifying scores deserve fewer seats in order to improve the racial balance at specialized high schools? Which is more important: diversity or high scores? Should race be considered at all in the application process?
There are two commonly suggested approaches to resolving the inequities associated with the SHSAT. The first is to introduce different standards for different races. This approach essentially institutes affirmative action for test scores, but it fails to take socioeconomic differences, and thus variations in middle school caliber and SHSAT preparation, into account. The second is to improve access to test preparation programs, but this idea would drive the students to unbelievably high levels of academic pressure and stress, as middle schoolers would be forced to learn high school coursework such as pre-calculus simply to stay competitive. Why have school for twelve years when students are expected to learn all the material in eight? Alternatively, the specialized high schools could do away with the SHSAT entirely and adopt a holistic application process similar to those at Milton and most American universities.
I believe that holistic admissions with a particular focus on applicants’ environments will help to strengthen the specialized high schools even further. Standardized tests are a notoriously poor indicator of academic achievement and intellect. And besides, a student’s performance in school is not necessarily reflective of that student’s future accomplishments. Picture a student at Milton who you believe will become wildly successful: did you pick that student because of their grades or because of that student’s character and actions?
Good education is meant to be a tool that enables students to succeed, not an end in itself. As we approach the end of the interim grading period, do get your work done, but also consider your time at Milton outside of your academics. What do you contribute to the student body? How do your unique talents and opinions add to your surroundings? The carefully cultivated diversity at Milton is relatively rare in secondary school education. Make the most of it.
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