NYC Schools Makes Significant Change to Admissions Process to Address Segregation

The NYC middle and high schools will undergo changes to their admissions screening processes in order to address segregation.

By Melissa Wickes December 18, 2020

Big changes to the New York City middle and high school admission process are underway, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday morning. Middle schools will pause their screening processes for one year and high schools will eliminate geographic priority for the next two years, with the goal of giving a greater portion of the city a chance to attend any NYC high school.

Middle school screens historically include state exams from years past, which schools do not have due to testing cancelations. If the schools were to use data from the school year before that—for example rising sixth graders would be judged off of their test scores from when they were 7 or 8 years old—it wouldn't be fair to those students, said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza.

Geographic screening has historically kept too many students out of the high schools of their choice. By eliminating geographic priority in high schools, students won't be limited to the high schools where they live. Schools that choose to continue to use academic or other screens will use the previous years state tests, grades, and the grades from the first part of last year. All schools will be required to publicly post their rubric and criteria used to rank students on MySchools. DOE Central will run the ranking process to ensure that it is faster, more fair, and more transparent.

The Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) will be administered, as per state law, and registration for that exam begins Monday, Dec. 21. Test administration will begin Jan. 27, though de Blasio admits that the process is not entirely fair and needs improvement.

The NYC Schools Enrollment team will offer more support than ever before going forward, according to Carranza, in multiple languages. All rising middle school and high school families will receive additional detailed updates on how these changes will affect them and help with finding the right school for their family. The goal of these changes is to ensure that all NYC classrooms reflect the great diversity that is NYC, says de Blasio.