By JENNY SHARP 

The admissions race to the city’s specialized high schools continues to show signs that Bronx students are falling behind with little recourse. 

A review by the Norwood News found the deck is certainly stacked against Bronx students when preparing for the specialized high school exam. The push to equalize the process has stalled some, with little follow-through on proposed reform.

The city’s specialized high schools are nine elite public schools, which have the ability to turn a student into a successful professional, academic, or even a Nobel Laureate. The schools offer a variety of advanced placement and honors classes, extracurricular activities, and esteemed faculty–resources akin to expensive private schools.

Of the nearly 17,000 New York City students attending specialized high school in 2014, only 1,131 were Bronx residents, according to statistics from the Department of Education. This disparity has led many education advocates and elected officials to question the fairness of the entry process, particularly the lack of test preparation options available in the Bronx.

Obtaining a coveted spot comes down to one metric: the score on the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), a 150-minute, standardized test comprised of two sections–math and verbal. Entry into LaGuardia High School of Music and Art, another specialized high school, requires students to audition.

The Department of Education (DOE) reports that roughly 27,000 8th graders took the SHSAT in 2015 with only 5,103 accepted. This means that 19 percent of test takers gained admission to one of their high school choices.

Scant Test Prep
So how does one outscore 81 percent of New York City’s high achieving 8th graders?

The DOE offers two forms of free SHSAT prep. The first is a 114-page online handbook, complete with test taking strategies and two practice exams. The only other form of free preparation is DREAM–SHSI, a 22-month intensive program for middle school students that meets on weekends. But acceptance to this program is not a given. To be eligible, students must meet economic and academic requirements, including at least a 90 percent 5th grade attendance rate.

According to a 2012 report by Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. entitled “An Action Plan for Fixing the Specialized High School Admissions Process,” the attendance provision significantly affects the eligibility of Bronx children who are hospitalized for asthma-related illnesses 70 percent more than students in other boroughs. Diaz recommended expanding criteria for admission and creating more specialized high schools.

Paying for Test Prep

If parents want help beyond these two resources, they must pay. The same report states that there are 14 private companies that offer both individual and group tutoring for the SHSAT. Prices range from around $162 for a one-on-one session to $3,600 for a semester of group tutoring. Even if parents are able to pay these fees, only three of the 14 companies have locations in the Bronx, which include Kaplan Test Prep. That is 64 percent fewer locations when compared to Queens.

“We choose locations based on a number of factors, including where demand and need is greatest, as well as accessibility for students,” said Kennon Miller, executive director of educational partnerships for Kaplan K12. Miller also notes that the organization routinely partners with area schools to offer test prep courses, though it’s unclear over how many schools it partners with yearly.

Course of Action

Although politicians have noticed, their push to revamp the system is somewhat stagnated. Diaz’s report was released three years ago, though the implementation of his recommendations is slow or in many cases gone nowhere. In 2014 the DOE reported that only 10 percent of students attending specialized high schools were black and Hispanic– demographics that represent a large portion of the Bronx.

Asked whether the free test prep options would expand in the Bronx, Diaz’s spokesman, John DeSio, said “We’re confident that in partnership with Chancellor [Carmen] Farina and the Department of Education we can increase access to test prep services for our public school students.”

Others, such as Marvin Shelton, president of the Community Education Council in School District 10, believe fundamental problems must be fixed before change is possible. “Test prep is test prep. It’s not knowledge. You have to recognize potential early on and nurture it,” said Shelton in a phone interview. He advocated the need for better primary education and the creation of a borough-based gifted and talented program (G&T), which would begin test preparation at a younger age, with content rather than test-taking strategies.

At the most basic level–Bronx schools and parents need more school resources, according to lawmakers. And resources need funding.

With Assemblyman Carl Heastie rising to the position of State Assembly Speaker, Bronx politicians and community members are optimistic that the borough will finally get the attention from Albany that it needs. On March 11, Heastie and the Democratically controlled Assembly proposed adding $1.8 billion in next year’s fiscal budget towards aiding public schools.

When asked whether any of these proposed funds would go towards bettering and increasing SHSAT test prep in the Bronx, Assemblyman Michael Blake of the 79th District in the South Bronx acknowledged the inherent bias within the current system. “Until you make sure that someone has the tools and the resources to be ready for those tests,” said Blake, “you’re creating an unfair scenario.”

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.