Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s decision to delay discussion on whether to keep or reject the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) opens the door for a yearlong conversation. And at least two local legislators look to keep the test, with one requesting add-ons be included.

Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz and state Senator Jamaal Bailey told the Norwood News that keeping the test is vital to the selection process of the city’s most prestigious schools. Dinowitz and Bailey both attended the Bronx High School of Science in Bedford Park, a highly sought-after specialized high school for placement.

Questions over whether to outright do away with the test comes amid a push by new Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza, whose position to phasing out the test is supported by Mayor Bill de Blasio. State legislation is required to make changes to the specialized high school requirements as a way to create equity at schools. Brooklyn-based lawmakers Assemblyman Charles Barron and Senator Kevin S. Parker have introduced bills to lessen the importance of the test.

“When you create a situation like this there’re going to be winners and losers and most of the losers will be Asian-American students who might not get in because of this kind of change,” said Dinowitz, in a phone interview with the Norwood News. “Rather than pit one group against another we should be looking to enlarge the pie by increasing the number of specialized high schools because there are certainly a large enough supply of really bright kids who would do well in specialized high schools.”

Much of the controversy is centered on the lack of black and Hispanic students that are selected for a specialized high school. The latest figures by the city Education Department show that even though 70 percent of public school students are black or Hispanic, a combined 10.5 percent of black and Hispanic students were offered placement to a specialized high school in 2017. White and Asian students largely make up a specialized high school’s demographics. A high score on the test stands as the only determining factor for placement.

Bailey, who represents Norwood, says the lack of awareness of the test is one reason behind the largely absent black and Hispanic representation at specialized high schools stems from elementary and middle schools under-promoting the test. “I happen to be lucky enough to go to a great elementary school and a great middle school. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of our children in black and brown communities don’t get that same chance, so they don’t get the awareness of the test. By the time they hear about the test they’re not prepared,” said Bailey.

Bailey introduced a package of bills aimed at equalizing the specialized high school admissions process. The bills, if passed, would create a pre-SHSAT exam to prepare students for the real test, along with expanding test prep initiatives and the Discovery Program, geared toward low-income students yet are not widely available or publicized throughout the public school system.

Dinowitz’s purist stance on admissions differs for Bailey, who wants the process to be viewed from a “multiple measure lens” that also includes the test.

“Seeing how great somebody is as a test-taker doesn’t necessarily mean they’re gonna be a great student,” said Bailey. “And simply just because somebody gets good grades in a middle school environment doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to translate over to a high school environment, whether specialized or not.”

Should the legislation pass, Dinowitz cautions it could lower the prestigious quality of specialized high schools.

“I think there will certainly be a perception that they’ve lowered the standard and therefore the school will be less desirable,” said Dinowitz, adding, “I think Bronx Science will always be a desirable.”

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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.