Anyone who heard of the SHSAT in middle school can still remember its daunting approach in the 8th grade. The SHSAT is an entrance exam to the 8 specialized high schools in NYC. Some prepared for it since the 6th grade. Others winged it and hoped for the best. But some middle schoolers, as I found out this year, never even knew it existed. However, even those who didn’t know it existed back then have heard of Mayor De Blasio’s plan to get rid of it. As much as I understand his reasons why, I, along with many others, do not agree with him.
The reasons behind De Blasio’s plan to get rid of the SHSAT is because he found that there is not enough diversity in those schools. Having gone to Brooklyn Tech myself, I can see where he is coming from. However, I can also see that the test is not the problem. The changes should start at the very beginning of our educational processes. The elementary and middle schools in poorer neighborhoods tend to send less or no students at all to the specialized high schools. I agree that these students deserve equal opportunities to enter these schools. However, getting rid of the SHSAT would only get rid of what the specialized high schools are.
To fix the problem Mayor De Blasio wants to fix, he needs to start in the economically struggling neighborhoods. He needs to find funding for their schools so that those schools can offer free tutoring for the SHSAT, more teachers per students, and more information about the test. This way the schools will be able to send more students to the specialized high schools and the high schools can stay the same schools they are now.
The SHSAT creates schools with a special environment not found in other high schools. This environment helps push students to discover new limits and their passions. It also gets them ready for college or whatever else they chose to do in the future. I was given this amazing opportunity and I am grateful for it. I believe every student should have an equal shot at entering these schools. But it should not come at the cost of the way the high schools are run and the special benefits they offer.
