The SHSAT has some problems. While the specialized high school admissions test would ideally be merit-based, success on the SHSAT is greatly influenced by access to preparatory resources. Black, Latino, and lower-income students are at a significant disadvantage in this system: in the 2024 SHSAT admissions cycle, 4.5% of admitted students were Black and 7.6% were Latino. While those are the highest rates since 2013, they’re still nowhere near close to the 65% of NYC’s public school students Black or Latino students make up. Even our school, which is proudly one of the most diverse SHSAT schools, is still far from proportionately representing our city. The Discovery program is one proposed solution to this problem: a program that allows disadvantaged students just below the cutoff scores to earn acceptance through summer coursework. While this has definitely had a positive impact—supporting roughly 650 students every year—it’s clear that numbers still aren’t where they should be, and more action must be taken to adjust this inequitable process.

In our interview with the youngest ever New York State Senator, Senator Kristen Gonzalez, she emphasized the power that we, as young people, have to push for the issues we care about. She explained that “ultimately, being apathetic or being disenfranchised only benefits the people and the power structures that are keeping us from the things that we need and want to grow and thrive.” When we see something we take issue with, like the unfair SHSAT system, we have a place to stand up and promote change. In terms of how to take action, she encouraged starting in our own communities, where we can really make change: “When we talk to our friends and neighbors and we create our own structures on the ground, like communities around … an issue we care about and this is how we’re organizing towards it. That has the ability to shift the government.” We have power, so let’s use it.

That’s where Int. No. 175 comes in. A bill introduced to the City Council and referred to the Committee on Education on February 28, 2024, Int. No. 175 would require the Department of Education to publish a report on access students have to SHSAT preparation. This would include reports on each middle school, including whether they offer the DREAM program, a program run by the DOE to prepare 7th grade students for the SHSAT. It would detail how many students at each school partook in the program, sorted by factors such as race and gender, and the average scores for the school on New York State Tests. The report would also include a list of SHSAT preparation programs offered by each school, separated by cost and time of year offered, and detail how many students participated in each program. This report would be required to detail the steps that the Department of Education will take to implement free, universal SHSAT prep. This may include such measures as expanding the existing DREAM program and making test prep materials available in multiple languages. The Department of Education would also be required to survey students taking the SHSAT about the amount and type of preparation each student received.

So, we’re sure you’re now wondering what you can do to help get Int. No. 175 passed to address inequalities in the SHSAT system. Well, once a bill is referred to a committee, as Int. No. 175 has been, the committee holds hearings to obtain feedback on the bill. They can then amend the bill based on this feedback, before voting on whether or not to send the bill to the full City Council. In an email from Council Member Dr. Natasha William’s office (District 27), they emphasized how letters from constituents can help inform council members’ stances — our actions can have a real impact (especially on a local scale)! In order to help this bill come before the entire City Council for a vote, we will be holding a workshop on Tuesday, March 4, at which you can write to your city councilperson and encourage them to support the bill. Int No. 175 will bring wonderful opportunities like the ones we have had at HSMSE into the realm of possibility for students across the city. We urge you to show up and show your support for it!