69´«Ã½

School & District Management Report Roundup

N.Y.C. Entrance Exam Questioned

By Christina A. Samuels — October 28, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

A graduate of one of New York City’s most competitive public high schools has written a policy brief suggesting that the admissions process for those schools may not produce equitable or valid results.

Joshua N. Feinman, the chief economist and managing director of the New York City-based Deutsche Asset Management in the Americas, an investment bank, said there are no studies that indicate the test used for admission to the schools is the best way to get the highest-achieving students.

The scores are also scaled in such a way that students with a very high score in one section and a lower score in the other have a better chance of admission than students with relatively strong performance in both sections, said Mr. Feinman, a graduate of Stuyvesant High School, one of the specialized schools that he cites in his

Though he’s not a researcher, Mr. Feinman said he started digging into the issue when his daughter was preparing for the entrance test, called the Specialized High 69´«Ã½ Admissions Test. She is now a junior at Bronx Science, another long-established specialized school in the city. He based his contentions on data given to him by the district.

The other specialized high schools that require the test are Queens College, Lehman College, Brooklyn Technical, City College, Staten Island Technical, and Brooklyn Latin. Admission is governed solely by scores on the entrance exam.

Last year, about 26,000 students took the entrance exam, which is given on one day, with no makeup test allowed. About 5,200 students were offered seats, said Andrew Jacob, a spokesman for the New York City district.

Mr. Jacob said the test’s validity is demonstrated every year by the academic achievement and graduation rates of students at the specialized high schools.

The report is being published online jointly by the Education Policy Research Unit at Arizona State University in Tempe and the Education and the Public Interest Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the October 29, 2008 edition of Education Week

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69´«Ã½
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

School & District Management Reports Strategic Resourcing for K-12 Education: A Work in Progress
This report highlights key findings from surveys of K-12 administrators and product/service providers to shed light on the alignment of purchasing with instructional goals.
School & District Management Download Shhhh!!! It's Underground Spirit Week, Don't Tell the 69´«Ã½
Try this fun twist on the Spirit Week tradition.
Illustration of shushing emoji.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Opinion How My Experience With Linda McMahon Can Help You Navigate the Trump Ed. Agenda
I have a lesson for district leaders from my (limited) interactions with Trump’s pick for ed. secretary, writes a former superintendent.
Joshua P. Starr
4 min read
Vector illustration of people walking on upward arrows, symbolizing growth, progress, and teamwork towards success.
iStock/Getty Images
School & District Management Opinion How Social-Emotional Learning Can Unify Your School Community: 7 Timely Tips
It’s a stressful political season. These SEL best practices can help school leaders weather the unpredictable transitions.
Maurice J. Elias
4 min read
Modern digital collage of caring leader surrounded by positivity. Social Emotional learning leadership.
Vanessa Solis/Education Week via Canva