There’s a Novel Solution to Controversy over Admission to New York City’s Specialized High Schools

This week, 26,000 anxious eighth graders will learn their fate: Did they get into one of New York City’s eight specialized high schools?

The admission process couldn’t be more straightforward, thanks to the 1971 New York State Hecht-Calandra Act which mandates that admission to the schools is solely by the academic, objective, competitive Specialized High School Admissions Test.

Applicants rank their top choices, take the test and line up by score for available seats.

The keyword is “available.†Fewer than 5,000 seats — just 5% of the city’s ninth-grade slots — are offered.

Inevitably, the overwhelming majority of applicants face rejection. Thus, the annual battle returns.

Wai Wah Chin is the founding president of the Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Greater New York.

Photo by: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

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