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The Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) is an examination administered to eighth and ninth grade students residing in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and used to determine admission to all but one of the city's nine Specialized High Schools. In 2008, about 29,000 students took the test, and 6,108 students were offered admission to one of the high schools based on the results. The test is given each year in October and November, and students are informed of their results the following March. Those who receive offers decide by the middle of March whether to attend the school the following September. The test is independently produced and graded by American Guidance Service, a subsidiary of
Pearson Education Pearson Education is a British-owned education publishing and assessment service to schools and corporations, as well for students directly. Pearson owns educational media brands including Addison–Wesley, Peachpit, Prentice Hall, eCollege ...
, under contract to the
New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
.


Applicability

The SHSAT is used for admission to the following schools: *
Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Sp ...
*
Brooklyn Latin School The Brooklyn Latin School is a public specialized high school in New York City. It opened in September 2006. The ideals governing Brooklyn Latin are borrowed largely from the Boston Latin School, and popular society's ideals. The school’s found ...
*
Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of ...
* High School of American Studies at Lehman College * High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College *
Queens High School for the Sciences at York College Queens High School for the Sciences at York College (commonly called QHSSYC or QHSS) is a New York City public specialized high school operated by the New York City Department of Education specializing in mathematics and science. It admits st ...
*
Staten Island Technical High School Staten Island Technical High School, commonly called Staten Island Tech or SITHS, was founded in 1988. Located in Staten Island, New York City, the public specialized high school is operated by the New York City Department of Education. It cons ...
*
Stuyvesant High School , motto_translation = For knowledge and wisdom , address = 345 Chambers Street , city = New York , state = New York , zipcode = 10282 , country ...
According to a
New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. sta ...
law known as the Hecht-Calandra Act, this is the only method that these schools may use to determine admission. Admission to the remaining specialized high school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, is determined by audition or portfolio rather than by exam.


Testing locations

The test is given in late October (8th grade) or early November (9th grade and 8th grade with IEP's, 504 plans, and ELL). The test is administered at testing centers located in each of the city's 5 boroughs. In recent years, students who attend school in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
take it at
Stuyvesant High School , motto_translation = For knowledge and wisdom , address = 345 Chambers Street , city = New York , state = New York , zipcode = 10282 , country ...
, in the
Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
at
Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science, commonly called Bronx Science, is a public specialized high school in The Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science involves passing the Sp ...
, in
Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
at
Brooklyn Technical High School Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of ...
, Sunset Park High School, and James Madison High School, in
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
at Long Island City High School, Hillcrest High School, or John Adams High School, and in
Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey b ...
at
Staten Island Technical High School Staten Island Technical High School, commonly called Staten Island Tech or SITHS, was founded in 1988. Located in Staten Island, New York City, the public specialized high school is operated by the New York City Department of Education. It cons ...
. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
, the 2020 exam was delayed to January 27, 2021, and students took the test in their own classrooms to avoid potential health risks of large gatherings. Results were released on April 29, while results for non-specialized were released on May 21, a departure from previous years when all public high school admissions were released simultaneously.


Admission

Students must choose which schools they wish to apply to (up to 8) and indicate them in order of preference o
an application portal
before the day of the exam. The test is offered to all eighth and ninth grade students residing within New York City, but the majority of the applicants are eighth graders. The results of the SHSAT are ordered from the highest score to the lowest score. The list is processed in order by score, with each student being placed in their most-preferred school that still has open seats, and continuing until there are no remaining open seats at any school. The grading of the test is not proportional to the raw score and is formulized by the
New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...
.


Examination format

The SHSAT tests for grammar and ability in both English and mathematics. The examination is 180 minutes long. It is recommended that 90 minutes be divided for each section, but the time can be divided in any way students wish. There is no break between the sections. Electronic calculators and other calculation aids may not be used during the test.


ELA

57
multiple choice Multiple choice (MC), objective response or MCQ (for multiple choice question) is a form of an objective assessment in which respondents are asked to select only correct answers from the choices offered as a list. The multiple choice format is mo ...
questions: *9-11 revising/editing *5-6 nonfiction (2-3) and fiction (2-3) passages with a total of 46-48 questions *All questions are multiple choice questions


Mathematics

52 multiple choice questions and 5 grid-in questions: *Various mathematical topics tested :Basic math ::
Algebra Algebra () is one of the broad areas of mathematics. Roughly speaking, algebra is the study of mathematical symbols and the rules for manipulating these symbols in formulas; it is a unifying thread of almost all of mathematics. Elementary ...
:: Factoring ::Substitution ::
Geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...
::Basic Coordinate Graphing ::
Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from prem ...
::Word Problems ::3D Geometry


Grading

There is no penalty for wrong answers. The total number of correct answers (the raw score) is converted into a scaled score through a formula that the Department of Education does not release, and which varies from year to year. The scaled score is an integer between 20 and around 350. The scaled score is then used to determine the composite score, which varies from year to year, an integer between 40 to around 700. , is used to determine a student's standing. The scaled score is not proportional to the raw scores. Typically, scoring around 99 percentile (45-47/47) and a 60 percentile (25-27/47) will gain admission into a specialized high school, while 82 percentile (32/47) on both will not be enough for a specialized high school. As a student is closer to getting every question (45 to 46 to 47/47) (or every wrong), the scaled score increases by 10-20 points, while in the middle range scores (18-36/47), scaled scores only increase by 2-3 points. The maximum scaled score for each section (ELA and Math) is around 350 (usually lower for 9th graders). An example of a scoring sheet (97+ percentile and 50+ percentile) is shown below: 47/47: 350; 46/47: 330; 45/47: 310; 44/47: 300; 43/47: 290 --- 33/47: 220; 32/47: 218; 31/47: 215; 30/47: 213; 29/47: 210; 28/47: 208; 27/47: 206; 26/47: 203. The cut-off scores for each school vary yearly, determined simply by the number of open places in each school and how the candidates score. Students are notified of their scores in March. The Department of Education usually does not publish score results; the numbers below are self-reported by interested parents on public forums. However, the DOE released the cut-off scores for each Specialized High School for the 2022 results (for which the tests themselves were taken in 2021). In 2020, the cutoff scores were the following: Stuyvesant High School: 566; Queens High School For The Sciences At York College: 535; The Bronx High School of Science: 532; Staten Island Technical High School: 551; HSMSE @ CCNY: 523; HSAS @ Lehman: 520; Brooklyn Technical High School: 507; and The Brooklyn Latin School: 498. In 2021, the cutoff scores were the following: Stuyvesant High School: 560; Queens High School For The Sciences At York College: 482; The Bronx High School of Science: 517; Staten Island Technical High School: 525; HSMSE @ CCNY: 515; HSAS @ Lehman: 488; Brooklyn Technical High School: 492; and The Brooklyn Latin School: 481. The lower cutoff scores can be attributed to the reduced number of test-takers. In 2022, the cutoff scores were the following: Stuyvesant High School: 563; Queens High School For The Sciences At York College: 523; The Bronx High School of Science: 524; Staten Island Technical High School: 527; HSMSE @ CCNY: 532; HSAS @ Lehman: 516; Brooklyn Technical High School: 506; and The Brooklyn Latin School: 497. The 9th Grade SHSAT cut-off scores tend to be much higher due to limited seats for incoming 10th graders in the schools. Some schools such as Stuyvesant and Bronx Science may only have 3-10 seats each year for incoming 10th graders while Brooklyn Technical High School, being the school with the most students, may only have around 20-30 seats. Depending on the year, the number of seats is available in the NYC High School Directory Book given to all students applying for admissions to a high school. Each year, an average 50-60 ninth-grade students get into the Specialized Schools, out of an estimated 3,000 students. Past 9th Grade SHSAT Cut-off scores: In 2021, the cutoff scores were the following: Stuyvesant High School: 560; Queens High School For The Sciences At York College: 475; The Bronx High School of Science: 510; Staten Island Technical High School: 520; HSMSE @ CCNY: 481; HSAS @ Lehman: 482; Brooklyn Technical High School: 495; and The Brooklyn Latin School: 466. In 2022, the cutoff scores were the following: Stuyvesant High School: 563; Queens High School For The Sciences At York College: 541; The Bronx High School of Science: 551; Staten Island Technical High School: 525; HSMSE @ CCNY: 549; HSAS @ Lehman: 541; Brooklyn Technical High School; 546; and The Brooklyn Latin School: 545.


Department of Education programs

The New York Specialized High School Institute (SHSI) is a free program run by the City of New York for middle school students with high test scores on citywide tests and high report card grades. The program's original intent was to expand the population of Black and Hispanic students by offering them test-taking tips and extra lessons, however, anyone can apply. As of 2006, 3,781 students are enrolled at 17 locations. They spend 16 months, starting in the summer after sixth grade, preparing for the test. Certain applicants who have scored just below the cut-off score and are recommended by their guidance counselor may qualify for the Summer Discovery Program. Successful completion of this program allows the students to gain admission to a specialized high school. The students must: :1. have scored within a range below the cut-off score on the SHSAT; and :2. be certified as disadvantaged by their middle school according to any one of the following criteria: ::a. attend a Title 1 school and be from a family whose total income is documented as meeting federal income eligibility guidelines established for school food services by the NYS Department of Agriculture; or ::b. be receiving assistance from the Human Resources Administration; or ::c. be a member of a family whose income is documented as being equivalent to or below Department of Social Services standards; or ::d. be a foster child or ward of the state; or ::e. initially, have entered the United States within the last four years and live in a home in which the language customarily spoken is not English; and be recommended by their local school as having a high potential for the specialized high school program.


Fairness

In November 2005, a ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' article found that students scoring in the 90th percentile on both sections would not gain admittance to their first choice schools; meanwhile, those scoring in the 99th percentile on one section and the 50th percentile on the other, would. This happens because the final grade and percentile represent the total score and the curve within sections. Admission is based solely on how the student does on the SHSAT. The New York City Department of Education created the New York Specialized High School Institute (SHSI), a free program run by the department for middle school students with high test scores on citywide tests and solid report card grades. The program's original intent was to expand the population of African American and Hispanic students in the science high schools by offering them test-taking tips and extra lessons; however, students of any racial or ethnic background can apply for admission to the institute. Just like the schools, however, these test-prep programs have seen attrition among black and Hispanic students. As of 2006, 3,781 students are enrolled at 17 locations. Students spend 16 months, starting in the summer after sixth grade, preparing for the test. In October 2013, it was reported that the number of African American and Latino students being admitted into SHSAT schools over the past five years had declined. In response, the Community Service Society and the
NAACP Legal Defense Fund The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (NAACP LDF, the Legal Defense Fund, or LDF) is a leading United States civil rights organization and law firm based in New York City. LDF is wholly independent and separate from the NAACP. Alth ...
filed a complaint in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights (OCR), asserting that New York state law (the Hecht-Calandra Act of 1972) requires only three schools (Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Tech, and Stuyvesant) to use the SHSAT for admissions and that the five other schools that use the SHSAT for admission are not required to do so, and that their doing so violates the civil rights of black and Latino students.Philissa Cramer
Complaint targets elite HS admissions process, not just outcome
''
Chalkbeat Chalkbeat is a non-profit news organization that covers education in several American communities. Its mission is to "inform the decisions and actions that lead to better outcomes for children and families by providing deep, local coverage of ed ...
'' (September 27, 2012).
The position of the New York Department of Education is that applicants for all eight specialized high schools are legally required to take the SHSAT." The OCR opened an investigation which is still pending as of 2019. In addition, many disagree with mayor Bill de Blasio's moves to increase the African American and Latino enrollment in the Specialized High Schools. As of 2015, there has been widespread dissent among Asian Americans, who account for 2/3 of the population attending the top 3 specialized high schools. The de Blasio administration began to look at alternatives to the SHSAT score as the sole means of admissions. Factors such as attendance, GPA, ethnicity, personal recommendation, and geographical locations are considered. A coalition of alumni associations, alumni, and parents of the SHS's was formed to combat these changes. An argument that is used is that admission is a zero-sum game, and by bestowing admission to Blacks and Latinos, the city is essentially taking seats from one minority (Asian Americans) and giving it to another. Most students in SHSs eat free or reduced lunch, a status granted to families close to the poverty line.https://a860-gpp.nyc.gov/handle/gpp/2699


Use by TJHSST

A modified version of the SHSAT was last used by the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology of Northern Virginia for the Class of 2021. TJHSST's version of the test offered only two hours to complete the test rather than the 150 minutes of the original SHSAT. Additionally, it contained five Logical Reasoning questions and reduced the number of Reading Comprehension questions in each reading passage to five. TJHSST did not use a formula to determine a scaled score, instead requiring that an applicant had a raw score of at least 60 and a GPA of at least 3.0 and using a sliding scale to determine which of the remaining applicants became semifinalists.


Sliding Scale

*Raw score of 60 or higher for a GPA of 3.50 or higher *Raw score of 65 or higher for a GPA lower than 3.50 but at least 3.25 *Raw score of 70 or higher for a GPA lower than 3.25 but at least 3.0 Applicants were required to meet the sliding scale in order to proceed to the second round. Additionally, applicants must have had a Mathematics score of at least 30 in order to proceed.


References


External links


High Schools - Choices & Enrollment - New York City Department of EducationNYC DOE SHSAT Student Handbook 2010–2011 (PDF)
{{authority control Standardized tests in the United States