NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A9979
SPONSOR: Rules (Camara)
 
TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the education law, in relation to
admission to a special high school in the city school district of the
city of New York; and providing for the repeal of such provisions upon
expiration thereof
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish procedures and standards for admission to the special high
schools of New York City this will consist of multiple objective meas-
ures of student merit including grade point averages, school attendance
records, school admission test scores and state test scores.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Sections 1 and 2 of the bill requires the New York City Board to estab-
lish procedures and standards for admission to the special high schools
of New York City which shall consist of multiple measures of student
merit including grade point average of applicant, attendance records,
school admission test scores, and state test scores, provided, however,
approved school absences are not to be included as part of the analysis.
This section also requires the City Board or Chancellor to provide writ-
ten explanation of the weightings of the factors selected and make such
explanation publicly available. It also requires the Chancellor conspic-
uously posts notice of the special high schools' entrance examination.
Finally, this section provides that the principal of a special high
school may admit a student who has satisfactorily completed a discovery
program, subject to regulations.
Section 3 of the bill is the effective date and provides for a five year
sunset.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Students seeking admission into one of New York City's specialized high
schools must take the Specialized High School Admission Test (SHSAT).
Currently, the results of this exam are the only factor considered for
student admission. This legislation would create multiple objective
measures of student merit weighted by the City Board or Chancellor
including the grade point average of applicants, school attendance
records, school admission test scores, and state test scores.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
None
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become a law, and shall expire and be deemed
repealed 5 years after such effective date.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9979
IN ASSEMBLY
June 5, 2014
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Camara) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to admission to a special
high school in the city school district of the city of New York; and
providing for the repeal of such provisions upon expiration thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the
2 education law, as amended by chapter 345 of the laws of 2009, is amended
3 to read as follows:
4 (b) all specialized [senior] high schools. The special high schools
5 shall include the present schools known as:
6 The Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn
7 Technical High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and
8 the Arts in the borough of Manhattan, Brooklyn Latin School, High School
9 for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School of Ameri-
10 can Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for the Sciences at
11 York College, and Staten Island Technical High School, and such
12 [further] additional schools which the city board may designate from
13 time to time. The city board shall establish procedures and standards
14 for admission to the special high schools of the city district, which
15 shall consist of multiple measures of student merit including the grade
16 point averages of applicants, school attendance records, school admis-
17 sion test scores, and state test scores; provided, however, that
18 approved school absences shall not be considered as a measure of student
19 merit for attendance purposes. The city board or chancellor shall
20 provide written explanation of the weightings selected, and make such
21 explanation publicly available, including via the city board's official
22 internet website. The chancellor shall ensure that notice of such
23 special high schools' entrance examination is widely and conspicuously
24 posted in a manner to maximize the number of affected individuals that
25 receive notice, including providing notice to affected parents and
26 students. The special schools shall be [permitted] required to maintain
27 a discovery program [in accordance with the law in effect on the date
28 preceding the effective date of this section; admissions to the special
29 schools shall be conducted in accordance with the law in effect on the
30 date preceding the effective date of this section;]. The principal of a
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14478-04-4
A. 9979 2
1 special high school may admit a student who has satisfactorily completed
2 such a program at his or her school, subject to regulations of the city
3 board.
4 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the education
5 law, as amended by chapter 720 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read
6 as follows:
7 (b) all specialized [senior] high schools. The special high schools
8 shall include the present schools known as:
9 The Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn
10 Technical High School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music and
11 the Arts in the borough of Manhattan, Brooklyn Latin School, High School
12 for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School of Ameri-
13 can Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for the Sciences at
14 York College, and Staten Island Technical High School, and such
15 [further] additional schools which the city board may designate from
16 time to time. The city board shall establish procedures and standards
17 for admission to the special high schools of the city district, which
18 shall consist of multiple measures of student merit including the grade
19 point averages of applicants, school attendance records, school admis-
20 sion test scores, and state test scores; provided, however, that
21 approved school absences shall not be considered as a measure of student
22 merit for attendance purposes. The city board or chancellor shall
23 provide written explanation of the weightings selected, and make such
24 explanation publicly available, including via the city board's official
25 internet website. The chancellor shall ensure that notice of such
26 special high schools' entrance examination is widely and conspicuously
27 posted in a manner to maximize the number of affected individuals that
28 receive notice, including providing notice to affected parents and
29 students. The special schools shall be [permitted] required to maintain
30 a discovery program [in accordance with the law in effect on the date
31 preceding the effective date of this section; admissions to the special
32 schools shall be conducted in accordance with the law in effect on the
33 date preceding the effective date of this section]. The principal of a
34 special high school may admit a student who has satisfactorily completed
35 such a program at his or her school, subject to regulations of the city
36 board;
37 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
38 the date on which it shall have become a law, and shall expire and be
39 deemed repealed 5 years after such effective date; provided that the
40 amendments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the
41 education law, made by sections one and two of this act, shall apply to
42 the Stuyvesant high school, the Bronx high school of science, the Brook-
43 lyn technical high school, the Staten Island technical high school, the
44 Queens high school for the sciences at York college, the high school for
45 mathematics, science and engineering at city college, the high school
46 for American studies at Lehman college, the Brooklyn Latin school, and
47 all additional schools that the board of education of the city school
48 district of the city of New York designates as special high schools, not
49 including the Fiorello H. LaGuardia high school of music and the arts;
50 provided, further, that the amendments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 1
51 of section 2590-h of the education law made by section one of this act
52 shall be subject to the expiration and reversion of such section pursu-
53 ant to subdivision 12 of section 17 of chapter 345 of the laws of 2009,
54 as amended, when upon such date the provisions of section two of this
55 act shall take effect.