NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A7510 REVISED 05/20/2021
SPONSOR: Benedetto TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the education law, in relation to admission to the
specialized high schools in the city of New York
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
This bill repeals the 1971 Hecht-Calandra Act, which required - as a
matter of state law - that the specialized high schools in New York City
utilize the Specialized High School Admissions Test ("SHSAT") as the
sole criterion for admission.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the
education law to eliminate the requirement of state law that admissions
to the specialized high schools in New York City be determined based on
the laws that were in effect prior to the enactment of Hecht-Calandra,
i.e., that the test continues to be the sole criterion for admission.
Section 2 same as section 2, but references another provision to ensure
that there is conformity with eliminating the state law requirement that
the test be utilized.
Section 3 sets out that the act shall take effect on January 1, 2023.
JUSTIFICATION:
Since the enactment of the Hecht-Calandra Act in 1971, the New York City
school district has not been able to make decisions about admissions to
its specialized high schools. Instead, because of the Hecht-Calandra
Act, the city school district has been required to base admission deci-
sions to its specialized high schools on only one criterion for admis-
sion - a student's performance on a single standardized exam. The
historical background to the enactment of the Hecht-Calandra law makes
clear that the underlying purpose was to make it more difficult to
change the specialized high school admissions process - as it would be
enshrined in state law - and, by doing so, help to maintain or increase
the racially disparate enrollment in these schools, particularly in
regard to Black and Latinx students. As a result of the use of this
criterion, known as the specialized high school admissions test (SHSAT),
the student population of the specialized high schools does not reflect
the diversity of the city's population. Whereas the overall percentage
of Black and Latinx students in the city's public schools is approxi-
mately sixty-seven percent, Black and Latinx students only represent
nine percent of the population of the specialized schools. This dispari-
ty hurts Black and Latinx students and it also harms the students who
attend the specialized high schools, who do not reap the intellectual,
emotional and social benefits from learning in a more diverse environ-
ment. Furthermore, the city school district is alone in its reliance on
a single metric to make admission decisions. Universities across the
country consider multiple factors when selecting their incoming student
body; selective institutions do not rely on the results of a single
exam. It is time for the city school district to follow suit and for
admissions to no longer be based on the procedures prescribed in the
Hecht-Calandra Act.
This legislation will allow the city school district to develop its own
admissions criteria for specialized high schools, as it develops admis-
sions criteria for other schools within the district and ensures that
high-performing and talented students across all five boroughs have the
opportunity to attend its specialized high schools. This bill removes
the state mandate as to how the city of New York will determine admis-
sions to the city's specialized high schools. No other school district
in the state has such requirements imposed as a matter of state law. It
is time to repeal this 1971 law that was intended to further school
segregation in NYC, and which has, in fact, served that purpose.
Additional background and resources in support of this bill can be found
at
HTTPS://WWW.TEENSTAKECHARGE.COM/REPEAL
RACIAL JUSTICE IMPACT:
This legislation would alleviate racial disparities in the city school
district by allowing schools to develop their own admissions criteria
for specialized high schools. This would promote diversity in New York
City specialized schools as well as create an inclusive environment that
values education regardless of one's background.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2020/07/08 A.10731 referred to education
2020/07/29 S.8847 REFERRED TO RULES
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
January 1, 2023
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7510
2021-2022 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 12, 2021
___________
Introduced by M. of A. BENEDETTO, BARRON, BICHOTTE HERMELYN -- read once
and referred to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to admission to the
specialized high schools in the city of New York
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] specialized
5 high schools shall include the [present] schools known as[:] The Bronx
6 High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn Technical High
7 School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music [and the Arts in the
8 borough of Manhattan] & Art and Performing Arts, and such [further]
9 additional schools [which the city board may designate] as may be desig-
10 nated by the chancellor from time to time[. The special schools shall be
11 permitted to maintain a discovery program in accordance with the law in
12 effect on the date preceding the effective date of this section; admis-
13 sions to the special schools shall be conducted in accordance with the
14 law in effect on the date preceding the effective date of this section];
15 § 2. Paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the education
16 law, as amended by chapter 720 of the laws of 1996, is amended to read
17 as follows:
18 (b) all specialized [senior] high schools. The [special] specialized
19 high schools shall include the [present] schools known as[:] The Bronx
20 High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, Brooklyn Technical High
21 School, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music [and the Arts in the
22 borough of Manhattan] & Art and Performing Arts, and such [further]
23 additional schools [which the city board may designate] as may be desig-
24 nated by the chancellor from time to time[. The special schools shall be
25 permitted to maintain a discovery program in accordance with the law in
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11259-01-1
A. 7510 2
1 effect on the date preceding the effective date of this section; admis-
2 sions to the special schools shall be conducted in accordance with the
3 law in effect on the date preceding the effective date of this section];
4 § 3. This act shall take effect January 1, 2023, provided that the
5 amendments to paragraph (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2590-h of the
6 education law made by section one of this act shall be subject to the
7 expiration and reversion of such section pursuant to subdivision 12 of
8 section 17 of chapter 345 of the laws of 2009, as amended, when upon
9 such date the provisions of section two of this act shall take effect.
