By Dena Twain
Parents in District 3 are unhappy with the choices in front of them as they face down a March 1 deadline for applications to NYC Department of Education (DOE) high schools.
The Community Education Council of School Zone District 3 (CEC3) met Wednesday evening to address questions from community members about the high school admissions process to DOE schools.
CEC3 member Sharon Collins and Lucas Liu, its president, presided over the meeting as they ran members through what they can expect from the upcoming application season.
The deadline to apply to high schools is March 1. Families can apply to up to 12 options but will receive only one offer letter.
Despite there being over 700 programs to choose from, some parents said they felt their options were limited.
“The pool for screen schools is too big,” one parent complained, referring to the highly competitive schools like Stuyvesant and Hunter that screen potential applicants. “There are too few seats. There are absolutely not enough traditional high school options with rigorous academics and a well-rounded experience.”
Parents were also concerned about the small number of spots open at “audition-based” high schools within the district, like Fiorello H. La Guardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.
Other high schools in D3, which covers the West Side from 59th Street to 122nd Street, include Frank McCourt High School, Special Music School High School, and Urban Assembly School for Media Studies. Students can apply to schools all over the city.
Parents’ frustrations at Wednesday’s meeting were exacerbated by the impending deadline to submit applications.
“Can we mention to the DOE that March 1 is too soon? Telling us last minute is not helpful.” said parent Kate Marshall, referring to how the DOE only released initial information about applications on January 24. “Timing is tight for kids who will need to write essays. They should give the kids that extra weekend after the February break.” another parent suggested. Unfortunately, Ms. Collins replied that she doesn’t foresee leniency here.
One parent complained that many offers of acceptance get ignored [by recipients], creating blockages and preventing waitlists from moving. She also wished for the ability to more readily find backup schools that were appropriate fits for their kids. “I know of many students last year who did not get matched with any of their 12 programs,” parent Luna Diman offered. “Is there some way to know the lottery number so we can have some sense of placement priority?”
Others worried that parents whose children don’t get matched with a high-performing school will opt to leave the city. “Is there concern in the DOE that middle-class families who can’t afford private school will feel they have to leave NYC in order to send their child to a school with a(n) academic level they are comfortable with?” one parent wrote in. Ms. Collins said it’s an issue she’s heard about before and that’s being discussed in other districts as well, and urged parents to be vocal with their concerns so that the CEC can bring them to the DOE.
The meeting ended with a reminder that CEC3 will hold its Chancellors Town Hall on March 23. Collins and Liu hope this will be viewed as an opportunity to hear from new NYC-DOE Chancellor David Banks — and a possible forum for more change.
Important to note, as the article was not clear: in the offer letter, if a student took the specialized high school test and was matched to a specialized school, they will be offered that seat. Additionally, they will be offered any audition based schools to which they are accepted. Finally, they will be matched (hopefully) to one of the 12 programs to which they applied. So, while they will only get one offer letter for the first round, a student who scored well on the SHSAT and shows aptitude in music, art, and acting, could potentially receive 5 or more high school offers in that single letter. Families choose 12 programs to put on their application, but specialized and audition schools are separate. Some things have changed this year, such as instead of screened schools looking only at 7th grade final grades, they will take the better of 7th final or 8th 1st semester and use that to determine entry qualifications.
The DOE went overboard with the set-asides at some of the previously strong schools. Having some set-asides is fine, but now the numbers are ridiculous. In the name of “equity” we have a race to the bottom at these schools.
It will be hard to have “diversity” when there are no white students left because they are being forced to leave the city for adequate educations. And these families aren’t racist. They are acting in the best interest of their children, and many are moving to suburbs that are more diverse than 95% of America.
I couldn’t agree more. Setting aside 50+% of seats is too high. 85 average is way too low for the lottery. Education is a quality of life issue. If the city wants office workers to come back, they have to make the schools attractive to parents. Otherwise the parents will continue to work remotely from their home somewhere where they feel confident about their child’s schooling.
West End Secondary School on W 61st if a great school left it of the list. It is a middle and high school combined.
My daughter had a 98average throughout Middle School and was offered a placement at her 9th choice. A school that is rated at below average in all categories and is located in Chinatown and we live on the Upper West Side. We were instructed to add the school simply to fill all 12 choices. She is now in Catholic School because she worked too hard to be forced to attend a school that could not offer the academic education she deserved. The High School selection process in NY is a joke and does a disservice to the kids. Thank goodness I can afford private education or we too would not be living in NYC any longer.
It is so important to consider each and every one of the 12 schools on the list. Last year, my daughter got placed at a high school which was 12th on her list. Her GPA was 99. She put Elro as first choice which was a huge risk because it’s a lottery system. Personally, I would not take that risk again .
This is such a complicated problem. Anyone who believes education is doled out equitably is delusional. Anyone who believes access is based on meritocracy is uninformed. The teachers union has too much influence with no accountability. The DOE as never proven that throwing more money into the public system changes anything.
I get the goal of leaving no one behind. The problem is that the only way to demonstrate success in a in classroom of diverse learners with diverse abilities is to teach to the lowest common denominator. Sure, everyone will graduate in this scenario thereby making the teachers and the schools look proficient, but the abilities of those young minds who had the opportunity to excel (and change the world) will be unfortunately squandered.
Power needs to be taken from the teachers union and diverted to systems that demand accountability – Such as increased access provided to charter schools and vouchers for independent high schools.
You think charter schools are “better: than DOE schools?
You are delusional! I have worked at several charter schools and have found only a very few that I would want a child of mine to attend. I agree that this whole system of middle and high school admissions is flawed, but no one- including Mayor Adam’s- seems to care.