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2017
SHSATACADEMY
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GREAT THINGS
WHAT IS THE SHSAT
& WHAT CHANGES ARE BEING MADE
SHSAT & TJHSST
SHSAT stands for the Specialized High School Admission Test given each fall toward the end of October* to approximately 25,000 8th grade students and nearly 30,000 students total including 9th grade students in New York City. The specialized high schools include 9 free public schools (listed below) that offer a world class education at no cost to NYC’s gifted & talented students. Course offerings, academic standards, and matriculation to colleges & universities rival the top private or preparatory schools in the country that can charge up to $200,000 for 4 years tuition. 8 of the 9 schools sole admission requirement is performance on the SHSAT (Laguardia HS includes a performance audition).
The format of the SHSAT exam is changing for the year 2017. In previous years, the exam consisted of a 50 question multiple choice math exam for 75 minutes preceded by a 45 question verbal exam also for 75 minutes which included scrambled paragraphs, logical reasoning, and reading skills. Scores were based on a 400 point scale for each exam section or 800 points in total. In 2017, the verbal section will be substantially modified and called the ELA (English Language Arts) portion of the SHSAT. Scrambled paragraphs and logical reasoning will be removed from the exam and replaced with writing/editing skill questions which reflect the curriculum taught in school. The reading portion of the ELA will remain. The math exam will include 5 grid-in questions which are not multiple choice. Each exam section will include 57 questions and the total exam will take 3 hours. Only 47 questions on each section will be scored. 10 questions will randomly be “field questions”, but students will not know ahead of time which questions are field questions so they must treat every question the same. Scores will continue to be scaled and the difficulty level is expected to remain the same. More details about the SHSAT exam changes and samples are available in PDF format directly from the DOE press release. TestPrepSHSAT.com has made practice exams available in the new format for the all new SHSATAcademy Course available for free enrollment. Additionally, a version of the SHSAT exam is given to prospective students to Thomas Jefferson High School of Science & Technology (TJHSST) in the Virginia/Washington D.C. area.
SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOLS
- The Bronx High School of Science
- Brooklyn Latin School
- Brooklyn Technical High School
- Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts
- High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College
- High School of American Studies at Lehman College
- Queens High School for the Sciences at York College
- Staten Island Technical High School
- Stuyvesant High School
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
1. The SHSAT has been the focus of discussion in regards to lack of representation from certain demographic groups. The following is an excellent study on the matter. “Pathways to an Elite Education.”
2. PASSNYC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has partnered with many community organizations & service providers to broaden the opportunities for NYC’s talented, underserved students. They are our partner in providing the dramatically expanded SHSATAcademy free course offering and excellent resource for additional information & training opportunities regarding the SHSAT.
3. The previous student handbook can provide some excellent background SHSAT information. Make certain to note the sample exams and sections will not be the same for 2017.
4. The DOE Frequently Asked Questions press release regarding the new exam format.
- For additional test dates and more details on the SHSAT consult the NYC DOE website and the SHSAT Handbook release for the coming year.
Why the SHSAT today?
Opportunity.
Imagine good athletes from every community in the city had the chance to play, all expenses paid, for the farm team of the New York Yankees which has developed numerous professional ballplayers over time. Would you try out?
The specialized high schools offer entry into world class education opportunities and when it comes to education, your odds of future professional success are significantly better. There are 500,000 masters’ graduates each year who go on to develop lifelong careers as professional doctors, lawyers, engineers, etc. versus about only 2,000 NCAA athletes that get drafted to the major professional sports every year. In the medical field alone there about 800,000 doctors in the U.S., but only about 18,000 pro athletes in all major sports. Why wouldn’t you invest in your education?
A Comment on Diversity
Black and Latino students represent only about 10% of students entering the big “3” specialized high schools despite representing almost 70% of all NYC students. Historically, high costs to prepare for the SHSAT and lack of access to gifted & talented programs in many communities have created disparities along the lines of demographics, income, and location. Our goal is to level that playing field and we would also point parents and students to many new city sponsored programs in 2017 to help close these gaps. We believe the gaps that develop in childhood too often extend into adult life. For example, the median household wealth for a caucasian household is $111, 145 according to Forbes versus $7,113 for a black family and $8,348 for a Latino family household. The median incomes are $59,270 versus $34,598 and $40,963 respectively for each household as of 2013. It takes time and effort to make change, but change begins at an early age and education is the best path to a brighter future.
