Leaders in Asian community demand approval of new Specialized High School Admissions Test contract

December 13, 2024 Brooklyn Eagle Staff

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SOUTHERN BROOKLYN — A PENDING CONTRACT TO ADMINISTER THE SPECIALIZED HIGH SCHOOL ADMISSION TEST (SHSAT) in digital format must be approved immediately, said a bipartisan group of elected officials, parents and community leaders on Thursday. The group, including City Councilmember Susan Zhuang (D-43), Assemblymember Lester Chang (R-49/Borough Park), state Senator-Elect Steven Chan (R-17/Sunset Park to Gravesend), as well as dozens of parents and community leaders, held a press conference on Thursday, Dec. 12 on the steps of City Hall. The group called on the city’s Panel for Educational Policy (PEP) to approve a pending contract to administer the SHSAT. State law requires that the Department of Education use the SHSAT to determine admission to the specialized high schools. The coalition, which has accused the panel of postponing the approval vote, asserts that additional delays endanger the ability of thousands of students to apply for admission to those schools.

However, the push has revived a debate on equity, as the Brooklyn Eagle reported in late November. The PEP has pushed back the vote to December in order to allow for a public comment period and a town hall meeting. On Friday afternoon, Dec. 13, the Department of Education referred the Eagle to its website of scheduled public meetings; the RFP for the contract with Pearson is on the agenda for a December 18 PEP meeting.

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