NYC Parents Steaming Over the New HS Placement System

New York City high school students and their parents were shocked and outraged when they received their school acceptance letters this year due to a new selection procedure that does not place much value on how well a student performs in middle school.

In addition, there were delays and confusion regarding the parameters and specifics of the new system. As they do every year, 8th-grade students submitted an application listing up to 12 high school choices in their order or preference.

However, just one month before the deadline, the New York City DOE announced a new “lottery” system, which awards a point value to a student's highest English, math, social studies, and science grades from both 7th and 8th grades. The point average then determines which of 4 lottery groups the student gets placed in.

I’ve always suggested to middle school students and their parents to create as many high school options as possible, especially in this era of unknowns; you never know when the city administration is going to change the rules of the "game".

Even (and especially) for those students who were not originally planning on applying to a specialized high school, I recommend that they take the SHSAT test anyway (the exam that determines if a student gets accepted to one of the 9 elite specialized high schools). Then, if a family gets an unappealing lottery draw for their regular high school application, they can attend a specialized high school as a Plan B. And that is not a bad Plan B, as these schools offer a superb education and well-prepares students for a successful college career.