ipl-logo

Specialized High School Admissions Essay

549 Words3 Pages

The specialized high school admissions test (SHSAT) has been surrounded by a controversy regarding the admissions process. Many people believe that the process discriminates towards lower class students and should include other things such as the G.P.A, add essays, and more. It is better to keep the process as it is. It is not discriminatory towards lower class students because there are free preparation programs provided in school for the SHSAT. It is the student's choice whether to enroll or not. In addition, given in schools are a free SHSAT prepping book which allows students to know more about the SHSAT and how the process works, in that there are two practice test students can take. They can check their answers and explanations of how to do the questions at the end of the book. Students can study with this handbook given out for free. If it was not given to some students because of a specific reason all the previous hand books are available at this site: http://testprepshsat.com/. This site popped up by searching shsat free online practice test in Google. Since some students may not have a computer they can visit any New York Public …show more content…

Immigrants may have not understood English enough to write an essay that can match up with Native speakers, however with the test they do not need to write essays, they need a certain point of understanding of English to pass the test. It is not like they are not smart, it is just that their first language is not English unlike others. Immigrants may not have the grades specialized high schools are expecting because they are new to the country. Furthermore, the G.P.A standard for each school is not same. So some students may not get in because their G.P.A is too low because of the school standards whereas the opposite can also happen. Adding essays and G.P.A will make the test more discriminatory towards

Show More
Related

  • What Is The Theme Of Test The Flaws Of The American Public School System

    1249 Words  | 5 Pages

    The documentary, Test: The flaws of the American Public School System, directd by Curtis Chin took the viewer on a realistic journey of the New York resident middle schoolers as they prepare to pick the right high school. Students have the option to take the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT) which is a test that students can take to get accepted into 1 of 3 of the specialized high schools in New York. 8th-grade students have the opportunity to test into Bronx Science, Stuyvesant, or Brooklyn Tech. These schools are called legacy schools because students who attend these schools have a higher chance of getting into Ivy League colleges. They are also referenced as Ivy League high schools.

    Read More

  • Should SAT Scores Play A Bigger Part Than High School GPA?

    1860 Words  | 8 Pages

    Preparation for the SAT are often said to be the best way to get a high score, but it consists of a student studying on their own and paying four- hundred dollars an hour for tutoring that starts in the seventh grade (Rimer 1). Some parents do not have the money to get a decent tutor for their children. Teenagers who have the money to afford a tutor have better chance of getting a higher score than teenagers who are less fortunate. Teenagers of public education are often limited to resources for the SAT test preparation. The SAT test consist of unrealistic reading questions and complex math problems.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay: Should The SAT Determine Your Future

    483 Words  | 2 Pages

    Should The SAT Determine Your Future Throughout the years there have been many questions regarding the reliability of the SAT. Should an aptitude test be such a large factor in college acceptance. I firmly believe The SAT should not be a factor in college admissions because it has proven to be biased , unreliable, and overall unjust. The Scholastic Aptitude test, or SAT is no stranger to high school students across America. The test is divided into two sections of math and verbal language skills, a total of 138 questions with a point scale ranging from 200-800.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On ACT And SAT Scores

    729 Words  | 3 Pages

    As students start their senior year of high school there are many changes in their life. This is the time of a student’s life when they decide what they want to do after they graduate high school. Students can decide to join the military, work, or continue their education at a college or university. For the students who continue their education they have many things to do before they finally get accepted. A common step they take is taking the The American College Test (ACT) and the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT).

    Read More

  • Essay Against Standardized Testing

    1229 Words  | 5 Pages

    Going Against the Standard According to Tim Walker, “Only 14% of parents say standardized testing is important in measuring school effectiveness” (Walker). A standardized test is a test that is given in a consistent or “standard” manner. Standardized tests are designed to have consistent questions, administration procedures, and scoring procedures. When a standardized test is administered, it is done so according to certain rules and specifications so that testing conditions are the same for all test takers. They often provide some type of “standard score” which can help interpret how far a child score ranges from the average student (Johnson).

    Read More

  • SHSAT Research Paper

    659 Words  | 3 Pages

    If you had a choice would you take the SHSAT? Well, every year, 8th grade students in New York City face that question as they prepare to take one of the most important test in their lives; the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT). Eight prestigious high schools, require admission based on the SHSAT. The test consists of two parts, verbal and math. The verbal composes of scrambled paragraphs, logical reasoning and reading comprehension.

    Read More

  • Optional Standardized Testing

    1304 Words  | 6 Pages

    In 1942, the SAT was used for all applicants. “In 1948, the SAT was becoming the basic college admission device for millions” (“A Brief History of the SAT”). 80% of schools still require a standardized test score for acceptance (Blaf). However, this percentage is going down and as it does colleges will rely more a grades, which are more precise calculations of

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing Bias

    1523 Words  | 7 Pages

    Another thing that places students of color at a disadvantage in college admissions is the persisting cultural bias in high-stakes testing. “High-stakes” tests are those that are tied to major consequences, such as admission to college, or even high school graduation. Fair education reform advocates have long been citing an extensive record of standardized testing concerns, many of which relate to racial bias and discrimination. As researcher and author Harold Berlak explains in the journal Rethinking Education: Standardized testing perpetuates institutionalized racism and contributes to the achievement gap between whites and minorities. For instance, the deeply embedded stereotype that African Americans perform poorly on standardized tests

    Read More

  • High School Admission Essay Sample

    838 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ever since grade school, I was passionate about working in the field of medicine, and science. I enjoyed anatomy, medical spelling and terminology, and reading about the healthcare industry. Because of my passion for healthcare, I decided to to attend Health Sciences High. There, I was given the best opportunities, such as, medical internships and college health courses. My plans and goals had turned me into a mature young adult.

    Read More

  • SAT Testing Persuasive Essay

    200 Words  | 1 Pages

    Thus, SAT test is not doing what it was supposed to do. It is hurting most of the students preventing them from one of their fundamental rights. The test is hard with such time limit. Even the good students are not able to do best because of the pressure that lasts for four hours. One single test can’t measure everything to become successful.

    Read More

  • Standardized Testing In Public Schools

    1191 Words  | 5 Pages

    Standardized testing has become one of the most popular types of testing in U.S. public schools to date. Students take numerous standardized tests throughout their childhood schooling. (Studies show that a typical student takes an average of 112 mandated standardized tests between Pre-K and 12th grade.) While standardized testing is one of the main procedures that Universities use to judge incoming students, it is not proven to be the most effective way to convey a student’s actual intelligence level. The U.S. should not focus so heavily on standardized testing because it is not a complete accurate measurement of a student’s intelligence.

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Standardized Testing Essay

    1136 Words  | 5 Pages

    In addition, low income students struggle to succeed in tests such as the SAT's. The SAT and ACT tests are unfair for low income families who happen to also be minorities. These families can't provide tutors or extra help, which negatively affects test scores. Admissions that rely on test scores tend to generate a bias against low income families (Soares). Finally, standardized tests leave students with disabilities without accommodations.

    Read More

  • Thesis Statement: The Pros And Cons Of Standardized Testing

    1749 Words  | 7 Pages

    “Standardized tests are unfair and discriminatory, because students with diverse backgrounds and skill levels are expected to answer questions written for the white, abled majority. " I think this point is very hard to argue with because if these tests are written for the white students, then how are students with a different background or diversity supposed to do well? One improvement could be that maybe there isn’t just one test for the whole country or the state, but instead there are multiple tests for multiple regions. Certain regions get certain tests because of the situation they are in. This makes sense and I believe it would improve the scores and even if it didn’t

    Read More

  • Arguments Against Affirmative Action

    1011 Words  | 5 Pages

    In reality the policy destroys the camaraderie and team building as unqualified individuals is advanced ahead of those with proven track records. In addition, College Admission boards are also required to screen applications based on quotas that has been established by the affirmative action policy in an effort to promote diversity (James, 2010). American college testing [ATC] and Scholastic Test [SAT] scores are used to forecast future freshman grades and is the basis for entrance into prominent universities.

    Read More

  • The Pros And Cons Of The SAT

    1241 Words  | 5 Pages

    SATS and ACTS have been used for numerous years as a way to gauge a student’s academic success while in college. Students have the choice which test they would prefer to take and most colleges do not prefer one test over the other. There are a few key differences between the SAT and ACT, which may make one test more suitable than the other for those taking the tests. Many studies have proven that the SAT and ACT are not the best judge of future success, and that colleges should focus their applications more on past grades and accomplishments to decide which students should be accepted to their university. SATs and ACTs are not an effective measure of college readiness and future academic success.

    Read More

More about Specialized High School Admissions Essay

Open Document