Advocating for Fair Admissions Policy post-COVID: NYC Opt Out Speaks Out

On June 17, 2020 members of NYC Opt Out, along with some of our children and a few other allies, participated in a Zoom conference call with NYC Department of Education Deputy Chancellor Josh Wallack and Director of Community Affairs Sadye Campoamor. During the call, which ran slightly more than an hour, teachers, students and parents spoke movingly about why the DOE should eliminate competitive screening of students for the next admissions cycle. (Click HERE for more.)

June 2020 Statement on admissions policy post-COVID 19

ANIMATING VALUES: Our thoughts and suggestions regarding admissions are predicated on the following values.

  • All youth are valuable and should be respected; we should be creating admissions and grading systems that demonstrate that.

  • We should not be measuring children via snapshot; we should build a system that assumes every child is capable of growth and learning.

  • Admissions screens contribute to segregation and should be eliminated to comply with the law.

  • The cancellation of state tests this spring and the problems surfaced by remote learning should be viewed as an opportunity for the department to re-envision and improve upon current practices.

(Click HERE for more.)

NYC Middle School and High School Admissions Surveys

Students have been refusing the tests in New York City, in growing numbers, for upwards of 8 years now. Contrary to common wisdom, they have received offers to a variety of the city’s middle and high schools, including its most sought after. (This is true even for students who refused the tests in 4th or 7th grade.)

In recent years, parent volunteers have surveyed a sampling of city middle and high schools to find out how those schools address applicants who lack state test scores (for any reason).

(Click HERE for more.)