Washington, D.C: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) released the following statement in advance of the Panel of Education Policy’s vote on the future of the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT):
“The NYC Panel on Education Policy must keep in place the testing system that governs admission to NYC’s specialized high schools by approving the new contract this week for administering the Specialized High School Admissions Test or SHSAT.
“NYC’s specialized high schools are special places. And the universal SHSAT test that many thousands of New York students study so hard for is an essential part of that excellence. Derailing that process would unfairly deny opportunity to countless students and families who work hard to take the test with hopes of admission to one of the superb specialized schools like Stuyvesant, Bronx Science, Brooklyn Tech and Staten Island Tech.
“These schools are teeming with intelligent, creative and highly motivated students who create a unique atmosphere that adds immeasurably to high-quality classroom instruction. And they consistently produce amazing graduates who excel in college and beyond – in the workforce and their communities.
“Students and families preparing for next year’s exam deserve clarity. Failing to approve the contract would undermine transparency and fairness and unjustly deny opportunity to countless striving students looking only to achieve the best they can academically.
“Voting down the SHSAT contract, effectively removing the test for the 2026 school year, without public debate, would rightly be viewed by many families and students across New York as an attempt to bypass state law and an attack on fairness, opportunity and proven pathways to success.
“There is only one fair option for New York City’s students: NYC Panel on Education Policy must approve the contract for the SHSAT this week.”
