Coronavirus Forces New York City to Rethink Admissions to Elite Schools

Education officials weigh ideas for how to evaluate students who apply for selective public schools for fall 202

…“If you remove grades, you’re certainly to some extent de-incentivizing students from trying as hard, and you’re not rewarding the people who have really worked hard and tried to bring their grades up,” said Leonard Silverman, a member of the Community Education Council in Manhattan’s District 2.

Some parents called for students to have interviews and submit portfolios of work, but others have said it would be difficult for families in crisis to pull all that together. “There are pros and cons to all of these,” Mr. Wallack said.

Several parents argued against using state test scores, saying they caused too much stress and didn’t reflect students’ real talents. Lourdes Jibodh, a member of the Community Education Council in the Bronx’s District 8, said some high achievers froze on state tests.

But Kaushik Das, a member of PLACE NYC, which advocates for academic rigor, said state tests give useful information because some schools have grade inflation while others are more demanding. “State tests are an equalizer across all schools,” he said.”

Link to Full WSJ article: https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-forces-new-york-city-to-rethink-admissions-to-elite-schools-11589485405