Brooklyn Democrat Assembleywoman Claims SHSAT Is Racist
State Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt and Assemblyman William Colton (D-Brooklyn) are urging parents to be ready for action as the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test faces renewed challenges.
In a recent op-ed, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, also the Brooklyn Democratic Party chair, put forth a proposition to eliminate the SHSAT as the exclusive criterion for admissions to the city’s specialized high schools, alleging that standardized tests carry racial bias.
However, it’s crucial to clarify that standardized tests are inherently unbiased, characterized by objectivity and anonymous scoring. Furthermore, when considering the content of these tests, most Black students take them in their primary language, while many Asians, despite recent English proficiency, outperform both White and Black students in math and verbal sections, demonstrating that cultural familiarity isn’t the determining factor.
Bichotte Hermelyn’s argument is supported by limited evidence, consisting of personal anecdotes, misconstrued historical context, and the assertion that many colleges adopted test-optional policies post-pandemic. Yet, informed families understand that “optional” tests are genuinely optional only for Black and Hispanic students. Whites and Asians recognize the importance of excelling in these exams due to their effectiveness. Elite colleges seek these scores from them, especially in the absence of now-illegal affirmative action policies affecting Black and Hispanic students.
Notably, MIT has abandoned its test-optional approach, as it struggled to maintain rigorous standards. In contrast, institutions like Harvard introduced slower-paced courses and remedial classes to accommodate affirmative action, undermining the credibility of their programs.
Contrary to Bichotte Hermelyn’s claims, extensive and thorough research supports the validity of standardized testing. For instance, cognitive scientist Steven Pinker’s article demonstrates the SAT’s predictive nature across a wide range of accomplishments. The University of California’s faculty task force conducted a comprehensive year-long study that endorsed the continued use of standardized tests in admissions. Scholarly work by Peter Arcidiacono highlights how low-scoring Black students at Duke University shifted to less demanding majors, while high-scoring Black students performed similarly to their White and Asian peers in engineering programs.
My independent study focusing on the SHSAT affirms the academic superiority of students admitted with higher scores, a finding consistent with the success of using standardized tests to assemble exceptional classes.
This strategy has contributed to remarkable achievements, including 14 Nobel Prize science laureates, winners of the Fields Medal, Abel Prize, Turing Award, and National Academy of Sciences members.
While Bichotte Hermelyn advocates for alternative admissions methods, such as a “top percentage of every school” approach and subjective criteria like essays and grades, her proposals are questionable. Her plan to replace specialized high schools rather than complement them raises doubts about her intentions. If her goal is to enhance education for city students, then retaining both systems could benefit a larger population.
Instead of vilifying the SHSAT, efforts should be directed toward rectifying educational issues and reinstating the integrity of grading systems. Essays, mentioned by Bichotte Hermelyn, are susceptible to falsehoods, and verifying the authenticity of thousands of emotional narratives would be daunting. Additionally, racial deception among college applicants remains an issue that requires scrutiny.
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