China News Service, December 21. According to the US "Overseas News" report, in response to the latest junior and high school admissions guidelines announced by the New York City government on the 18th, Chinese parents in Queens said that it is one thing to keep the special high school entrance test (SHSAT) again. The good news is exciting.

However, parents believe that the cancellation of academic screening for junior high school enrollment and the cancellation of high school enrollment geographic priority screening will have a huge impact on New York City's education, and they are worried about whether public school teaching quality and school district housing will no longer exist.

Stuyvesant High School, one of the eight special high schools in New York City.

(Photo by Yang Chengyu, "Qiao Bao", U.S.)

　　Lai Lili's son is in the eighth grade of 190 public junior high school in Queens and has been preparing for SHSAT.

"I have been worried that the SHSAT has not been open for registration. I was so happy when I saw the Bureau of Education announce the SHSAT registration and test time." Lai Lili said that due to the epidemic, the SHSAT test was postponed for several months, and her son has been tutoring and reviewing for the test. So far, my son has been somewhat slack in his studies, and suddenly learned that the test will start in more than a month, and the pressure to prepare for the test will increase sharply. The Christmas holiday will also be used to review the book.

　　"SHSAT is saved again is exciting news." Dong Hui, head of the Queens Residents Union, said that a large number of Chinese students have participated in the SHSAT, and some Chinese students from difficult backgrounds have a fair chance to change their destiny through a single test.

There have been several twists and turns in securing the SHSAT this year. Due to the epidemic, the SHSAT has been delayed so that worried Chinese parents and organizations, as well as Queens City and state councillors, took action and sent a letter to the city government requesting that the SHSAT timetable be announced as soon as possible.

　　Donghui participated in the hearings on the academic screening of 196 middle schools and 126 high schools in the city held by the Education Bureau in April and May. Based on the opinions of the spokesperson at each hearing, he pointed out that the cancellation of academic screening did not respect public opinion. The hearings The vast majority of speakers on the forum are in favor of academic screening.

The cancellation of academic screening and school district priority screening affects a wide range of students, and the impact on the entire New York City education system is shaken, even greater than the impact of the cancellation of SHSAT.

Canceling the priority of school districts violates the natural principles and safety of enrolling nearby, affects school district housing, and is unfair to the original community families.

The quality of a school has nothing to do with the community, but is closely related to the importance attached to education by teachers, students and parents.

This reform seems to be for fair education, but in reality it will only allow more people to move out of New York or choose private schools to obtain quality education.

　　Huang Youxing, chairman of the 24 School District Committee, said that he is very happy that SHSAT has been retained this school year.

But it opposes the New York City Department of Education's proposal to cancel admissions based on academic performance and implement a diversity admission plan.

Huang Youxing said that canceling admissions based on academic performance will only make students fail in these schools.

Screening admissions is the only way to determine whether a child can adapt and succeed in any school.

　　Huang Youxing pointed out that in the next two years, the Education Bureau will phase out the priority admission requirements of the school district for high school admission. This means that after next year, the location of the student's residence will not be a separate condition to guarantee their chances of entering a certain school.

For many overcrowded school districts, this practice will force children to go to schools outside the school district.

It is a basic right for parents to send their children to the school closest to home in the school zone, and this change violates this right.

　　New York State Senator and Chairman of the New York City Board of Education, Liu Chinyi, stated that, as expected, the admissions regulations for entering New York City special high schools through SHSAT will remain unchanged as required by state law.

Mayor Bai Sihao and Education Bureau Director Karanna are finally on the right track and demand that these schools be fully transparent about their standards and evaluation methods.

　　However, the high school admission screening was cancelled for a year, during which time data on class performance, state test scores, and attendance were not enough.

Regarding the academic performance-based enrollment of secondary schools and gifted classes, there is still great uncertainty. If this issue is not fully and publicly discussed, the city government should not implement comprehensive reforms.

　　Equality and high quality can and must be pursued and carried out at the same time, and there should be no trade-off between the two.

Larger questions about the importance of grades and exams remain unanswered.

The New York City Board of Education in the New York State Senate will continue to discuss directly with the Mayor and Commissioner on issues and other policies that are vital to students and parents in the community.

(Zhang Jing, Zhang Fan)