A new threat is emerging to the city’s Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT), according to Assemblyman William Colton, who is warning parents who want to see the test retained to be ready to mobilize.

Assemblyman Colton, a former teacher, says that the test is an important portal for children of immigrant and working class families. Excelling on the test, for these students, means a chance to attend a top public school in New York City, which can open the door to a prestigious university and subsequently, a successful career.

“The SHSAT is an entry point through which newly arrived families can achieve the American dream,” says Assemblyman Colton. “Shutting that door in their face is simply not an option.”

Assemblyman Colton stresses that he is ready to fight to keep the SHSAT intact. “Over the past few years, with Susan Zhuang as my chief of staff, we successfully beat back previous attacks on the SHSAT,” says Assemblyman Colton. “I’m looking forward to working with her as the neighborhood’s new councilmember to fight this new attack on the SHSAT.”

Rather than eliminating the SHSAT, says Assemblyman Colton, the city should be making sure that students in every school district across the city have access to high-quality early education programs as well as ample opportunities to attend Gifted and Talented programs. Both of these, he stresses, equip young scholars well for the challenges that lie ahead, and give them the necessary tools to succeed on such tests as the SHSAT.

Therefore, Assemblyman Colton is calling on the city’s Department of Education to expand proven programs that nourish success. In 2022, the city announced that it would be adding seats to its Gifted and Talented program, so that it would be available in all the city’s school district. However, Gifted and Talented programs still only account for a total of 2,500 seats citywide; over one million students are enrolled in New York City public schools. This necessitates the use of a lottery to determine which students actually are admitted to a Gifted and Talented program, leaving many of them behind.

“There used to be a plethora of Gifted and Talented programs in every school district,” notes Assemblyman Colton. “Years ago, the city’s Department of Education eliminated many of them, leaving students without access to schooling that would have enhanced their educational opportunities, and prepared them to excel both on standardized tests and in life. Those programs need to be broadly available across the city, and the city must work hard, as well, to attract the best teachers to schools in every corner of New York City. That is the recipe for success for students hoping to attend one of the city’s specialized high schools.”

The eight specialized high schools which use the SHSAT to determine eligibility for attendance are Stuyvesant High School; Bronx High School of Science; Brooklyn Technical High School; the Brooklyn Latin School; the High School for Mathematics, Science and Engineering at City College; the High School of American Studies at Lehman College; Queens High School for the Sciences at York College; and Staten Island Technical High School. A ninth specialized high school, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, uses auditions to select eligible students.