The SHSAT, also known as, “The Specialized High School Admissions Test” is an exam that eighth and ninth graders from all boroughs take. The score that the students receive determines which school the individual will go. The nine elite schools of New York are Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School for American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for Sciences at York College, and Staten Island Technical High School (NYC Department of Education). Every October, hundreds of students from all boroughs take the examination to see if they can get the chance to go to one of these schools. However, the outcome of going …show more content…
Many learning centers provide these services only to gain profit in the long run. In the article, “Around Sunset Park, Tutoring is Key to Success,” the author Beth Fertig responds to the businesses that local organization gain from all the families that enroll their children. Fertig states, “Signs posted in Chinese advertise the different tests they can prepare students to take: OLSAT (for Gifted and Talented programs), SHSAT (Specialized High Schools Admissions Test) and the SAT's” (Fertig). In other words, Fertig believes that by creating advertisements that cater to a student’s success, parents are more vulnerable to put their children into these programs. Parents lack the knowledge of the learning center's agenda. In the Chinese culture, tests are a way to determine the placement of higher education for students (Fertig). By seeing how prestigious these high schools are, the children of the parents begin to see this as a priority. Signs such as stress, panic, or anxiety may start to show up in a child because they are not able to withstand the content. Even though the child may be experiencing these symptoms, it is very unlikely that they can drop out of the course because their parents already paid for it. As an eighth grader, he or she should not have to feel the pressure of trying to get to the top schools in New York. A child with his or her …show more content…
Simple things such as lack of sleep or procrastination can heighten a person while they are at school. In the article, “Confronting Mental Health Issues at Stuyvesant,” the author Rong Xiaoqing advocates for a better approach for identifying a sudden change in a student during the school year. Stuyvesant High School is one of the top schools that people try to get placed. For a particular student, it was very tough for him to keep up with the work. Rong Xiaoqing agrees when he writes, “Hor did not always sleep well when he was in junior high. Under pressure at Stuyvesant, he developed insomnia and depression. Most nights, he could only sleep for three hours. By December 2010, the situation got so bad that he was not able to go to school anymore” (Xiaoqing). The essence of Xiaoqing’s argument is that without proper care or assistance to a student when they are not at their best can cause severe damage to their health. Additionally, Hor did not get the chance to recover from junior high causing high school to be challenging for him. Therefore, it is significant to address to an official when a student is acting different or not performing well at
Did you know that the average high school student in today’s society has the same levels of anxiety as a psychiatric patient in the 1950s? According to psychologist Robert Leahy, school these days can get a little tough– especially when most students’ first response to a heavy backpack full of homework is to worry over whether or not it can be done. In the past decade, Leahy and other psychologists have noticed a steady nationwide increase in the amount of stress caused by schoolwork among high school students (Slate Magazine). What does this mean for tomorrow’s leaders and future generations of dignitaries? Scientists have concluded that sleep deprivation, long-term health problems, and declining overall academic achievement are
Dr. Debra Koss ( child psychiatrist) believes that in our society today teens and parents face more stress and pressures than ever before. When a student acts up the first thought should not be punishment but what is going wrong in this young one’s life and how can it be helped. In Fund du Lac High School three hundred fifty-eight freshman out of six hundred thirty-two participated in mental health screening and sixty-four percent of the students tested were diagnosed with a mental illness. Many factors are contributing to this bad school environment ranging from overworked students, students ridiculing other students and faculty that genuinely do not care about the students. A teacher, who does not take interest in the students and does not do their best to make sure their students succeed, risks destroying their students confidence. 8,300 students drop out on a average day. These students say they drop because they don't feel safe, they can't keep up, they couldn't attend everyday or they did not have the confidence they would finish the class. Students everyday are either dropping out or hurting themselves because of the events that happen inside these school buildings. Forty percent of parents say children experience the most stress from academics. Chronic stress causes a sense of panic which causes more stress. “Despite whatever is going on -if you are a bit depressed, stressed, or overwhelmed you want to put up this positive
Jonnie, a 10th grade African American male, was referred to me because he considering college as a next step in his education. He needs support in building his GPA and course mapping so that when he is ready to enter a comprehensive high school he is on track to complete graduation and college requirements. Working with Jonnie, the immediate goal is to have him pass the California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE). Throughout his academic career, Jonnie has had an inordinate number of disciplinary infractions put against him. His high school transcripts reflect the behavior problems that have had an effect on his ability to perform well in school. Currently, Jonnie is in a small school setting in which his academic abilities are being shown and fostered. Jonnie does not seem to exhibit many deficits when it comes to social-emotional relationships, however, it is evident in his work, that there are some academic gaps that need to be supported and scaffolded for him. When it comes to material that tends to be difficult for Jonnie, he withdraws himself from the class. Further examination of Jonnie’s behavior is necessary to better support his academic abilities and achieving his goal of attending college a reality.
In Christopher Hayes article Twilight of the Elites the author puts into perspective the inequality low-income students face. The author argues that the test prep industry is a booming multi million-dollar business; the best way to predict a student’s score on standardized test is to look at the child’s parent income. The more money the parent’s have the more money they can contribute to tutoring and test prep materials. It’s quite unfortunate that children from low-income families are left out of the loop it is an unfair disadvantage. Children from low-income families have just as much capability to thrive however; the resources and tools needed for them are not there. The system is set up in away that the upper class will always make
James S. Murphy wrote about how the SAT is a high Stakes evaluation of enormous magnitude in which colleges use to analyze the readiness and skills of high school students. Some students are not financial stable to pay tutors or discover other resources that enable them to get adequate scores on the various exams. These rigorous exams act as a subject course other than showing students abilities through their academic achievements in high school, something where colleges rather judge students on their SAT to determine if their good enough to attend college. The College Board are now proposing a program named Khan Academy; which better equip students to be prepared and comfortable taking exams under pressure, which allow the programs offer varies
Moreover, the time of taking the exams alone add up to 20 hours per school year which equals to 1.4% of the entire school year ("The Truth About Standardized Testing In Texas"). Standardized testing proves to be unreliable when it comes to examining academic achievement. Per Texas Education Agency’s high school dropout and graduation rate, students’ achievement and graduation rate show to be always fluctuating proving that standardized testing in Texas schools has proven to not be effective in having students pass high school ("Completion, Graduation, and Dropouts Data Search”). The lack of the graduation rate consistently increasing shows that the teachers aren’t doing a proper job in encouraging students to get through high school, and that is what the Texas Education Agency desire the STAAR test to accomplish.
In a study done about the effects of boarding schools, it was found that at the end of the first year of boarding school, the boarders experienced a lower state of well-being. The students were not accustomed to the higher demands of the schooling, high levels of control exerted over them, and separation from their friends and family. After the second year the boarders were able to adjust and thrive, but after an analyzation of the data, it was found the students that began to develop in the second year were stronger students at baseline. The stronger students had higher scores on standardized tests to begin with. Once they got accustomed to the new form of schooling, it was found these students had more motivation to succeed after they realized what they were capable of in their new environment. On the contrary, the weaker students lost confidence because of the inability for them to do as well. This, in turn, prevented them from adapting to their environment. While in this study the strong students were able to thrive, the pressure and difficulty of the education at these institutions cause some students to develop depression and an involvement with alcohol and drugs. “Behind the ivy walls of the cloistered elite there is at times sadness, despair, even tragedy. There are more than a few prep school students who lead lives of quiet
During 7th and 8th grade in 2013 - 2014, I was studying for this exam called the SHSAT (Specialized High School Admission Test). I took this test because if I were to do well in this exam, I could possibly go to one of the specialized high schools in the 5 boroughs. These schools were Bronx High School of Science, Brooklyn Latin School, Brooklyn Technical High School, High School for Math, Science and Engineering at City College, High School for American Studies at Lehman College, Queens High School for
The purpose of this proposal is to examine current and future Iowa State University admissions decisions processes. At the present time most colleges, including Iowa State use a combination of standardized test scores, high school class rank, high school grade point average, and essays to make decisions on admissions. All of the above are good determinants of a student’s possible success in college, except standardized test scores. Standardized tests discriminate against minorities and are not a good overall indicator of a student’s potential. For these reasons and others, Iowa State should not use standardized test scores when making admissions
Many opponents believe that standardized testing helps educators determine what classes students should be placed in for school. Instead, academic placements should be based on the recommendations of the teachers because tests are often not a proper reflection of learning. Teachers have the opportunity to work with and get to know a student for at least a school year, so it makes sense that they would know best what a student is capable of and their abilities. How can schools base a placement off of a test when instead they can use the opinion of the teacher who has gotten to truly know their student’s potential? When asked if she thinks that a teacher’s opinion should be valued more than a standardized test, Mrs. Ann Wing, an 8th grade social
The system we have now is for specialized high schools; if we change it, then what is the different between specialized high schools and regular schools? The debate of whether we should have SHSAT test begun long time ago, from “Pathways to an Elite Education: Exploring Strategies to Diversify NYC's Specialized High Schools. Policy Brief”, which published in early 2015, the author suggested:
Stress on the body can lead to deeper and bigger problems such as depression. Depression in students is a very serious problem and coming on the rise. A group of economists at the Brookings Institute on schoolstarttime.org concluded that, “Students at later starting schools get more sleep, perform better academically, have significantly fewer automobile accidents, report greater motivation and less depression, experience fewer physical health difficulties, are less likely to be tardy or truant, demonstrate better performance in attention level, impulsivity, and rate of performance.” This shows how stress from more homework, less time to do it, and less sleep can lead to many bigger problems and even more problems in the future. The findings from the results of this experiment show that this can be monitored and fixed by making school start at a later time, causing less stress, more sleep, and better lives for the adolescent students in the United States of America.
The fact that many students like me join clubs and get good grades to only impress universities, face pressure from parents, teachers and society, yet still deal with mental health problems. These issues have played a major role in my educational life, and have led me to conclude that we as a society need to reform the education system and change the ideologies of society and how it values education to prevent the future generations of students from facing such affairs in their
Almost every day high school students are waking up around six o’clock in the morning to get ready for school, some even earlier than that. Nearly every morning students are waking up without adequate sleep. If sleep is one of the most essential needs of the body in order to grow and develop, shouldn’t we be more aware of how much it affects students everyday performance? The ways in which students are affected by sleep-deprivation is precisely why school needs to start later.
The SAT is a standardized test widely used for college and university admissions in the United States. It was first introduced in 1926, and its name and scoring system have changed several times throughout the years. Many students around the world that want to pursue post-secondary institutions in the US make it a point to write the SAT at least once in their high school career to better their chances of getting a higher score. This test has three parts to it – one reading, writing and one math. In order to achieve the best score that they can possibly get and be placed in the highest possible percentile, students may decide to attend SAT preparation classes starting from the early years of High/Middle School. The unfortunate reality of these extra preparation courses is that they are quite expensive, and due to this, they mostly cater towards to higher or higher-middle class families. Courses that provide extra preparation such as Ivy Global are not very affordable to many families and so students. According to many statistics and news reports, the higher the test taker’s family income, the higher their scores in the test. This has been a topic of great controversy as we have grown in the modern society