A New Twist in the Fight over NYC High-School Admissions Testing

The students who receive a special designation allowing them extra time to take the admissions exam to New York City’s elite public high schools are more often white or well off, according to data released Monday by the city Department of Education.

{snip}

The designation is called a 504 and is meant to give students who have difficulties such as anxiety or ADHD a chance to handle the stress of schoolwork at their own pace. For a student to be eligible for the additional time, a medical professional must provide documentation and the student’s school must sign off it.

{snip}

About 36% of test-takers who received extra time though 504 plans were admitted into the specialized schools high schools for fall 2018, compared with 18% of test-takers overall.

{snip}

{snip} Among 28,334 students who took the test in 2017 to enter high school last fall, data showed 323 had extended time under 504 plans. They could take six hours for the admissions test, instead of three hours.

In fall 2017, 2.6% of white test-takers got extra time under the 504 plan, compared with 1% of Hispanic test-takers, 0.9% of black test-takers, and 0.3% of Asian test-takers.

{snip}

Moreover, students who were relatively well-off got extra time through 504 designations at higher rates than low-income students. About 1.9% of test-takers who weren’t in poverty had a 504, compared with 0.6% of those who were poor.

{snip}