https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/29/nyregion/nyc-schools-admissions.html
In a Reversal, New York City Tightens Admissions to Some Top Schools
The city loosened selection criteria during the pandemic, policies some parents protested as unfair and others hoped would reduce racial disparities.
New York City’s selective middle schools can once again use grades and test scores to choose which students to admit, the school chancellor, David C. Banks, announced on Thursday, rolling back a pandemic-era moratorium that had opened the doors of some of the city’s most elite schools to more low-income students.
Selective high schools will also be able to prioritize top-performing students, after being required to use broader screens in admissions.
The sweeping move will end the mandatory random lottery for middle schools, a major shift after the previous administration ended high-stakes admissions screens two years ago. At the city’s competitive high schools, where changes widened the pool of eligible applicants, priority for seats will be limited to top students whose grades are an A average.
The issue prompted intense debate this fall, with some families, including many Asian American families who have been particularly vocal in arguing that the lotteries excluded their children from opportunities they had worked hard for. But Black and Latino students are significantly underrepresented at selective schools, and some parents hoped the previous admissions changes would become permanent to boost racial integration in a system that has been labeled one of the most segregated in the nation.
“I want to be very clear: We are not eliminating screens,” Mr. Banks said, noting that the changes were based on family feedback.
“Like gifted and talented programs, the previous administration sought to take these opportunities away,” he added. “It’s critically important that if you’re working hard and making good grades, you should not be thrown into a lottery with just everybody.”