Motivated 6th graders who want to get a head start preparing for the Specialized High School Admission Test for seven elite city high schools should ask their guidance counselors now about a free 16-month tutoring program sponsored by the Department of Education called the Specialized High Schools Institute. And 7th graders interested in preparing for auditions at selective arts programs should consider applying to the free Summer Arts Institute, which is also open to high school students for enrichment.

Funded by a $2.8 million grant from the state, the Specialized High School Institute (SHSI) offers qualified students tutoring, test preparation, and enrichment activities during two summer academies and school-year tutoring, starting the summer after 6th grade. Applications for this summer’s institute will be available from middle school guidance counselors by the end of January, and students will have several weeks to complete them.

Students should ask their guidance counselors for the due date in their region. In Region 2, covering the eastern half of the Bronx, the applications are already available, and they are due March 3, according to Marisa Muñoz, who administers the program there.

“The general [student] population is not prepared for this exam,” said Brooklyn parent John Coffield, whose daughter attended the free tutoring program. He said it is “absolutely not” possible to pass the exam without test preparation outside regular school hours. But private tutoring services charge a high fee that few parents can afford.

Students apply for the institute in the spring of 6th grade, and it runs until October of 8 th grade, when they take the exam. The program has a high level of success, said Richard Weisberg, institute director for Region 9 (east side of Manhattan and the South Bronx), adding that 65 percent of Region 9 students who participated qualified for admission at a specialized high school in 2005, compared to about 14 percent of test-takers overall.

After 10 years of operation, the institute tripled student enrollment to 2,200 last summer and increased the number of locations from four to 10 with the aim of increasing the number of black and Hispanics students served, particularly in districts with low-performing schools. But even in 2005, programs in every region had far more applicants than seats available.

Program varies from region to region

Since each region has control over its own program and can determine the number of seats and the admission criteria, the odds of acceptance depend upon where a student lives. Some regions limit applicants to students who score 3s and 4s (on or above grade level) on the 6 th grade tests. Other regions will accept students with high 2 (below grade level) scores. Still others, including Region 9, will not accept students who have already scored 4s on both reading and math tests. “We encourage counselors not to send on kids with perfect scores because that’s not our mission,” Weisberg said.

Some large regions, including Region 9, hold lotteries to winnow down their pools of qualified students. In others, such as Region 10, which includes the Upper West Side, Harlem and Washington Heights, admission committees could read every application. After selecting students with consistently strong attendance, punctuality, test scores, and grades above 80 percent, “we did not have to have a lottery,” said Clarise Brooks, director of the region’s SHSI.

The structure and style of the programs also varies. In Region 9, the summer session lasts five days a week for five weeks, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. In Region 2, the summer session is only four days a week, and classes end at noon. In some regions, students engage in all test prep, all the time. In others, including Region 10, the approach is more relaxed, with Friday field trips to places such as the Museum of Natural History bringing a summer camp feel to the academic experience.

Admission to the SHSI is based on several criteria, including grades, teacher recommendations, test scores, and behavior reports. The institute has low tolerance for absences, misbehavior, and missing assignments, so students must be willing to make a long-term, high-intensity commitment. For more information about the SHSI, contact the gifted and talented programs coordinator in your region.

Private program for public school students

For a tiny group of highly motivated students, Summerbridge at the Town School, part of the national non-profit Breakthrough Collaborative, runs an intensive, multi-year program for gifted public school students with the aim of helping them gain admission to the high school of their choice. Unlike the Specialized High School Institute, Summerbridge doesn’t specialize in test preparation. Instead, it offers academic enrichment beyond the curricula at students’ schools. And unlike other privately funded enrichment programs, such as Prep for Prep or A Better Chance, Summerbridge aims to prepare students, starting in 6th grade, for success at top public high schools, not just private ones. Applications are available now, and students must return them two weeks after they are received. Summerbridge is open to students living in all five boroughs; most students come from schools located near the Upper East Side site. For more information, call 212-288-4383.

Program for performing and visual arts students

The city’s Summer Arts Institute, a free program held at Stuyvesant High School for four weeks in July, is another program that can help students prepare for high school admission. Rising 8th grade students can work on visual art portfolios or improve their audition technique for selective arts high schools. High school students who enroll in the institute can major in dance, theater, vocal music, instrumental music, visual art, film or photography, and they can build portfolios for college applications. Admission to the institute is by application and audition. Applications are due February 28, and auditions will be held March 11 and 12. For more information contact Jill Rashba at (212) 374-6845 about the arts program.

--Philissa Cramer and Vanessa Witenko, January 24, 2006

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