parentssay that the DOE assigned students to the program even though they didn't audition.
Bard advertised that they are giving accommodations on their exams."
Beacon, one of the most sought after schools in the city, also fell short in accepting special needs students. It has had an ICT class for several years, but when it didn’t meet its target, the DOE assigned them a few students whom Beacon had not ranked although they were “appropriate” for the school, said Parent Coordinator Judy Moore.
The Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan was assigned a few students who didn’t audition, but Principal Keith Ryan said schools have known for more than a year about the DOE mandates.
“There are absolutely no surprises about this situation,” Ryan said. He explained that the DOE “relaxed the screen” to fill his school’s quota of special needs students. He says PPAS tried to meet Manhattan’s target number but, like Bard and Beacon, the school fell short.
Kids practice for months and compete against thousands of other kids to get into the city’s performing arts schools. Parents say it’s unfair that students who auditioned should be passed by. And they fear students who did not meet audition requirements may struggle in school. “If they’re not confident in their studio, they’re miserable in this school. This is a pre-conservatory program,” Finn said of Frank Sinatra.
Dmytro Fedkowskyj, the Queens representative to the Panel on Education Policy, said the DOE policy “diminishes the achievement of the students who auditioned and earned a seat” at the performing arts schools.
“It isn't fair to the student or the school community when the DOE creates this type of audition environment, establishes entrance rules and then circumvents these same rules at their leisure,” he said.
Sternberg said Frank Sinatra did not fill it seats with enough students whom the school had ranked, so the DOE assigned more students to increase enrollment.
A number of academically demanding schools, such as NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies, Millennium High School and NYC iSchool in Manhattan, have long admitted students with special needs and successfully integrated them in regular classes. NYCiSchool Principal Isora Bailey actively recruits students with special needs, who make up 15 percent of her students.
“If we only looked at test scores, we would automatically not list a lot of students with IEPs,” Bailey said, referring to the list of students the school sends the DOE’s office of enrollment to match with high school applications. But the school looks at a variety of factors including grades, attendance and an online admissions activity when selecting incoming students, she said.
Still, schools without experience integrating special needs children say they are ill-prepared to help children with disabilities thrive. “We do not have an ICT, self-contained or D75 program” said Finn at Frank Sinatra Donna. “This is wrong for all these kids.”
The DOE plans to “have conversations one school at a time to make sure we develop a plan that works,” said Sternberg. “I have a lot of confidence in the principal and faculty to work their magic.”
Tonight, April 23, at 6:30 pm, the PTA at Talent Unlimited is hosting a meeting to talk about the issue. A PTA member said that parents from other performing arts schools are welcome to attend.
Beacon, one of the most sought after schools in the city, also fell short in accepting special needs students. It has had an ICT class for several years, but when it didn’t meet its target, the DOE assigned them a few students whom Beacon had not ranked although they were “appropriate” for the school, said Parent Coordinator Judy Moore.
The Professional Performing Arts School in Manhattan was assigned a few students who didn’t audition, but Principal Keith Ryan said schools have known for more than a year about the DOE mandates.
“There are absolutely no surprises about this situation,” Ryan said. He explained that the DOE “relaxed the screen” to fill his school’s quota of special needs students. He says PPAS tried to meet Manhattan’s target number but, like Bard and Beacon, the school fell short.
Kids practice for months and compete against thousands of other kids to get into the city’s performing arts schools. Parents say it’s unfair that students who auditioned should be passed by. And they fear students who did not meet audition requirements may struggle in school. “If they’re not confident in their studio, they’re miserable in this school. This is a pre-conservatory program,” Finn said of Frank Sinatra.
Dmytro Fedkowskyj, the Queens representative to the Panel on Education Policy, said the DOE policy “diminishes the achievement of the students who auditioned and earned a seat” at the performing arts schools.
“It isn't fair to the student or the school community when the DOE creates this type of audition environment, establishes entrance rules and then circumvents these same rules at their leisure,” he said.
Sternberg said Frank Sinatra did not fill it seats with enough students whom the school had ranked, so the DOE assigned more students to increase enrollment.
A number of academically demanding schools, such as NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies, Millennium High School and NYC iSchool in Manhattan, have long admitted students with special needs and successfully integrated them in regular classes. NYCiSchool Principal Isora Bailey actively recruits students with special needs, who make up 15 percent of her students.
“If we only looked at test scores, we would automatically not list a lot of students with IEPs,” Bailey said, referring to the list of students the school sends the DOE’s office of enrollment to match with high school applications. But the school looks at a variety of factors including grades, attendance and an online admissions activity when selecting incoming students, she said.
Still, schools without experience integrating special needs children say they are ill-prepared to help children with disabilities thrive. “We do not have an ICT, self-contained or D75 program” said Finn at Frank Sinatra Donna. “This is wrong for all these kids.”
The DOE plans to “have conversations one school at a time to make sure we develop a plan that works,” said Sternberg. “I have a lot of confidence in the principal and faculty to work their magic.”
Tonight, April 23, at 6:30 pm, the PTA at Talent Unlimited is hosting a meeting to talk about the issue. A PTA member said that parents from other performing arts schools are welcome to attend.
Source: InsideSchools.org
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