Boston City TV, MA Boston School Committee, 1 May 2021

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From YouTube: Exam School Task Force Listening Session 5-1-21

Description

Exam School Task Force Listening Session 5-1-21

A

Do you want to start we're live.

B

Yes, yep, okay good afternoon, uh my name is michael contempassis and, along with miss tanisha sullivan, we co-chair the exam school task force that is charged with coming up with a permanent recommendation to the school committee regarding admissions to the exam schools.

B

I'd like to welcome you all to this student learning a listening session of the exam school task force, because this is a remote session and a public session. I will ask miss parvex to call the role ms parks, if you will.

C

Yes, thank you just a second. I realized I didn't have that page up. I.

C

C

Here miss garrett, miss tang here, miss waite, miss sullivan and mr contemposis.

B

Present we are pleased to be offering live, simultaneous interpretation this afternoon in spanish, haitian creole, cape verdean, portuguese, somali cantonese, mandarin, vietnamese, arabic and american sign language.

B

After I finish introducing the interpreters, we will activate the interpretation icon at the bottom of your screen: click the icon, to select your language preference, and I would like to add before I introduce the interpreters when and if you decide to speak, do so slowly, so that the interpreters have sufficient time to present their uh comments to their respective audiences.

B

Our cantonese interpreter today is anna, save anna. Would you introduce yourself please.

D

Good morning,.

D

B

Thank you, our mandarin interpreter is terry ian. Would you please give instructions in mandarin please.

E

Thank you, mr chair.

E

B

Interpreter is sergio saint-hilaire.

F

Thanks hi everyone, my name is sergio santilla, he's incredible interpreter.

B

Thank you, sir. Our spanish interpreter is randolph dominguez. Mr dominguez, will you please give the zoom instructions.

G

Good afternoon, mr chair, mr content, pass us and good afternoon to everybody listening.

G

B

Thank you, sir. Our campbell verdian interpreter is jose and lopez.

H

Good afternoon, everyone thank you, mr contemposis.

B

Thank you. Our portuguese interpreter is christian lintner.

C

I believe she's, not he. She hasn't joined the meeting.

B

I

Somali interpreter.

B

Is fatima hassan.

J

Thank you, sir.

J

You know in montreal.

K

Thank you, sir good afternoon, everybody my.

K

B

K

B

Have american sign language, interpreters, aaron, foley and andrew pidkomini? Would you just introduce yourselves.

B

Thank you. I'd like to remind everyone, uh first of all, to activate the interpretation icon at the bottom of the screen and a reminder again speak at a slower pace to assist to assist our interpreters. I also miss parvex have noticed that uh miss lum and pastor acevedo have joined the meeting today. Would you please add them to the attendance list?

B

C

B

I am now pleased to introduce the two students who serve on the exam school task force, who this afternoon will co-facilitate the listening session.

B

I'm pleased to introduce from boston latin academy mr simon chernow, and from boston latin school. Ms zoe nagasawa I'll turn this now over to miss nagasawa.

A

Thank you, mr contemposis, and thank you to all of you who are attending for giving up part of your very warm and sunny saturday afternoon to be with us today.

A

um It is the goal of this session to hear from you, uh the youth of boston and the people who will be most affected by the exam school admissions policy, to hear what your thoughts and opinions are about, what the policy should be in coming years.

A

um So there are a couple people who has who have formally signed up for public comment um and we will first hear from them and then once we've exhausted that list, we will open the floor up for anyone else who wants to contribute any thoughts and opinions, um and it can be a little informal.

A

We can, you can raise your hand in zoom and um basically share what you have to say and bounce off of each other and have more of a discussion um before that happens, though we do want to give this conversation a little bit of context.

A

um So, as I'm sure most of you know, for the past 20 or so years, it has been the policy that admissions to exam schools has been based on a private exam and on students, 5th and 6th grade gpa.

A

Given the pandemic, however, the district decided to suspend that policy for one year um and they came up with a temporary policy for the uh for the people who are applying for the school year of 2021 2022, and that policy takes into account students, zip code and their fifth grade fall and winter gpa or their fourth grade mcas score.

A

So essentially,.

A

This each zip code will be roughly proportionately represented in all three of the exam schools under this policy, and invitations were just sent out this past week, so the process is ongoing.

A

um That's a very quick overview of what the past has been like, but it's not the focus of this task force and not the focus of this listening session. To talk about past decisions um we're trying to decide what future policies should be, as mr contempos is mentioned, as and as mr chernow will further discuss now,.

L

Yes, um thank you zoe, so uh yeah we're here, because we want to do our best to reach out and make sure we get student input from all across the city we're trying to best represent students.

L

We both go to an exam school, so we have somewhat of an insight of the experience, but we're both on the committee that is going to submit a recommendation to the superintendent to decide on how exam schools should permanently be ran, moving forward, so we're trying to hear from students and what they think should be the best because, sorry, sorry, sorry we're trying to hear from students, because they believe we believe that they have the most real life experience as to what is going on, because we actually live the day in day out experience of exam schools or non-exam schools or wherever you end up in high school.

L

So we want to hear from students, but of course it's open to everyone. But our main goal is here from students to try and further input us on our decisions that we make moving forward. Also, if you know someone who couldn't make it or have more to say.

C

Simon, please slow down.

L

Sorry, sorry, um if you have more to say or would like to further talk to us, feel free to reach out to us by email, um I'll put my email in the chat. So that way you guys can reach out sounds good back to zoe.

A

Thank you. um So I think we are ready to begin the public comment and the actual listening of this session um so miss parvex. Do you wanna call up the people who have signed up.

C

Yes, thank you miss nagasawa and mr chernob. We have four speakers today and um please take your name affiliation and what neighborhood you are from before you begin. When I call your name, please raise your hand virtually zoom. Also, please make sure you're signed into zoom with the same name. You signed up for public comment that will allow us to identify you when it's your time to testify.

C

Our first speaker today is walter wexler, followed by suri, yang and bianni diaz. So I will see if I can find them wander hmm walter wexler.

C

No siree young.

C

Biani diaz.

C

Can you hear me.

C

M

Looks like she just needs some. She was here. She just needs to unmute.

N

Vianney diaz.

O

Hi, yes, I'm here hello, welcome! Thank you. um I I I definitely want to be here for the meeting just to learn more. um I I signed up by accident and the other link, but.

C

No problem, thank you thanks.

C

Next speaker, we have is martin chan.

C

Martin chan.

C

Hello, so I think that's um that is um all the people that had signed up okay, so if any attendees that didn't sign up but that wish to speak, you can raise your hand as miss nagasawa said. So I see that we have someone here.

C

Shen hong yang.

C

Sheng, hong yang, you can speak.

C

Hello, are you.

A

Here I think he might still be in the attendees and he needs to be moved up.

C

Yeah I now I can't find.

N

C

I think they actually just disappeared yeah. I can't find them so we don't have anyone else signed up and I don't know if miss nagasawa, you want to try to.

C

M

Chiang hong's hand is up again, I don't know.

C

Okay, thank you.

C

P

Hello, my name is surya yang. I am a sixth grade student. I wanted to go to the boston latin school. I work hard in school in order for a good future. I was among the top ten percent on my fourth grade mcas and in sixth grade I took the map test and received a 99 percentile.

P

Previously admission to the bpls was determined by taking an exam, but due to the ongoing pandemic, it was cancelled. Now the bls is using admission by zip code and previous gpas.

P

The reason this is a problem is that the new system is racially biased against caucasian and asian american families due to the majority of students getting in for the past years, being asian, american and caucasian.

P

This is unfair due to the fact that we work hard too to uh to get in. We can't just judge based off of um based off one's race. That is simply unfair um and we do not get in based off of race. It is not judged by greece, it it's because we work hard um and recently I received the info that I was among the 20, uh the bottom 20, which doesn't um which doesn't make sense. Considering my past um few grades on in school.

P

Q

So uh basically um she is in the bad emotion and emotion, and I don't know whether I can edit some comment on this.

L

Sir, you want to add a comment.

Q

So um so previously, when we live in the mountain area, so we try to send our kids to the mystic very charter school, but this childhood school was by lottery, so we tried it twice, but we didn't win the lottery, so unfortunately, we loosely see it because of the bad luck. But we also get listen from this that we told we told our daughters if you base your future. Under luck. There are lots of uncertainty and you need to work hard to win this.

Q

So that's why she has been consistently a top student since the king gathered and on the- and I say, if you work hard, then you probably can go to the school, um the dream school you like to buy your performance, and so that's why, on the fifth after graduation from the mayor's elementary school, we decided to move to boston and hope he can take his exam and eventually enters a boston exam school. But this exam was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Q

We cannot understand why this admission criteria criteria is just based on the first two semesters of fifth grade. We look that fifth grade was also screwed up by the uh pandemic, and this is also- and also since my daughter, come from um his schools come from um melrose public school. They choose different sets there and they try so based on my daughters, those exams such as mcas or map.

Q

He is absolutely belong to top 10 percent. But now, after the conversion, she becomes a button 20 in a whole positive population. Think about this. So most of the boston public school, ranked between like two or three out of ten mayorals ranked most times 8 to 9 out of 10.. So this two is not comparable either and also the conversion is not um accurate, so they only give 10 like a 2g.

Q

So you know they. They are standard based report card, so they give a full grid, excellent product meeting the the standard progress and not accepting so they give like a 2g so a but both in sporting school system, a plus so from a plus to f a plus will give 12 12 points, but now for people from e e p n system they can only get the the maximum score, is only a so not 11 points and also they transfer the m to the p.

Q

uh No to the b, that's nega, uh nine, nine points and based on the score, uh because my daughter get the m test, so we can line up that. We know how good m and p e is much better than than b will be plus.

Q

So that's why we cannot understand my daughter at least ten and student converted to button 20. So that's that's definitely a joke. So um I don't know there are so this this year submission there are lots of um things wait. I think we should improve of what um uh a lot of us need to approve and also that the zip code is very ridiculous if that code is wrong. It's a parent's one: okay, children cannot decide, wait, wait code, which is called the lead. The parents decided where they where they, where they live.

Q

So, if you take account the vector that cannot control by the student, that's totally wrong. Okay: parents decided where they live. If you take a rape code as a huge factor to determine where who, where the student can come to the exam school?

Q

Okay, thank you for your time.

L

Thank you, mr yang. um This is simon, speaking, are we gonna be able to continue conversation and we want to open it? So more people want to speak.

Q

L

Okay, um I'm gonna just ask my question then, unless someone said I shouldn't, I would just wonder mr yang all right, I'm sorry for your um child's experience. I was wondering um if you had any suggestions for how we move forward since that year, has kind of, unfortunately, already happened like what your suggestions would be or what your daughter's suggestions would be. As someone who was a student um to further the process of the exam schools and to make a move for a more permanent process.

Q

um I think that they um they they they um uh the conversion. First of all, the conversion is not, uh I think it uh dramatically um underestimated uh her performance.

Q

That's why you can convert a 20 like 10 student to the bottom 20, especially a student from to the boston public school system. That's really unbelievable! Nobody can believe that.

M

Mr yang, are you referring to the gpa conversion? I just want to make sure that we understand uh your experience. I think you're describing that um your child had grades from another school district.

Q

Yes, from from mayor rose public school, so they use exam.

H

Q

Then meeting the stand meeting that you trade question a.m, um then um progress and are not accepted so standard-based report so.

M

You're, the districts from which you came and melrose did not use letter or number grades. They used a standards based and your child received an m which was converted to a nine. You said which would be, um and therefore um your child did not rank as highly with this all gpa process. Is that what you're describing yes.

Q

M

Q

So everything uh her teacher said siri is a strong student. Okay and now he become the top about and 20., and this is um not acceptable and it cannot be tolerated. This is a huge mistake.

Q

And also I I don't know why, because most people know that the gpa is descriptive. Okay, not accurate, and also the difference is so small.

Q

uh If you use m cash or m or map the score can definitely differentiate student based on the performance. If you use abcdef, then most people will aggregate at the same level. You don't really know who is better with who is the worst, and now here comes the difficult when people tied each other, the student in those preferent uh zip code, getting the black orange.

Q

I think that's not what the the committee probably uh looking for expecting, but this is unfair.

Q

Okay, so like uh when, when, if you are an employer, you you you hire people based on their zip code or based on their face, their their their skin color, uh where they are from not based on their.

I

Thank capability for sharing your experience.

C

um Thank you, mr yang.

Q

You're very welcome. Thank you for listening to me.

C

We have someone else uh raising the hand, emmanuel bogamolling.

R

Hi, um so I'm a student at boston, london, school, and so I was just wondering I had some questions about um like what criterias would the working group be interested in and if you're interested in several criterias, um like, for example, if you did have a test like weighing it less but then also having different criterias of social economic status as well as um gpa and like schools, um and I I also had one more question: um if, like the amount of years or like, if the student had attended, bps was taken into account, um how would you accommodate or for immigrant families who have not had the chance to be at bps due to um not living here?

R

M

I'm happy to respond to that if we're permitted, I'm I'm jumping in because unfortunately I have to sign off in a couple of minutes, and I um so if you don't mind uh mr chernow and mrs mavis go ahead. Thank you. um I I think it's a really important question manuel and it's something that I know we're planning to. I hope uh round robin in the task force be able to say some of the indicators that each of us is interested in.

M

So your question actually prompts us to answer it for the first time on this task force, um so I won't get into too much detail, but I will um say uh that I do think it's very important that we think about um more than one measure.

M

um As you know, mr yang just described when something hinges exclusively on one thing: um it you know it's, it's potentially a less reliable indicator than two things, for example, um and so um this year in this emergency process, um you know the two things involve students, grades and then accounting for some geographical diversity in the schools.

M

I think, as we come out of the pandemic and have more opportunities available to us, I think it is important for us to seriously consider an assessment that ensures that students are on grade level at schools because, as families have described sometimes grades can not necessarily indicate the curriculum or there's a lot of different variants in grading.

M

That said, also, though, there are sometimes students who really do have the drive and skills to absolutely thrive and exam schools who aren't necessarily the strongest exam takers. Those are just two different examples. There are a lot of models that we've heard about over the past several weeks.

M

Most recently, we heard from detroit public schools that talked about very similar things to what you're describing where students were able to get additional considerations based on the school type they went to, or perhaps where they lived we heard from chicago.

M

That also looks at the socioeconomic background of the student, um but I do want to note your comment is so um important that if we, um if we were to consider the number of years that someone has been in a city or a school, I do think lifting up that point you just made about the potential disadvantage to recently arriving students is really insightful. um So I really appreciate that feedback.

A

As ms garrett said, do the task force members want to go around and describe what they what factors they are thinking about um in terms of what future policy might be.

B

um If I may, I think uh mr nagasawa we're planning on raising those issues as early as this coming tuesday. So I would suggest that the task force wait until tuesday's session to provide their particular concerns around not only the existing process but moving forward.

B

There will be additional opportunities for folks to uh participate in the public sessions, but I would like to hear specifically from the uh students as to what their uh thinking is regarding the uh criteria that they might recommend.

B

N

Oh go ahead. Some and I was just pointing out the mr apostles that you had your hand up, as did mr.

L

Gregor um yeah, this is simon speaking. I was just going to jump in and wonder if we could, like mr concepcion staying here. um Just I forget this. I.

L

Can't all right, you, okay, why does that always happen to me? I get muted out of nowhere. Okay, well, anyways wow! um I see us muting, I was gonna say I wonder if maybe the person who just spoke their testimony would want to come back and say some of their ideas for what they think could work. um The space is yours. If you feel comfortable too no worries, if you don't comfortable.

B

Absolutely as far as I'm concerned, uh the more we hear from the stakeholders, the more we have an opportunity to consider the options that need to be made.

B

S

I was just going to respond to the last question of our last speaker, which was how could how, if you provided a weight to students based on the number of years they attended bps? How would you account for families who had recently moved to boston um and it's if it's easy to set that weight with a denominator? That's based on the number of years that you've been here um and- uh and we can talk more about that when we talk more about factors next week or otherwise.

S

But I did want to say it's on our minds as well and it's something that can be accounted for in direct response to your question.

C

I see we have emmanuel bogamani raising her hand.

R

Again, hi, um thank you for answering my questions and um as for what mr um cherno? Sorry, if I say your name wrong um said, um I guess I mean I don't have like really any like full-fledged ideas, but um I think if there were to be a test like the map test, for example, um definitely like for it to not weigh as much as how the ice used to be weighed.

R

You know like um and because you know, there's always the tutoring and um certain people have more access to better education, and things like that. um I I do think that um also like gpa can always be like manipulated.

R

um You know like in private schools like they can wait or, like I forget what it's called but like when they like up the gpa.

R

A lot um I think, like maybe having like a certain amount set for, like um maybe like five kids or like I, don't know how many kids from like each boston, public school or something like that, because um at bls I do find it's like so many kids from certain schools um that are in, like uh quote-unquote, better neighborhoods and like more resourceful and then there's not many kids from other certain schools. um And I also think that if there were to be recommendations, that is also always biased as well.

R

So I mean in all honesty like almost anything can be like um gamed and rigged, but um I think, having a bunch of criteria like um you know, like uh parents like um like social economic status or like um parental education, maybe- and um you know more specific criteria- would help so that it could not be. um You know like played as much as how the ice and gpa was before um so yeah.

L

Thank you. Well, there's some great ideas. I think we're all here, listening and learning from you, so I really appreciate you bringing your ideas to the table. I know I'm thinking of a few so for sure.

A

Yes, thank you. um Sorry lena, were you.

C

Was just going to ask if you wanted to ask other students.

A

Yes, um is there anyone else who is attending, who would like to share their thoughts about the future policy or respond to anything that has been said earlier today feel free to raise your hand if you'd.

A

C

I see we have huya jay like um please mute yourself.

T

Hello, everyone good afternoon, uh I'm sorry, I didn't actually sign up for uh uh asking questions. So can I have two minutes to share some comments from our family's experience? Please go ahead. Okay, thank you. So I wanted to share that. My son is a sixth grader at boston, public school, so he has applied for bls uh this year. uh Unfortunately he didn't get into bls. uh We just got to know a few days ago. uh He got into another exam school.

T

uh So the question I have is that this time I think the criteria was mainly based on the first two semesters of the fifth grade, but in our case we have raised a question also to the boston exam school admission office.

T

My son suffered a very serious serious concussion accident at school in the first semester of the fifth grade, so that semester he didn't actually have the chance to focus on the study because the the doctor, otherwise he had more rest and do not spend too much time on studying or use too many exercise, so that definitely impacts his grades. But historical um grace and also the sixth sixth grade uh grades are very good.

T

Most of my a-plus, so, given this special situation, we were not actually um considered in uh due to this special situation, so I just wonder moving forward uh for this type of special situation. uh Will the students be given special evaluation or you know it will be just based on the same criteria.

T

So pretty much that's my question.

L

So you want to answer this one feel free to um sure. Well, um that's a great question um because that's what this task force is for, so we haven't come up with a decision for how we plan on moving forward for what the exam school decision making process should look like. um So it's good to hear concerns about things that could come up like a student not being able to fully participate academically due to a health issue and that's how that can affect their grades.

L

So I appreciate you for bringing that up, but we have not finalized a decision for how the exam school process will work next year. So if you have any ideas or any thoughts on how you think it should work, feel free to throw those on the table and speak them now, if you want to thank you.

T

A

You thank you. um Is there anyone else who would like to share their thoughts or.

A

A

Yes, miss tongue.

U

May I ask a question of the attendees see if anybody answers um I'd like to hear what folks on the line think about recommendations or essays as potential factors in the admissions process essays from the students or recommendations from teachers or community leaders.

C

Ryan valentine I'm going to allow you to talk. Please submit yourself. I think.

V

Recommendations would be a pretty good idea, um just in general um essays. I don't know because just because there's already an exam, so if you're going to replace the exam with some sort of essay, maybe- but I don't know- I feel like that- seems like a bit much.

C

A

You thank you for sharing.

C

Emmanuel pogba modeling.

R

Hi, um I'm back so um I think that an essay um that can always like people could get like tutors to um you know like edit their essay and like or not even write it themselves honestly and, like some kids, have better access to like learning how to write essays, and I also um this isn't like really about the students, but I would just kind of feel bad for whoever has to read through, like so many essays. I feel like that's a lot um as for recommendations.

R

I mentioned this before, like they're, they can be biased um so like if you're. Never really sure like is this teacher does do they really recommend this student or like? Are they just doing it because the student and the parent is like pressuring them to so, especially like from a private school like private schools are really small and like teachers also have a better chance to get to know their students better so like that, can also be kind of like a mixed bag.

A

N

um I just uh uh manuel you've made a couple of references uh in your earlier comment and now um to- um and I think you actually use the language gaming, the process of gaming, the system um and uh and of course we completely understand that term and yeah it's a uh certainly one of the concerns would, we would have is to find an admission system that, if not completely game proof would at least be game resistant.

N

I would love to hear from the students, whether it's uml or any of the other students here what suggestions you would have for us if you, if we were to assign you right now, an essay and the and the project. Was this create a game proof or a game resistant admissions policy for the exam schools?

N

You know and in fact hey, you have an essay assignment, but you get to speak out loud. All right, that's your assignment.

N

Would I would love to hear from you from you folks how to create a game proof or a game resistant administrations policy who would like to and there's no way you can flunk? Okay, so there's no way you can fail this.

N

uh Unless we don't hear your input so who would like to take on this assignment and help us figure out how to create a game, proof or game resistant admissions policy to the exam.

N

N

If you're stumped, the grown-ups are stumped too no worries about that. Maybe you want to say.

B

C

You want to set.

B

A word title uh word: total.

R

um Yeah, I mean honestly like I think it is really difficult to think of something, which is why um I also in all honesty. I don't think there is a way to have a completely non-gameable system, because I feel like in any system, no matter how equitable it really is. I feel like people with privilege and people who really have the means and the desire to will always be able to somehow gain something, and I mean I think, that's how it is with everything in life.

R

um However, I mean, I do think, there's definitely ways to make it a lot more, equitable like, for example, even just this year um by removing that that test. um That was a really really amazing first step, because that test was never equitable for students of color and um students with less privilege than others. um I I personally don't think that a test, a standardized test will ever be equitable, um however, like if there is no way to avoid having a test, you know having it weigh less um having weight on.

R

um You know like zip code, but not just zip code, more specifically like the social economic status of each person, because you know in a zip code, um although it is um a general good um consensus of somebody's life. It also like you, never know how somebody is living in that zip code so like that can also be um that can let some people slip through the cracks when they you know um yeah, I mean.

R

I definitely think that this is something that is really difficult, and um I mean I personally, I'm very excited to see the results of this year and how the diversity is going to change. I mean next year is my last year at the school, but I really really do hope that the next class is more diverse and each year it does continue to get more diverse, but I really hope that this year, with just this change so far, will make at least some sort of difference.

R

um So I mean, I think, just building off of things like that and I think definitely having a lot of criteria will make it harder. For um you know, people to game the system.

C

V

I don't know if you guys already do this, but um maybe have like multiple or like at least one.

V

I don't know how to put this, not necessarily witness, but like have a parent sign off that that the student did do it on their own and then it has to like be confirmed by a parent, because I don't know yeah, you can still game it, but that would just be one more level of like confirmation that they did do it by themselves and didn't have a tutor or sibling. Do it for them.

A

To clarify, are you talking about like if students write an essay or students.

V

um Either that or taking a test because, um like even so like a sibling, could do the test for them like. Unless there's do you guys hold the test in person or is it digital like? Has it been? In the past I mean.

A

In the past it has been in person. Yes, oh.

V

So with the test, oh so yeah, if you were to do an essay yeah, I would probably get somebody to sign off on it like a parent and, if the more the better like.

V

I know that some people don't have multiple parents or guardians but have multiple confirmations that like they did in fact, do the essay and it wasn't done by somebody.

A

Else, thank you to both of you. um I think miss lum has a question or comment.

W

I have a question that um some of these student testimonials have prompted me to ask back so to speak with regards to kind of more objective data, especially as it relates to socioeconomic status. Obviously, socioeconomic status is not something that um is controllable by bps and is actually endemic of um structural and and historic um inequities.

W

Given that, however, um clearly the zip code model was not perfect um in terms of the temporary policy, I was wondering if students and or parents have any thoughts about utilizing school investment.

W

That way there are I'm sure, through deci ways to evaluate other districts and their investments in students and schools, as well as charter schools and their investments, private schools and their investments as a way to correlate to student success and figure out. If there's a weight in that system- and maybe I'm oversimplifying statistical analysis, but just trying to think of more objective measures that we might be able to use and just again asking for people's thoughts or opinions.

S

Xena, could you clarify the investment right like what what that would measure.

W

Well, um we all know even within bps, the um investment per student varies from school to school, with some districts or some some neighborhoods, um not getting the level of investment, both both public and private, um that other schools get, and I believe the opportunity index, which is specific to bps, does correlate some of that factor. School investment factor against student success.

W

So I'm wondering if, if that is data that is collected for schools across the board, whether they're, public or private and regardless of district, that might be a way to create some level of objective correlation that isn't like different ways of grading and different ways of different tests that are being administered.

A

So, ms lam, I, if I'm hearing your question right, I guess you're asking if any students have thoughts about using students, socioeconomic status within schools so like taking into account the how well and resource schools.

W

Are actually yes, so it would be more the socioeconomic of of the school, as opposed to the students and their families.

A

All right so do any do. Does anyone have any thoughts towards miss lum's question like should we take into account uh how resourced schools are the schools from the schools that students are applying from.

C

Rain and emmanuel you are both already a have permission to talk. So if you want to say something you can just talk.

R

um I think yes, in a way um I mentioned this earlier, how like, um if it was like possible to like, have a certain amount of um students, allocate sorry seats allocated to um a number of students from all the bps schools because, um like I said, some bps schools like middle schools, elementary schools have more resources than others, um as well as, like private schools like how some private schools have a lot more resources.

R

um So I do think taking that into consideration could be a good possibility.

R

um You know like trying to have, um like I mentioned before, like there's so many kids, that bls from certain middle and elementary schools that are more resourceful and like had those like advanced classes, and things like that, um so like definitely taking into account schools that might not have the best resources and have more like underprivileged students.

R

I do think that would probably be a good.

R

A

Thank you does anyone else have thoughts about this.

A

A

Does anyone else on the task force have any specific questions or comments for students.

L

And again, if anyone listening in has anything to say, feel free to raise your.

A

A

Well, I see no more raised hands.

A

So does okay, I'm going one last call. um Anyone else who would like to share feel free to raise your hand, but in the meantime, um oh miss town.

U

um Well, I really appreciate the um questions and the advice of the attendees that we've heard from, and I'm just curious. If there's, if there are any students or alum who did not attend, do not or did not attend an exam school. If um you have anything to add to this conversation about your opinions about admissions policy.

C

I see two raised hands jessica.

C

Jessica, please unmute yourself.

C

Okay, then, I will try shen gong yang again.

C

Please mute yourself.

I

Thank you very much just want to share it about the thoughts about itself. Okay, so it looks like.

Q

Lots of people don't like it, but if we want to decide who will win the volleyball basketball champion, what do we do we decide? Who is the champion without the waste without the computation?

Q

If there's a limited resource, we have to work for it. We have to make our effort to earn it right. So now, there's like a for example. The exam score is limited, so everybody would like to.

Q

Use a resource, so if this is not an image, there is a way to distribute it for the performance for the students performance, the most accurate or fair way, just use their performance. So what we need to measure the performance, their achievement, different design, if you say mathematics and yale, is not good enough. So then either whatever you think you should add two things up, but I think user design score as a standard or criteria for the automation.

Q

It's probably not perfect, but this is the most fair way and most objective way and with this standard I think we can avoid them not over potential manipulation.

I

Yeah, thank you.

A

A

um Again I'll put out the last call for any additional comments, um but in the meantime, since I'm seeing no one else, I will say that I am very grateful to everyone who share their thoughts, opinions and experiences today. um I know that I and the rest of the members of this task force have learned a lot from you um and we will come away from this conversation with a lot of our a lot on our minds.

S

A

A lot of various factors to consider, as we begin to actually design what our recommendations for policy will be um again. This task force meets regularly every tuesday and friday night from five to seven, um and all of you are welcome to come and listen in um and sign up to speak if you want to um so. Yes, thank you. Thank you again for being here, but I do see one more raised hand from the.

A

C

Just feel color, please and mute.

X

Yourself hi, um my name is jessica alvarez. um uh My son is, um is, uh is uh his name? Is he said, and my question is about the test. I know he was. um uh He is um oh whoa. He is a uh uh accepted, but I would like to know if he still had to take the test or don't.

L

Sorry, you said he is what.

X

He is well he's ready uh to go um I to school already right, because I got a letter. Let me know that he is in, but I would like to know if he have to take the test.

L

Oh, no, I don't think.

X

I can hear you.

L

Sorry I was on mute. um What I was saying is: if he was accepted into the school already, he will not have to take the test he's already.

X

L

For next year,.

X

All right, that was my question. Thank you.

A

Thank you um so again, yes, we meet every every tuesday and friday and you are welcome to prepare comment um and share what your thoughts are or just listen in, um and I believe simon and I can also put our emails in the chat. um So if you would like to reach out to us one-on-one, you are also free to do so.

A

Are there any other thoughts from task force.

U

Members just thank you so much for taking the time to attend and speak.

A

All right, I think we are ready to close then um so miss parvex. Could you please roll absolutely.

C

Thank you with magaza, mr acevedo.

N

C

C

Mr kreger, yes, okay, sorry, mr chernow, miss lam.

B

C

Thank you very much.

A

Thank you again for being here.

L

B

Thank you both for.

C

Co-Facilitating.

B