►
Description
Exam School Admissions Task Force Listening Session 6-22-21
B
The
boston
school
committee
and
the
exam
school
admissions
task
force,
I'm
michael
conomasus,
who,
along
with
miss
tanisha
sullivan,
are
the
co-chairs
of
the
task
force,
because
this
is
a
remote
session.
I
will
ask
miss
elizabeth
sullivan
and
miss
parvex
to
call
the
role,
ms
sullivan,
if
you
will
please
call
the
roll.
C
D
B
B
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.
Our
spanish
interpreter
this
evening
is
luz
barreto
longus.
Will
you
please
invite
our
spanish-speaking
audience
to
switch
their
zoom
channel
into
spanish.
E
B
F
F
B
G
G
J
B
L
E
M
B
B
We
will
now
activate
the
interpretation
icon
at
the
bottom
of
your
screen
and
I'd
like
to
remind
everyone
to
try
to
speak
at
a
slower
pace
to
assist
our
interpreters
before
we
open
it.
To
public
comment,
I'd
like
to
invite
school
committee
chair,
jerry
robinson,
to
say
a
few
words
miss
robinson.
If
you
would
please.
N
Thank
you,
mr
contemposis,
and
thank
you
to
you,
tanisha
sullivan
and
the
entire
exam
schools
admissions
task
force
for
leading
this
important
work.
The
task
force
has
been
meeting
since
february,
first
weekly
and
more
recently,
twice
weekly
to
really
examine
this
issue,
learning
from
other
districts
and
hearing
from
all
stakeholders.
N
N
N
N
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
C
O
So
I
am
armando
martinez,
I'm
a
resident
of
matapan
boston,
I'm
a
2016
graduate
of
boston
line
academy.
My
brother
is
a
2012
graduate
of
boston
latin
school
and
I
want
to
start
my
testimony
for
why
I'm
sort
of
in
favor
of
opening
up
the
exam
school
at
that
route,
so
my
sister
didn't
attend
either
of
the
exam
schools.
O
O
O
O
If
you
look
at
the
school-to-prison
pipeline-
and
we
understand
that
that
exists,
we
also
have
to
understand
other
pipelines
that
run
outside
of
the
school
to
prison
pipeline
that
lead
to
people
down
other
paths
if
you're,
if
you're
holding
people
into
these
tr
in
these
trajectories
that
are
decided,
you
take
the
the
first
aw
you
take
that
early
exam
in
fourth
grade
right-
and
I
wonder
where
is
that
correlation
between
students
between
fourth
grade
and
and
exam
schools
and
just
to
end
the
first?
The
biggest
thing
for
me
is
I
I
don't.
O
I
can't
I
can't
see
a
reasonable
reason
outside
of
legacy
and
tradition
to
keep
it
around
and
for
me
it's
a
question
of.
Do
you,
balance
legacy
and
tradition
versus
equity
right
and
it's
just
it.
It's
30
seconds,
okay,
yeah!
It's!
It
feels
like
a
no-brainer
for
me,
but
that's
just
with
my
life
experience
with
the
education
that
I've
received
and
how
lucky
I've
been
and
how
I've
seen
it.
Other
people
just
not
be
lucky.
The
cards
not
be
dealt
to
them
in
that
way.
So.
P
We
will
not
march
back
to
what
was
but
move
to
what
shall
be.
We
will
not
be
turned
around
or
interrupted
by
intimidation,
because
we
know
our
inaction
and
inertia
will
be
the
inheritance
of
the
next
generation
like
everyone
who
has
followed
this
diligent
dedicated
task
force.
I
am
grateful
for
your
work.
At
the
same
time,
I
am
becoming
concerned.
We
might
end
up
with
an
admissions
policy
that
marches
us
back
to.
What
was
none
of
us
wants
that
figuring
out.
P
What
might
best
move
us
to
what
shall
be
to
a
more
just
admissions
process
for
the
students
kept
out
of
the
most
resourced
schools
in
the
city
is
complicated,
but
a
few
things
strike
me
as
clear
one.
The
name
of
this
task
force
should
be
changed
to
academically
selective
schools
task
force
or
something
that
does
not
seem
to
predetermine
conclusions
by
using
exam
as
a
modifier.
P
Two,
the
conversation
would
benefit
from
more
analysis
and
raising
up
of
the
benefits
that
will
come
when
the
student
body
of
bps
academically
selected
schools
better
reflects
racial,
ethnic,
socioeconomic
geographic
as
well
as
neurodiversity
and
language
diversity.
I
think
that
will
help
make
for
a
less
divisive
conversation.
P
How,
for
example,
can
bls
students
be
said
to
be
getting
an
education
that
prepares
them
for
the
future
when
they
attend
a
school
that
has
zero
english
language
learners?
In
addition,
as
loyola
university,
professor
kate
filippo
demonstrates
in
her
study
of
chicago
competitive
school
choice
is
a
contest
without
winners.
The
process
is
stressful
for
all
students
at
a
vulnerable
time
affecting
their
self-image
driving
wedges
between
students
and
contributing
to
a
poisonous
racist,
anti-democratic
environment
in
which
only
some
disproportionately
white
students
merit
a
decent
education.
P
Three
reject
a
test
that
you
can't
use
one
for
next
year's
admissions
with
the
pandemic.
Exacerbating
testing
inequities
is,
I
trust,
self-evident
that
you
should
not
use
one
for
the
future
is
evident
in
decades
of
peer-reviewed
research,
showing
the
only
thing
standardized
tests
reliably
measure
is
the
test
taker's
family
income.
That
research
explains
why,
in
a
district
where
at
least
63
percent
of
students
are
equal
economically
disadvantaged,
only
18.9
percent
of
latin
school
students
are
in
short
test
vacant.
P
Test
based
admissions
are
not
objective,
neutral
or
based
on
merit,
claiming
that
a
test
is
objective
while
grades
or
teacher
recommendations
are
subjected,
denies
both
empirical
evidence
and
the
role
of
racism,
segregation,
income
inequality
and
unequally
resourced
schools
in
test
scores
either.
Map
nor
mcas,
nor
offering
more
tutoring
as
new
york's
abysmal
results,
show,
will
fix
this
only
rejecting
a
test
and
its
persistent
bias
will.
P
C
C
C
Q
Q
I
am
the
parent
of
two
young
adults
who
went
through
the
boston
public
schools.
I
am
a
former
boston,
educator
and
administrator
and
district
leader
outside
of
boston
for
many
years.
I
was
the
point
person
for
these
districts
in
interpreting
and
presenting
standardized
test
data
to
school
committees,
educators
in
the
larger
community,
and
thank
you
for
this
opportunity
to
testify
to
the
task
force.
Q
Q
Others
have
and
will
continue
to
share
with
you.
The
research
base
documenting
the
low
value
of
most
standardized
test
scores.
I
will
share
a
story
that
suggests
past
harms
will
almost
certainly
repeat
themselves
if
we
continue
to
misuse
test
scores
when
transitioning
several
years
ago,
from
the
legacy
mcas
to
the
next
generation
mcas,
the
state
made
an
eye-popping
admission,
one
missed
by
most
observers
as
a
state.
Q
We
needed
a
new
test,
because
the
old
one,
the
one
used
up
until
that
moment
for
high
stakes,
decisions
like
high
school,
graduation
or
school
and
district
rankings
was
volatile
and
unreliable
on
a
single
powerpoint
slide
among
the
legions
of
slide
decks
and
memoranda.
We
administrators
received
was
a
graphic
graphic
depicting
this
volatility.
Q
Q
The
issues
before
you
are
heavy
with
historical
weight
and
are
roiled
by
contemporary
strife.
I
do
not
envy
you
your
task
and
I
have
no
solutions,
but
my
story
does
suggest
one
certainty
if
we
continue
to
put
our
faith
and
test
scores
that
are
inherently
flawed,
we
will
inevitably
learn
years
from
now
that
our
misplaced
faith
has
harmed
the
children
and
youth
we
serve.
Q
R
Is
that
okay?
Yes,
you
can
go
ahead.
Okay,
sorry
about
that
hello.
My
name
is
marie
mercurio,
my
son's
just
completed
eighth
grade
at
bls
and
fifth
grade
at
the
curley
elementary
school.
We
live
in
jamaica,
plain
and
my
testimony
to
the
task
force
in
the
past
has
focused
on
bps's
need
to
increase
transparency,
communication,
preparation
and
access
to
an
objective
entrance
exam
for
all
kids
who
want
to
go
to
boston's
exam
schools,
all
kids,
all
races,
keep
it
fair
and
just
keep
the
playing
field
level.
R
The
onus
is
on
bps
to
find
all
of
these
children,
educate
them,
prepare
and
provide
them
with
the
appropriate
opportunities
to
ace
that
exam
bps
needs
to
really
step
up
their
game
around
exam
awareness.
If
they
choose
to
keep
this
exam,
competition
makes
all
of
us
stronger.
You
have
to
work
for
it,
not
getting.
What
you
want
can
also
make
you
stronger,
and
that
includes
my
children.
R
There
have
been
some
great
ideas.
Over
the
past
month's
discussion,
school
committee
chairwoman
robinson
proposed
the
creation
of
more
exam
schools
and
one
without
an
entrance
exam,
while
keeping
the
same
academic
standards.
What
a
fantastic
idea
you've
heard
this
before,
but
let's
fix
what
is
actually
broken,
the
lower
schools
and
their
inability
to
prepare
children,
so
they
all
have
the
opportunity
to
be
successful
in
whatever
school
they
desire.
Without
a
solid
foundation,
any
structure
will
fail.
For
me,
this
has
never
been
about
race.
R
R
If
you
know
me
and
my
family
our
time
in
this
community
and
in
bps
schools,
you
know
that
I
would
understand
and
care
about
the
push
for
diversifying
boston
latin
school.
I
also
have
my
own
personal
reason
for
fighting.
One
of
my
children
will
be
up
against.
Whatever
policy
is
selected,
this
fall.
Let
him
fairly
compete
against
the
hopefully
thousands
of
other
kids
in
this
city
who
are
appropriately
made
aware
and
prepared
to
go
to
exam
schools.
Please,
let's
figure
this
out
soon
in
a
fair
and
just
manner.
R
C
S
So
I've
been
a
parent
for
13
years,
but
I'm
also
a
teacher
of
the
visually
impaired
and
the
boston
public
schools,
and
I
I
want
to
talk
about
for
a
moment.
Whatever
you
choose
to
do,
which
I
hopefully
and
sincerely
want
to
see
more
diversity
at
these
schools,
all
the
students
that
I
work
with
you
know,
so
many
of
them
are
already
at
a
disadvantage
as
students
with
disabilities
or
as
english
language,
learners
and
yet
they're
hardworking
students
who
also
deserve
an
opportunity,
a
fair
and
equitable
opportunity.
S
S
She
could
not
read
the
flyer
to
her
parents
already
another
disadvantage,
so
this
student
was
almost
excluded
from
the
bps
test,
prep,
which
is
supposed
to
be
available
to
our
students
because
she
had
to
qualify
based
on
her
scores
of
the
terra
nova,
which
I
know
we're
not
using
now,
but
when
I
called
the
office
of
equity
was
told
by
them
that
they
couldn't
tell
me
this
was
in
january.
If
she
would
have
a
spot
or
not.
They'd
have
to
look
at
her
score.
S
S
So
they
couldn't
give
me
an
answer,
but
I
tried
to
explain
to
them
that
this
student,
if
she
was
to
participate,
needed
to
have
the
materials
ordered
months
ahead
of
time
in
braille,
so
she
could
have
equitable
access
at
that
test.
Prep
and
also
at
that
time
I
started
to
talk
to
them
about
the
ise
being
improper
braille
code.
T
S
Only
that
she
was
taking
the
ise
test,
which
was
a
test
that
was
inaccessible.
It
was
in
an
old
braille
code
that
the
student
had
not
used
for
math
for
two
years.
Talk
about
inequity,
talk
about
inaccessibility,
not
only
that,
but
the
student
had
to
take
the
test
with
someone
who
could
administer
it,
who
knew
braille.
S
I
volunteered
because-
and
I
was
compensated
for
it,
but
because
I
care
deeply
about
my
students
having
equitable
opportunities.
So
I
did
that
so
that
she
could
have
access.
That
test
was
in
a
code
that
she
did
not
use.
She
had
to
go
back
to
two
years
ago
to
be
able
to
remember
that
braille
math
code.
It's
very
complex.
S
Test
also
was
not
a
test
aligned
with
the
curriculum,
so
she
was
at
a
disadvantage.
This
student
is
a
student
who's,
an
english
language
learner
and
a
student
with
disability
who's
a
hard
worker.
She
deserved
every
opportunity
that
other
students
did
and
it
wasn't
equitable.
Whatever
you
choose
to
do,
you
need
to
consider
our
students,
who
are
english
language,
learners
and
students
with
disabilities,
because
these
are
the
kids
that
we
need
to
have
there.
S
C
C
U
Hi,
my
name
is
sarah.
I
you
know
my
my
son
is
going
to
be
entering
this.
The
sixth
grade,
this
fall,
and
I
do
feel
as
though
that
exam
schools
should
keep
their
exams,
because
we
all
talk
about
merit
schools
here,
schools
with
a
with
high
rigor,
and
so
in
order
for
these
schools
to
maintain
the
high
academic
standards
with
what
these
schools
are
all
about.
We
need
to
keep
this
exam
in
place,
because
that
is
what
these
schools
are
about
to
get
the
best.
It
doesn't
matter
where
they
came
from.
U
They
all
need
this
equal
opportunity
to
be
able
to
get
these
schools
into
the
exams.
We
do
need
a
way
to
account
for
the
great
inflation,
because
I
understand
that
that's
an
issue
too,
but
if
we
can
just
and
maybe
also
possibly
consider
the
mcas
as
well,
I
have
that
being
an
optional
this
past
year.
U
C
C
T
Hi
I'm
a
dorchester
resident.
I
was
a
bps
teacher
for
36
years.
My
three
kids
attended
western
latin
school.
At
the
same
time
that
I
was
teaching
at
the
o'brien
there's
something
that
I'd
like
to
add
to
this
conversation,
not
so
much
about
admissions,
but
about
the
testing
itself.
When
my
twins
took
the
test
and
I
received
their
results,
one
of
them
had
missed
two
or
three
questions
that
the
other
had
gotten
correct.
This
resulted
in
a
difference
of
237
spots
in
their
placement.
T
T
T
T
That
gives
us
a
baseline
of
the
top
students
across
the
city
by
neighborhood
by
geography,
and
it
will
integrate
each
of
the
schools
to
the
utmost
of
their
capacity.
I
don't
envy
you
your
tasks.
I
know
it's
difficult,
but
we
must
do
something
to
change
this,
because
many
of
our
most
talented
students
are
missing
out
on
opportunities
that
they
deserve
to
have.
C
V
A
C
V
V
I
apologize
I'm
a
little
unprepared
tonight.
I
happen
to
just
stumble
across
this
email,
so
I
have
not
participated
in
the
prior
meetings,
but
just
listening
in
tonight
I
am
a
former
boston,
latin
school
graduate
and
I
have
two
children
one.
I
did
not
have
take
the
boston
latin
exam
and
I
currently
have
a
daughter
enrolled
at
boston,
latin
school.
Now,
just
listening
a
few
comments,
I
would
strongly
wrote
against
using
the
mcas
as
an
interest
into
criteria.
V
V
V
How
does
that
happen
when
you
attend
and
the
schools
the
teachers
are
not
letting
the
children
know
or
even
creating
a
program
for
them
like
tutoring
or
preparing
them
for
the
math,
even
the
mecco,
they
don't
prepare
the
students,
but
they
do
have
like
a
little
circle
where
a
few
of
them
can
get
together
to
learn
the
type
of
math.
So
why
wouldn't
bps
do
something
where
the
children
can
come
together
and
have
a
tutoring
program
or
some
type
of
prep
program
to
prep
them?
V
For
the
exam
I
mean
just
saying,
the
exam
is
no
good.
I
mean
one
of
my
thoughts
is
if
students
or
families
or
the
teachers
are
not
doing
anything
to
prepare
them
to
get
in.
I
guess
I'm
a
little
fearful
as
once
these
children
get
into
the
school
will
they
be
able
to
keep
up
with
the
school
because,
as
I
said
at
the
beginning,
I
have
two
children
one.
V
C
W
W
First
and
foremost,
I
would
like
to
thank
or
task
force
committed
members,
and
also
the
school
committee
for
taking
on
such
an
extremely
challenging
mission
to
provide
equitable
education
opportunities
for
all
students
in
boston,
no
matter
what
race
they
are.
I
myself
have
always
been
a
strong
advocate
for
racial
and
gender
equity,
both
in
my
country
role
in
the
community
I
live
in,
and
I'm
also
a
huge
benefit,
benef
beneficiary
of
diversity,
inclusion,
opportunities
created
by
this
great
country.
W
I
came
here
16
years
16
years
ago
with
a
major
merit-based
scholarship
to
get
my
mba
degree
and
after
16
years,
hard
work.
I
finally
successfully
step
establish
myself
in
in
in
my
company
today.
I
would
like
to
take
this
opportunity
to
use
my
own
personal
experience,
as
example,
to
support
my
advocate
for
keeping
the
exam
for
the
exam
school.
W
When
I
was
young,
when
I
was
in
china,
my
dad
didn't
actually
have
the
chance
to
finish
the
middle
school
and
my
mom
only
graduated
from
a
vocational
school
in
china,
but
they
were
both
dedicated
and
devoted
parents.
When
I
was
a
kid
to
them,
they
would
rather
invest
their
money,
sending
me
to
piano
lessons
than
buying
a
tv
or
dining
outside.
W
W
Please
provide
more
support
to
the
low-income
families
to
enable
them
become
responsible,
supported
and
dedicated
parents,
to
echo
what
mr
conterp
has
stressed.
So
many
times
in
the
task
force
meetings,
the
hard-working
kids
deserve
a
spot
in
exam
school.
That's
not
to
preserve
any
particular
race
privilege,
but
to
reward
the
hard
worker
and
rule
follower.
W
C
C
X
X
And
the
second
thing
is:
people
have
discussed
a
lottery
for
people
surpassing
a
threshold,
and
I
would
say
that
it's
an
interesting
idea,
but
rather
than
place
kids
at
random
in
the
schools,
I
think
the
lottery
should,
if
used,
give
students
a
choice
where
to
attend,
because
I
can
tell
you
not.
Everyone
loves
latin.
My
kid
does
almost
to
a
fault,
but
there
are
some
students
who
would
really
be
better
suited
to
the
o'bryant
and
from
a
commuting
standpoint.
X
B
B
D
Mr
condom
process,
actually
I
do
have
just
a
note
of
thanks.
I
do
want
to,
in
addition
to
thanking
those
who
provide
a
public
comment.
I
do
want
to
take
an
opportunity,
as
always
to
thank
our
interpreters
this
evening
for
being
with
us
and
for
many
of
you,
for
potentially
being
with
us
for
the
remainder
of
the
week,
greatly
appreciate
your
time
and
commitment,
in
addition
to,
of
course,
our
task
force,
members
and
school
committee
members
and
our
superintendent
and
staff
that
are
here
tonight.
Thank
you.