Specialized High Schools Institute

Update:

Offer/No Offer letters were mailed to students' home addresses on 4/18/12.   Please expect the letter in the mail later in the week.  The offer letter contains time sensitive information.

What is DREAM – The Specialized High Schools Institute (DREAM - SHSI)?

DREAM – SHSI is a 22-month extracurricular program of rigorous coursework designed to assist eligible NYC public and private school students in preparing for the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT). DREAM – SHSI coursework emphasizes verbal and math skills, problem-solving, critical analysis, time management, and test-taking strategies specific to the SHSAT.

What is the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT)?

The SHSAT is the test used to determine admission to the following eight Specialized High Schools:

Who is eligible to apply for DREAM - SHSI?

For 2012 only, two cohorts of participants will be enrolled – one cohort of current 7th graders (hereafter referred to as the DREAM 2013 cohort) who will begin the program at Step E, and a second cohort of current 6th graders (hereafter referred to as the DREAM 2014 cohort) who will begin the program at Step D. Starting with the 2012-2013 school year and in each subsequent school year, a new cohort of 6th graders will be enrolled in the full program beginning in January of that school year with Step D.

Public School Student Eligibility:
Current 7th graders - To be eligible to apply for DREAM 2013, a public school student must 

  • be a current NYC resident,
  • be a current 7th grade student,
  • be economically disadvantaged as defined by Title I Free Lunch status,
  • have a minimum scale score of 678 on the 2011 grade 6 NYS ELA exam,
  • have a minimum scale score of 687 on the 2011 grade 6 NYS math exam, and
  • have had a minimum attendance rate of 90% during grade 6.

Current 6th graders - To be eligible to apply for DREAM 2014, a public school student must

  • be a current NYC resident,
  • be a current 6th grade student,
  • be economically disadvantaged as defined by Title I Free Lunch status,
  • have a minimum scale score of 685 on the 2011 grade 5 NYS ELA exam,
  • have a minimum scale score of 691 on the 2011 grade 5 NYS math exam, and
  • have had a minimum attendance rate of 90% during grade 5.

Private/Parochial School Student Eligibility:
Current 7th graders - To be eligible to apply for DREAM 2013, a private/parochial school student must

  • be a current NYC resident,
  • be a current 7th grade student,
  • be economically disadvantaged as defined by Title I Free Lunch status,
  • have scored at or above the 85th percentile on their grade 6 Reading assessment,
  • have scored at or above the 85th percentile on their grade 6 Math assessment, and
  • have had a minimum attendance rate of 90% during grade 6.

Current 6th graders - To be eligible to apply for DREAM 2014, a private/parochial school student must

  • be a current NYC resident,
  • be a current 6th grade student,
  • be economically disadvantaged as defined by Title I Free Lunch status,
  • have scored at or above the 85th percentile on their grade 5 Reading assessment,
  • have scored at or above the 85th percentile on their grade 5 Math assessment, and
  • have had a minimum attendance rate of 90% during grade 5.

When does DREAM – SHSI take place?

The DREAM – SHSI program consists of five components:

Step Grade Level Month/Sessions Day
Step D1 6th Graders May 5, 2012 - June 23, 2012 
(7 sessions)
Saturdays
(9:00 AM – 1:00 PM)  
Step R Rising 7th Graders  July 9, 2012 - August 9, 2012 
(20 sessions)
Monday – Thursday
(9:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
Step E2 7th Graders May 5, 2012 - June 23, 2012 
(7 sessions)
Wednesday
(4:00 PM – 6:00 PM)
Saturday
(9:00 AM – 1:00 PM)
Step A Rising 8th Graders July 9, 2012 - August 9, 2012 
(20 sessions)
Monday – Thursday
(9:00 AM – 3:00 PM)
Step M 8th Graders  September – October
(18 sessions)
Tuesday & Thursday
(4:00 PM – 6:00 PM)
Saturday
(9:00 AM – 1:00 PM)

1 Beginning in 2013, Step D will run for approximately 16 sessions between January and June
2 Beginning in 2013, Step E will run for approximately 32 sessions between January and June

Where does the DREAM – SHSI program take place?

DREAM – SHSI will be offered at 18 locations throughout the five boroughs. Students who are offered a placement in the program will be advised of program locations in their offer letter from the Division of Equity and Access.

How does a student apply for the DREAM – SHSI program?

Public school students who meet the eligibility criteria described above will receive an invitation letter and a pre-populated application delivered to their schools for distribution in March. Applications must be completed and returned to the schools by the date indicated on the application form.  Once applications have been reviewed and the eligibility status of all applications has been certified, offer letters to students for placement in the DREAM – SHSI program will be generated through a random selection process and mailed directly to students from the Division of Equity and Access. Should the number of eligible applicants exceed the number of available seats, DREAM – SHSI participants will be randomly selected from the pool of eligible candidates. Students who are offered a placement in the program must attend a mandatory orientation with a parent or guardian to finalize acceptance of the offer. Eligible students who are not offered placement through the random selection process will also be notified by letter from the Division of Equity and Access and will be placed on a waitlist.

Private school students who meet the eligibility criteria described above may download an invitation letter and the 2012 Application/Income Verification Form by March 2nd, 2012.  Once applications have been reviewed and the eligibility status of all applications has been certified, offer letters to students for placement in the DREAM – SHSI program will be generated through a random selection process and mailed directly to students from the Division of Equity and Access. Should the number of eligible applicants exceed the number of available seats, DREAM – SHSI participants will be randomly selected from the pool of eligible candidates. Students who are offered a placement in the program must attend a mandatory orientation with a parent or guardian to finalize acceptance of the offer. Eligible students who are not offered placement through the random selection process will also be notified by letter from the Division of Equity and Access and will be placed on a waitlist. 

DREAM – SHSI Publications

2012 Public and Charter School Parent Information Letter English Spanish Urdu Bengali Russian Korean Arabic Chinese Haitian Creole