Boston Public Schools will start administering the entrance exam for its three “exam schools” during the school day next fall. Some activists praised the change as a step in the right direction, but said it will take more than a scheduling change to foster diversity at those prestigious schools, especially Boston Latin.
The change — which will cost the district around $340,000 — was announced on Feb. 6 as part of BPS’ proposed budget for the 2020 fiscal year.
Interim Superintendent Laura Perille described the new policy as an “equity investment,” adding that it “will help to flatten barriers for students and increase demand and appetite for students to take the entrance exam and apply to exam schools.”
In the past, students who hoped to attend Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, or the O’Bryant School for Science and Mathematics would take the Independent School Entrance Exam (ISEE) on the weekends — which, district officials said, may have impeded some students from even taking the chance.