The Boston School Committee adopted a new assignment policy that does away with a decades-old system at a landmark Wednesday night vote.
The new policy will use a computer-generated algorithm to produce a list of six schools for parents to choose from based on distance to school, capacity and MCAS test scores, according to Boston.com. Four of the six schools listed will be of “medium to high quality,” Boston.com reports.
The system will be implemented beginning September 2014.
“Tonight’s historic vote marks a new day for every child in the City of Boston,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “A more predictable and equitable student assignment system that emphasizes quality and keeps our children close to home has been a long time coming for our city. Boston Public Schools have never been stronger – and now is the time to ensure our student assignment process reflects the great progress we’ve made.”
Since 1989, Boston parents had about 24 schools to choose from within three large assignment zones.
The School Committee voted 6 to 1 in favor of the new policy.
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