DREAM-SHSI Website 2025

A Program of the NYC Public Schools

DREAM-
Specialized
High School
Institute 2025

DREAM is a Saturday and summer academic program designed to help eligible seventh-grade
students in New York City public schools prepare to take the Specialized High Schools
Admissions Test (SHSAT) in the fall of eighth grade. If you applied for the program in January,
check MySchools.nyc for your offer letter.

WHAT’S NEEDED FOR SPRING DREAM:

IN-PERSON STUDENTS should bring the following to each session,
if possible:

Laptop or tablet
Notebook
Pens/ Pencils
Water bottle: Stay hydrated!

ASYNCHRONOUS STUDENTS should do the following when
completing weekly lessons:

Have dedicated work/study space that is comfortable and has minimal distractions
Take breaks (i.e. work 25-50 min, break 5-10 min)
Go on DREAM-SHSI Google Classroom with @nycstudents.net email and access posted
lessons and assessments
Seek support when needed (reach out to instructors on Google Classroom)
Water bottle: Stay hydrated!

DREAM-SHSI Program Overview

Foundational work on SHSAT topics, community building, SHSAT test skills, guidance and getting ready for summer test preparation.

Spring Program: March-June

10 Saturdays; 8:30am-1:30pm

Intensive SHSAT prep with multiple practice tests, advisory and fun brain breaks, guidance sessions to prepare for high school.

Summer Program: July-August

Monday-Thursday; 20 sessions

8:30am-1:30pm

Review of summer content, additional practice test opportunities, make a test-day game plan.

Fall Program: September-SHSAT Date

Saturdays; 8:30am-1:30pm

Students participate in all program sessions from spring through fall.

Attending the summer is required to attend the fall program.

Spring Program Details

Speed and Fluency in Math and ELA

Strategies for Complex SHSAT Topics

Community Building

Guidance Sessions

Our speed-focused component helps students sharpen
their mental math skills, quickly identify parts of speech,
and rapidly, yet effectively, read and annotate texts. With
the help of teamwork, games, and competitions, this
essential practice becomes both effective and enjoyable.

Students will have time to learn and master strategies to
tackle more challenging SHSAT topics. In ELA, they'll
learn strategies to improve reading comprehension by
text genre, while in math, they'll learn strategies to
develop a methodical approach to solving math
problems.

Engaging opportunities for students to build
community, manage stress, foster a growth
mindset, practice critical thinking, and engage in self
exploration.

Our guidance counselors lead weekly group sessions for
students covering essential topics such as organization,
in-depth information about the SHSAT and NYC high
school pathways and admissions process, and examine
their capacities, capabilities, and career interests.

Spring DREAM-SHSI Calendar

(In-Person/ Asynchronous)

Saturdays, 8:30-1:30pm

Session 1: March 8

Session 2: March 15

Session 3: March 22

Session 4: April 5

Session 5: April 26

Session 6: May 3

Session 7: May 10

Session 8: May 17

Session 9: May 31