After years of controversy, TDSB ends lottery system for specialty schools and programs, drawing praise, criticism

Of note. When I attended school in Toronto in the 60s and 70s, the then enriched program switched from English language testing to symbolic graphic testing, with the result that diversity of participants increased:

Toronto’s public school board is scrapping the controversial process that handed out spots in coveted specialty programs through a lottery, returning to one based on merit.

The move — made by the provincial supervisor now in charge of the Toronto District School Board — marks another major shift in how students gain entry to the city’s most sought-after schools and programs focused on the arts, athletics, math and science.

The lottery-based admissions had prioritized bringing under-represented racial groups into the programs, but caused an uproar among some families who said it failed to accomplish that while at the same time weakening program quality. Others, however, had argued the lottery was a fairer system. …

Source: After years of controversy, TDSB ends lottery system for specialty schools and programs, drawing praise, criticism