After weeks of contentious debate over a plan to desegregate Upper West Side middle schools, the Department of Education has released two new proposals to increase diversity.

The first proposal would reserve 25 percent of seats for students who come from high-poverty elementary schools and have low state test scores.

The second prioritizes students with low scores on state testing and low elementary school grades.

• Student diversity push upsets some parents at UWS school

Some parents are pushing back against the move. They say the DOE should tackle problems in elementary schools first.

Others believe a lack of diversity is the root of the issue.

"The goal is to achieve greater diversity in District 3 middle schools, and that would be across academic, economic and racial diversity," said Kristin Berger, an elected parent council representative. "It's very complicated as to how to do that, and the district superintendent is looking particularly not at solving all the problems for all schools, but by starting with making the middle-school application process more equitable."

• Schools chancellor reacts to NY1 report on school diversity meeting

These proposals come after a heated meeting last month between educators and parents who deeply opposed bringing in lower-performing students from other schools to some of the highest-performing middle schools in the neighborhood.