NYC Postpones Vote on Computer-Based Specialized High School Admissions Test

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New York City’s education panel is pumping the brakes again a contract worth approximately $17 million for a computer-based version of the entrance test for the city’s specialized high schools, as members seek additional input from the public on the proposal.

The proposed contract was initially scheduled for a vote in October by the city’s Education Policy Panel (PEP), which votes on major policy proposals and contracts. It was moved to the panel’s meeting on November 20, before being postponed again until at least December, PEP chairman Gregory Faulkner said this week.

The delay will allow the panel to hold a town hall and gauge public opinion, Faulkner said. The date for the town hall has not yet been set.

The Specialized High School Admissions Test, or SHSAT, serves as the sole benchmark for admission to the city’s eight specialized high schools, including Stuyvesant and Bronx Science. Last year, approximately 26,000 eighth graders took the SHSAT, and 4,072 were offered a seat. Of those, only 4.5% of offers went to black students and 7.6% to Latino students, fueling ongoing concerns about the schools’ deeply segregated student populations.

Holding a town hall to seek feedback on the contract is likely to revive long-standing debates over whether the test should determine admission to the city’s specialized high schools. For years, this question has pitted proponents of integration against fervent supporters of the current system.

Under the proposed almost six-year contracttesting company Pearson would be tasked with creating an automated version of the SHSAT and administering it for five testing cycles starting in fall 2025. The contract optionally includes two additional test cycles, which, if accepted, would bring the total cost to more than $23.5 million.

Revival of a long-standing fight over the SHSAT

Some advocates worry that moving to a computerized model for the SHSAT could worsen disparities in an admissions process that already produces highly segregated results. The specialized high schools, considered among the most prestigious public high schools in the country, have long faced criticism for being admitted staggeringly low number of black and Latino students.

Education Department officials previously noted that many exams are now offered on computers — pointing to MAP tests administered twice a year for students in grades 2 through 8, as well as ongoing efforts to transition to digital SAT and Advanced Placement tests for high school students. The proposed contract also follows a statewide effort to phase in computer-based testing for New York’s 3-8 reading and math exams.

And supporters of the current system are urging PEP members to approve the contract. Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education, or PLACE, a polarizing group that advocates for screened school admissions, has an open letter call on the panel to approve the contract.

“If the Pearson contract is not approved, there will be no other resources left to conduct the test,” the group wrote. “As such, eight New York high schools will not have a freshman class beginning in the fall of 2026.”

But critics also wonder whether the city should award another contract to Pearson, which has been developing the paper version of the exams for years. The national testing company has faced controversy high-profile missteps in New York and other states, and in 2015 the state Department of Education stopped using Pearson for its standardized exams.

Pearson was one of only two vendors to submit a proposal for the contract, and a review and advisory committee made up of Department of Education officials determined that Pearson “offered the lowest price while proposing superior services,” according to city documents.

Although the current specialized admission system for secondary schools in the five boroughs has faced much criticism, efforts to overhaul it in recent years have also faced fierce opposition And legal challenges – indicating that the city’s families remain divided on the issue. The exam is required under state law, and while some, including former Mayor Bill de Blasio, have tried to overturn that law, such efforts have failed to gain traction in Albany.

Despite his own questions about whether the exam is a fair admissions measure, Faulkner acknowledged that the contract may still need to be approved given the lack of clear alternatives.

“We really need to look at what it would mean if this were voted down,” he said.

Jessamyn Lee, a Brooklyn parent and PEP member who opposes the contract, expected it would be approved by PEP members when the vote ultimately takes place.

“There will be some effort to listen to the public about this, but I don’t think there will really be any effort to change state education law regarding access to these schools,” she said.

Mayor Eric Adams has shown no interest in attempting to change the specialized high school admissions process and has instead focused on opening additional schools that screen students. Under the city mayor control systemAdams appoints a majority of the members to the panel. That system has drawn criticism from some parents and educators, who claim the PEP acts as a “rubber stamp” for the mayor’s policies.

When the city’s education department met with PEP members earlier this week to discuss the SHSAT contract, not a single mayor was present, Lee said.

PEP will form a legislative committee for the purpose of passing state laws

With state law governing admissions to the city’s specialized high schools and other important education issues, Faulkner wants the PEP to take a more active role in advocating for changes in the law.

He plans to create a Legislative and Public Policy Commission to work with community members and advocates, the city’s Department of Education and lawmakers in Albany, which will oversee local, state and federal education policy.

And regardless of whether panelists ultimately approve a new SHSAT contract, he hopes the PEP can spark discussions in Albany about possible reforms to state law.

“We’re going to set a legislative agenda, and this will be one of the items at the top of the agenda,” Faulkner said. “Ultimately, this has to go to Albany, and Albany has to give the city other options.”

Lee wondered whether the PEP could exert more influence through direct action, pushing the city’s Department of Education to further address concerns about inequality in the current system.

“If we were to succeed in winning the vote and not approve this SHSAT contract whenever it happened, we would have created a problem for a $40 billion city agency,” she said. “To me that seems like a potentially much more powerful tool.”

Julian Shen-Berro is a reporter covering New York City. Contact him at [email protected].