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NYC students start taking state tests only on computers. But can they type?
By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 10, 2024
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By
Jessica Gould
Published Apr 10, 2024
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As New York City students begin taking state tests this week, some grades will be required to exclusively take the tests on computers for the first time, prompting concerns from parents and educators that many students lack the digital skills to succeed.
The shift to computer-only exams for math and English Language Arts starts with grades 5 and 8, and follows the SAT's move to an entirely digital format earlier this spring. Advocates of the revamp said it will be more efficient and will prepare students for higher education and work. But critics are concerned it will exacerbate inequities based on class, race and special education status.
Tazin Azad, a parent and member of the Panel for Educational Policy that votes on Department of Education contracts, said she worries about both “system capacity and student capacity.”
She cited the “snow day fiasco,” when thousands of families struggled to get online for remote learning in February. The ordeal made her anxious about schools' ability to maintain connectivity as they administer tests. She also worried about “variance” in typing skills among students.
“Computer literacy is not equitably accessible across the system,” she said.
She was particularly concerned about students from poor families with lower access to technology at home, as well as English language learners.
State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa announced the plan to move to computer-based testing in 2022, and said that districts across the country had “successfully implemented” the shift. She also noted that schools have made “unprecedented investments” in technology since the pandemic.
City officials said schools are required to teach keyboard skills as part of state standards.
“Our students continue to live in a more digital world, both in and out of the classroom,” said Jenna Lyle, a spokesperson for the city's education department. “The state’s transition to computer-based testing is an extension of this shift.”
She said the education department has been working to ensure schools are prepared, “including expediting any repairs for non-working devices, taking proactive measures to improve connectivity at schools, and more.”
But some educators said their students still haven’t mastered basic keystrokes, including moving cursors or starting new paragraphs.
Martina Meijer, a teacher at a Brooklyn elementary school, said taking the state tests on computers is a “huge concern.”
“No one is teaching [students] how to type, make capital letters [or] make paragraphs except for classroom teachers, and we have absolutely no time to do it,” she said. “Test scores will plummet and teachers will be blamed.”
Mary Vaccaro, vice president of education at the United Federation of Teachers, said Meijer was not alone in her concern. “I’m not sure we can say students aren’t ready, but there are fears,” she said. “Teachers are doing their best [but] people are not feeling well-prepared.”
One Manhattan elementary school principal, who requested anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the press, said he was so worried about his students’ ability to solve math problems on the computer using only a mouse and keyboard that he bought 40 Stylus pens – at a cost of $48 per pen – for every kid taking the test.
The state tests include multiple choice, short essay questions and math problems, some of which require students to show their work. While students will be given scratch paper for math, they will only be scored on the answers they input digitally. Students with accommodations through individualized education programs will continue to receive them.
Naveed Hasan, another member of the Panel for Educational Policy and a computer scientist, said it might be time to return to old-school typing programs that were required when he attended the city’s public schools.
“We had 'Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing,'” he said. “Typing is probably something we need to do more on.”
Although he is a computer scientist, Hasan said he'd rather keep state tests on paper for now.
“You want to make sure the kids are understanding the material and not fighting the mechanism of testing,” he said.
The testing window opened this week, and English Language Arts and math exams will be administered between now and mid-May.
Tagged
new york city
education
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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