Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
NYC's specialized high schools to shift to computer-based tests after equity debate
By
Jessica Gould
Published Dec 19, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Dec 19, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The exam that governs admission to the city’s most selective high schools will be administered next fall, despite critics’ complaints that the test disproportionately blocks Black and Latino students from being admitted.
In a shift, the test will be given via computer rather than paper.
The city’s education oversight board, the Panel for Educational Policy, voted 14-2, with four abstentions, to accept the five-year, $17 million contract with exam provider Pearson for the computer-based test after hearing hours of remarks from students and educators Thursday night. The test is known as the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test, or SHSAT.
Some members of the panel had sought to scuttle the contract and force the city to move toward a different admissions policy. A few had also raised concerns about the move to a computer-based version of the exam, citing student equity. Ultimately those arguments did not persuade the panel, a majority of whom were appointed by Mayor Eric Adams’ administration.
“It is clear that there are problems, when we look at the numbers of Black and Latino students admitted, it’s problematic,” said chair Gregory Faulkner. “But I am convinced that if we were to defeat this contract we would really cripple the incoming class.”
Students’ scores on the SHSAT determine admission to the eight specialized high schools — including Stuyvesant, Bronx Science and Brooklyn Tech — which promise rigorous programming for students who excel academically.
But critics say the SHSAT drives lopsided demographics at the schools.
Last spring, just 4.5% of offers went to Black students and 7.6% went to Hispanic students. Only 10 Black students were admitted to the 744-person first-year class at Stuyvesant High School in Lower Manhattan.
“There has been ongoing engagement to ensure that all concerns are taken into consideration,” said education department spokesperson Chyann Tull. She noted that switching to computer-based-testing “aligns with the way most standardized testing is done, including the SAT.”
Proponents argue the exam is the most objective way to identify students who can handle the schools’ rigorous academic programs. The test is written into state law, and previous attempts to reform admissions to the selective schools have failed.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had proposed eliminating the test, but backed off after fierce opposition, particularly from Asian-American parents. The Adams administration has largely sidestepped the debate, calling for more rigorous programming throughout the city’s public schools.
The Panel for Educational Policy has rejected contracts before. It blocked the city’s contract for a Gifted and Talented test in 2021, leading to some changes in how children are selected for that program.
At a hearing that stretched five hours, many students, parents, and politicians — some wearing “Keep SHSAT” t-shirts — testified in favor of the test.
City Councilmember Susan Zhuang, who represents parts of southern Brooklyn, urged the panel not to “hold the test hostage.” She said the move to eliminate the SHSAT “scapegoats” Asian students for the city’s failure to provide more educational opportunities for all students.
Asian students received 53% of offers to the specialized high schools last spring. White students received 26%
Some parents said the city should take the opportunity to find new ways to determine admission to the specialized schools.
Panel member Adriana Alicea said there is a profound psychological effect to being one of only a handful of Black or Latino students in the entire first-year class at a specialized school. “We shouldn’t be prepping our Black and brown students that that’s what they should expect,” she said.
Tagged
new york city
education
Race And Justice Unit
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]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
Officers responding to a call at the intersection of Jamaica Avenue and 173rd Street around 1 a.m. found 29-year-old Sulimon Ferrier, who had multiple stab wounds to his chest, police said.
By
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 3, 2026 at 4:38 p.m. ET
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
News
NYPD: 2 suspects in off-duty officer stabbing tried to rob victim
It’s unclear if the attackers knew the victim was NYPD.
By
Jill Webb
Astoria-born Chip City announces sudden closure days after former CEO sues
By
Catalina Gonella
US judge tosses Trump lawsuit targeting pro-Palestinian protesters in NJ
By
Willow Higgins
A big, bright Saturn will be the highlight of NYC's fall stargazing season
By
Rosemary Misdary
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .