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Pencils down: NYC lawmakers want to switch back to paper tests as state mandates screens
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 9, 2026
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Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Oct 9, 2026
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Members of the New York City Council are calling on education officials to allow students to return to using paper rather than just computers for state tests.
Over the past few years, all of New York state’s school districts have been required to switch to computer-based testing on the math and reading exams. The state started requiring some grades to take the test by computer in 2024, with all third through eighth graders required to do so for the first time last spring.
Local lawmakers said it’s an example of the use of screens in schools going too far.
“Even when the vast majority of teachers and parents know that so much time on the screens is bad for our kids, they are forced to engage with the screens because that is how they are assessed for the state tests,” said Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, who chairs the Council’s education committee and is leading the effort.
Dinowitz said switching back to paper and pencils would be beneficial for students so that “they can underline whatever they want to underline in their reading passages, and so that they can do work by hand, and they can write their essays by hand as well.”
More than half of the Council signed on to the letter.
State education department spokesperson J.P. O’Hare said the agency is reviewing the request and “will have additional information in the coming weeks.”
Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a ban on individual student use of laptops and tablets through second grade in September. The education department recommended daily limits on screens in third through fifth grade.
There has also been greater scrutiny of this year’s test results, which showed a sharp decline in reading after an increase last year.
Some educators have wondered whether requiring third graders to take the test by computer for the first time may have played a role, though experts have also raised questions about issues with this year’s test itself or the scoring system.
Tagged
education
new york city
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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