Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Pitch for computer-based tests reignites equity debate at elite NYC schools
By
Jessica Gould
Published Dec 12, 2024
Modified Dec 12, 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 .
Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
By
Jessica Gould
Published Dec 12, 2024
Modified Dec 12, 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
What might have been a pro-forma vote on a contract has revived the fierce debate about admissions and equity at New York City’s most elite high schools.
Members of the city’s educational oversight board, the Panel for Educational Policy, are scheduled to vote next week on a five-year contract for test publisher Pearson to produce the SHSAT, a standardized test that determines admission to the city’s eight specialized schools. In a shift, the roughly $17 million contract calls for the test to be provided by computer rather than on paper.
But some panel members have pushed back, raising concerns about how the move to computer-based testing could disadvantage already-underrepresented students. Others object to the test altogether.
“We have communities that have been historically disenfranchised by this test, and continue to be,” said panel member Tom Sheppard. “For me it’s an equity issue.”
Last spring, only 10 Black students were admitted to the 744-person first-year class at Stuyvesant High School, an elite public school in Lower Manhattan. That number is similar to recent years.
The eight specialized schools are designed to support students who excel academically. The schools are considered a ladder to selective colleges and universities.
But overall, only a tiny fraction of offers to those eight schools go to Black and Latino students. Last spring, just 4.5% of offers to the specialized high schools went to Black students, with 7.6% going to Hispanic students. City education department officials said that was the highest proportion in recent years.
Sheppard said he will vote against the contract, rejecting a system where, in the entire incoming class at Stuyvesant, “you can count the number of Black students on your fingers.”
As the sole determinant of admission, the SHSAT has led to explosive debates and protests before.
Proponents argue the test identifies students who can handle the rigorous academic programs. Critics argue families with more money can game the system by paying for test prep that paves the way for admission.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio had proposed eliminating the test, but backed off after fierce opposition, particularly from Asian parents. Mayor Eric Adams’ administration has largely sidestepped the debate, calling for more rigorous programming throughout the city’s public schools.
But the Panel for Education Policy has previously used its power to accept or reject contracts in order to influence policy. lt rejected the city’s contract for a Gifted and Talented test in 2021, which raised the possibility that the program might end all together. It didn’t, though it did lead to changes in admissions policies.
The panel held a town hall on Wednesday to hear from the public on the Pearson contract. Most speakers spoke in favor of the SHSAT and called on the PEP to vote for the contract.
Seventh-grade student Phoebe Gerber said she didn’t want to waste the work she and her classmates had already done to prepare for the SHSAT next fall.
“I have toured many of these specialized high schools and have fallen in love with them, just like a lot of other seventh graders,” Gerber said. She worried that rejecting the contract could upend next year’s admissions, leaving kids like her “out of luck.”
Debbie Kross, a member of the Citywide Council on High Schools, said many of the 30,000 students who typically take the test have already begun studying. “Throwing a curveball to those families at this late date would be cruel,” she said.
But parent Gavin Healy said the SHSAT is unfair.
“By ensuring reliance on paid test prep, the SHSAT weeds out students who can't afford to compete,” Healy said. He added that rejecting the contract did not have to mean stalling the admissions process.
“The sky is not falling,” he said.
Some speakers called for a one-year extension with time to reconsider.
The test is enshrined in state law, which has faced several recent repeal efforts in the state Legislature. All of those attempts have failed.
“In order to sustain these thriving schools, and to comply with state law, we must have a contract in place to provide the SHSAT exam next fall,” said education department spokesperson Jenna Lyle. “We will continue to work with community stakeholders, including our PEP members, to get them the information they need in advance of the vote on this contract."
Panel chair Gregory Faulkner said members would take the public’s feedback into account ahead of a scheduled vote on Dec. 18.
He noted that Ivy League universities have dropped the SAT in recent years, although several have since revived it.
“I don’t think it’s as much eliminating the exam as whether it should be the sole criterion,” he said. “It may be a future conversation.”
This story has been updated with a statement from the state Department of Education.
Tagged
new york city
education
Politics
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
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 9:31 a.m. ET
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
News
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
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 .