Digitizing the gateway to elite NYC schools

New York City’s school board voted Wednesday to approve a $17m, five-year contract with Pearson to digitize the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT), which determines admission to elite public high schools like Stuyvesant. The decision ends months of uncertainty over the test’s future and ensures compliance with state law mandating the SHSAT for admissions. The Panel for Educational Policy approved the contract with a 14-2 vote, with four abstentions, after extensive public testimony and debate. Critics argued that the shift to a computerized test could exacerbate inequities, particularly for Black, Latino, disabled, and English learner students, and questioned Pearson’s track record and the proposal’s cost. City officials emphasized that without the contract, the test could not be administered, potentially leaving freshman classes at specialized high schools unfilled. Some panel members had proposed extending the paper-based test contract temporarily, but this was not pursued. The move to computerize the SHSAT reflects broader tensions over diversity and admissions in New York City’s segregated school system.