A five-year, $17 million contract with the company that administers the city's controversial vocational high school entrance exam was finally approved Wednesday after a much-anticipated but much-delayed vote.
The city Department of Education's Education Policy Committee voted at a meeting Wednesday night to renew the contract with Pearson, the education company that has administered state-mandated entrance exams for eight elite schools since 1983.
At a meeting at Sunset Park High School, the board, packed with hundreds of students and parents advocating for the continuation of the entrance exam, voted 14-2 (with four abstentions) to approve the renewal.
Students entering the 2026 freshman class will be offered a digital version of the special high school entrance exam. This is the only criterion for admission to Gotham's elite public schools, including Bronx High School of Science, Stuyvesant High School, and Brooklyn Tech, among others. .
Mr Pearson will also be tasked with developing and administering the exam for five testing cycles starting in October 2025. This was revealed in city documents..
The test will eventually employ a computer-adaptive model that uses algorithms to personalize the test based on student performance.
Nearly 30,000 families whose children were preparing for exams feared their education would be at a standstill as the PEP vote was postponed to October and then to November.
Dozens of admissions test supporters spoke ahead of the vote as the rally continued into the night.
“[The SHSAT] It protects a fair and objective admissions process to specialized high schools, institutions that provide a pathway to successful, hard-working students, many of whom are from immigrant families like mine, low-income families, and underserved families. I'm from an area that doesn't have access to that kind of education,” one student testified.
Another said the test taught them lessons not only in academics but also in dedication and goal-setting.
“For me, the SHSAT was more than just a test; it was a goal that motivated me to study more and push my limits,” the student said.
City Councilwoman Susan Tsang, who represents Brooklyn's predominantly Asian School District 43, said many of her district's students – as critics of the test have suggested – are not paying for it. Rather, he said that the majority were “immigrants.”
“These children are not from wealthy families with private tutors and private schools. These children are hard-working and come from lower- and middle-class families,” she said during a public comment period. Ta. “This test in particular is a lifeline for underrepresented and low-income immigrant students, who now have access to some of the best public schools in the country.”
Meanwhile, critics used the long delay as an opportunity to renew their accusations of racial bias in testing.
“There could be some problems,” said one PEP committee member who abstained from voting Wednesday night. [both] system and testing. ”
“If you look at the numbers, you can see that 17 districts were disenfranchised by testing where one district had 548 offers and the other 17 districts in this city combined add up to a total of 528. We have a problem,'' said Thomas Shepherd, a father of three children who attend public schools.
Another panel member, Jessamyn Lee, said she voted against the testing contract because the panel had not yet seen what the new test would look like.
“The tests that sixth-grade kids are preparing for are not the tests that are going to be administered,” Lee said, adding that voting for it would be “reckless and irresponsible.”
Nearly 26,000 students took the exam last year and just over 4,000 were offered a place to sit.
According to city data, 4.5% of offers went to black students and 7.6% went to Latino students.
For years, critics and SHSAT supporters have clashed over whether trade schools should only admit students based on standardized tests.
But in the end, an “overwhelming” show of support sealed the deal's successful passage.
PEP Chairman Greg Faulkner told the Post that the tests are required by state law and eliminating them is outside the city's authority.
Former Mayor Bill de Blasio twice tried to overturn the law, but both times he failed.
Faulkner said he will continue to raise concerns about the University at Albany entrance exam through a separate committee.
But for now, New York City kids preparing to enroll in the 2026 freshman class at these elite schools can breathe a sigh of relief.
