A number of students were unable to access and finish the Specialized High School Admissions Test on Saturday due to a technical issue, city officials said.
In a statement, the New York City Department of Education said it would reschedule the test after the test’s vendor, Pearson, reported technical problems.
“I understand and share the frustration of our students and families,” Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels said in a statement. “I have spoken with the vendor and shared this frustration, and they have assured me the issue has been corrected.”
The department said testing will continue as planned on Nov. 15. It did not elaborate on the nature of the issue or how many students were affected, and Pearson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
School officials said students who were unable to finish the test would be automatically rescheduled, and that families would receive follow-up information by the end of the day on Monday.
Testing on a new date will not affect any student’s score or consideration for admission to a specialized high school, according to the department. Students who finished and submitted a test on Saturday are also eligible to retake the test if they choose, the department said.
In a joint statement on Saturday, a group of city and state lawmakers demanded a thorough and transparent investigation into the issue.
“The DOE may point to its testing contractor, Pearson, but accountability cannot be outsourced,” read the statement from Councilmember Susan Zhuang, Assemblymember William Colton, state Sen.-elect Larry He, and Assemblymembers-elect Joyce Xie and Joey Saban. “The DOE selected the vendor, oversees the process, and is ultimately responsible for ensuring that every student receives a fair and reliable opportunity to take this examination.”
“Under mayoral control, the buck stops with City Hall and DOE leadership,” the statement read.
The SHSAT is administered to eighth and ninth graders in New York City and is used to determine admission to eight of the city’s nine specialized high schools. In 2024, the DOE’s Panel for Educational Policy voted to approve a five-year, $17 million contract with Pearson to administer the SHSAT digitally.
