New York grade 3-8 exam upheaval: Computer glitch disrupts 2 days of state testing

• New York Department of Education has been phasing in computer-based assessments, rather than using bubble sheets and pencils.
• "There's a lot of frustration," Rockland BOCES spokesperson Scott Salotto said. Many kids already have testing anxiety, and delays two days in a row can shake confidence.

A computer program glitch has, so far, foiled two days' worth of statewide standardized tests for grades 3-8. The state blamed the testing vendor.

Calling the problems a "slowdown with the Grades 3-8 Computer-Based Testing System," New York State Education Department spokesperson JP O'Hare said the department finds the situation "unacceptable."

"Make no mistake: the state’s testing vendor, NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association), is solely responsible for the issues that have affected testing this year," O'Hare said. "We have been in contact with NWEA leadership to demand answers for why this situation has occurred and solutions to ensure that students will not be impacted any further during the spring 2025 testing window."

Testing started Monday, April 7, and several educators reported that day went without a hitch. Problems occurred both Tuesday, April 8, and Wednesday, April 9.

Schools that had testing issues April 9 could pause testing or complete tests later in the day, the Education Department said. Schools would be given more time to complete computer-based testing.

Most local schools are stuck managing the impact.

"There's a lot of frustration," Rockland BOCES spokesperson Scott Salotto said. Many kids already have testing anxiety, and delays two days in a row can shake confidence.

Who is impacted by New York's testing glitch?

Statewide standardized tests are scheduled this month and next in English Language Arts and math for grades 3-8, as well as science in grades 5 and 8.

Tests were occurring the week of April 7.

Testing is supposed to take up the day. Teachers have reported scrambling to find educational activities and lessons for children.

Bubble sheets go the way of the dinosaur

All of New York's nearly 700 public schools districts are required to administer the annual 3-8 tests electronically by spring 2026. But most districts had already switched over.

The move to computer-based testing was touted by SED as a way to streamline a tedious process and save money by axing the need to distribute, collect and individually grade paper-and-pencil exams.

Another goal: Schools could get results faster, which would help facilitate lessons to address any deficiencies that the tests showed.

This isn't the first glitch to hit statewide computer-based testing. In 2019, system delays led to a pause in testing for kids who used computers, but that was just 195,000 students statewide. Now most public school students likely were impacted.

The standardized testing itself has been controversial. A statewide opt-out movement in the 2010s led to many parents excusing their children from tests they saw as high pressure with little to no upside for the students themselves.