Majority of City Council asks state to allow paper exams again

More than half of the New York City Council has asked state education officials to let students take grades 3–8 math and reading exams on paper again, Gothamist and The City Reporter (via Chalkbeat) reported.

Councilmember Eric Dinowitz, who chairs the Council's education committee, led the letter to State Education Commissioner Betty Rosa. Lawmakers argue the state's computer-based testing mandate pushes more screen time onto children even as the city is trying to dial devices back.

What changed

Over the past few years, New York required school districts to switch to computer-based state tests. Some grades moved online in 2024; all third through eighth graders took the exams by computer for the first time last spring, Gothamist reported. The City Reporter noted the state began experimenting with digital assessments a decade ago and fully phased in the requirement this past spring, with limited exceptions for accommodations.

"Even when the vast majority of teachers and parents know that so much time on the screens is bad for our kids, they are forced to engage with the screens because that is how they are assessed for the state tests," Dinowitz told Gothamist. He said paper would let students underline passages and write essays by hand.

City screen limits and SED's reply

Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a ban on individual student laptop and tablet use through second grade in September, and the Education Department recommended daily screen limits in later elementary grades, Gothamist reported. Dinowitz's letter argued a computer-testing mandate creates pressure for extra tech practice even when schools want less screen exposure, The City Reporter wrote.

State Education Department spokesperson J.P. O'Hare said the agency is reviewing Dinowitz's request and "will have additional information in the coming weeks," both outlets reported. A city Education Department spokesperson did not immediately say whether the department supports a paper option, The City Reporter noted.

This year's reading scores fell sharply after rising the year before. Some educators have wondered whether requiring third graders to test on computers for the first time played a role, though experts have also questioned the exam or scoring, Gothamist reported. State officials have long argued digital tests are more efficient and secure.