According to the D.O.E., approximately 30,000 eighth graders and 5,000 ninth graders take the test each year. Major racial gaps have persisted in the admissions process, with 12 percent of spots last year offered to Black and Latino students — the highest number since 2013 and up from 10 percent the year before.

The meeting agenda for Wednesday night acknowledged that the D.O.E. was aware of 19 investigations into Pearson for workplace discrimination but said that 16 of those cases had been closed or dismissed.

But the department did not address a string of issues involving Pearson’s testing over the years. Testing errors led the New York State Education Department to end its contract with Pearson in 2015.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/nyregion/specialized-high-school-test-new-york.html