On Wednesday, April 29, 2026, thousands of students across New York State experienced significant disruptions while taking the Grades 3-8 NYS Math Exam due to widespread connectivity issues on the digital testing platform.

Children as young as 8 years old were placed in stressful and confusing situations; some were unable to access the test at all, others were interrupted mid-exam, and some completed the test under vastly different conditions than their peers. This created an inconsistent and inequitable testing environment.

At this time, there has been no clear explanation from state officials or testing providers regarding the cause of the disruption or when the issue will be fully resolved. While testing has been postponed, the damage to the integrity of this testing cycle has already been done.

Standardized tests are meant to provide a fair and equal measure of student performance. This was not a standardized experience.

We believe:

• Young students should not be subjected to unnecessary stress caused by system failures
• Technical issues beyond students’ control must not impact academic outcomes
• Disrupted testing conditions invalidate the reliability of results
• Student well-being must come before data collection

We are calling on the New York State Education Department to:

• Cancel all Grades 3-8 NYS Math Exam scores from the Spring 2026 administration
• Ensure that no student, teacher, or school is penalized due to incomplete or disrupted testing
• Provide full transparency about the cause of the statewide failure
• Reevaluate and improve digital testing systems before future use

Our children deserve a fair, stable, and supportive learning environment, not one compromised by preventable technical failures.

Sign this petition to stand up for students across New York State.