By Leslie Brody

New York City's Department of Education on Monday recommended renewing its contract with Pearson PLC, a six-year deal worth up to $13.4 million in which the education company would continue providing entrance exams for the city's specialized high schools.

Every year about 30,000 eighth-graders take the admissions test in the hopes of getting into Stuyvesant High School, Bronx High School of Science and six other coveted options.

Pearson critics have complained about confusing questions, such as a notorious 2012 passage in the New York state test about a talking pineapple, and the company's 2013 mistakes scoring the New York City test for gifted programs.

A Pearson spokeswoman said Monday that the company maintains "the highest industry standards for fairness and quality" and has a "proud history" of serving students in New York.

If the education department's recommendation is approved by the Panel for Educational Policy in September, Pearson's new contract would start with the fall 2017 test.

Critics of the current admissions system say that basing entrance on a single exam excludes talented students, but supporters say it is the most objective method.

So-called exam schools like Stuyvesant, which are predominantly Asian and white, have long faced complaints about their lack of racial and ethnic diversity. Fans of the admissions system say these schools are diverse by socioeconomic status, with many students qualifying for free lunch.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has said he wants to increase diversity at the specialized high schools and has announced more outreach and free test preparation.

The education department also said Monday that the proposed contract with Pearson wouldn't include an essay. Some tutors had worried that adding a written essay could make it harder for immigrant students to gain admission.

Further, the department said the specialized exam would be administered on an October school day in seven high-poverty middle schools with relatively large numbers of high-performing students who didn't take the test in the past. The test typically is given on weekends.

Write to Leslie Brody at leslie.brody@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

August 22, 2016 22:30 ET (02:30 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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