Statewide exams given to third- through eighth-grade students in New York will no longer be timed, the State Education Department said on Wednesday, ending the call of “pencils down.”

The tests, given in English and math, have become a source of contention in recent years. Department officials said the move was meant to ease concerns raised by teachers, administrators and parents.

MaryEllen Elia, the state education commissioner, described the change at a legislative hearing in Albany on Wednesday. A memo outlining the plan was sent to district superintendents, principals and charter school leaders later in the day.

“This change will provide students further opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do by allowing them to work at their own pace,” Angelica Infante, a deputy education commissioner, and Peter Swerdzewski, an assistant commissioner, wrote.