By LISA FLEISHER

New York state education officials Monday said they selected four companies to build a broad education database that will host students' test scores, curriculum materials and education apps, paid for by up to $50 million in federal Race to the Top funds.

The state's trying to catch up after its original plan to give a $27 million contract to education-technology company Wireless Generation was scrapped last year by Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

He cited concerns in the wake of the London-based newspaper phone-hacking scandal involving News Corp., which owns both Wireless Generation and The Wall Street Journal.

The state Education Department said that by fall 2013, school districts will be able to use one of the data systems created by either ConnectEDU, eScholar or Pearson PLC and its subsidiary Schoolnet.

The systems are supposed to store student test scores, student demographic information, curriculum materials, lesson plans and other items that teachers or parents can access. Companies will get paid, in part, based on how many school districts select their data system.

Another vendor, Boston-based Public Consulting Group Inc., will oversee the development of the content-management system, conduct training and run a help-desk, state education officials said. Wireless Generation, which lost out on its bid to create a data system, will serve as one of several subcontractors for Public Consulting Group, the state said.

Once in place, depending on which services are offered or created to work with the data system, teachers could share lesson plans, videos or student work with parents, education officials said. Students could also take state tests delivered electronically through the system.

Write to Lisa Fleisher at lisa.fleisher@wsj.com