This November, it will be up to voters to decide whether or not MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) should be repealed as a graduation requirement for Massachusetts public high school students.
There are several important details to understand about this ballot question.
First, Question 2 does not remove MCAS testing at any level. Students will still take all the required tests for their grade level, and that data will be available to students, teachers, administrators, parents, and the community.
Second, Massachusetts is one of only a few states in the country that includes a standardized test as a graduation requirement. The other states are Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, New Jersey, Texas, Virginia, and Wyoming. New York currently requires that students pass the Regents exams; however, the New York State Education Department recommends sunsetting this practice in favor of the New York State Portrait of a Graduate.
MCAS as a graduation requirement has only been in place since 2003. In that time, the data has shown that some groups of students fail the test at a disproportionate rate compared to their peers, specifically students of color, lower socioeconomic status, and those receiving special education services. This data highlights the inequality of the test itself.
Removing the graduation requirement means that educators can still utilize MCAS scores as one metric of their students’ educational growth. It also means that a student’s future will not be contingent upon a single test.
This November, consider joining the ranks of concerned educators and parents by voting “yes” on Question 2 to increase the paths to success for students across Massachusetts.
Erica Josselyn
Dover Street
