top of page
Writer's pictureProtect Our Kids' Future

An important statewide standard

This letter appeared in the Boston Globe.


I’ve been following the debate over Question 2, and I wanted to share some information about the state’s high school graduation requirement from my experience as a member of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Having a graduation requirement is a great equalizer and key to realizing our equity goals. Setting a standard for all students helps ensure that children enrolled in our schools are prepared for the workforce or postsecondary education. Eliminating the MCAS as a graduation requirement, as Question 2 seeks to do, would result in different and unequal standards across our many communities. And guess which students would be left behind?


The latest MCAS results showing an increase in the number of 10th-graders who failed to pass should be put in the proper perspective. There are five opportunities to take the test; an alternative pathway that takes into account classroom grades and teacher evaluations; and an appeals process for students to prove graduation readiness through other measurements. By the time these 10th-graders are ready to graduate, only about 1 percent don’t meet the requirement — that’s about 700 students out of the more than 70,000 graduates annually.


Rather than toss the only objective statewide standard we have and lower standards for all, we should be laser focused on how we can provide the support these students need to meet this 10th-grade standard by the time they complete 12th grade.

Advertisement


The use of the 10th-grade assessment as a graduation requirement works for all students, regardless of ethnicity or family income. Massachusetts has proved this by rising to first in the nation in education since the test’s introduction. By voting no on Question 2, our state will continue to ensure that every student, no matter their background, is held to the same graduation standard in a way that prepares them for future success.


Tricia Canavan

Comments


Commenting has been turned off.
bottom of page