By Christian M. Wade
North Andover Eagle-Tribune
BOSTON — A proposal to repeal the MCAS high school graduation mandate could make it harder to maintain the state’s educational standards, according to a new report.
Question 2, one of five referendums set for the Nov. 5 ballot, asks voters if they want to scrap the decades-old mandate requiring 10th-graders to demonstrate proficiency in math, English and science through a series of standardized tests known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System.
If voters approve the measure, students would still need to take the 10th-grade MCAS exams, but they would no longer need to earn a passing score or other state approval.
Instead, school districts would set their own criteria for graduation based on statewide educational standards, but wouldn’t be required to use high-stakes exams to assess students.
But a new analysis of the proposal by Tufts University’s Center for State Policy Analysis concludes that allowing school districts to set graduation requirements “could make it hard to maintain educational standards” because districts with poor or falling graduation rates “would be tempted to compensate by lowering expectations.”
“If question two passes, it’s even possible we’d see a race to the bottom among districts,” their report’s authors wrote. “That’s because the main measure people use to judge high schools is the graduation rate. and the surest way to boost graduation rates is to ease graduation requirements.”
But the report’s authors, who don’t take a position on Question 2, suggested that scrapping the MCAS graduation requirement could free up teachers to focus less on test preparation and more on knowledge and skills that aren’t covered by a standardized exam.
“Dropping the MCAS as a graduation requirement could potentially give classroom teachers and local education leaders more curricular freedom,” they wrote. “That means less teaching to the test and more attention to subjects that are hard to fit in a standardized assessment.”
Eliminating the mandate could also benefit students with cognitive disabilities and English language learners, who sometimes struggle with the MCAS, by setting more flexible measures of graduation readiness, the report’s authors suggested.
Each year, about 500,000 students take the MCAS — the benchmark “gold standard” standardized test in the state for nearly 30 years.
The testing begins in the third grade, but students in the 10th grade are required to pass the math, English and science exams to graduate from high school. The tests are also designed to identify under-performing schools and districts as candidates for state intervention.
Supporters of the graduation requirement, including the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, argue that the exams are necessary to expose inequities among students and school districts, measure trends in student outcomes, and gauge readiness for college and the workplace.
Backers of Question 2, which include the Massachusetts Teachers Association, argue that Massachusetts has become an outlier as one of a handful of states that require students to pass a test to graduate from high school. They say the testing isn’t a complete picture of a student’s abilities, and often leaves those who don’t pass the test behind.
The Tuft’s report says despite claims by Question 2 supporters, state educational data shows the MCAS requirement “rarely” prevents students from getting a high school diploma.
“Virtually all students who meet district standards also pass the MCAS or otherwise earn a state competency determination,” they wrote. “In any given year, there are several hundred exceptions, amounting to less than 1% of high school seniors.”
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