By Cynthia Agruso
I firmly believe that the MCAS should continue to be a high school graduation requirement for students in the Commonwealth, and that voters should vote No on Question 2. While it is not without its flaws, the MCAS plays a vital role in ensuring educational equity and highlighting areas of improvement for schools.
It is a tool that provides valuable insights into the performance of diverse student groups, leading to more informed and targeted educational interventions, as long as that information is shared with teachers.
As a 27-year dedicated teacher and a longtime member of the teacher-led committee that helps develop the questions on the assessments, I can attest to the rigorous two-year review process that addresses bias, incorporates expert evaluations, aligns with curriculum guidelines and reviews for grammatical accuracy before it reaches students.
Our input is valued, and we play a crucial role in deciding which questions are field-tested and ultimately included on student assessments.
It is important to note that the percentage of students who don’t pass the MCAS is less than 1%. It is also important to know that students have the option to retake the assessment four times during their junior and senior years. An Educational Proficiency Plan (EPP) is created for students who fail — providing them with a targeted set of interventions to help them meet the standard.
The state already recognizes that some students who are proficient in the classroom don’t test well. That is why it created an appeal process that compares classroom grades and test results with those of their peers. Students with disabilities can seek a “portfolio review,” which provides an independent evaluation of their actual coursework, and an alternative path to a diploma that bypasses test results.
The MCAS is not just a standardized assessment; it is a critical instrument for measuring educational outcomes and tracking the progress of our students statewide. In the absence of MCAS, students in more than 300 school districts will be held to a wide array of graduation standards.
One of its most essential functions is to enable us to evaluate the performance of different subgroups, including students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), multi-language learners (MLLs), and those from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. We can identify and address achievement gaps effectively by analyzing how these subgroups perform.
If Question 2 passes, we will be one of two states that do not have a statewide graduation requirement. Additionally, the lack of consistency statewide will broaden the gaps of inequity we already know about. This would also affect post-graduation plans for students; in short, where you go to school could determine what school you get into.
Why would anyone believe that setting lower standards for students is fair?
Creating a document from DESE that highlights all the pathways students can pass the MCAS and the local requirements would be a valuable resource for students and families concerned about graduation. Additionally, data needs to be shared with teachers in a more timely manner; it takes five months for data to trickle down to districts and then even more time to get to teachers, if it even gets to them.
Students also need to know the pathways they have available to them to pass the MCAS, and they should know how the scoring works. The culture of high stakes test pressure needs to change. The lead on that needs to come from districts, administrators and DESE.
We should be shifting our concern to the 700 students who didn‘t pass and working with DESE and districts to get these students over the finish line.
Consider the numbers 700 and 70,000, the latter being size of the typical graduating class. It is much easier to solve a 1% issue rather than take away from the 99% of students who have achieved their graduation requirements. If we want change, then we should reform the statewide graduation requirement to better serve our educators and students, not toss it out without a plan.
I am worried marginalized groups will become invisible, only leading to more disparities, shifting the pendulum of equity in the wrong direction. Let’s keep the statewide graduation requirement and the equity it ensures.
Cynthia Agruso is a teacher in the Agawam public schools. She participates in the development of the MCAS.--
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