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MCAS Requirement

 By Nick Burns

With the election only eight days away\, a Massachusetts graduation requirement in place for years is being contested.

            MCAS is a standardized test all students in public school are required to take beginning in third grade and take every year up until eighth grade. In tenth grade, all students take an English, math, and science portion of the MCAS and must receive a passing score on each section as a requirement to graduate and receive a high school diploma. If the question is passed, it would keep the standardized MCAS test in place for students but would not be a requirement to graduate high school.

            Right now, the Massachusetts school system’s have a required number of years of a subject for each school to follow and for kids to graduate, but not a certain curriculum every school follows. The only thing in place that all schools have as a graduation requirement is passing the MCAS.

            John R. Latham, a 2021 Chelmsford High School graduate now at UMass Amherst favors the MCAS. “I believe keeping the MCAS requirement should be kept in place because we need a benchmark for the whole state to follow regarding graduation. It allows people to make sure they have an understanding of the curriculum the state puts out,” he said.

                         The MCAS requirement was put into place in 2003 and has been a graduation requirement ever since. Removing MCAS as a requirement would leave only how many years a student must take a subject as statewide requirements for high school diplomas.

James C. Miesczcanski, also a 2021 Chelmsford High School graduate and student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), voiced his opinion on the question. “We need base standards for high school graduates and having the requirement in place for so many years I think it would be hard to remove it now without any specific reason,” he said.

            Preparing for MCAS exams has been a regular part of school districts' curriculum, including simulated MCAS tests and practice assignments.

            Kristen Nerich, a teacher at Peabody Elementary School in Cambridge, taught before the MCAS tests were taken across the state which began in 2003. “I would vote yes [to remove the requirement] if a student who doesn’t have a lot of help and isn’t going to college what are they going to do without having a high school diploma … just because they can’t pass the test doesn’t mean they shouldn’t graduate if they have met all the standards in class,” she said.

            Some students who have difficulty taking tests can have trouble passing the MCAS test. This impedes them from getting their diploma. While only some students plan on going to college, many jobs require a diploma.

            The current MCAS graduation requirement is scoring a 472 in the English portion, 486 in math, and 467 in science. The MCAS is scored on a scale from 440 to 560. The score requirement can change on a given year but is set for a competency determination.

            Noah J. Luke, a 2021 Chelmsford High School graduate and now a student at UConn had similar worries over limiting students’ post-graduation growth. “Voting yes allows kids who struggle at standardized test-taking to have a fair shot of a high school diploma and allow them to have opportunities after school,” he said.

            Currently, according to Rennie Center education research, ten percent of students fail the MCAS on their first attempt and four percent fail after multiple attempts. Because of failure to pass the MCAS, 702 students received a certificate of attainment. Of the 702 students, 281 were English language learners and 402 were students with disabilities.

            Voting yes or no on question 2 will continue to be debated as election day continues to creep closer for voters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Original Study

https://www.renniecenter.org/blog/mcas-ballot-initiative-part-2-closer-look-graduation-requirement

https://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/graduation.html

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