Resolution calling for an end to using MCAS tests as a graduation requirement
This sample resolution calls for a moratorium on high-stakes testing. For use by local associations, school committees, parents, school groups and other community organizations.
WHEREAS, access to a high-quality, publicly funded education is a guaranteed right written into the Massachusetts Constitution; and
WHEREAS, an effective public education program meets the needs of students who present a variety of abilities and learning styles; and
WHEREAS, a successful system of public education nurtures and supports students and offers opportunities for growth along a continuum that begins in preschool and extends through higher education; and
WHEREAS, the goal of public education is to teach students how to be critical thinkers, engaged citizens and lifelong learners; and
WHEREAS, the introduction of high-stakes standardized testing through the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System has undermined the most important goals of public education; and
WHEREAS, the punitive use of MCAS has restricted curriculum and narrowed the focus of education in our public schools; and
WHEREAS, MCAS testing has unjustly targeted communities with underfunded public schools for state takeovers that have failed to improve student performance by any measure; and
WHEREAS, using MCAS testing as a high-school graduation requirement has prevented or delayed countless students from earning a diploma, either interrupting or derailing education or career plans; and
THEREFORE, let it be resolved that [your organization/committee/group] urges the state Legislature to pass the Thrive Act, ending the use of MCAS tests as a graduation requirement and for purposes of placing school districts or individual schools into state receivership; and
THEREFORE, let it be resolved that [your organization/committee/group] urges that Massachusetts develop an alternative to the high-stakes MCAS tests.