Cancel MCAS this year, MTA urges Legislature and commissioner

Cancel MCAS this year, MTA urges Legislature and commissioner


The Massachusetts Teachers Association is calling on the Legislature to reverse a vote held in the House of Representatives Thursday night that gives Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley the power to require school districts to administer a “modified” version of the MCAS tests, despite the massive disruption already caused to public education by the worldwide coronavirus pandemic.

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“Our number one priority is to tend to the safety and well-being of students, their families and our educators,” said MTA President Merrie Najimy. “Any remote learning that is happening should focus on creative efforts to help students stay connected to their educators and each other, as well as to deepen their understanding of material they have already learned — not prepping for a test.”

The MTA is urging the Senate to pass a commonsense bill that cancels MCAS for this year and for the House to then reverse course from Thursday night’s vote and agree to the Senate’s version of the legislation.

“Our world has been turned upside down. Even if we do go back to school before June, it will be impossible to return to business as usual. Threatening to require students to take a test is not only a colossal waste of time – it is inhumane,” Najimy said. “Our members tell us that their students and their families are under unprecedented stress. Families are worried about their health and the loss of their jobs and are coping with being cooped up at home. They don’t need something else to worry about right now, which is why so many states, including New Hampshire and Maine, have already canceled their testing requirements.”

The House bill was approved during an informal session after 5 p.m. with almost no notice and virtually no one in the chamber since legislators cannot congregate in one place. The MTA said that legislators should have had a copy of the bill well in advance of the session and should have been given a chance to weigh in on it.

“Any remote learning that is happening should focus on creative efforts to help students stay connected to their educators and each other, as well as to deepen their understanding of material they have already learned — not prepping for a test.”

MTA President Merrie Najimy

“Democracy is more important than ever in a time of crisis,” said Najimy. “The Legislature should be as transparent and open as possible at a time when we need to trust our public institutions.”

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Najimy also expressed concern that the commissioner has not yet said publicly whether he will cancel the MCAS if he is given the power to do so. The House bill would require that he either cancel it or administer a modified test. Despite repeated requests for clarity, the MTA has received no information as to what a modified test would look like, what its purpose would be or who would have to take it.

The House bill also states that the commissioner “may” waive the state’s MCAS-based competency determination in order to allow students to graduate from high school. The MTA said that provision should be codified as “shall,” not “may,” under the extraordinary circumstances we are in.

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