Opponents of MCAS graduation requirement join forces
Opponents of MCAS graduation requirement join forces
Proponents of two ballot initiatives aimed at ending the MCAS graduation requirement for public schools have joined together on a single campaign to require Massachusetts to replace the standardized exam with local certification of academic achievement to earn a high school diploma.
Shelley Scruggs, a Lexington parent who filed the first petition regarding the MCAS graduation requirement, explained:
“My co-signers and I embarked on a ballot initiative as enthusiastic parent advocates to end the MCAS requirement for graduation. We were both relieved and excited to learn that the Committee to Eliminate Barriers to Student Success for All was also gearing up for this fight and had the backing of the Massachusetts Teachers Association and its allies.”
At the time, Scruggs said her motivation stemmed from her own experiences watching her son do well in school but struggle with standardized tests.
The committee she formed had planned to reach out to the state’s educator unions for assistance with gathering the signatures needed to place a question on the 2024 ballot, Scruggs said.
“Massachusetts students, families and schools will only benefit from this combined campaign to replace the MCAS graduation requirement with a more suitable and authentic demonstration of student ability,” she said.
“Massachusetts students, families and schools will only benefit from this combined campaign to replace the MCAS graduation requirement with a more suitable and authentic demonstration of student ability."
Shelley Scruggs, a Lexington parent who filed the first petition regarding the MCAS graduation requirement
MTA President Max Page said that having one ballot question in November 2024 related to the MCAS graduation requirement will be less confusing for voters. He added that seeing two questions filed on the topic demonstrated the appetite for change.
“We all share the same goals of maintaining high standards in Massachusetts schools and ensuring that every student granted a diploma has mastered academic skills aligned with state curriculum frameworks,” Page said. “Massachusetts residents are ready to join the vast majority of states that have scrapped the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement and instead use authentic, educator-designed assessments of student skills. The MCAS will still be taken, as is required by federal law, but it will be used for diagnostic purposes, and not as a high-stakes test required for earning a diploma.”
“Massachusetts residents are ready to join the vast majority of states that have scrapped the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement and instead use authentic, educator-designed assessments of student skills."
MTA President Max Page
The new coalition will back the version of the MCAS ballot question supported by the MTA Board of Directors. The question asks voters to replace the MCAS graduation requirement with a locally developed certification of academic proficiency.