MTA president responds to Gov Healey’s recent comments about MCAS
MTA president responds to Gov Healey’s recent comments about MCAS
MTA President Max Page issued the following statement.
Thirty years ago, educators with the Massachusetts Teachers Association and our allies won a lawsuit – the McDuffy decision – helping to pass the Education Reform Act of 1993, which created the highest academic standards in the nation for every public school in Massachusetts.
"The MCAS is not a 'standard' – it is, in fact, just a test of some of the state standards."
These standards and detailed curriculum frameworks shape every part of the educational experience – what students are taught, teacher preparation and licensure, curriculum development, and the way students are evaluated in their courses. These standards, seen nationwide as the gold standard, are precisely about making sure there is consistency across the state.
The MCAS is not a “standard” – it is, in fact, just a test of some of the state standards. Our ballot question will create a much more accurate structure to measure whether students have the skills and knowledge required by our state standards by basing those assessments on a full year of classroom tests, papers, projects, all evaluated by our outstanding teachers. Proponents of keeping the MCAS graduation requirement should stop mischaracterizing the relationship between the standardized exam and our state’s model academic standards.