MTA urges education officials to limit MCAS uses
MTA urges education officials to limit MCAS uses
MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy released the following statement in response to proposed uses of MCAS scores for determining student competency. Page and McCarthy provided additional written testimony to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
No single test is a satisfactory measure of the skills our students need to be successful, which is why voters overwhelmingly voted to end the high-stakes use of MCAS as a high school graduation requirement.
The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association urge the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to take that message seriously.
BESE and DESE are considering policies and practices that will continue the outsized influence that MCAS has had on classroom instruction. This runs counter to what families are demanding from public education.
BESE and DESE are considering policies and practices that will continue the outsized influence that MCAS has had on classroom instruction. This runs counter to what families are demanding from public education.
Our state’s academic standards lay out the route for our students to prepare for careers, higher education and – most importantly – engaged citizenship. The MCAS does not set the standard or ensure that students are prepared for their next steps.
We oppose plans that would undermine the goal of Question 2, which was to promote more authentic teaching and learning based on our state’s academic standards and curriculum frameworks. Comparing MCAS scores with competency determinations based on satisfactory completion of coursework continues to draw a false analogy and could allow districts to put more focus on test preparation than on diversified, high-quality teaching.
What we learned during the Question 2 campaign from students, educators and families is that they want schools that focus on the critical thinking skills and academic foundations that matter, and not on test prep. This is why we support legislation that makes the MassCore curriculum a required course of study across the Commonwealth.
We are at a critical moment when we can reshape public education in Massachusetts to best meet the needs of our students, our communities and our country. It’s time we look beyond standardized testing and toward the coursework and teaching that readies our students for the future.
The MTA looks forward to playing an active role in creating graduation guidelines, and urges a public, transparent process that charts a course for Massachusetts to maintain its role as a national leader in public education.