This op-ed appeared in The Contrarian Boston
By Matt Hills
I ask all Massachusetts voters to vote NO on Question 2. This initiative would eliminate the state’s only common standard for high school graduation.
If the ballot question is approved, the quality of Massachusetts public school education would be harmed and inequities would further widen, especially for our most vulnerable students. It is bad education policy, and is unfair and unjust for our students and families.
The grade 10 MCAS graduation requirement is the state’s only opportunity to ensure common, minimum education standards for all public high schools and provide some consistency across more than 300 school districts. The requirement is part of several decades of bi-partisan education policy providing much more state funding for local school districts together with standards and accountability for better results. As a result, we have seen meaningful increases in achievement and graduation rates and a narrowing of gaps, results that have made Massachusetts a national leader.
Question 2 is not “repeal and replace”, but only “repeal” with a prohibition on any statewide assessment requirement. If this initiative passes, each district will determine its own graduation requirements, taking us backwards to the days of lower levels of achievement and higher gaps especially for our most vulnerable students. We will return to the time of more than 300 graduation standards for more than 300 districts. We have a constitutional obligation and moral responsibility to continue and not reverse our progress.
There is a significant gap between reality and fiction in the campaign for Question 2. Certain key facts, backed by actual data, help clarify what is at stake.
If Question 2 is approved then Massachusetts will be one of only three states without comprehensive statewide graduation requirements. We will be a problematic and unfortunate outlier among states.
Grade 10 MCAS scores are predictive of future life outcomes including income and likelihood of enrolling and completing two- or four-year college. This is true for every racial, ethnic and other student group. Preparing our students for the workforce or further education are key goals of a successful K-12 education. The data confirms that MCAS is testing knowledge central to post-grade 12 opportunities and serves a crucial purpose.
Approximately one percent of the statewide graduating class of 70,000 students does not receive a graduation diploma only because they have not passed the grade 10 MCAS by the end of grade 12. It is meant to be a minimum standard, and almost all students meet or exceed that standard.
This is not a one-time test. There are five opportunities to pass the grade 10 MCAS in high school including once in grade 10 and twice each in grades 11 and 12. Ninety-two percent of those who pass do so on their first attempt in grade 10, and almost all do so by the end of grade 11. There are additional appeals processes for special needs students and for students with good grades but who are “bad test takers”, and approximately 75 percent of appeals have been granted.
Much has been made of the supposed impact of the graduation requirement on English Learners. The data does not support the allegations, and analysis indicates that less than one percent of EL students do not receive a graduation diploma solely because of a language barrier with the MCAS graduation requirement.
There is significant teacher involvement with MCAS. Each year 265 educators review and provide feedback on test items, and 280 educators participated on panels to set standards from 2017-2022.
The MCAS graduation requirement helps assure that all Massachusetts graduates have met a minimum consistent set of standards before they graduate based on grade 10 standards. Classroom preparation should consist of teaching the grade 10 content and standards that are supposed to be taught as part of the curriculum.
There are good reasons that this referendum is opposed by many elected leaders and educators including Governor Healey, Lt. Governor Driscoll, Attorney General Campbell, Secretary of Education Tutwiler and previous Democratic and Republican Secretaries of Education, House Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, and a wide range of elected and community leaders.
Question 2 would result in a harmful and regressive education policy, and I urge you to vote No.
Matt Hills, a Newton resident and parent of four, is a former Newton School Committee chair and current vice chair of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
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