Gov. Healey, MA Teachers Clash Over New High School Graduation Proposals

MASSACHUSETTS — A new system of statewide core subject assessment tests to replace the single 10th-grade MCAS test — which Bay State voters rejected as a graduation requirement in a statewide ballot initiative in 2024 — is being condemned as a system that "poisons a once-in-a-generation opportunity" to move away from standardized tests in assessing student proficiency, according to the Massachusetts Teachers Association.

The MTA panned Gov. Maura Healey's embracing of the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council's proposal that it says would replace the MCAS with what the Healey-Driscoll administration called "a statewide graduation framework that would set nation-leading expectations for every school and prepare all students for success after graduation."

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Under the proposed plan, students would be tested for proficiency in a core set of subject areas with "an assessment system that ensures schools are giving students the skills they need to set them up for success."

Healey said no single test will represent a barrier to graduation for any student, and the 10th Grade MCAS exam would be phased out as part of this new framework. She said the end-of-course assessments "will be a more targeted and relevant approach to assessment than our current high school MCAS."

"Massachusetts has always led the way in education, and today represents another step forward on that path," Healey said on Monday. "I want every parent to know that when your kids go to a Massachusetts school, they are getting the best education that prepares them for success — whether they choose higher education, a trade, skills-based employment or the military.

"That's what today is about."

But the MTA said the use of any statewide standardized test defies the will of the voters, which passed the Question 2 referendum, effectively ending the MCAS high school graduation requirement by a 60-40 percent margin.

"MTA members and allies are committed to protecting the victory they achieved in passing Question 2 and ending the harm of using standardized MCAS exams as a graduation requirement," Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy said in a joint statement on Monday. "We will vigorously fight any attempt to reinstitute statewide standardized tests as a graduation requirement.

"The failed system of excessive testing should be over."

Healey said the framework released on Monday "represents a first step, and the administration is committed to engaging with educators, parents, and all stakeholders to finalize the details."

The new framework, if adopted, would also include a financial literacy component, capstone projects that could include research, a written assignment and a final presentation, and portfolios that are collections of students' best work that demonstrates "mastery in one content area or across content areas."

"Our goal is simple but transformative," Secretary of Education and Graduation Council Co-Chair Patrick Tutwiler said. ".We want every Massachusetts graduate to walk across that stage prepared not just with a diploma, but with a clear sense of purpose and the skills to pursue it.

"The recommendations create a clear, equitable framework that will strengthen our schools and our communities for generations to come."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)