Now Mass. can focus less on the test and more on funding and resource gaps
Voters and educators have spoken: The MCAS graduation requirement did more harm than good. The worry over uneven graduation standards, highlighted in Mandy McLaren’s recent front-page story, misses the point (“MCAS fall leaves no state standard: Wide variation in high school graduation rules,” Dec. 3).
For the people who believe the MCAS exams serve a purpose, both the tests and the data they generate still exist. The real issue is the longstanding gap in resources across districts, driven by funding inequities. Not every district can offer the full MassCore curriculum, but every district allows students to pursue it, keeping them eligible for admittance to the University of Massachusetts and the state’s other public colleges and universities. More than 83 percent of students completed MassCore in the 2022-23 school year, according to state data.
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Instead of fixating on standardized tests (a multibillion-dollar industry), we need to address funding and resource gaps. The conditions in which students learn matter far more than any standardized test. Massachusetts has strong academic standards in place. What’s missing is ensuring that every school is fully staffed with qualified educators and equipped with modern facilities. That’s how you guarantee the real value of a Massachusetts high school diploma.
Deb Gesualdo
Danvers
The writer is a music educator in the Malden Public Schools and president of the Malden Education Association.
Education equity is at risk without a uniform graduation requirement
A 2023 survey of US educators found that 90 percent of teachers support using a summative measure to track student learning from the beginning to the end of the year. Yet Massachusetts voters’ recent approval of Question 2, doing away with MCAS as a graduation requirement, leaves the Commonwealth without accountability for a statewide standard to measure student success. Education equity is at risk across the state.
As reporter Mandy McLaren indicated, student needs and resources vary widely among the many school districts in Massachusetts. Without a uniform graduation assessment that identifies and addresses unique needs and conditions, student achievement gaps between affluent and high-needs communities will only grow. Alarmingly, as of 2024, only 23 percent of educators nationwide believe that their schools effectively meet the academic needs of all students, including those in diverse subgroups.
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The Commonwealth currently boasts some of the best public schools in the nation, but this status is in jeopardy. Without a uniform graduation standard, students in different districts could earn diplomas with vastly different levels of preparation, jeopardizing their readiness for the future. Education officials must prioritize implementing a clear, statewide graduation requirement to ensure that every graduate has the skills needed to succeed.
Lisa Lazare
Executive director
Educators for Excellence - Massachusetts
Boston
High-stakes exit exam is not the best way to prepare students for the paths ahead
While it’s true that graduation requirements may vary among the state’s largest districts, a high-stakes exit exam wasn’t necessarily the silver bullet we needed to ensure that our students were leaving high school prepared for what’s next.
Employers are increasingly calling for workers equipped with durable skills such as creativity, communication, and problem-solving. Passing a high-stakes exit exam doesn’t usually meet this mark. Instead, let’s look to a different range of assessments that would better tell us how young people are doing.
Performance-based assessments and tasks, including portfolios, presentations, and real-world capstone projects, better reflect the science of learning and allow students to utilize a range of skills to demonstrate their knowledge of content. Some of this work has already started in places like Chelsea and Devens. Can the state follow suit and use this opportunity to create innovative local assessment systems that ensure students develop the competencies they need to thrive in our schools, our communities, and the futures they desire?
Laurie Gagnon
Somerville
The writer is a program director at the Aurora Institute, a national education nonprofit.
