Mass. voters pass initiative ending MCAS graduation requirement
Photo | Courtesy of State House News Service
Max Page of the Mass. Teachers Association speaks at an election night party on Tuesday in support of Question 2,
Massachusetts students will no longer have to pass the MCAS exam to earn a diploma in Massachusetts.
Question 2, which advanced with a hard push by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, prevailed in Tuesday's election. The Associated Press called the win for the yes campaign overnight. The measure was favored by 59 percent of voters with 88 percent of the vote in.
Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, told supporters gathered at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel at around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday that "we feel like we are on the road to victory" and that proponents of the initiative petition were "thrilled."
Question 2 repeals the requirement that students pass the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam, which public school students are required to take in 10th grade, in order to graduate high school. Students will instead have to complete coursework certified by the local school district as meeting state standards in math, science and English, as well as any additional areas determined by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Supporters argued the MCAS is a "one-size-fits-all exam" that failed to properly measure student achievement, and shouldn't be used as a barrier to a diploma for the 1 percent of students each year who were unable to pass the test, but otherwise met the requirements to graduate. They also said replacing the MCAS with district-certified measures would allow teachers to stop "teaching to the test."
“Massachusetts residents know that true learning is about much more than can be measured by a single standardized test and have now given teachers the ability to create safer and stronger learning environments where setting and meeting high standards is embedded in every aspect of a school’s curriculum," said American Federation of Teachers Mass. President Jessica Tang. "This is an important step toward addressing the systemic opportunity gaps that are exacerbated by decades of overreliance on a one-size-fits-all standardized test.”
Opponents, backed mainly by business groups, said Question 2 would remove the state's only statewide graduation standard, and lessen the value of a Massachusetts high school degree. They also said the question would increase inequality if some school districts lowered their standards so students could graduate, while other districts kept their graduation requirements high.
Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell, House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka all opposed the question. Both Spilka and Mariano last month left the door open to legislative action should the question pass.
"We'll see. We'll have some discussions if it passes, and then we'll follow up. You know, I am not in favor of getting rid of MCAS. I believe that it's done, some assessment has done, Massachusetts well. So we will, we will discuss," Spilka said of a possible role for legislators.
Mariano said, "Well, someone has to evaluate what we're doing in our public school system."
In a statement after the question was called, John Schneider, chair of the Question 2 opposition campaign, mentioned that top elected officials were against "removing our only statewide standard for public high school graduation" and knocked the "massive special interest spending" and the alleged "misrepresentation of the consequences of Question 2" by its supporters.
"While we are disappointed with the result, the discussion about educational equity and academic standards does not end with this vote," Schneider said. "Eliminating the graduation requirement without a replacement is reckless. The passage of Question 2 opens the door to greater inequity; our coalition intends to ensure that door does not stay open. Those responsible for our state’s public education system need to have an honest conversation about whether moving forward with this proposal is the right decision for Massachusetts."
At a post-election gathering, MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy pushed back against the prospect of legislative changes on Tuesday.
"We may go to bed tonight with not 100 percent certainty on the results, but I know for certain when we wake up tomorrow, we are committed to defend our win," she said. "And we are not going to let anybody take it away from us. People have spoken, and we are going to be united."
Auditor Diana DiZoglio joined Question 2 supporters in Copley Square and also bristled at the prospect of changes to the voter law.
"We are going to, on a united front, be standing up to the Beacon Hill establishment to call on them to respect the will of the voters on these matters," DiZoglio said.
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