Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler made the case against the ballot question to nix the MCAS testing graduation requirement Sunday — among the many statewide and community officials making last ditch pitches on the chance to upend the state’s education system ahead of the approaching election.
Tutwiler said on WCVB’s On the Record on Sunday he and Gov. Maura Healey believe the question poses a threat to how Massachusetts has gotten the “best public schools in the country.”
“We got to this place because of the incredible teachers that we have here in Massachusetts, and their work closely with families and with students, and also because of a system of assessment and accountability we have, in partnership with the resources that we bring to bear on student learning,” Tutwiler argued. “Here, the ballot question seeks to take a piece of this away, and we’re deeply concerned about that.”
Question 2, which will appear on the Nov. 5 election, would get rid of the state’s standardized testing graduation requirement for high school students, replacing it with criteria determined by local districts informed by state standards. Students would continue to take the test as an assessment tool.
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Politicians and education officials throughout Massachusetts remain deeply divided over Question 2.
Along with leaders from statewide teachers’ MTA and AFT union, Question 2, to eliminate the test requirement, has garnered endorsements from Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Lori Trahan, Rep. Jim McGovern, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, and 55 state legislators — among other business and local leaders.
Many of the politicians expressed the need to support teachers, concern for student left behind by the MCAS graduation requirement, and interest in finding a better, “more comprehensive” approach to assess students
“In Massachusetts, we believe that every student deserves a high quality education that sets them up for success — and the opportunity to demonstrate their true potential, regardless of whether or not they are good at standardized testing,” said McGovern, the first of the federal Massachusetts delegates to support the initiative. “That’s why I believe we need to move beyond the MCAS high school graduation requirement.”
But other state leaders, along with Tutwiler, have expressed adamant opposition to moving away from the testing requirement. Those include Gov. Maura Healey, state Speaker of the House Ron Mariano, state Senate President Karen Spilka, and multiple former Education Secretaries.
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Education and business groups in opposition include Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, and Greater Boston and other Chambers of Commerce.
Tutwiler pushed back on throwing out the testing requirement to aid the students held back from graduation, noting 99% of students meeting local graduation requirement pass the MCAS.
“About 700 students of the 70,000 graduates are not able to cross the stage because of the MCAS,” said Tutwiler. “We know who those students are, and I think we need to be focused on meeting their needs, not changing the entire system.”
Polling has shown strong voter support for the question as well. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released in October showed 58% of voters said they would vote in favor of Question 2, while 37% said they would vote no.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was one of the few to say she was “torn” over Question 2 and would not publicly state her position. The mayor expressed support for moving away from a standardized testing requirement but concern over “the alternative this puts in place in terms of what would replace (the MCAS) to maintain high standards.”
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Tutwiler echoed the concern Sunday that the question leaves no uniform assessment standard for Massachusetts students, saying the question leaves room for each of the 351 towns and municipalities in Massachusetts to make up their own.
The Education Secretary also pushed back on the idea that teachers are forced to “teach to the test,” calling it simply a “catchy phrase.”
“I don’t even know what that looks like — does that mean that each day there’s test prep happening in classrooms across the Commonwealth? No, that’s not happening,” Tutwiler said. “Remember what the MCAS is. It is simply a measure of the Massachusetts learning standards, and students mastery of those learning standards.”
Tutwiler did not address Sunday what the state’s plan may be if the question is passed on Nov. 5.
It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.
In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.
In Danvers, Mass. the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars on March 4, 2026.
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CBS Boston
In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.
Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”
The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.
“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.
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“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.
Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.
“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”
With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.
“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man.
Massachusetts families are stuck in the Middle East amid the war in Iran, and Democratic Sen. Ed Markey says the State Department needs to do more to get them home.
The Trump administration is telling Americans to leave the region, and families would love to, but they haven’t been able to get out.
Stacey Schuhwerk of Hingham has been sheltering in place in a Doha hotel since Saturday.
“We hear the missiles outside,” she said. “We can see them.”
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The Hingham mother and her son are among nearly 1,600 Americans trapped in the Middle East with no way to get home.
“Airspace is shut down. There’s no planes,” said Schuhwerk. “There’s no way to leave.”
Flights between Boston and the Middle East are canceled or delayed as travelers express anxiety over the conflict.
At first, U.S. officials told people to shelter in place and register with the State Department — something Schuhwerk did days ago.
“There’s no help there. The last time we called was 20 minutes ago, and they continue to say that ‘We don’t know anything about any plans for government help to get people out,’” she said.
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Embassies and consulates across the region — including the U.S. Embassy in Israel — have now suspended services, saying they simply can’t get Americans out.
“They did not have a plan to conduct this war, and they clearly did not have a plan as to how to evacuate innocent families,” Markey said.
The senator says his office is hearing from Massachusetts families, and he’s pressuring the Trump administration to come up with an evacuation plan fast.
“We are going to apply that pressure on the State Department until every American who wants to leave that region is out,” he said.
Back in Doha, Schuhwerk keeps watching the war outside her window.
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“The talk here is ‘How much defensive ammunition’s left?’ Good question, you know, because the missiles aren’t stopping,” she said. “So how long are we going to be safe here?”
With no clear end to this conflict, she’s worried she could be stuck there for weeks.
Happy Tuesday! While today started off dry, we’re already looking at snow out there across the area. While this event will primarily stay as rain on the Cape and islands, it will be an icy mix of snow, ice and rain for the rest of us.
The rain/snow line will continue to advance from the south to the north as the evening progresses. Before the changeover, there will be a quick coating to 2 inches for most of our area.
The threshold between the snow and rain will feature sleet and freezing rain, leading to that icing.
For the rest of the night, there will primarily be rain with continued pockets of freezing rain, leading to increasing spotty ice accretion. Be extremely careful on roads, especially since switching between rain and freezing rain can wash off any road salt.
The rain and freezing rain will exit by 6 a.m. Wednesday, but temperatures will still be close to freezing during the morning commute, so watch out for some spotty black ice.
The rest of Wednesday will be really nice! Highs will warm up to the mid 50s with the help of ample sun.
Thursday we start off in the mid 20s and top off in the mid 40s. We’ll be partly sunny with another chance for some wintry weather Thursday night. This primarily looks like some rain and freezing rain, rather than the triple threat with snow too. We’ll keep an eye on that for you.
That will continue into Friday morning. The rest of Friday: cloudy with a chance for a spot shower and highs cooler again in the upper 30s. Saturday will be dry, breezy and cloudy but gorgeous near 50 degrees! There’s a chance for some rain showers Saturday night. Don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you to go bed!
Sunday we start the day mild in the 40s and make it all the way into the upper 50s with more sun. Monday and Tuesday both look bright and in the 60s! Stay tuned.
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