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.

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.

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.”

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.

Originally Published: October 13, 2024 at 9:07 p.m.