The Massachusetts high school Class of 2003 was the first required to pass a test to graduate.
The impact of the mandate, part of the state’s education reform law known as the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System or MCAS, was felt within two years.
In 2005, Massachusetts public school students outperformed students in all other states in all subjects tested on the National Assessment of Educational Progress. They have continued to do so for most years since then.
Sounds like the state has something that really works. Who would want to get rid of the requirement?
Teachers.
A question on the November election ballot will ask the state’s voters to end the graduation test. The referendum is being pushed hard by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers’ union.
Each year, more than 70,000 students starting in the third grade take the standardized tests. Students in Grade 10 are required to pass the math, English and science exams to graduate from high school.
The MTA and other critics argue that Massachusetts has become an outlier as one of only eight states that require students to pass a test to graduate from high school. They also cite recent research showing that passing an exit exam does not increase students’ academic achievement or employment rates but merely improves their test-taking skills.
Instead of a test, the MTA say students will be “eligible for a high school diploma if, among other requirements, they complete coursework demonstrating mastery of competencies in our state’s high academic standards.”
We understand the concerns.
Yes, the tests consume a lot of time and resources.
Yes, the MCAS needs improvement. As we have said in the past, we urge Gov. Maura Healey and the Legislature to order a study to review and put into place innovative ways to assess performance in our public schools.
But, no, Massachusetts voters should not eliminate the graduation test. There are many reasons why.
Massachusetts may be one of only eight states that mandate a graduation test, but many countries with top-ranked public schools require them.
Independent research shows that students whose scores were boosted in Grade 10 earned over 20 percent more by age 30.
“The higher the MCAS scores, the greater the future earnings,” one researcher told the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The teachers’ union also says the MCAS is merely a reflection of the students’ zip codes — in short, their socioeconomic status.
But even within zip codes, MCAS scores can vary, depending on whether students attend good schools or poor or mediocre ones.
Most importantly, eliminating the graduation test would strip the state of its ability to assess schools and teachers and to intervene when a district is underperforming.
We urge voters to retain the graduation test. We have a system that is working. Our schools are among the best in the country.
There’s no reason for change.