Measure on the ballot in the 2024 Massachusetts General Election in Massachusetts.
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Get StartedAllow MA state law to repeal the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school
A "yes" vote supports repealing the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school.
A "no" vote opposes repealing the requirement that students must achieve a certain competency level on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam to graduate high school.
"I think that assessment is important, we need to be able to assess how our young people are doing. So I do not support getting rid of MCAS. I think there's a question about what do we do for young people, and there are about 700 each year, who are unable to pass MCAS and therefore do not receive a high school diploma. We've got to find a way to take care of those young people, get them what they need, and see them through. So that's a different discussion that my team is engaged on right now. But I think that it's important to maintain the ability to assess our young people." - Gov. Maura Healey of MA, in opposition to Question 2 (Learn more)
"Massachusetts residents are ready to join the vast majority of states that have scrapped the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement and instead use authentic, educator-designed assessments of student skills. The MCAS will still be taken, as is required by federal law, but it will be used for diagnostic purposes, and not as a high-stakes test required for earning a diploma." - Max Page, President of Massachusetts Teachers Association, in support of Question 2 (Learn more)
"Importantly, we know from Brown University research that ‘high school MCAS scores predict long-term success and appear to reflect students' academic skills,' not simply socio-economic status or school characteristics... We can't eliminate gaps in achievement and equity if we strip ourselves of the tools to measure them. Instead of wasting time fighting for legislation that does away with the graduation standard, a true commitment to equity requires we focus squarely on helping all students meet it." - Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education, in opposition to Question 2 (Learn more)
"Like tens of thousands of union members in Massachusetts, I am a parent with children in public schools who sees firsthand the effects of high-stakes testing on students' learning environments. All children deserve a comprehensive education. Making MCAS a high-stakes exam has narrowed the curriculum and made it more difficult for educators to tailor lessons to the needs of students." - Chrissy Lynch, President of Massachusetts AFL-CIO, in support of Question 2 (Learn more)
Under this proposed law, to satisfy the competency requirement for high school graduation, students would either be required to achieve a minimum score on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) (or other statewide or district-wide assessments) or be required to satisfy school or district requirements for class credits, grades and attendance. This proposed law would still require students to take the MCAS in the tenth grade, and those students who do not achieve a minimum score would be required to take the test a second time (in either the eleventh or twelfth grades). Students who enter Massachusetts schools in the eleventh or twelfth grades would only be required to take the MCAS one time. This proposed law would allow former students who were denied their high school diplomas solely due to poor MCAS performance to request and receive their high school diplomas if they previously satisfied school or district requirements for class credits, grades and attendance. This proposed law would prohibit any information about a student’s MCAS performance from being included on the student’s official high school transcript without the student’s written permission.
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