The facts at Springfield’s public schools offer a different story than one told last week at the Statehouse. Advocates from across Massachusetts testified before lawmakers that the MCAS – the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System – has been 20-year failure and the test, which stands as a graduation requirement for high school seniors, should be abolished.
Let’s examine one of the central arguments for those pushing for adoption of the Thrive Act, a bill lawmakers are considering. Having to pass the MCAS test in high school, advocates say, harms the state’s most vulnerable students, those who have recently immigrated here and do not speak English as a first language, others with disabilities, and students living in poverty. Together these students are considered high needs.
In addition to this proposed law, the future of the MCAS tests may appear as a referendum question in 2024. It is time for voters to start paying attention.
