Parents are in favor of abolishing the MCAS graduation requirement

Local News

The state's largest teachers union believes the MCAS graduation requirement unfairly denies diplomas to the scholars who earn it, while the business-backed opposition and a few state leaders consider eliminating the requirement will lower standards and it might allow teachers to evade accountability.

But what do parents think?

Both sides of the Question 2 race have claimed to have the support of oldsters, who’ve turn out to be increasingly vocal stakeholders in public education for the reason that COVID-19 pandemic shuttered school operations and plunged MCAS test scores.

A Boston.com poll of 721 respondents found that 55 percent of oldsters support Question 2 to eliminate the MCAS highschool graduation requirement and about 43 percent plan to vote no, while the remaining are undecided. This reflects the outcomes of three recent polls showing solid public support for Question 2.

Sherene Michlin is a special education teacher in Massachusetts. Her 18-year-old daughter, who has autism and other cognitive disabilities, has not yet passed the MCAS and is taking the standardized test in November. Michlin said she is currently paying a tutor “to teach her certain types of math so she can get enough credits to pass the MCAS.”

“(Her) elective time, instead of doing something like making music or cooking, she has to use that time for the MCAS elective,” Michlin said. “We are making a difficult situation unnecessarily more difficult for them when they should be working on other skills.”

Parents are divided, but most consider MCAS is flawed

Ivelisse Caraballo is a mother of two and executive director of the Collaboration Parent Leadership Action Network CPLANa parent-led advocacy group. Caraballo said the group won’t take a public position on Question 2 but will organize a panel discussion between stakeholders from either side.

Caraballo said parents are “divided on every issue because we all have different preferences.” We're all different.” But most parents have concerns about MCAS in general, she said.

“Many parents worry that if this doesn't truly measure my child's progress and skill level, then why? Because they realize it’s not effective,” Caraballo told Boston.com. On the other hand, “(parents) understand the problems it causes, but the unknown also creates fear.”

Jennifer Tomaneng, a mother and fourth-grade teacher in Newton, said she knows the MCAS isn't perfect but is undecided on the ballot issue. She thinks so MCAS Alternative Assessment should be applied more widely to students with disabilities or English language learners, but is hesitant to vote “yes” and remove the test as a requirement entirely.

And the number of students who do not graduate based on the MCAS test alone represents a relatively small number, she said. Should they receive diplomas?

“(MCAS levels) are low,” Tomaneng said, pointing out the worrying trend. “That's why I don't feel comfortable saying, 'Abandon the only current benchmark that says a child graduates from high school with the skills to be able to do anything they're going to do in the future, even.' to be able to pull.' to resign from an easy job.'”

Michlin, who voted yes to removing the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, said her special education classroom could help students learn life skills without teaching the test. She said teachers could still be held accountable for student performance if the ballot measure passes.

“I have so much trust in my colleagues and there are touch points for accountability in school, you have your IEP, your progress reports,” Michlin said.

“No” voters fear a lowering of standards

Tomaneng said the MCAS “should measure different things,” similar to student growth. While a state senator plans to introduce laws next 12 months that may as a substitute require a typical curriculum because the graduation standard, she believes the ballot query should establish that alternative.

Some Boston.com readers consider that prime school graduation mustn’t rely on a standardized test that might still be used to measure academic performance. Some said the test was a waste of time and cash, unfair to marginalized students and didn’t measure a student's competence.

“The school’s responsibility remains intact without tying a student’s graduation to a single test,” Palmer’s Jen wrote.

Others who oppose Question 2 consider MCAS maintains a vital standard nationwide, holds teachers and schools accountable, and can devalue a highschool diploma. Some said they would favor to supply additional accommodations to check takers who’re struggling or for the state to create a distinct standard.

“This means that a high school diploma in Massachusetts doesn’t mean much to potential employers,” wrote Michael from Saugus. “The 'teaching to the test' argument is nonsense since MCAS anyway only covers material that is part of the required curriculum.”