The MCAS is a lifeline
This teacher recommends a NO vote on Question 2.
This teacher recommends a NO vote on Question 2.
Mass. voters are being asked whether the state should nix the MCAS as a graduation requirement for public high school students. The linked NYT article — admirably neutral on the merits of the proposition — calls it “a major change to the public school system widely seen as the nation’s best.”
That sentence alone should give anyone pause.
Some of the reasons cited by supporters: disadvantaged kids constitute a disproportionate number of those who fail; teachers are forced to teach to the test; only nine states still have such a threshold-for-graduation test. And the teacher’s union “spearheaded” the whole thing!
I’m proud to be a member of my union, but in my view, they (in league with school administrations) tend to meet hurdles by lowering the bar. It is possible to kill with kindness. Enough laxity has already been introduced since Covid. Kids need objective standards, and core academic teachers must face the job before them — which is, I admit, an incredibly difficult one: to help them all meet reasonably high standards.
Especially the ones who are struggling. You want equity? Don’t limit deep learning to the fortunate ones: the ones whose habits, gifts, and parents will lead them to success in school, while the rest limp through and graduate by virtue of the whims and wishful thinking of exhausted educators.
Fewer than 1% of high school seniors are denied a diploma due to the MCAS requirement. Yes, most of those are English Language Learners or have learning disabilities. That’s sad but it’s not surprising. If a diploma is to indicate anything about a student’s academic preparation, it can’t be reduced to a participation trophy.