One size does NOT fit all

Don’t Repeal MCAS – Reform It

The Problem:  Massachusetts' students suffer the unintended consequences of using MCAS-only as the measure of our state's graduation requirement.

• Since passage of the MCAS tests became the only way to fulfill the state's high school graduation standards, the drop-out rate in Massachusetts' schools has gone up.  At least 10,000 students each year are dropping out of school before graduation. These students are not getting the education they deserve and need in order to be responsible citizens.  Without a high school diploma, young adults cannot go to public colleges, cannot get a good job and cannot join the military.
  
• The state's rigid policy of using only standardized tests (MCAS) to determine whether students have met the state's graduation standards means that we are failing the very students we know need the most help:  low-income, African-American and Latino students, primarily in urban schools. We’re also making education worse for all students. National studies have found that graduation tests lead to higher dropout rates and do not improve learning for those who stay.
  
• Students drop out of school for a variety of reasons, but MCAS plays a big part. First, students who fail the tests or believe they will fail the tests drop out; second, many students who pass the tests also quit school before graduation because the focus of many schools has now become "test-prep," and important subjects such as art and music are being cut from the curriculum.
  
• Many students who pass MCAS and graduate from high school still may not be prepared for college or work. More and harder MCAS tests are not the answer. Quality education that develops the whole child is the answer.

The Solution:  Provide flexibility for students to meet the state's graduation requirements by reducing the weight of MCAS, as other states have done successfully. Focus on educating the whole child, not on testing.

• We need to provide an opportunity for all of our students to be able to meet the state's high standards by accommodating many different learning styles. We need to acknowledge that testing is not education, that measuring is not learning and that we need to find better ways to ensure that all of our students succeed. 
  
• This means that the state needs to provide alternative ways for students to meet the state's standards instead of using only MCAS. For example:
• Limiting MCAS to a certain percentage of the graduation requirement
• Requiring passing grades in courses that meet the state standards
• Using authentic assessments, such as portfolios of student work and other performance-based assessments.