Massachusetts governor will oppose dropping MCAS graduation requirement in upcoming ballot question
BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey will oppose the Massachusetts Teachers Association-led ballot question that would eliminate the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement in the state, according to the secretary of education.
Speaking with WBZ political analyst Jon Keller, Massachusetts Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler said he supports a state standard for high school graduation.
"That question, if it passes, would deliver us to a place of no standard - essentially 351 different standards for high school graduation," said Tutwiler. "I don't believe that is the right direction to go, the governor does not believe that it's the direction to go."
While the question would drop the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, it would not dropped standardized test-taking. Federal law requires an English and math test in third through eighth grade and once in high school.
"The test will stay there. It'll still be important because it's part of the accountability system," said Tutwiler.
Tutwiler said he is open to looking at the test and seeing if it can be changed.
MTA and some parents support ending MCAS
The MTA unanimously voted in August 2023 to support the ballot question, saying the lengthy standardized test forces teachers to prepare their classrooms specifically for MCAS, rather than having more flexibility in curriculum.
"We are a union that is committed to fixing a key part of what is wrong in public schools, that is this over-reliance on high-stakes testing," said MTA President Max Page when WBZ TV spoke with him in August. "What students will be judged on is successfully passing the curriculum that shows they have mastered our state standards - grades in courses."
Some parents also support removing the requirement. Lexington mother Shelley Scruggs pointed out to WBZ TV last summer that not all students are good at test taking.
"Passing grades, enough class credits and good attendance," said Scruggs. "When I went to high school, when most went to high school 20 years ago, that's all you needed."
For more on Keller's interview with Tutwiler, watch Keller @ Large on WBZ TV at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, March 3.