Mass. education commissioner proposes waiving MCAS requirement for Class of 2022
The recommended change, which will only affect the Class of 2022, will require approval by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
The state’s education commissioner on Thursday proposed exempting this year’s 11th graders from having to pass the MCAS exams in order to graduate high school next year, citing the learning disruptions created by the pandemic.
Commissioner Jeffrey Riley’s proposal represents the first time state education officials have recommended exempting an entire graduating class from passing the MCAS exams since the requirement went into effect two decades ago. It also comes as he is facing growing pressure from teachers unions, superintendents, school committees, and Beacon Hill lawmakers to scrap all the MCAS this year or postpone them to the fall.
The recommended change, which will only affect the Class of 2022, will require approval by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
This year’s 11th graders were confronting a tight timeline to pass the MCAS exams. Students take the English and math exams during their sophomore year, and many take the science exam their freshman year.
However, the closure of school buildings last spring due to the pandemic prompted state officials to scrap the MCAS tests, and many high schools, particularly in urban areas, continue to operate remotely or have just begun offering in-person instruction on a part-time basis.
Juniors can still take the MCAS if they want to qualify for the Adams Scholarship and Koplik Certificate of Mastery.
In another big change, the state education department will allow students in grades 3-8 who are learning from home to take the MCAS remotely. That option is not being provided to high school students.
Riley also plans to extend to June 11 the testing timeline for administering the the MCAS exams in grades 3 through 8 and grade 10. The move comes as the state is pushing local districts to resume full-time, in-person classroom instruction. Elementary schools should fully reopen no later than April 5 and middle schools by April 28. A date has not been set yet for high schools.
“The MCAS tests will provide Massachusetts educators and families critical insight into academic losses that must be addressed, as well as data on which students and districts have been most impacted by the disruptions in schooling,” the state education department said in a statement. “Administering the MCAS will make it possible to reliably assess students’ progress in relation to curriculum standards.”
State education officials have already made a number of other modifications to the MCAS exams this year, including shortening the length of the exams and allowing this year’s graduating seniors, who have not yet passed the exams, to use academic course grades instead.
The Department also extended the testing window for the ACCESS testing for English language proficiency from February until May 20.
Under federal law, states are required to test students annually in math and English in grades 3 through 8 and in one grade level in high school. Additionally, testing in science is required once in elementary, middle, and high schools.
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