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Parents weigh in on removing the MCAS graduation requirement
Fifty-five percent of parents support Question 2 to eliminate the MCAS graduation requirement and around 43 percent are planning to vote no, according to a Boston.com survery.
The state’s largest teacher’s union thinks that the MCAS graduation requirement unfairly keeps diplomas from students who earn them, while the business-backed opposition and some state leaders think removing the requirement would lower standards and let teachers evade accountability.
But what do parents think?
Both sides of the Question 2 ballot fight have claimed to have the support of parents, who have been an increasingly more vocal stakeholder in public education since the COVID-19 pandemic derailed schooling and plummeted MCAS test scores.
A Boston.com poll of 721 respondents showed that 55 percent of parents support Question 2 to eliminate the MCAS high school graduation requirement and around 43 percent are planning to vote “no,” with the rest undecided. That reflects the results of three recent polls showing solid public support behind Question 2.
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Sherene Michlin is a special education teacher in Massachusetts. Her 18-year-old daughter, who has autism and other cognitive disabilities, hasn’t passed the MCAS yet and is taking the standardized test in November. Michlin said she currently pays a tutor “to teach her how to do certain kinds of math, so that she can get enough points right to pass the MCAS.”
“(Her) elective period, instead of doing something like music or cooking, she has to use that time for the MCAS elective,” Michlin said. “We’re making a difficult situation so unnecessarily harder for them when they should be working on other skills.”
Parents are divided, but most think MCAS is flawed
Ivelisse Caraballo is a parent of two and the executive director of the Collaboration Parent Leadership Action Network, or CPLAN, a parent-led advocacy group. Caraballo said the group won’t take a public stance Question 2, but will organize a panel discussion between stakeholders on both sides.
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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.
“A lot of parents’ concern is, if this isn’t really measuring my child’s progress, their competency level, then why have it? Because they recognize that it’s not effective.” Caraballo told Boston.com. On the other hand, “(parents) understand the issues that it causes, but the unknown also produces fear.”
Jennifer Tomaneng, a parent and fourth grade teacher in Newton, says she knows the MCAS isn’t perfect but is undecided about the ballot question. She thinks the MCAS-Alternate Assessment should be more widely applied to students with disabilities or English learners but is hesitant to vote yes to remove the test as a requirement completely.
And, the students not graduating solely due to the MCAS test represent a relatively low number, she said. Should they receive diplomas?
“(MCAS scores) are low,” Tomaneng said, pointing to the concerning trend. “So I am not comfortable saying, ‘Get rid of the only current measure we have that says a kid has graduated high school with the skills to be able to do whatever they’re going to do in the future, even be able to pull down a basic job.’”
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Michlin, who is voting yes to remove the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement, said without teaching to the test, her special education classroom could help students with everyday life skills. She said teachers can still be held accountable for student achievement if the ballot measure passes.
“I have so much faith in my colleagues, and there are touch points for accountability in the school, you have your IEP, your progress reports,” Michlin said.
‘No’ voters worry about lowering standards
Tomaneng said the MCAS “should measure different things,” like student growth. While a state senator plans file legislation next year to instead require a standard curriculum as a graduation standard, she thinks the ballot question should introduce that replacement.
Some Boston.com readers think that high school graduation shouldn’t hinge on one standardized test, which could still be used to measure school performance. Some said the test is a waste of money and time, is unfair to marginalized students, and doesn’t measure a student’s competency.
“School accountability will remain without tying a student’s graduation to one test,” wrote Jen, from Palmer.
Others against Question 2 think that MCAS keeps an important standard across the state, holds teachers and schools accountable, and will devalue a high school diploma. Some said they’d prefer additional accommodations to struggling test-takers or for the state to create a different standard.
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“It will mean a Massachusetts high school diploma won’t mean much to potential employers,” Michael from Saugus wrote. “The ‘teaching to the test’ argument is nonsense, since MCAS only includes material that (is) part of the required curriculum anyway.”
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