MCAS graduation requirement waived for Class of 2022

BOSTON — This year’s high school junior class will not need to pass MCAS tests to graduate high school, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education decided on Tuesday.

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Passing 10th grade English and math MCAS exams is typically a requirement to graduate, known as competency determination. Last year’s 10th graders, the class of 2022, did not have an opportunity to take those tests last spring because education officials obtained a federal waiver and legislative approval to cancel the spring 2020 MCAS administration in the early days of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Juniors will still be able to take the test in the spring and next fall to pursue scholarship opportunities, but the board voted to modify graduation requirements for the class of 2022 to allow those students to demonstrate competency in a particular subject by completing a relevant course instead of earning a passing MCAS score.

The board also voted to solicit public comment on Commissioner Jeff Riley’s proposed amendments to admissions regulations for vocational-technical schools. Among other changes, Riley’s proposal would give the schools flexibility to set their own admissions policies “that promote equitable access,” and would remove the requirement to use grades, attendance, discipline record, and counselor recommendation as admissions criteria.

MORE: State to postpone spring MCAS testing for grades 3-8

Two Chelsea High School students, Aya Faiz and Emily Menjivar told the board during its public comment period that those criteria can create barriers for students of color, who can face bias at school.

“We are handed higher expectations despite usually being from schools that have fewer resources and we are punished more severely for not meeting them,” Faiz said.

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