Nearly a year after the MCAS exam requirement was kicked to the curb by voters, the governor’s education council is now proposing a new standard for high school students.
The preliminary draft suggests end-of-course assessments that are scored and determined by the state; in other words, educators say it’s still a new form of standardized testing for high schoolers, but they say more funding is needed to match the state’s proposed expectations.
“More educators, smaller class sizes, language supports and access to arts, electives and mental health services,” parent and educator Zuleika Soto says.
Educational advocates opposed to the recommendations say adopting multiple ways for students to show graduation readiness could improve k through 12 education. In January, Governor Maura Healey formed a 31-member council on graduation requirements.
President of the Massachusetts Teacher Association, Max Paige sits at that table and says, although this is just a recommendation, the community has made their point.
“The community was very clear in the election last year and is clear in these public forums, they do not want a standardized education for their students, they do not want standardized tests as a way to assess what students are learning,” said Paige.
“That personal connection is what kids are starving for right now the kind of does a teacher even see me, does a teacher care,” a retired educator tells Boston 25 News.
The initial findings of that recommendation are expected to be released later this fall—the final report will most likely be released next year.
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