WESTFORD — The School Committee is exploring alternative methods for determining student competency after Massachusetts voters approved the elimination of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System as a graduation requirement last year.
As reported by WestfordCAT, a November vote saw 59% of voters statewide support removing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System as a graduation requirement. In Westford, just 48.7% of voters backed the move.
The MCAS exams, which assess English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Civics, have been a requirement for students in grades 3 through 10 since 1998, with the tests serving as a graduation prerequisite for public high school students since 2003.
With the MCAS no longer required for graduation, the School Committee discussed alternative methods for determining student competency at a March 17 meeting.
“With the ballot question last fall, voters in Massachusetts removed that assessment as a way for students to earn the competency determination, and the competency determination is something required by law,” said Superintendent of Schools Christopher Chew at the time.
To meet the State Competency Determination, students must demonstrate “mastery of a common core of skills, competencies, and knowledge” by successfully completing coursework certified by their district as meeting state academic standards. The new law requires local education authorities and districts to determine how students can exhibit mastery in areas previously assessed by the MCAS exams.
The MCAS once evaluated 10th-grade mastery in subjects such as English Language Arts, Algebra, Geometry, and science subjects including Biology, Physics, or Chemistry.
The Board of Education is considering future plans and may introduce alternative assessments next year, Chew said. “Right now, they’ve left it up to local school boards to determine what this means for this graduating class,” he added.
Chew explained that in Westford, approximately 50% of eighth-grade students are enrolled in Algebra I, and the district expects them to take Geometry at Westford Academy. The assumption is that by succeeding in Algebra II, students would demonstrate mastery of Algebra I. Similarly, students who complete Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Biology, Chemistry, or Physics would be considered to have mastered the corresponding science requirements.
School Committee member Bill McDonald raised a question about students who had not passed the MCAS but had completed the required coursework. “If a student didn’t pass the MCAS in the past but passed all required classes, would they now be eligible to graduate?” he asked.
Chew confirmed that students who failed the MCAS but passed their courses would now be eligible for graduation.
The School Committee did not make a decision at the March 17 meeting but revisited the issue at their April 1 meeting, where they unanimously approved adding the new competency determination language to the graduation policy.
Under the new policy, students must earn passing grades in English 9 and 10, Algebra I and Geometry, and Biology, Chemistry, or Physics—or equivalent advanced coursework in each subject—to meet the competency determination requirement.
