In the same week the Cambridge City Council essentially deadlocked over the value of the MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement, failing an order opposing it by a 4-4-1 vote, the Somerville City Council united over the same question, passing its motion against the standardized test requirement unanimously.
At stake: Question 2, a ballot measure that if approved would remove the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System standardized test as a passing requirement to graduate high school. School districts would be allowed to set graduation standards individually. The measure was introduced by the Massachusetts Teachers Association and is supported by U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and U.S. Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley, as well as by members of the local legislative delegation.
The measure would not remove the MCAS altogether, only eliminate it as a graduation requirement.
That was brought up Monday in Cambridge with discussion of a policy order sponsored by councillors Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Sumbul Siddiqui and Ayesha M. Wilson. They voted for the order with vice mayor Marc McGovern. But there were four councillors opposed: Burhan Azeem, Patty Nolan, Paul Toner and Catherine Zusy. Mayor E. Denise Simmons would have been the deciding factor, but only voted “present.”
Wilson argued in favor of eliminating the requirement because it would allow teachers to not just “teach to test,” instead spending time instilling skills in students for the real world, but Toner and Nolan argued the test played an important role. “We shouldn’t be letting kids graduate from our high schools without being able to demonstrate that they can meet these basic requirements,” Toner said.
On the issue of students being left behind, there was a clear divide.
Nolan, who was on the Cambridge School Committee before jumping to City Council, said she “saw firsthand how having the MCAS meant that students who are often overlooked – low-income students, students with disabilities, students of color – would no longer be overlooked because they couldn’t be, there was a reason to support them.”
McGovern, another former School Committee member, rejected a claim that the MCAS was needed to hold teachers accountable. “That doesn’t show a whole lot of confidence in our teaching staff,” McGovern said, arguing that if the test were no longer required, “our teachers are still going to teach our kids, but we’re not going to punish them for something that I don’t necessarily see as their fault.”
Some members took issue with even taking time to discuss the ballot measure. “If anybody should be discussing this, it’s our School Committee,” Toner said.
The committee did weigh in on the issue in April 2023, and unlike the council, agreed unanimously they opposed a graduation requirement.
Councillors agreed there was a need for a replacement graduation standard if Question 2 passes. Without one, Massachusetts would be among the “lowest-performing states in the entire country who don’t have any statewide requirements,” Nolan said.
Somerville unanimity
The Cambridge City Council appears to be an outlier, as more city councils across Massachusetts affirm their support for Yes on 2 – including in neighboring Somerville, where the council voted Thursday with unanimous support that aligned with the Somerville School Committee’s unanimity Sept. 9.
The Somerville council heard from Michelle Anzalone, a special education paraeducator for the city. “Let them enjoy the fruits of their 12-year labor and take the high-stakes burden off of their plate,” she said in reference to students who have to take the MCAS alternate test – which, if passed, rewards them with a certificate of achievement rather than a diploma.
Somerville councilors have gone beyond voting in support of the resolution and taken to the streets canvassing for Yes on 2. Councilors Willie Burnley Jr., Will Mbah, Jake Wilson and Kristen Strezo said they plan to canvass Oct. 19 with the Massachusetts Teachers Association.
The issue will be on the Nov. 5 ballot.
A stronger
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After years, we finally have begun to tackle cell phones! I am hoping you will amend CRLS attendance policy to allow using attendance as a factor in grading. Attendance and tardiness is a major problem and is directly correlated to other problems. CRLS and middle schools need to produce real time data on these issues. As my Mom says, “showing up” is everything! Our middle schools set the tone for expectations around attendance and culture. The percentage of students below state averages is still far too high to abandon MCAS. Unfortunately ,instructional evaluation was ever used appropriately by looking at MCAS in the first place. It was initially intended as an evaluation tool for instruction and teachers’ unions fought that component feverishly. MCAS is not perfect but right now we are pushing far too many students through who are not proficient. Until social advancement is eliminated through much higher standards, I am absolutely opposed to eliminating MCAS. Let’s stay focused. Maybe an awesome expanded tech and entrepreneurial Program ( Longfellow?) would help to engage more kids . I suggest monthly ,Saturday door knocking of disconnected families and students ! More accountability not less please . Muchas Gracias.
Thank you Anthony- our schools are falling apart- not just physically, but the communities are falling apart with the attendance and tardiness issues you cite, and the academics are starting to wobble.
The MCAS aren’t perfect, and need improvements, but getting rid of them will only hide the problems and issues not help us find them.
I heard someone describe getting rid of MCAS as stupid as Trump saying that the COVID numbers will drop when we stop testing so much!
Do you know who knows a lot about teaching? Teachers. Do you who is against the MCAS requirement? Teachers.
Teachers know that when you have a requirement like the MCAS, education suffers. Students are taught to pass the test. They do not receive a real education.
Are Toner and Nolan going to be on the wrong side of every issue? Nolan is such a disappointment. She ran as one type of politician but now she has become Mini-Toner.
There’s a tremendous irony in the whole MCAS debate. Our wealthy suburban schools invest way too much time “teaching to the test” as the teachers’ union decries. Virtually everyone passes, so the whole thing is a gigantic waste of time and hindrance to getting the kids the best possible education. My family experienced this first hand.
But in Cambridge, where plenty of kids are at risk of failing, there are still many who criticize the test. But here it is criticized precisely because it is doing exactly what it was designed to do–identify children who are not able to meet minimal standards. If kids can’t read or do math well enough to pass MCAS, the stigma and stress associated with test failure is nothing compared to the pain they will suffer when reality hits after graduation.
If MCAS is eliminated, wealthy suburban kids will be better off. Disadvantaged kids in Cambridge who are at risk of failing the test? Not so much
There is a false dichotomy being drawn.
The proposal isn’t to eliminate MCAS or testing entirely. Rather, it suggests removing MCAS as a graduation requirement. Tests can still be used to assess student performance.
As I noted my remarks, people I respect are in favor of the ballot question – including Sen. Jehlen and Rep. Pressley and Sen. Warren. And yet, I am aligned with Gov. Healey, Ed Secy Tutwiler, BECMA (Black Economic Council of Mass.) all of whom are NO on Q2. Replacing the grad requirement with something better than MCAS is something I would support. This ballot question does not do that . And the messaging on it are deceptive at best, lying at worst. MCAS will not be replaced. MCAS will still be given – it’s federal law, so it is not being replaced. The graduation requirement, however, which means a standard for all high school diplomas in the state, would be eliminated. With no replacement. As Peter Glick and others have pointed out, it is likely to hurt districts with a high percent of low income students than other district.
Well put Mr Glick and Ms Nolan. Teaching both before and after standardized tests had its own challenges. But the standards are relatively low and the students who couldn’t meet them really did not deserve their diploma yet. But the deserved to know what they needed to improve and so did their teachers. I also found it much easier to not have the pressure on me to pass an unqualified student, rather the test could
Decide and I did not have to be the bad guy. And really, if a student cannot pass the test they are not qualified for college. Please talk to university professors about how qualified they think students are these days for college.
@Patty Nolan. You seem to be missing the point. The issue is not replacing the MCAS with something else. The issue is that any test that is a graduate requirement will result in “teaching to the test” and education suffers. Didn’t Paul Toner explain that part to you?
Re: My last comment. I said that because Patty Nolan ran on a platform of safer streets and affordable housing. But since the election, Nolan has repeatedly joined Toner is voting against both efforts. Many of Nolan’s supporters feel betrayed.
Peter hallelujah. We should be talking debating about what the interventions for kids below grade level expectations on MCAS. Right not you can barely show up and get passed along in middle and high school. Until I see the system freeze and take ownership for kids behind on proficiency and show me they are accountable and have a plan then teaching to the test is the best alternative. Most teachers at CRLS give no homework. The con is that if your on AP tracks your good but the non AP is a different world. So you have some excellent educators and their kids who dont “ need “ MCAS. Yeh thats not the point! I struggled on standardized tests. However they were right. After cruising at CRLS not bringing a book home for 4 years I got to college and needed math and english tutors and remedial writing as a freshman. This whole debate misses the mark. Interventions and accountability to students do not improve without MCAS .
Studies show that high school graduation tests like the MCAS, results in instruction that focuses narrowly on test preparation rather than broader learning and critical thinking skills. They show that exit tests have produced few expected benefits and incurred costs for disadvantaged students.
https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654310383147
“the Somerville City Council united over the same question”
So Somerville has given up on it’s kids huh?
People have basically given up in Cambridge as well, so it makes sense we just want to graduate them.
Teachers argue that test preparation time could be better spent on in-depth learning and real-world applications.
Studies indicate that MCAS disproportionately affects students of color, economically disadvantaged students, and those with disabilities negatively. Additionally, students failing MCAS are more likely to drop out of school.
@Patty Nolan, as a politician, it’s your responsibility to research evidence and facts independently. Opposing ballot #2 based solely on other council members’ opinions suggests a lack of personal engagement. Please conduct your own research and form your own opinion.
If you did so, you likely wouldn’t oppose safe streets and affordable housing, as others have noted.