Press Release: 2024-11-20

MTA statement on implementing new high-school graduation requirement

 

November 20, 2024

Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page and Vice President Deborah McCarthy issued the following statement following discussion at the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on implementing the new high-school graduation requirement:

The members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association look forward to this exciting new chapter in public education for our state, the birthplace of public education in America and long a leader in public education for the rest of the country.

It is gratifying to hear state Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler express acceptance of the results of the election, and we urge the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to focus on implementing without delay the new high-school graduation processes outlined in Question 2.

Removing the standardized test graduation requirement for high-school students restores our state’s position as a leader in creating best-in the-country public schools. It is time to look at new, innovative ways to ensure that all students are properly educated to become engaged, informed citizens ready to pursue the goals of their choosing after high school.

By passing Question 2, the voters of Massachusetts listened to educators and agreed that our public schools must be centering our state’s high academic standards and not just one of the tools used to measure student performance against a portion of those standards.

"Educators are ready to be part of the robust conversations around making sure that every student is having equitable access to the quality of education prescribed by our state’s standards."

Educators are ready to be part of the robust conversations around making sure that every student is having equitable access to the quality of education prescribed by our state’s standards.

As we learned from the history of MCAS and its transformation into a punitive tool, the path forward cannot be limited to assessments; stakeholders must take a holistic approach in addressing the needs of public schools and the students attending them. 

Students need access to counselors and support services. Educators need working conditions that mirror those of other professions, such as having access to paid family leave. And paraprofessionals, who are essential to the smooth operation of our schools and delivery of special education services, deserve a living wage.

All of these issues are intertwined in education equity and social justice. Removing the MCAS graduation requirement and relying on teachers’ assessments of student work based on state academic standards is a crucial step toward these goals. By passing Question 2, voters have ended a system based on punishment and narrow standardization and rejuvenated the possibilities for authentic learning structured to meet the diverse needs of all students.