School is out for summer. Over the next eight weeks, students, teachers, and administrators in Massachusetts public schools get a chance to reset and recharge before the next school year begins.
As someone who attended public schools in Massachusetts from kindergarten through university, I think back to my journey through school and compare it to what my students are going through nowadays. The length of the school year is the same, at 180 days. Start times and end times remain about the same, too. The big difference is the fact that you have to pass the MCAS in three content areas (English, math, and science) in order to graduate.
Pulling from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education website, “The Massachusetts Education Reform Law of 1993 requires that all students meet the Competency Determination (CD) standard, which is usually done by earning a passing score on MCAS. This requirement is for all students educated at public expense, including those at public schools … Students must earn a passing score on the grade 10 MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics, and one of the high school Science and Technology/Engineering (STE) tests to meet their CD requirement. Students who do not pass the MCAS tests in grade 10 may take retests according to these participation guidelines in grades 11 and 12 and beyond.”
As a science teacher for eighth grade students at a local public school, I see and hear the impact the MCAS tests have on my students. I get it: It is the law that students in Massachusetts have to pass these tests with a score of 240 (80%). The test scores yield information that can help the students, teachers, and parents find gaps in learning and can help teachers plan. But what if you are not a strong test-taker? What if you can show that you are proficient in a class, but not reach a 240 on the MCAS?
From the FairTest.org website, “The number of states requiring high school graduation exams in language arts and math has declined rapidly over the past few years. Only eight states have graduation tests in place for the high school class of 2023, down from a high of 27 that had or planned such tests. The current number is the lowest level since at least the mid-1990s — prior to implementation of No Child Left Behind.” They note that, “Exit exams have harmed tens of thousands of youth but not improved the outcomes of high school graduates.”
That last line can be debated, but these tests have an incredible power over students. Here are a few comments about what my students said about the test:
“I think the MCAS is unfair because I don’t think someone should not graduate because of a test. They don’t know what could be going through someone’s mind while they are taking the test. They could have been nervous and that could have affected their scores. They could have probably had a hard time understanding what they were doing that year. I think the MCAS puts unnecessary stress on students.”
“MCAS is an invalid system when it comes to judging how students have been taught throughout the year. First of all, it is given when there is still an entire month of school left, but it expects the full year’s curriculum. Secondly, it’s just a bad thing to have a graduation requirement. If it reflects on how the school and teachers have been teaching the students then why in the world do we need to pass it to graduate? And that flows perfectly into my third point, which is that sometimes, the answers are wrong! In math class this year, we went over a past MCAS question, and it turns out what MCAS said was the correct answer was actually wrong. If you’re going to make us pass it to graduate, PLEASE double check the answers!”
“MCAS is a rigorous, restrictive, and futile system that has been firmly cemented into schools everywhere. The looming exams pressure our students, and when they are stressed they are more likely to make mistakes. If you want measurements that accurately reflect their effort and skill, look at their grades instead. The outcome of a test can vary wildly based on their mood, home environment, and the accessibility of the test. It is unfair and unwise to force our students to undertake this archaic assessment.”
This is the time to listen to our students. We do not need to talk or act behind their backs while other states decide to move on from high school graduation exams. We need to decide if the MCAS is the ultimate measure of students’ proficiency in school or if other measures are better.
Jack Czajkowski lives in Hadley.