I’m voting yes on Question 2 because I value the MCAS as a benchmark, not a barrier. For students with disabilities, MCAS scores are an essential measure of academic progress that help with setting goals and measurable objectives in Individualized Education Plans that set the terms for disabled students’ access to the least restrictive school environment, as per federal and state law.

For example, when my child’s MCAS score improved substantially from one year to the next in elementary school, it demonstrated just how much of a difference the special education teacher made in ensuring my child’s access to the curriculum in a productive, measurable way. MCAS scores hold teachers, schools, and districts accountable and are publicly available as aggregate performance scorecards online, so parents can use them in their advocacy for their children’s education.

But MCAS scores are only one academic standard we set for our children, alongside grades on report cards; routine, universal assessments during the school year (e.g., iReady testing); leveled coursework; class rankings; Response to Intervention instruction; and others. Yet, only the MCAS stands as a barrier to graduation based on a pass/fail model. Children are literally denied diplomas if they fail the MCAS, even if they meet other measurable curriculum standards tied to national and state mandates.

Standardized testing is not in and of itself high stakes. The stakes are high when a student cannot receive a diploma they have earned because of a single test.

By the time my child’s cohort is approaching graduation, we will have multiple years of MCAS scores measuring students’ academic knowledge, their educators and schools ability to impart it, and whether our district is reaching all students. Because the “only 1% don’t pass” metric bandied about by “no” on 2 supporters is bad math.

That 1% is disproportionately students with disabilities, students learning English, and other disadvantaged students in our public schools. When our elected and corporate leaders dismiss this 1% stat as if it’s trivial, what they are telling us is that they are comfortable with the state’s existing inequities that leave students with disabilities and their high-needs peers at greater risk of not receiving their diploma. A diploma that is crucial to future success in life.

We cannot and should not celebrate Massachusetts’ reputation for educational excellence when by design we leave some students behind. Tying school graduation to a single test is bad, unjust, and outdated policy. Keep the MCAS as a benchmark of academic progress, not a barrier. Vote “yes” on Question 2.

Leigh Graham lives in Northampton.