Massachusetts high schoolers would be required to learn financial literacy, start planning their college or career journeys, take end-of-course tests and complete a capstone or portfolio project under a new set of graduation standards that state officials proposed Monday.
The initial framework comes in response to a statewide vote last year that eliminated the use of 10th grade MCAS tests as a graduation requirement. Healey administration officials worked with a council that included educators, students, parents and business community representatives to come up with the newly proposed requirements unveiled Monday.
“We’re moving away from high stakes to high expectations and seizing this moment, this opportunity to reach all of our students and make a Massachusetts high school diploma more meaningful than ever,” Gov. Maura Healey said as she announced the framework’s details in an event at Dedham High School.
As proposed in the graduation council’s interim report, the framework would require students to complete a set of coursework that aligns with higher education admission requirements.
Students would then need to show their mastery of that coursework by both creating a cumulative project — a collection of their best work or a research presentation — and taking what Healey’s office describes as a ”limited number“ of end-of-course assessments in certain subjects.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association, one of the driving forces behind the ballot question to move away from MCAS as a graduation requirement, said making tests a key feature of the framework would defy the will of the voters.
”Including state-developed and graded end-of-course exams in a set of new proposals for high school graduation requirements poisons a once-in-a-generation opportunity for stakeholders to come together and remake the high school experience for our students,“ MTA President Max Page and Vice President Deb McCarthy said in a statement.
Though the MTA has a seat on the graduation council, the union said it did not endorse the recommended exams and ”will vigorously fight any attempt to reinstitute statewide standardized tests as a graduation requirement.“
Healey’s office said the end-of-course tests would take ”a more targeted and relevant approach to assessment than our current high school MCAS.“
Pedro Martinez, the state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education, said the tests would ”give students an objective look at their own progress,“ while capstone projects and portfolios would let students demonstrate knowledge and skills in different ways.
The framework also calls for high schoolers to develop individual career or academic plans and complete a state or federal financial aid application (or opt out of doing so) as a way to ”keep all postsecondary doors open.“ It would require students to learn financial literacy skills to help guide their personal and professional decisions.
Healey and other speakers Monday described the new framework as a first step. The graduation council is due to produce a final report next year.
Michelle Terry, a graduation council member and teacher at Plymouth North High School, said the initial framework ”offers a balanced model of assessment for our students, moving us toward a more holistic approach that values inquiry, critical thinking, and authenticity, while also including a consistent measure that helps ensure equity for all students.“ She said there are many factors officials still need to consider before it can be fully implemented.
”As a teacher, I’m always thinking about the practical details and how this will ultimately play out in our classrooms,“ Terry said. ”The success of this framework will depend on continued collaboration and seeking input from all stakeholders, especially from teachers.“
