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Outside the State House on March 3, a sunny Sunday morning, the air was electrified with chants: "Hey hey, ho ho. The high school graduation requirement has got to go!" The voices of fifth graders from the Boston Workers Circle, joined by parents, educators and supporters, carried across Beacon Street. The following day, MTA educators, parents and allies testified at the State House on the union-backed ballot initiative that would replace the MCAS graduation requirement. As MTA Today went to press, lawmakers were reviewing testimonies and still had a chance to act – passing the question as drafted or proposing a substitute version. If no action is taken, the ballot question will be decided by statewide voters in November.
What follows is a sampling of diverse voices among educators, parents and allies who spoke out on the MCAS bill.
For more information on the effort to replace the MCAS-based high school graduation test, please visit massteacher.org/testing.
MAX PAGE
MTA President
"Parents, students, educators, and many more in our communities want an education system that prioritizes student learning, and which requires students’ districts to certify that they have satisfactorily completed coursework showing mastery of our strong, statewide standards for graduation. Educators take pride in the fact that our standards are considered the gold standard across the country."
DEB MCCARTHY
MTA Vice President
"Our students believe they are more than a score, their parents want to experience all that their child is capable of beyond a test score, and educators want to educate the whole child and be in relationship with our students, not business-aligned interests. I have been waiting for an event like this that places the why and the who of this campaign front and center."
KIRSTEN FRAZIER
Educational Association of Worcester
"We pride ourselves on promoting equity in this Commonwealth, but this MCAS requirement is inherently inequitable. With this test, you are punishing brilliant students who struggle with communication, all in the name of a "test score." We should award diplomas based on real skills and knowledge, not the ability to take a test."
Frazier is a multilingual educator.
REV. WILLIE BODRICK
Senior Pastor of Twelfth Baptist Church
"This single, high-stakes test has become a gatekeeper, one that too often locks out our most vulnerable students – those from Black, brown, low-income communities – and those grappling with language barriers or disabilities. And it is why I have supported the MTAbacked ballot question, as it would immediately change this inequity."
Bodrick is a member of the Boston Public Schools Opportunity & Achievement Gaps Task Force.
DANI CHARBONNEAU
Martha’s Vineyard Educators Association
"I wonder how many people debating MCAS here today know what it tests – because it’s a very narrow set of skills in English, math and some sciences. It doesn’t test for emotional intelligence, leadership, teamwork or problem-solving skills – all things employers say they are looking for in the workforce."
Charbonneau is the 2023 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year.
ADRIANA MASON
Hanover Parent
"As a mom, watching my child struggle through the MCAS, knowing full well the high-stakes test doesn’t capture his true potential, is heartbreaking. This ballot question is incredibly personal for us and our community. The stakes couldn’t be higher."
Mason helped to collect more than 1,000 signatures for the ballot question.
BECKY PRINGLE NEA President
"Denying students their high school diplomas simply because they fail to pass a single high-stakes, standardized test is wrong. And the unjust MCAS test actively harms students of color, low-income students, English learners and disabled students. That harm can follow students out of the classroom and into their adult lives."
