About Question 2
Yes on 2: high standards, not high stakes.
Voting Yes on Question 2 will not eliminate the MCAS test altogether, but simply reduce the score to one of many data points that can be used in assessing a student’s likelihood for success.
In Massachusetts, every high school student is required to pass the standardized MCAS test—the “Massachusetts Comprehensive System”—to graduate. But putting so much emphasis on a single test undermines the Commonwealth’s high education standards, forcing teachers to teach test-taking skills instead of infusing critical thinking and individualized learning into classrooms.
What’s more, these high stakes testing situations stack the deck against students of color and those with learning disabilities.
The MCAS graduation requirement gives too much power to a standardized test that can’t fully measure a student’s aptitude or preparedness.
True learning can’t be reduced to a multiple choice question on a test, taken in isolation on a Chromebook.
Standardized tests notoriously stack the deck against ESL students, those who are dyslexic or on an IEP, and students of color.
Even the brightest students often struggle with standardized tests because they're afraid of getting a question wrong and are consumed by anxiety.
Being good at answering multiple choice questions doesn’t prepare anyone properly for success in the real world. A high-stakes, one-size-fits-all test should not be the sole decider in whether or not a student is allowed to graduate.