Guest columnist Sarah Woodard: MCAS test requirement just bad policy and practice

by Sarah Woodard August 27 2024

Based on my 26 years of teaching experience, I am confident in saying that no one test should determine whether a student receives a high school diploma.

Yet, for decades we have been doing just that in Massachusetts with MCAS exams. Students must achieve a minimum cut-off score on their 10th grade MCAS exams to receive a diploma. Even if the student diligently attended high school for four years, passed the required courses and did everything else required by the district, failing to “pass” this standardized test would mean that student would not receive a diploma.

From my perspective as a classroom teacher, this is just bad, ineffective policy and practice. As a resident of Massachusetts with a vested interest in seeing our cities and towns thrive, this practice is cruel and useless.

This is why I am voting yes on Question 2 to replace the MCAS graduation requirement with something better. Question 2 allows educators to fully assess how well a student is doing, and the school district is required to certify that a student has successfully completed coursework in the areas currently tested by MCAS and aligned with the state’s academic standards.

Passing Question 2 will end the use of a snapshot of student performance and instead allow educators to create a more complete portrait of student achievement.

This is fairer for our students and better for educators who have been forced to narrow curriculum and focus too much time on test prep and not enough time on authentic learning.

As a reading teacher, I need to use many different strategies to make sure my students are learning. I employ the same standards for every student — and teaching standards are very different than giving a standardized test. The MCAS is a one-size-fits-all tool. But my students bring diverse learning styles into the classroom. Some soar when I use visual materials, others succeed when they have access to audio aids.

And I have worked with many bright students who do well on their coursework but perform poorly on tests, especially when those tests generate an unhealthy amount of anxiety that ends up contributing to the poor performance.

The high-stakes aspect of MCAS is especially detrimental to students on special education plans, students whose native language is not English, non-white students, and students affected by the impact of poverty on the home. The MCAS graduation requirement constitutes an unfair and unnecessary barrier to their future opportunities. Every year, educators like myself work to teach struggling students and provide them with an education embedded in our state’s high academic standards.

To suggest that passing Question 2 will mean lowering standards or that educators will not hold all students to high standards is an insulting and ill-informed accusation I’ve heard from opponents of the ballot measure.

The state’s nationally recognized academic standards exist independent of the MCAS exams. Teacher preparation programs and curriculum frameworks are based on our state’s academic standards in every subject.

In fact, even when Question 2 passes, the MCAS exams will still be administered, and they will provide educators, parents and districts with all the data the tests currently provide.

Making MCAS a high-stakes exam in 10th grade has ultimately made MCAS high stakes at every grade level. Educators and students both feel the pressure to make sure students are achieving high enough scores.

I certainly did not enter the profession to teach children how to take tests. And putting such an emphasis on test-taking skills takes away time from developing real-world skills our students will need to be successful in higher education and in the workforce.

Passing Question 2 will allow me, my colleagues and educators across the state to develop high school graduates who are critical thinkers, problem solvers, and team players capable of working in group settings. These skills combined with the knowledge students acquire through their academic journeys will best prepare them for the world. Likewise, I am convinced that such students also will make the world a better place.

Sarah Woodard is a reading teacher and activist who lives in Easthampton.