U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern endorses ballot question ending MCAS graduation requirement

By Adam Bass 25 September 2024

Worcester Congressman Jim McGovern announced on Wednesday his support for a ballot question that would stop the state’s MCAS test from being a high school graduation requirement.

In a press release Wednesday, McGovern outlined his support for the MCAS ballot question, Question 2. The question will be brought before voters in the Bay State during the general election, along with four other ballot questions that focus on different topics, including auditing the legislature and legalizing psychedelics.

If voters pass the measure, students will still have to take the test but the graduation requirement for passing the test or other state approvals will be gone, according to The Center of State Policy Analysis.

“In Massachusetts, we believe that every student deserves a high quality education that sets them up for success — and the opportunity to demonstrate their true potential, regardless of whether or not they are good at standardized testing,” McGovern said. “That’s why I believe we need to move beyond the MCAS high school graduation requirement.”

In a subsequent statement, Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), praised McGovern for backing the ballot question. As the state’s largest teachers’ union, the MTA has led efforts to support eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement.

“The MCAS graduation requirement gives too much power to a standardized test that can’t fully measure a student’s preparedness for success after graduation, and it undermines the high standards of our state,” Page said. “We’re honored to have Rep. McGovern’s support.”

Prior to McGovern’s announcement, the Worcester City Council voted unanimously this month in favor of a resolution from Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty that put the council on record supporting the removal of the graduation requirement, according to reporting by the Telegram and Gazette.

McGovern also joins state Sen. Jason M. Lewis, D-5th Middlesex in supporting Question 2. Lewis, the Senate chairperson of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education, announced his support for eliminating the ballot question last week, arguing that “standardized tests are imperfect and cannot measure the full scope of skills, knowledge, and competencies that we want to develop in our young people and are critical for their future success.”