Word: mcas
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...ballot measure symbolizes the groundswell of opposition to MCAS that has swept the state as the high-stakes and high-standards test approaches for this year's sophomores, who must pass in order to receive a high school diploma. Several groups based in Cambridge have begun lobbying legislators and the state Board of Education to loosen or abolish the requirement. Their effort has not been in vain--there is a bill to that effect pending in the state legislature. In addition, at least 23 school committees around the state have formally stated their opposition to requiring students to pass MCAS...
...alternative graduation certificates for vocational students, special education students and students with limited English proficiency who do not pass the test. These certificates would be explicitly different from a high school diploma. Last year, 66 percent of tenth-graders with limited English proficiency failed the language section of the MCAS, and even more failed the math section. Students with disabilities scored lower on both sections. As the law currently stands, all students will be required to pass the test. While these certificates would be a positive first step, they would not affect the vast majority of students...
...third option, proposed by Education Commissioner David P. Driscoll, would give local graduation certificates to students who complete all high school requirements but do not pass the MCAS test. Like the certificates for vocational or special education students, these would not be equivalent to a high school diploma, according to Driscoll. Yet they would mean something, which is a significant and important departure from previous scenarios where students who fulfilled all the graduation requirements--but could not pass MCAS--would come away empty-handed...
This last suggestion has not yet been adopted, but if it were, it would signify that the state Board of Education has reached an important realization: There are worthy students who will not be able to pass MCAS...
Driscoll's proposal does not go as far as it should. As in the New York Regents system, students who fulfill high school graduation requirements but don't pass the test should receive a regular diploma, while students who show a proficient level of knowledge on MCAS should get an "honors" diploma...