Quick Facts:
The Year of Proposal and Passing of Question 2
What is 2020 and 2024 respectively?
A main reason some supporters believe MCAS should not determine graduation.
What is the belief that one standardized test should not decide whether a student gets a diploma?
A wrong belief that removing MCAS as a graduation requirement means removing all standards.
What is the assumption that removing MCAS as a graduation requirement means getting rid of standards completely?
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Would Question 2 remove MCAS completely?
What is no students would still take MCAS, just not required to in order to graduate
A reason opponents believe Massachusetts should keep MCAS as a graduation requirement.
What is the belief that Massachusetts needs one common statewide graduation standard?
The unfair belief that standardized tests treat every student equally just because everyone takes the same test.
What is the assumption that standardized tests are automatically fair?
As a teacher, this is what MCAS might pressure you to focus on instead of deeper learning.
What is test preparation?
These groups may be especially affected by MCAS graduation requirements.
Who are English learners, immigrant students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized groups?
A concern that MCAS can narrow the curriculum and make schools focus mostly on test skills.
What is “teaching to the test”?
The unfair belief that a teacher’s quality can be judged only by student MCAS scores.
What is the assumption that MCAS scores alone show teacher quality?
As an English learner, this language challenge could make MCAS especially difficult.
What is learning English while also being tested on high-school content in English?
The school-based requirements students would still need to complete if MCAS was removed as a graduation requirement.
What are local graduation requirements, such as credits, classes, and district expectations?
The reason supporters of MCAS believe a common statewide graduation standard matters.
What is the belief that a common standard helps make sure every student meets the same measurable expectation?
The mistaken idea that one test can show everything a student knows and can do.
What is the assumption that one test can fully measure every student’s learning?
As a parent of a student with a disability, this is what you might worry MCAS does not fully show.
What are a student’s diverse abilities and learning expertises
These are possible replacements for using MCAS as a graduation requirement.
What are portfolios, performance-based assessments, coursework, and local graduation requirements?
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The mistaken idea that removing MCAS as a graduation requirement automatically means lowering expectations.
What is the assumption that removing MCAS means lowering standards/making graduating easier.
As a voter, this position would remove MCAS as a graduation requirement but keep strong alternatives.
What is supporting Question 2 while also supporting replacement assessments?