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NEW BEDFORD — The Light hosted a lively panel discussion about the MCAS ballot question on Tuesday night. Education reporter Colin Hogan moderated this most recent installment of The Light’s Community Conversation series, and an expert panel featured teachers, parents, researchers, and advocates to help voters understand both sides of the issue.
Building on The Light’s recent coverage of the MCAS ballot question in a special report, attendees heard about the history of MCAS and what’s at stake for the future.
For the ‘Yes on 2’’ side (which would see the MCAS graduation requirement removed), local teacher and organizer Cynthia Roy and UMass Amherst researcher Peter Piazza emphasized the shortcomings of standardized and multiple-choice tests in assessing individual student performance.
The “No on 2” advocates (who favor maintaining MCAS as a statewide graduation requirement) were former state representative and Fall River mayor Ed Lambert and parent advocate Keri Rodrigues, and they stressed the importance of consistent and rigorous expectations for all students.
Watch the recording of the event and be sure to share The Light’s student essay contest with local high schoolers who could win $100 and have their work published in The Light.
Email Colin Hogan at chogan@newbedfordlight.org
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Does MCAS improve student achievement? Does it even actually measure attitude? I don’t think there are straightforward answers to those questions, but plenty of other states don’t have a similar graduation requirement and seem to be doing fine.