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I’ve always believed that one test should not determine the outcome of a child’s future. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) has been a cornerstone of our public high school accountability framework for nearly 30 years. This fall, however, Massachusetts residents have the opportunity to decide the future role of the MCAS test in their children’s lives.
As a former teacher and current state representative, I think it’s important to understand the reasons behind establishing MCAS in the Massachusetts Education Reform Act over 30 years ago. A 1991 state report found that many schools in economically disadvantaged districts were facing severe fiscal challenges, stoking fears that the funding crisis in these school districts would lead to educational inequality and an erosion of educational standards. To address these concerns, 1993 Education Reform Act was proposed.
First, the Act established a minimum foundation of spending for each district in local contributions and supplemented the local funding shortfall with state aid. This ensured that all districts received adequate and equitable resources and established the state’s responsibility to fund the gap.
Second, the Education Reform Act established standardized testing (which became MCAS) as a measure of student knowledge and adherence to state curriculum standards.
It seemed like a good idea: with adequate funding through state aid, all school districts would meet the standards set forth in the test. But that’s not what happened. The MCAS revealed that, instead of state aid leveling out test scores across the Commonwealth, deep social inequities prevailed.
A 2000 report from the UMass Donahue Institute found that socioeconomic factors could explain 84% of the variation in test scores across school districts. Despite Massachusetts being a national leader in education, a closer look at the scores showed inequalities in outcome and opportunity across racial and ethnic groups, in economically disadvantaged communities compared to higher income ones, and for English language learners compared to students whose first language is English.
In 2019, the Legislature began addressing some of the challenges brought up by the 1993 Education Reform Act. I’ve been a strong supporter of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), which increased funding to help disadvantaged students and school districts catch up with their peers. The SOA has been transformative for New Bedford students with this new level of expanded funding and resources.
We have an opportunity to reconsider the second part of the 1993 reforms by eliminating the MCAS graduation requirement. It’s time to establish innovative ways of accountability and assessment that ensure all students meet the curriculum standards to graduate. Last year, around 700 Massachusetts seniors who completed all other graduation requirements did not graduate because of failed MCAS tests — many of those students are low-income or English language learners. With the test mandated to be administered in English, many English language learners face the uphill battle of learning both the subject material and English. Because test scores reflect social inequalities, they fail to show a student’s ability to learn or how much they have achieved. Moving beyond MCAS as a graduation requirement opens pathways for these students to get a job, continue their education, or pursue other meaningful goals.
Focusing primarily on high stakes standardized testing punishes students and limits teachers. Now more than ever, teachers are spending valuable classroom hours and lesson time on test prep. Without the pressure of a high stakes test, student achievement can be evaluated more holistically, and teachers can stick to their lesson plans.
For years, I have been filing legislation to help improve educational outcomes: tackling school dropout rates, creating more opportunities for disadvantaged communities, achieving universal pre-K, making full-day kindergarten compulsory, ending bullying, and eliminating MCAS as a graduation requirement. I have done this because it’s the right thing to do for our kids. On the Nov. 5th ballot, let’s think bigger. Let’s reconsider what our student’s future looks like and reevaluate the core of our accountability system. Our standards remain high, but the stakes don’t have to.
Antonio F.D. Cabral is 13th Bristol District’s state representative.