MCAS

For years, passing the MCAS test in 10th grade was required in order to graduate high school in Massachusetts. Just over a year ago, Ballot Question 2 ended the practice, but also left the state searching for a new way to determine student competency across the commonwealth. Following a year of research and debate, a framework for new graduation requirements has emerged – recommendations that also include testing.

As Massachusetts considers new high stakes standardized testing models, educators in Berkshire County are split on the implications.

With few exceptions, MCAS test scores across Massachusetts show students are still struggling to achieve pre-pandemic-level results. Passing the test is no longer required to graduate high school – a potential factor that needs to be studied, officials say. WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief James Paleologopoulos reports.

Coursework will be key for Massachusetts high schoolers looking to graduate, according to education officials, following a vote this week as the state continues to determine new graduation standards – months after residents voted to stop using MCAS test passage as a means to earn a high school diploma.

New standardized test scores show students in Massachusetts are still recovering from learning losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic — but critics say those results are hiding a more complicated reality.

This fall, Massachusetts voters will decide on a ballot question about the role of standardized testing as a high school graduation requirement.

Educators expect academic recovery from COVID-19 will take years

This year's ninth-graders are the first class affected by the change

The latest statewide school accountability results from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education were cause for celebration in…

The state is looking for help designing a new version of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test.The Department of Elementary and Secondary…