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Policy subcommittee presents first reading on competency determination after Ballot Question 2
Summary
The Scituate School Committee held a first reading of a proposed policy to document pathways for graduation competency now that Ballot Question 2 removed MCAS as an automatic graduation requirement; the proposed policy includes a principal discretion clause for case-by-case review.
The School Committee heard a first reading on Feb. 10 of a proposed local policy to define student competency determinations in the wake of Ballot Question 2, which removed the requirement to pass MCAS as a condition to graduate.
A member of the policy subcommittee explained that, with the passage of Ballot Question 2, districts must establish local pathways to document whether students have met the competency-determination component of graduation. The subcommittee presented a draft policy that, according to the packet and discussion, is intended to provide an immediate pathway for a small number of current seniors who did not meet the previous MCAS standard while allowing the committee to revisit the policy next year as state guidance evolves.
The policy includes an allowance for the high school principal to review individual student transcripts and determine whether successful completion of courses can constitute a "reasonable equivalent" to a competency determination on a case-by-case basis. As the subcommittee noted, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued FAQs but fuller state guidance remained limited at the time of the discussion, so the draft policy is intended as an interim measure that ensures a path to diploma for eligible students.
Committee members asked whether affected students understand next steps and whether administration is proactively working with families; subcommittee members said high school administration is tracking affected students and that the district will communicate once the policy is finalized. The subcommittee emphasized that similar work is occurring in other districts and that DESE and statewide organizations (such as MASC) have issued preliminary materials.
This was a first reading; the committee did not take final action and said it would return to the item for final consideration at a later meeting. Committee members asked administration to continue outreach to families and to provide details about which students would be affected and how the policy would be applied in practice.
