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Following state changes, Tewksbury superintendent recommends removing MCAS from Class of 2025 graduation policy
Summary
With statewide changes to the competency-determination law, district leaders recommended the school committee remove MCAS as the competency-determination requirement for the Class of 2025 and send the matter to the policy subcommittee for final wording.
Superintendent Terri O’Regan told the committee that recent changes to the state competency-determination law (voter action referenced in the meeting) mean MCAS can no longer be used as the competency-determination mechanism for students and that the district should remove MCAS from local graduation policy for the current graduating class.
O’Regan said the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is continuing to provide guidance and that the department’s December FAQ indicated MCAS might remain an allowable local graduation requirement, but the district recommended removing MCAS from the local graduation policy IKF for the Class of 2025 pending further state guidance and working-group results.
Why it matters
The change affects students who have not yet earned a competency determination and who were expecting to use MCAS tests or retests to satisfy that requirement; district leaders said those students must now follow the new law’s processes for earning a competency determination. Committee members agreed it was appropriate to send the policy to the policy subcommittee for wording adjustments.
Next steps
The superintendent recommended policy IKF be revised, at least for the Class of 2025, to remove MCAS as the competency-determination mechanism while state working groups and DESE provide further guidance. District staff will bring suggested policy language to the policy subcommittee for review.
Ending
The committee did not take a final vote that evening but asked the policy subcommittee to draft updated language to present to the full committee.
