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Randolph committee approves temporary competency standard for class of 2025 after state ends MCAS graduation rule
Summary
The Randolph School Committee voted to treat two years of high‑school level English and math plus one year of high‑school level science as the competency determination for the class of 2025, while retaining local graduation credit requirements.
The Randolph School Committee on Jan. 30 approved a one‑year competency determination for the Class of 2025 after the state removed MCAS as a mandatory graduation test.
Superintendent Dr. Stovall told the committee the state still expects districts to have a local plan for competency even though the use of the MCAS as a graduation gate has ended. "MCAS has not gone away," Dr. Stovall said, adding that the change removes MCAS as the graduation requirement but leaves the state requirement that districts define competency.
Under the language the superintendent proposed and the committee approved, students who have not earned competency through past MCAS administrations can meet the competency determination for 2025 by showing full credits in the equivalent of at least two years of English taught at the high‑school level, two years of high‑school level math and at least one high‑school level science course. Committee members were also presented with Randolph's local graduation requirement of 23 credits: English 4, math 4, science 3 (minimum one lab), social studies 3, world language 2 (same language), wellness/physical education 2, fine/performing arts 1 and electives 4.
Dr. Stovall framed the vote as narrowly tailored for the Class of 2025 because the state guidance arrived in January after a December law change. She told the committee she had identified small numbers of seniors who had not met competency according to MCAS reporting: "We have five kids in the senior class who have not met competency in English, seven in math and 23 in science," she said, and described district plans including targeted programs, retests and credit recovery for affected students.
Kevin O'Connell, the committee member representing the town council, asked whether the students who had not met MCAS competency had nevertheless passed the corresponding high‑school courses; Dr. Stovall said she would return with precise counts and noted individualized plans were in place.
The committee voted to adopt the stated competency language and the 23‑credit local graduation requirement for the Class of 2025. The motion was moved (mover not specified in the meeting record), seconded by Kevin O'Connell, and approved by voice vote with no recorded opposition.
The superintendent said the committee will revisit policy for future classes and explore alternative competency demonstrations — such as portfolios or capstone projects — particularly for students with disabilities and multilingual learners.
Looking ahead, Dr. Stovall told the committee she expects additional state guidance and said she is convening regional superintendents to align approaches across districts.
The committee asked for a follow‑up report with precise student counts and the district's concrete supports for seniors who might still need courses or retests before graduation.
