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School committee reviews implications of ballot change removing MCAS as competency determination
Summary
Superintendent Jim Adams and district staff briefed the Ashland School Committee on how the November ballot change — which removed MCAS as the statewide competency determination (CD) — affects graduation requirements, short-term impacts on the Class of 2025 and the district’s next steps for local certification of coursework.
Superintendent Jim Adams told the School Committee that the November ballot changed how Massachusetts defines the competency determination (CD) for a high school diploma: the MCAS test is no longer the state’s CD, but the CD itself remains a legal requirement.
Adams summarized the change: "When the ballot passed in November, it did not get rid of the CD. It just said the MCAS is no longer the CD." He described three timeframes the district must address: immediate impacts on the Class of 2025 (students who already took or did not pass MCAS), medium-term questions for current high school students enrolling in classes this year, and long-term state policy choices for future classes.
District staff said the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) continues to require assessments for federal accountability,…
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