The Longmeadow School Committee voted unanimously Dec. 16 to adopt policy IKFE, the district’s competency determination framework for students beginning in 2027.

Superintendent Doctor O'Shea told the committee the policy is required after the statewide ballot change that removed MCAS as the default competency metric and that IKFE primarily defines the course sequences (ELA, mathematics, social studies, and science) that will be used to establish competency. "Generally, students, if they were to follow the recommended course sequence, would achieve that competency determination by the end of tenth grade in most cases," O'Shea said.

The superintendent described the policy as a short-term, necessary measure that draws on boilerplate language from the Massachusetts Superintendents Association and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). He added the district plans a more comprehensive review of graduation requirements in January to reconsider how competency and graduation standards should be defined over the longer term.

After a recommendation from the policy subcommittee, a motion to adopt IKFE was made and seconded. The committee approved the policy by roll-call vote with all members voting yes.

The new policy will be posted to the district website; the superintendent said the district received no public comment during the posting period. Next steps include publication and the broader, district-led review of graduation requirements set to begin in January.