North Andover High School outlines DESE-required competency plan to replace MCAS
Summary
High-school leaders presented a two-part competency-determination policy required by DESE after MCAS was removed as a graduation requirement: students must both pass specified coursework and demonstrate mastery on a final assessment (or equivalent). The committee will consider the policy and vote at its Dec. 18 meeting.
North Andover High School officials presented the district's competency-determination proposal on Dec. 4, laying out how students will satisfy a state-required replacement for the MCAS as a condition for diploma conferral.
Miss Holman, who led the presentation, said the DESE rule requires two separate components: satisfactory completion of coursework and a demonstration of mastery. "DESE is requiring that a competency determination has 2 components," she said, adding that the two parts are distinct and that simply passing a course does not by itself show mastery.
The plan specifies the content areas DESE identifies as equivalent to the former MCAS expectations: two years of high-school English, one year each of algebra I and geometry (math may include eighth-grade content where applicable), one year of high-school science, and, beginning with the class of 2027, one year of U.S. history. Miss Holman said the district's own graduation requirements will remain more extensive than the minimum competency determination.
The mastery requirement will be assessed primarily through a final assessment or an equivalent measure identified by the high-school principal. "So it's passing the course and passing [a] competency determination exam," Miss Holman said. Presenters explained that common midterms and finals are being developed by teacher teams and that every final and midterm will include a written component to help gauge mastery across performance- and portfolio-based courses.
Committee members pressed on implementation details: how finals will be constructed and calibrated, whether exams will be delivered on paper or Chromebook, and how the district will guard against misuse of artificial-intelligence tools. Miss Holman said those logistical decisions are part of the district's "back of the house" work, noting standard classroom safeguards and an upcoming AI guidance document the district will provide for the committee.
District leaders described supports for students with disabilities and other populations. Miss Holman said the district will use specially designed instruction, co-teaching, small-group classes and permitted accommodations on assessments. Students who do not meet mastery on initial assessment will have retest opportunities and access to portfolio reviews; only a small fraction are expected to require consideration of prior MCAS scores as a last resort.
Operational next steps are procedural: if the committee approves the policy it will be posted on the district website in multiple languages and submitted to DESE along with the district's graduation requirements. Miss Holman asked committee members to submit outstanding questions before the committee's next meeting; the presenters said the committee intends to vote on the policy at the Dec. 18 meeting.
What happens next: The committee plans to review answers to members' procedural questions and consider a formal vote on Dec. 18. If adopted, the district will post the policy and file it with DESE as required.
Sources: Presentation and Q&A by Miss Holman and Megan Pinkston to the North Andover School Committee (Dec. 4).
