Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Assessments Graduation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee to revise graduation policy after state drops MCAST retest requirement
Summary
Associate Principal Miss Jensen told the committee that state law change means students must still take the three MCAST exams but failing students will no longer be required to retest; the committee agreed policy language will need revision and an instructional meeting will be scheduled to consider changes.
Associate Principal Miss Jensen updated the school committee on changes to Massachusetts’ MCAST assessment rules and the implications for Whittier Tech graduation policy.
Miss Jensen said students will still be required to take the three exams in English language arts, math and science/technology, but under the recently enacted change students who fail an exam “will no longer be required to retest.” She added that MCAST scores will continue to be used for school accountability and that students could still qualify for certain scholarships based on their initial test results.
Committee members asked whether the district must revise board policy language. Miss Jensen and other administrators said the committee will need to remove the explicit requirement that passing MCAST is a diploma condition and instead articulate the district’s curriculum and core-course requirements; administrators indicated they will draft recommended policy language and convene instructional staff to finalize proposed changes.
Questions at the meeting focused on seniors and retesting logistics: an administrator reported that seniors were 100% because they had access to a retest last year, but current registration procedures for future retests remain unclear while the state implements new systems and vendor tools.
The committee directed staff to prepare policy language revisions and to schedule follow-up discussion with instructional leaders.
