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After state ballot change, Dartmouth approves local competency determination aligned to MassCore
Summary
The Committee unanimously approved Dartmouth High School’s proposed competency determination on Jan. 27; district leaders said MCAS will continue for accountability but can no longer serve as the sole graduation competency after a November ballot initiative.
The Dartmouth School Committee on Jan. 27 approved a local competency determination for Dartmouth High School graduates after a presentation from Ross Thibault, the district’s Executive Director of Teaching and Learning.
Thibault explained that a statewide ballot initiative passed in November removed MCAS as an automatic competency determination for a high school diploma. He said MCAS testing will continue to be administered for school accountability purposes but that districts must adopt alternative local measures for competency determination aligned to the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks (MassCore recommendations). Dartmouth’s proposed competency determination was presented as aligned to MassCore and the district’s existing graduation requirements.
The Committee approved the competency determination unanimously (5–0) and discussed that the Governor created a K‑12 Graduation Council to examine local variations; Thibault said the district anticipates additional guidance and possible future revisions.
Next steps: district staff will communicate the competency determination details to students and families and return to the Committee with any future revisions informed by state guidance.
