Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Graduation Requirements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rockport committee adopts local competency-determination language after MCAS no longer counts for graduation
Summary
The Rockport School Committee approved local language defining a competency determination (CD) based on course mastery after state law removed MCAS as an automatic graduation requirement; the district will post the language publicly and update policy and program-of-studies materials.
The Rockport School Committee voted March 5 to adopt local language specifying how students will meet a competency determination (CD) after the state removed MCAS as an automatic graduation requirement.
Superintendent Mark Branco presented the recommended language, saying the CD will be based on "satisfactorily completing the coursework that demonstrates the mastery of the skills, competencies and knowledge covered by the standards and curriculum frameworks for grade nine and grade 10" (English, Algebra I/Geometry/Algebra II, introductory physics and one additional lab-based science). He told the committee the change follows the law that took effect in December and that districts must still provide a local CD process aligned with DESE frameworks.
Why it matters: MCAS (the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) will continue to be administered for federal and state accountability and data, Branco said, but it "can't be used for graduation requirements" under the new law. The committee and administrators emphasized that coursework, credit recovery and other local measures will now determine the CD for graduation, though DESE and the governor's office are continuing to refine guidance.
Committee members asked how terms such as "mastery" and "satisfactorily completing" will be defined in practice and whether retests or makeups will still be available. Branco and district staff said MCAS will still be given and used for progress monitoring and accountability, and that makeups for absent students and limited retest windows may remain for attendance reasons; however, repeated retests solely to meet a graduation threshold are no longer required under the state change. The district also noted students on Educational Proficiency Plans will have pathways through coursework and recovery options to meet the CD.
The committee moved, seconded and approved the CD language by voice vote. The district said it will post the approved language publicly in multiple languages, update the graduation policy and the program-of-studies documents, and monitor DESE workgroups and any further state changes.
The committee’s next procedural step is to include the CD language in the formal policy packet and to bring related policy sections back for any additional edits at the March 19 meeting. The district added that DESE has invited districts to participate in broader conversations about defining mastery and satisfactory completion, so local language may be revisited once the state finalizes guidance.
