By Addison Reddington
The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, has been a qualifying component for High School graduation here for over 20 years. That changed this past November, when voters decided to eliminate that requirement. So, what does this mean for Wahconah Regional High School? While the MCAS will still be administered, will teachers enjoy more freedom planning their lessons? Will relaxing the requirement affect graduation rates?
According to Principal Robb, “graduation rates will go up slightly only because the MCAS test will no longer be a barrier. It will be the responsibility of each school district to come up with new measures to ensure the students meet what’s called a Competency Determination.” He felt that the biggest challenge he’ll face as a principal is trying to get kids to care about this test and stressed that it is critical to avoid uncertainty when it comes to children. Is MCAS a true measure of intelligence? “No, it measures that you learned certain education standards.”
But how will this affect the teachers at WRHS? History teacher Mr. Patton and Biology teacher Mr. Furlong agree that not much will change for them and that modification to lesson plans will be minor. They both agree that MCAS does not necessarily measure intelligence; Mr. Patton felt it was a “decent measure of a student’s ability to complete discrete skills,” while Mr. Furlong pointed out that it doesn’t take into account “kids who have test anxiety and other distractions in their lives.” Mr.Patton shared that Teacher Development Days typically focus on preparation for MCAS, so the test has become a driving force for what teachers do, “for better or worse.”
While Alena Proper, a ninth grader at WRHS, understands the purpose of a standardized test, now that the MCAS isn’t a barrier to graduation, she hopes teachers might find more opportunity to expand their curricula.
Looking forward, MCAS will remain a tool but will no longer be seen as an obstacle.
