A bipartisan coalition is pushing to end MCAS on this year’s ballot

By Laina Gustafson

Voters this election season will decide if the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, should be removed from public schools as a graduation requirement. After 21 years of standardized testing, a broad and bipartisan coalition of Massachusetts teachers, politicians, parents and students are urging voters to say yes. 

The Massachusetts Teachers Association has been leading the fight against MCAS for the last year, with the union’s push for the Thrive Act. This legislation aimed to remove the statewide requirement, which they said is too “high-stakes” and perpetuates inequity in graduation rates. 

When the Thrive Act failed to pass, over 170,000 educators, policymakers, and community members signed a petition to get the MCAS question on the 2024 ballot. Among their supporters is Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), currently running for reelection, and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating (D-Mass).  

The main argument of the “Yes On Question 2” coalition is that the MCAS reduces student achievement to a single test, which unequally affects students with learning disabilities and other test-taking barriers. Of the 16,000 students who didn’t meet the MCAS graduation metric last spring, 63% spoke English as a second language. 

The “Yes On Question 2” coalition argues that Massachusetts Education Standards, which are not going to be impacted by the removal of MCAS, are a more equitable assessment of student performance.

Deb McCarthy, Vice President of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, said that some voters are hesitant to vote against MCAS because they feel the issue deserves a legislative process, not a ballot event. However, she argues that since the Thrive Act attempted this and failed, a ballot approach was the next best option. 

“At some point, if the process isn’t initiated by the legislature, it is up to the people to use an event to force the process,” McCarthy said. 

Question 2 has divided both Democratic and Republican policymakers, and created strong coalitions on either side. The “Vote No on Question 2” coalition argues that removing the MCAS will increase inequality, by eliminating Massachusetts’ “only statewide education standard.” Massachusetts is one of only eight states with a mandated test in order to graduate high school.  

Support for “Vote No on Question 2” includes Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy and Lieutenant Gov. Kim Driscoll. 

MCAS’ supporters say that allowing individual districts to enforce graduation requirements would lead to unequal assessment of student readiness for graduation. Armand Pires, President of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said Question 2 would undermine “the cornerstone of Massachusetts’ successful work in education reform over the past thirty years.”

While the coalitions on either side of Question 2 have launched extensive ad campaigns, MCAS opponents have garnered more support from elected officials. The Massachusetts Statehouse News Service reported 74 electeds supporting “Yes”, in comparison to 35 officials supporting “No”. 

Both coalitions are expected to continue campaigning until election day on Nov. 5. For many educators like McCarthy, the fight to end MCAS has been a lengthy battle, and one that may continue after this year’s ballot.