The Burlington School Committee Tuesday passed a resolution supporting Question 2, a 2024 ballot initiative that would remove the MCAS exam as a graduation requirement in Massachusetts.
The language of the resolution came from the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the state’s largest teachers union, although the School Committee voted only to support the final paragraph of the MTA’s draft resolution.
“There are kids who don’t test well, they get nervous, they freeze.” said School Committee Member Katherine Bond. “I think our teachers, who are there every day and grade them and give them the appropriate grade whether they pass or fail, they’re the ones who should make the decision on whether they pass high school and graduate.”
“I’ve never supported the MCAS as a graduation requirement,” Committee Member Meghan Nawoichik said. “I think it unfairly works against certain groups, students with disabilities, our multilingual learners. I think it’s like 700 students a year don’t graduate on average because of not passing this test, and I don’t agree with it.”
The committee voted 4-0-1 to support the resolution; Committee Member Jeremy Brooks abstained.
BNEWS spoke to proponents and opponents of the initiative in a recent episode of BNEWS In Depth, available here.
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