I am writing to share a perspective that many Massachusetts voters probably do not have. During the 23 years before the 1993 Education Reform Act, I was a high school teacher, counselor and administrator, and from 1993 to the present (31 years), I have continued to work in high schools. I have helped to implement many education reform improvements, some of which Question 2 now seeks to terminate.
Before reform, many of us educators bristled when we were criticized for practicing the “subtle bigotry of low expectations.” As we implemented the Education Reform Act and its research-based strategies, we realized that we indeed had held low expectations for our students, especially students of color and students with disabilities.
Education reform’s curriculum frameworks, developed by Massachusetts teachers, clearly set higher academic expectations standards for all students. And the Legislature provided continuous higher levels of funding to ensure students were able to achieve them.
At the same time, many educators made dire predictions about the negative impacts of the more rigorous state-approved curriculum frameworks and the common MCAS testing: Dropout rates will soar! Graduation rates will plummet! Education quality will suffer!
Guess what? The data clearly show the opposite. High school teachers and students have met higher expectations. Dropout rates for all students, including Black and Hispanic students, have dramatically declined. Graduation rates for all students, including students of color, have increased greatly. Between 2007 and 2023, 35,525 more students (up 140%) took Advanced Placement courses and tests, with great success.
Newspaper articles, readers’ comments and TV ads have given me the impression that many voters may not have examined key MCAS-related documents, like Curriculum Frameworks in English Language Arts and Mathematics , samples of MCAS tests , grade-specific diagnostic reports, and the three-appeal processes that over 11,000 high students have used in place of Grade 10 MCAS scores.
When asked what will replace the MCAS requirement, the Massachusetts Teachers Association indicates that grades will become the primary measure of students’ academic proficiency. Let’s further examine that remedy.
Courses: If Question 2 eliminates the requirement, our state will require that high school graduates pass exactly zero academic courses. State law requires students to take — not pass — just two courses: history/civics and physical education. Most Massachusetts high schools will offer three different levels of courses, ranging from the more to the less rigorous. Grades for leveled courses are a much lower standard than the MCAS proficiency level that is the same metric for all students who are tested on the same, not differing, curriculum content.
Tests : The tests that 18,000 high school teachers create and administer will lack the validity, reliability and security of the MCAS.
Grades : The state’s 405 high schools develop their own grading systems. Research has consistently shown grades to be inconsistent and unreliable measures of student performance . Grading methodology varies from teacher to teacher, and grades themselves tend to include a mix of nonacademic factors, such as student behavior, class participation, and extra credit. Plus, grade inflation has picked up since the start of the pandemic.
The same letter grade in one school or even grades among the same subject-matter classes in the same school are not equal. In many high schools, the passing grade is a D-. Those students who have earned a D- in their school’s lowest-level courses will receive the same diploma as those students who have earned As in higher-level, more rigorous courses.
Students can take MCAS tests multiple times, whereas final exams don’t allow retake opportunities. While students currently have several opportunities to obtain their diploma through appeals, it is uncommon for high schools to provide appeal processes for teachers’ exams.
Additionally, educators must develop an educational proficiency plan to help support those high school students who do not meet expectations (or pass) the Grade 10 MCAS exam. Will Question 2 terminate these requirements as well?
In summary, one might think that voting yes on Question 2 is progressive. The facts show that a yes vote is regressive. It returns education in all our high schools back to the practices we had reformed and improved.
Would we consider it to be good medical practice if our doctors stopped using current medicines and procedures and returned to those less effective ones? I hope that we can all agree that we want to provide our students the best educational preparation possible. Your no vote on Question 2 clearly will help do that.
James Caradonio is the former superintendent of Worcester Public Schools .
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Opinion/Guest column: Vote no on Question 2 to preserve state's education standards
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