MCAS waived for current school year

This Thursday, an important bill for students was passed through the Senate regarding MCAS testing.

This bill allowed for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to change or waive the high school graduation requirements because of the current circumstances. MCAS tests for grades 3-8 are also being waived.

“With the Senate leadership taking the initiative, the Senate passed a bill canceling the test-administration requirement on Thursday morning. The House followed suit in the late afternoon, and Baker signed it today,” wrote Massachusetts Teachers Association President Merrie Najimy. “The law includes an emergency preamble, meaning it takes effect immediately, removing one point of stress from students and educators in this stressful season of the coronavirus.”

Educators and families alike were fighting for this bill. Many feel that the MCAS is already a stressor for students and an inaccurate measure of their intellect. Along with that, it felt clearly wrong to test students on material they did not have time to learn.

The current plan to go back to school in May seems up in the air. Whether this is true or not, the state officials agreed that the best way to make the current situation fair to all students was to waive these requirements.