New Massachusetts Scholastic Test Could Replace MCAS

Being that I am a hardcore conservative about most things, I find Massachusetts voters behave in ways I might consider bizarre, as is evident throughout the electro-sphere (the operating government at all levels in Massachusetts).

Granting driver's licenses to illegal aliens was bizarre. Legalizing marijuana: bizarre. The Millionaires Tax: B-I-Z-A-R-R-E! But repealing the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) exam as a requirement for high school graduation was a cake-taker.

I don't understand why 58.9 percent of voters would want to remove the one key barometer of how well the Massachusetts public school system is doing in educating the children of the Commonwealth. Yet they did

Thankfully, my kids have long since left the public school system, and they survived and thrived despite the MCAS.

What Will Replace the MCAS

So what, if anything, will be used to determine how well our kids are doing in school?

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey's administration is recommending a "statewide graduation framework" developed in collaboration with the K-12 Statewide Graduation Council, which, if adopted, "would represent the most robust education standards the state has ever had."

State House News Service (SHNS) reported, "High school students would take end-of-course tests, designed, administered, and scored by the state under new graduation requirements recommended by a state council," with "high expectations" for all students.

However, SHNS said "Passing the tests would not be a condition of receiving a diploma, as it was under the former 'high stakes' MCAS system."

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Is It the Right Time to Ditch the MCAS?

SHNS reported in September, "A smaller percentage of Massachusetts schools made significant progress towards, met or exceeded their own goals in 2025, state officials said Monday as they released 'sobering' results from the latest round of MCAS testing."

This may not be the best time for ditching MCAS or for experimenting with a replacement while our school kids continue to struggle.

Healey's idea is that everyone gets a trophy, and no one is held accountable, which is a bizarre way to educate children who get one shot at the education system you pay top dollar for.

The proposal still needs legislative and other approval.