At their April 2022 meeting, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) voted to solicit public comment on a proposal by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to raise the passing standard on the high school English language arts (ELA), mathematics, and science and technology/engineering (STE) MCAS exams.
Under this proposal, students starting with the class of 2026 (this year’s 8th graders) would be required to meet the higher passing standard (or cut score) to earn the competency determination (CD) and graduate from high school.
BESE is expected to vote on the proposed amendment at its regular monthly meeting scheduled for June 28, 2022. Educators and others are strongly encouraged to submit public comments to BESE and DESE on this proposal. The deadline for doing so is June 3, 2022.
Please use the letter-writing tool provided to send your comments directly to BESE and DESE. The tool provides a sample letter that will go to DESE Commissioner Jeff Riley and all 11 BESE members. Feel free to personalize the letter to speak about the impacts of MCAS based on your own experiences.
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