In Massachusetts, 81 percent of the class of 2003 has already passed the state's high-stakes MCAS test and is scheduled to graduate next spring, but the 19 percent of students who have not yet passed it are now the subject of a federal lawsuit. Lawyers representing six pupils contend that the state has failed to prepare thousands of students in struggling school districts for the test, and that the exam discriminates against minorities, the disabled, and non-English speakers. The editors of The Boston Globe wrote earlier this week that, while the claim deserves serious examination, it "should not deter the Department of Education or the state's thousands of teachers and students and parents from pressing ahead with a policy that has already shown great success."
The editors note that the lawsuit "spotlights once again the urgency of identifying and getting help to the students who most need it - a job that MCAS is helping to accomplish. The test does not cause educational inequities; it helps identify them." The Globe editors argue that the curriculum frameworks have been in place long enough to expect students to be able to pass the MCAS. But if schools have not implemented the frameworks, they note, then teachers and administrators should be held accountable, not students.
On Tuesday, Bay State education commissioner David Driscoll outlined a plan for awarding a "certificate of achievement" to students who are denied diplomas for failing the graduation exam but who have tried tutoring and met other local graduation requirements. Concerned that the certificates could lead to lower expectations and undermine efforts to raise education standards, the state board of ed, which votes on the proposal in November, suggested a three-year limit on the certificates. Students who don't pass the test before their scheduled graduation can continue taking the test indefinitely and are eligible for remedial help. Driscoll also said he hopes community colleges will accept students who receive the certificate of achievement and that these students will be made eligible for federal financial aid for community college.
"Lawsuit to allege MCAS is widely discriminatory," by Anand Vaishnav and Michele Kurtz, The Boston Globe, September 19, 2002; "A test in court," editorial, The Boston Globe, September 22, 2002; "Limit put on state certification plan," by Michele Kurtz, The Boston Globe, September 25, 2002