My Vote: Yes to Academic Standards

The MTA is leading a 2024 ballot initiative to eliminate the MCAS as a high school graduation requirement. Along with pushes to eliminate honors-level classes and valedictorians while implementing equity into the admissions policies at Boston exam schools, it represents the latest left-wing push to deteriorate the quality of public education. Robust public education is one of the best qualities of Massachusetts. Its public schools are among the best in the country. Wokeness in schools is a problem, but kids learn, and the test scores consistently rank near the top.

The state's education quality improved in the 1990s when Massachusetts made several reforms. They included increased school funding, legalizing charter schools, and creating standardized tests to use as a high school graduation requirement. Having standards ensures that schools teach students something and that kids across the state demonstrate at least some competency to graduate high school.

Democratic leaders in the state oppose the MTA's ballot initiative. Gov. Maura Healey and her administration support academic standards, and her education secretary thinks any student can pass the test if they have the necessary support in place. I admire his optimistic attitude, though I find it too egalitarian. House Speaker Ron Mariano, a former public school teacher, and Senate President Karen Spilka also oppose eliminating the MCAS as a graduation requirement. A state legislature ballot question review committee also opposed the measure, noting that eliminating a basic education standard without a replacement won't improve educational outcomes and may risk exacerbating inequalities between districts with good and bad schools.

For those who don't live in Massachusetts, understand that the MCAS tests are easy. Students take MCAS tests throughout school, but the high school graduation requirement is passing the Grade 10 MCAS tests for math, science, and English language arts. I was no stellar student. My GPA out of four started with a two, and I cared more about football, Xbox, and blogging about the Red Sox than I did about class. With that apathetic attitude, I scored advanced on all three high school MCAS tests. The science MCAS was tougher than the other two—because it was the type of science I took as a freshman in high school. If I’d taken it then, I likely would’ve received an even higher score.

Many students disliked taking the MCAS, but in high school, I loved it. Marshfield High School gave students unlimited time to take the test, so I took nearly the entire school day to finish it to avoid going to my other classes. My track coach/gym teacher didn't believe that the MCAS took me all day, nor did he believe me when I quipped back that it was hard. Those who fail the MCAS can retake it until they pass. They can take it in Grades 11 and 12 and beyond. Someone I knew took the math MCAS nine times—and eventually passed.

After the MCAS, students must take useless classes to meet the credit requirements to pass high school. I think high schools should let students take community college classes once they demonstrate the state-level competency to pass high school so they can get a two-year college degree by the time they’re 18. Without a state standard in place, that becomes less feasible.

The push to lower academic standards reeks of credentialism. The teachers' union wants to eliminate the MCAS as a graduation requirement not so that it can improve the quality of public education but so towns can say more kids graduated high school. Why should a piece of paper from one's teenage years hold much weight? If someone’s a competent and dependable worker, employers should hire them. Who cares if they sucked at biology class when they were 15.

Tens of millions of Americans think men can get pregnant, and many of them somehow have high school diplomas.

I have multiple friends who are high school dropouts. One’s in nursing school and helps prepare sushi at a restaurant; the other is a firefighter who’ll teach a fire science class at his local community college next fall. Both have the skills necessary to make a living, even without that piece of paper.