graduation requirement
September 1, 2006
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Joseph Gillis Jr.
You can do something!
The following is from a press release off his campaign site:
Mihos calls for elimination of MCAS exam [Thursday, August 24, 2006 ]
"During the course of my campaign, it has become increasingly obvious to me that teachers are angry and frustrated about the impacts to their lesson plans that have resulted from the MCAS testing requirements," Mihos said. "Students are already facing too many challenges from their academic demands and we are seeing the outcome of those demands in the high drop out rates of high school students. By adding the additional burden of the MCAS to the requirements for graduation we have made it more difficult for our children to succeed in school and to develop the necessary confidence and self esteem to prepare them for adulthood."
Teachers' organizations have also expressed their concerns and agree that standardized testing is not an effective method for testing the skills our students need in core academic subjects like math and reading. Mihos agrees with members of the Massachusetts Teachers Association, who have stated that they do not believe that one standardized test should be a determinant in whether a student graduates from high school. Currently students who do no pass the MCAS test cannot receive a high school diploma and the lack of a high school diploma impacts their ability to obtain jobs and advance in the workplace.
Mihos recognizes that these tests assist the state in complying with the federal "No Child Left Behind" law and the objectives of the Massachusetts Education Reform Law passed in 1993. When Mihos is elected governor, he will instruct his Commissioner of the Department of Education to revise current regulations to eliminate the MCAS as a graduation requirement and Mihos intends to work with the Legislature to introduce changes regarding our educational system's graduation requirements.
So, if he is elected Governor, (and is that ever a big if!) Christy Mihos will follow the recommendation of the State Teachers Union in removing the MCAS from the graduation requirements. A simple question for him is WHY? As I have said before, the MCAS as a graduation requirement states that a student must achieve "Needs Improvement" at the 10th grade level to be given a diploma at the end of 12th grade. Test or no test, shouldn't we require some level of proficiency in order to gain a high school diploma? The scoring does not require proficieny at the 10th grade level, only "needs improvement".
And "to develop the necessary confidence and self esteem to prepare them for adulthood." as Christy states... if they are having problems demonstrating minimal understanding of 10th grade material after 12 years, the MCAS Test is not the problem. Individuals do not suceed at everything they attempt. But, Christy does not want to hurt anyone's feelings by allowing the State Dept of Education to say that a student has not earned a diploma.
Christy, this is a terrible idea. Further, it is reason number one why I will not vote for you.
