WORCESTER — Early voting returns indicate the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System test will no longer be a graduation requirement for students, following the apparent passing of a ballot question on Tuesday.
As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, with 46% of precincts reporting, according to the Associated Press, 59% of voters in the state had voted “Yes” on Question 2, which removes the test as a graduation requirement.
“As things stand currently, are grateful that voters went out and listened to educators and listened to the impact that the MCAS has on students who struggle to pass the exam,” said Melissa Verdier, president of the Educational Association of Worcester, the union that represents teachers in Worcester. “It was unfair and it punished students who struggled to grasp the English language, who had IEPs, and this hopefully, as this trends in the right direction, it moves us away from a system that punishes students, and towards a system where we can make sure students have the skills to achieve in life, not to pass a test.”…