Massachusetts students would need to complete college-preparatory coursework, pass end-of-course exams, develop postsecondary plans, and finish a capstone project or portfolio under final high school graduation standard recommendations filed Wednesday by the K-12 Graduation Council.

New Requirements

The report marks the culmination of an 18-month process launched after voters in 2024 approved Question 2 and eliminated the MCAS graduation requirement, leaving Massachusetts without a statewide graduation standard for the first time in decades.

Under the proposal, students would complete four major requirements: MassCore coursework, end-of-course assessments, a My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP), and a culminating experience in the form of either a capstone project or portfolio.

Implementation

The report proposes the implementation of the first MassCore cohort entering 9th grade in 2027-2028, and the implementation of the other requirements the next school year with incoming freshmen.

That means districts would have at least six more graduating classes before students could graduate in 2032 with all the uniform standards contemplated by the council — eight years following the MCAS ballot question’s passage.

The recommendations are advisory and do not themselves create new graduation standards. Lawmakers would need to enact legislation before implementation can begin. After that, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education would need to develop regulations governing the new framework.

Reaction

The Massachusetts Teachers Association (MTA), which led the fight to end the use of standardized tests as a graduation requirement in the state, released a statement Wednesday in which they said although the council’s report offers many good ideas, like the capstone projects, it is troubling that it calls for imposition of new standardized tests following the overwhelming victory of Question 2 in 2024.

Original reporting: NBC10 Boston — read the source article.