Boston Council Education Committee Hears Competing Views on MCAS Graduation Requirement

BOSTON — October 15, 2024 — Boston City Council Education Committee hears union leaders, parents on whether MCAS should remain a graduation requirement. Chair Henry Santana convened the virtual session October 15 on Docket 1444, sponsored by Councillors Tanya Fernandez Anderson and Julia M. Mejia, ahead of the November 5 statewide ballot question on the issue. Boston Teachers Union President Eric Berg, Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page, MTA Vice President Deb McCarthy, and AFT Massachusetts representative Brent Duncan all testified in favor of removing the requirement, with McCarthy noting MCAS covers only 43 percent of state curriculum frameworks and the test costs the state roughly $30 million annually. Will Austin of the No on 2 campaign, a former Roxbury principal, countered that Question 2 "simply just eliminates a requirement" with no stated replacement mechanism. Councillor Erin J. Murphy put the Boston failure rate at fewer than 10 students citywide, noting the math passing threshold converts to roughly 30 percent on a 100-point scale, and multiple councillors called for a follow-up hearing with pro-requirement panelists before Election Day.