MCAS Hearing Scheduled
It has been confirmed that the date of the Public Hearing on MCAS Bills will be on Wednesday June 20, 2001 in Gardner Auditorium at the State House. The Hearing will begin at 10:00 am.
We anticipate that several government officials and legislators will testify at that time and that it will be 11:30 or later before any of us are able to testify. Testimony will be limited to approximately 3 minutes and witnesses will be subject to questions from the legislators when they have completed.
We feel that testimony will be strongest if we are able to organize panels of 3 or 4 people according to their area of interest such as limitations of high stakes testing, impact on special education students or general concerns of parents, teachers or students. In order to have the panels organized before the hearing, we strongly encourage you to let us know if you will be able to testify on the 20th.
In order to do this, you can call the Citizens for Public Schools office at 617.457.8890 or reply by
email to Marilyn Segal, cpsmarilyn@aol.com
We realize the importance of presenting a united, organized opposition to the current use of MCAS as a graduation requirement and would greatly appreciate your cooperation.
Please find below a list, by categories, of the bills up for debate on June 20th. The Alliance for High Standards supports the repeal of the MCAS as a graduation requirement and supports a system of authentic school accountability based on multiple forms of assessment. Although we feel that no one particular piece of legislation addresses all of the issues, we do support legislation that would repeal the use of MCAS as a graduation requirement and that would, in its place, develop a system of multiple assessments. H 2482, H 3073, and S 255 all appear to move in that direction.
The next Alliance meeting will be on Thursday, June 14 from 10-12 on the 9th floor of 126 High Street. We encourage you to attend this meeting and make your opinion heard.
Please make sure that you reserve June 20th to come to the hearing and testify. This would also be a wonderful time to make an appointment to see your legislator and express your viewpoint.
PLEASE CIRCULATE this notice to students, parents, teachers, and citizens concerned about the harmful effects of the graduation requirement on students, families, communities, and the state overall.
*******************
MCAS Legislation
Repeal/Suspension of MCAS
Repeal MCAS as a Graduation Requirement:
Bill # Sponsor(s) TitleH 975 Smizik, Khan, Patrick, Barrios, Swan Prohibiting the Use of MCAS or Standardized Test as Component of Competency Determination
H 991 Wolf (At the request of MA State Student Advisory Council) Repealing the Requirement of Passing the MCAS Test as a Prerequisite for Graduation in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
H 2862 Bosley To Provide for the Use of Competency Determination for Diagnostic Purposes
H 2875 Marzilli To Prohibit the Use of MCAS for High School Graduation
H 3518 Marzilli, Story To Remove Satisfaction of Competency Determination as a Condition for High School Graduation
Delaying the use of MCAS as a Graduation Requirement:
H 989 Wolf, Jehlen, Marzilli, Balser, Santiago Suspending the Use of the MCAS as a Graduation Requirement
H 1361 Koutoujian Relative to the MCAS
H 1934 Locke Relative to the MCAS
S 264 Havern, Koocher Suspending the Use of the MCAS Test as a Graduation Requirement
Repeal use of MCAS Completely:
H 1563 G. Rogers, Fox, Menard Repealing the MCAS
H 1564 G. Rogers, Malia, Fox Amending the Education Reform Act by Prohibiting the Mandatory Competency Testing, Banning the Use of MCAS Testing so-called.
Multiple Assessments in Determining Student Achievement:
H 1565 G. Rogers Supporting the Local Determination of Educational Competency and Multiple Forms of Academic Assessment
H 1567 G. Rogers, Jehlen, Connolly Modifying the Education Reform Act, so-called, and Removing the Requirement of Passing the MCAS Exam, so-called, as a Single Prerequisite for Graduation from High School
H 2482 Balser Relative to Educational Assessments
H 3073 Fox, Khan, Connolly, Swan To Ensure the Use of Multiple Assessment Instruments for High School Graduation Requirements, and to Ensure School District Accountability and Student
Opportunity to Learn
H 3693 Pope Relative to the MCAS
S 254 Creem, Connolly, Balser, Khan Supporting the Local Determination of Educational Competency and Multiple Forms of Academic Assessment
S 255 Creem, Slattery, Resor, Paulsen To Require A Comprehensive Assessment System for Students, Schools and Districts
Alternative Diplomas and Appeals Process
Dual Diploma Systems:
H 245 Scaccia Governing Uses of the MCAS Tests
H 3266 Cahill Relative to High School Graduation
S 314 Resor Prohibiting the Use of MCAS Exams in Awarding High School Diplomas and Providing Scholarships for Certain Students
Appeals for High School Graduation:
H 3687 Hynes, Parente, Atkins To Petition for a Competency Determination
H 3689 Koutoujian, Reinstein, Stanley, Jehlen, Balser, Pope Relative to the MCAS
Local Determination of Graduation Requirements:
H 3517 Marzilli, Story To Provide for Determination of Competency Determination by Local School Committees
Accessibility of Testing Results and Materials to Schools and the Public
Timely Return of Results to Schools/Students:H 1736 Honan To Direct the Department of Education to provide Timely MCAS Results to School Districts
H 3688 Hynes Relative to the Availability of MCAS Results
Timely Disclosure of the Testing Material to the Public:
H 1553 Marini Relative to Releasing the MCAS Results
H 2135 Jehlen Regulating Disclosure in Educational Testing
Special Exemptions and Allowances for Students in Alternative Programs
General Exemptions for Students in All Alternative Programs:
S 256 Fargo, Moore, Fox, Kafka Relative to Competency Determination for Children with Special Needs, Children of Limited English Speaking Ability and Students in Vocational Education
Programs
Vocational Technical Education:
H 970 Kennedy Recognizing Vocational-Technical Learning in Educational Assessment
H 1363 Kujawski Recognizing Vocational-Technical Learning in Educational Assessment
H 2132 Greene, Rogers Recognizing Vocational-Technical Learning in Educational Assessment
H 3262 Cahill Relative to an Alternative MCAS for Vocational Education Students
S 282 Magnani, Havern, Resor Recognizing Vocational-Technical Learning in Educational Assessment
S 322 Sprague, Tarr, Kapnik Recognizing Vocational-Technical Learning in Educational Assessment
Special Needs:
H 988 Wolf Relative to Special Education in the Commonwealth
H 3519 Speliotis Relative to the MCAS Tests
H 3686 Hynes Relative to Accommodations for Special Needs Students Taking the MCAS
Specific Test Modifications
No Foreign Language Requirement:
H 3516 Harkins (petition of Beard) Relative to the MCAS
English and Math Results Used for Competency Determination:
S 226 Antonioni, Harkins, Wolf Relative to the Board of Education ís Competency Determination for Tenth Graders
Scoring of MCAS:
H 2672 Bunker Relative to the Designating Achievement Levels on State Assessment Tests
H 3070 Carron, Moore Relative to the MCAS
Other MCAS Legislation
Parental Exemptions/Scholarships for High MCAS Scores:
H 1737 Honan To Honor Parent Choice Concerning MCAS Testing and to Provide Incentives to Students to Pass MCAS Test
Evaluation of MCAS:
H 2141 Petersen, Jehlen Requiring Independent Evaluation of the Reliability of the MCAS Tests in Determining Academic Achievement
Forbidding Compensation Based on MCAS Results:
H 2295 Barrios Regulating Financial Incentives in Education
Comprehensive MCAS legislation:
H 3861 Provost, Khan, Paulsen, Swan, Creedon, Jehlen To Further Define MCAS and to Encourage Students to Stay in School
