A BOSTON GLOBE EDITORIAL
12,000 students

 

9/25/2002

WHAT HAPPENS to students in the class of 2003 who don't pass the MCAS? They won't get diplomas, but the rest of their fate is being decided. It's a test for state leaders: How well can they respond to these students' needs?

So far, 12,000 members of the class of 2003 have not passed the MCAS. Of this group, 44.8 percent are minority students; 13.2 percent speak limited English; and more than 30 percent are students in special-needs programs. They can take the test again this year, but thousands may not pass.

Yesterday, at a Board of Education meeting, board members took a positive step by seeking public comment on a proposal to let school districts grant a local ''certificate of achievement'' to students who don't pass the MCAS but do meet other academic standards.

The board amended the proposal by saying students must have a 95 percent attendance record to earn a certificate. The board would review the certificate plan in three years.

The challenge is to make sure these certificates can be tickets to a meaningful future.

Ideally, the certificates should open many doors. One might lead to the world of work, where employers would recognize the level of effort demonstrated by certificate holders. Another door could lead to opportunities for students with limited English and those with special needs.

Another door should open to community college programs. Fortunately, at yesterday's meeting, state higher education officials said community colleges will accept certificate holders. The next step is to come up with compelling programs that could, for example, mix remediation, education, and job training in specific industries. Students could build basic skills, retake the MCAS, or train in areas such as health care or financial services.

State Education Commissioner David Driscoll has a strong vision of partnerships among high school, college, and business leaders to build a post-MCAS system that helps students thrive and feeds the work force. Businesses could provide a great service by helping to design screening and training tools. Done well, a state program for certificate holders could become a national model for work force development.

But building such a system is a massive undertaking that will take planning, money, work, and willpower.

State officials should start by estimating how many students won't pass the MCAS by graduation, what their needs will be, and how much helping them will cost. Then legislators must fund these efforts.

In 20 years, some people should be able to tell powerful stories about having failed the MCAS but going on to achieve adult success.

Time is running out: Thousands of students could need help in less than nine months.

 

 

This story ran on page A18 of the Boston Globe on 9/25/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.